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BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 1
Bellaire High School Today
Volume 8 Issue 3 December 20, 2013
Stories in this Issue
- News and General Interest
o Drama Department Presents “Big Love” Fall Performance Cheer Clinic
o Varsity Cheerleaders Host Annual Cheer Clinics
o eMOTION Modern Dance Company Wins Nine Trophies at the Tremaine Dance
Competition
o Woman‟s Soccer Hosts Fourteen for Teens
o State Representative Speaks to Young Democrats
o Stewart Cadillac Downtown Dealership Holds Toy Drive
o National Merit Commended Students are Also Recognized for National PSAT
Score Rankings
o Annual Project Santa Donates to Children Around the Houston Area
o HISD Holds Asian American College and Career Day
o Annual No Shave November Trend Continues
o Orchestra Student Wins YoungArts Competition
o Count of Monte Cristo Post Mortum Project
- Club Profiles
o Bellaire Chinese Club Hosts Carwash Fundraiser
o Senior FFA Member Championed at Harris County Fair
o UNICEF Club Raises Thousands for Charity
o Belles Host Monthly Breakfast for Teachers and Staff
- Student and Teacher Profiles
o Science Teacher Wins Award for Excellence Teaching
o Assistant Librarian Wins HISD Employee of the Month
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 2
The “Big Love” Fall Performance depicts a classic American comedy while still
portraying issues of gender politics, love, and domestic violence.
Photo by Alex Luckey
NEWS AND GENERAL INTEREST
Drama Department Presents “Big Love” Fall Performance
By Chris Latin
After a month of
rehearsals, the
drama
department
presented “Big
Love” for the fall
performance.
“Big Love” is a
comedy by
American
playwright
Charles L. Mee.
Based on
“Aeschylus‟s
The Suppliants,”
it was about fifty
brides who flee
to a manor in
Italy to avoid
marrying their
fifty cousins.
The play took
the plot of the
original Greek play into modern times including such details as when the grooms ambushed the
brides by helicopter. While the brides and grooms waited for their wedding day, the characters
raise issues of gender politics, love, and domestic violence. Senior Tavish Bakos played the role
of Constantine, one of the grooms. Bakos said the most exciting part of the play was the big
murder scene in the end. He described it as being very eventful and fun to do. The play was
shown Nov. 20, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.
Varsity Cheerleaders Cost Annual Cheer Clinics
By Maddie Callen
On Dec. 15 the varsity cheerleaders hosted their annual cheer clinic open to girls ages five to 12.
Attendees learned cheers and a dance, took home a picture with the Cardinal mascot and
performed at the end of the clinic.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 3
Varsity cheerleaders teach girls ages five to 12 at the annual cheer clinic.
Courtesy of Clara Van Landingham
Senior varsity
cheer captain
Anja Parikh
attended the
clinic when she
was younger
and was excited
to teach at the
clinic at for her
third
consecutive
year.
“It made me
want to become
a cheerleader,”
Parikh said.
“The kids are
really cute and
excited to learn.
It‟s fun because I know they look up to us the way I looked up to the cheerleaders.”
eMOTION Modern Dance Company Wins Nine Trophies at the Tremaine Dance
Competition
By Sophie Daily
On Nov. 3, eMOTION modern dance company won nine trophies at Tremaine Dance
Competition. eMOTION sponsor and dance teacher Sanja Korman attributed the success towards
eMOTION president senior Jennifer Li‟s and vice president senior Mayline Zhong‟s hard work
and determination in practice before the competition.
“The dancers practiced during class and after school to prepare for Tremain,” Korman said.
“Jennifer and Mayline divided the dancers into two groups and worked to clean the dances so
they would be ready for the competition.”
Li and Zhong performed solos along with officers senior Noga Kamenetsky and junior Vicky
Weng. Li and Weng performed contemporary solos. Zhong performed a solo in the other and
ethnic category. Kamenetsky performed a jazz solo. All of the soloists won first place in their
respective categories and were remembered for their routines.
“My soloists were really amazing,” Korman said. “The audience remembered them for having
long, extended legs and pointed toes. The judges even remembered them. All of the soloists won
first place, but Vicky beat Jennifer for the first time. Vicky got first place and Jennifer got
second. Both routines were very good.”
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 4
eMOTION modern dance wins a total of nine trophies at the Tremaine dance
competition.
Courtesy of eMOTION Dance Company
In addition to the solos, eMOTION performed four group dances. Zhong choreographed the
group lyrical dance for the spring 2013 show. Korman felt the dance was strong enough to take
to competition.
“The dance was from the presentation of statues in „Night at the Museum‟,” Korman said. “The
dance was lyrical, and the choreography was very well done. I‟m happy we took it to
competition.”
Guest
choreographers
choreographed
other group
dances. Guest
choreographer
Kelly Ann
Vitacca
choreographed
“The River”.
“The River”
was the highest
scored dance in
the entire
competition. It
was ranked the
best dance in
the whole
competition.
“The girls had
the opportunity
to perform
their dance to
professionals the next day,” Korman said. “It was a big honor, and the dance was very well
received by the professionals. I got calls from many people congratulating me and the dancers.
Winning all of the awards and performing for the professionals was the highlight of the
weekend.”
Korman looks forward to the eMOTION winter show on Friday, Dec. 13. She was very proud of
the modern eMOTION dancers and admires their hard work and determination.
“Tremaine is known for upscale jazzy and contemporary style,” Korman said. “It‟s very hard to
compete there because many elite and private studios compete there. I‟m very proud of the girls
and their hard work.”
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 5
Hundreds participate in the 14k fundraiser run.
Courtesy of Bellaire Women‟s Soccer
Woman’s Soccer Hosts Fourteen for Teens
By Leslie Cundiff
Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 a.m., Women‟s Soccer hosted their third annual Fourteenforteens race at
TC Jester Park. Since the first race in 2011, Women‟s Soccer has appealed to a large variety of
runners with options from a 14k (8.7 miles) to a 5k (3.1 miles) to devote a Saturday morning of
running to raise money for organizations including Corridor Rescue, Palmer Drug Abuse, Briggs
and Veselka, Tri on the Run, the Healthy Weigh, and Empower Endurance. Ababu Mohamed
was the overall winner of the 14k with a course record time of 51 minutes. The Women‟s Soccer
top three finishers in placing order were junior Mackenzie Ward, sophomore Elisa Arango and
junior Sarabeth Sandweiss.
Ward, the Women‟s
Soccer 14k top
finisher, commented
on her preparation for
the race and her
reaction to her victory.
“To prepare for the
14k, I knew I would
have to start training a
few weeks before the
race,” Ward said. “To
prepare, I got advice
from Coach
Thompson. He created
a schedule for running
for all the players who
wanted to run the full
14k in addition to the
running we did in our
pre-season soccer
practices. About four
or five days of the preceding weeks, we were to run anywhere from two to six miles. The other
two or three days we were to run for at least 30 minutes to keep up fitness but not get too sore.
Mentally, I had to start preparing a week or two before the race, as well as eating with getting the
best race results in mind.”
With 2013 statistics of almost 200 runners and over 50 volunteers and the number of participants
growing each year, Women‟s Soccer has started a fundraiser that it hopes will be able to
continue to grow in helping out the organizations it annually donates to. Taking their motto of
“Hard Work. Team First.” out into the community is something that Women‟s Soccer has done
to give back to others in and around the community.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 6
Representative Gene Wu talks to the Young Democrats.
Courtesy of Bellaire Young Democrats
State Representative Speaks to Young Democrats
By Nicolas Aldape
On Thursday, Oct. 31, State Representative Gene Wu of District 137 came to speak to the Young
Democrats. He spoke about his life background and his entry into politics as a freshman
representative in Austin. Senior Jillian Greene, a vice president of Young Democrats (YD),
found many parts of Representative Wu‟s speech interesting.
“He [Representative Wu] has one of the great stories of being in a family that migrated to
America from China, started with a pretty low income, and luckily managed to gain more
success,” Greene said.
Wu‟s story was an
epitome of the
“American dream” of
starting out poor and
reaching the middle
class. Representative
Wu said that living in
poverty helped
influence his views, and
believed standing for
education is one of the
best ways for children
to succeed. In the state
house, Representative
Wu opposed a budget
cutting $5.4 billion
from public education
and worked to return
some of the cut funding
back.
As a high school student, Greene was struck by his story.
“I really liked when he was talking about education, primarily the issues with education, because
to me that's the biggest problem in Texas and the US,” Greene said. “He said the poor education
system is causing the huge income inequality and told us his ideal fix.”
In addition to his work in the state house, Representative Wu also offered advice to the Young
Democrats on how to better serve and be successful. Greene took some of Rep. Wu‟s advice to
aid the club she helps run.
“Even at 17, I can register people to vote and try and organize times for them to vote,” Greene
said. “I feel like that changes what I want to see from YD clubs everywhere, and thats how it
influenced what my goal is as a YD member.”
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 7
Many attend the toy drive held at Stewart Cadillac‟s downtown dealership.
Courtesy of Howard Houston
Stewart Cadillac Downtown Dealership Holds Toy Drive
By Vikram Seth
Wednesday, Dec. 4,
the Leading Ladies of
Houston, along with
members of Bellaire
Men‟s Youth Council
attended a toy drive
held at Stewart
Cadillac‟s dealership
downtown. The gala
was formal, and guests
were asked to bring
toys as gifts to be
donated to
underprivileged
children in the Houston
area.
Mackenzie Ward,
Chairwoman of
Houston‟s Leading
Ladies chapter, attended the gala and helped organize the event. She coordinated different
aspects of the gala, and help set up at the location, which was the dealership of Stewart Cadillac.
“It was really nice to see so many people coming together to help make the holidays pleasant for
so many underprivileged kids,” Ward said. “Stewart Cadillac donated $1000 to the event and
hosted it too, which was really generous of them. This gala was the first event of a series for the
toy drive. In a few days Leading Ladies will have the other event where we wrap all the toys that
were donated the other night.”
Ward went on further to describe what Leading Ladies does and the general atmosphere of the
gala. She is in her second year of Leading Ladies, and enjoys being so active in a group whose
primary goal is to volunteer and make the community a better place.
“Leading Ladies of Houston, which is a group of hand selected girls mainly from Bellaire,
Lamar, Episcopal, and Memorial, came and helped host the event,” Ward said. “Even some
members of the Bellaire Men‟s Youth Council attended. People were eating different snacks and
talking, and everyone seemed to be happy and having a good time.”
The gala was successful in gathering many toys and gifts for the underprivileged children in
Houston. The next event will be the second part of the toy drive where volunteers from the
Houston Leading Ladies chapter will wrap the gifts that were donated at the event.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 8
National Merit Commended Students Are Also Recognized for National PSAT Score
Rankings
By Tonya Chen
This year, Bellaire High School recognized 37 National Merit Commended students in addition
to the 25 National Merit Semifinalists who have scored highly on the PSAT/NMSQT test.
Osama Arif, Adelle Berkowitz, Cari Bonilla, Claire Burrus, Raveena Chhibber, Dallas Yu,
Melvin Du, Tamarah Farchy, Madeline Folkerts, Lauren Friederman, Ron Gadot, Danilel Guo,
Hailey Haut, Crystal Huang, Terry Huang, Max Lau, Lee Lorenz, Aaron Neskar, Anna Ngo,
Catherine Oh, Molly Oretsky, Rebecca Orsak, Pooja Prasad, Victoria Prince, Karlo Remigio,
Henry Seward, Elaine Shen, Madison Silver, Geroge Walters, Tiffany Wang, Jason Weilee,
Ryan Yang, Manlin Yao, Vivian Young, Max Zhang, Qiaochu Zhang.
This September, approximately 34,000 seniors in the nation were announced as National Merit
Commended students. These students placed in the top five percent on a Selection Index among
the 1.5 million entrants who took the qualifying PSAT/NMSQT test during their junior year.
Unlike the scoring method for semifinalists, which varies for each state, this is only one
commended score cutoff for the entire country.
Although commended students will not continue in the 2014 competition for National Merit
Scholarship awards, they will receive Letters of Commendation and have the chance to become
candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
Photo by Debra Campbell
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 9
Dozens of clubs attend Project Santa
to help provide gifts for those in need.
Photo by Hannah Tang
Annual Project Santa Donates to Children Around the Houston Area
By Jason Weilee
As the holiday season approaches, clubs are starting to
prepare for the annual Project Santa event. This year,
Student Council will be leading the school-wide project‟s
efforts. Senior and student body secretary Hailey Haut
explains the reason behind the newly taken initiative.
“We wanted to help the community,” Haut said. “We felt
that as student council we should be in charge of larger
events like Project Santa that involve the whole school.”
To encourage more participation, Student Council has put
together a new system of organizing and promoting the
event through the help of club presidents.
“We strongly urge the presidents to attend [Student
Council‟s] President‟s Council meetings,” Haut said. “The
presidents will then relay the message to their club
members, and [Project Santa] will have more volunteers.”
Currently, clubs have signed up to adopt (provide gifts) for
a total of 155 children. This is a significant increase from
the 103 children Project Santa provided with gifts last year.
“Because we have more clubs involved, we can have more
children get adopted this year,” Haut said.
The Project Santa main event was held on Dec. 7 in the multipurpose room. Clubs decorated the
room and set up party games and activities to spread the holiday cheer.
Photo 1: Student Council project planners
Photo 2: Junior Kurt Warren and sophomore Jennifer Wang assist with crafts.
Photos courtesy of Debra Campbell
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 10
HISD Holds Asian American College and Career Day
By Sabika Rehman
On Nov. 16, Asian Advisor Committee of Houston Independent School District organized a
college fair for Asian Americans. Many Colleges across the Texas and outside the state were
crowded with their personal tables to attract students to attend their universities. Asians from all
over Houston, from middle school to high school, came to explore the different fields of studies.
Patrick Leung, director of the Office for International Social Work Education of the University
of Houston, discussed the field of sociology and his job in teaching industry.
“This career tour is held annually in different schools of HISD to help Asian Americans with
issues regarding college. I am a mentor in social work for Chavez High School and my job is to
help immigrant students with English writing and communication”, Leung said. “Social work
requires license and involves many educational fields including medicine and lobbying. Students
come to us with concerns about social issues and how to find a part time job.”
Junior Amy Nguyen considered the career day helpful in deciding the type of college she wants
to attend.
“I heard about the college fair on the Asian radio station and I am impressed with the
organization of the event. I am planning to attain a degree in nursing or pharmacy and it is
helping a lot. “They are very helpful in guidance with college essays for applying to college next
year”, Nguyen said
Annual No Shave November Trend Continues
By Jose Muniz
For the of the month of November, people all over the globe participate in No Shave November,
a month in which participants refrain from shaving in order to raise awareness for prostate
cancer.
Sophomore Samhith Punukula took part in the cause this November and describes the reactions
of the people around him when they saw what he was taking part in.
“I got a lot of mixed responses when I participated in No Shave November,” Punukula said.
“Lots of people didn‟t like it, while other people loved it. There were lots of mixed emotions
with the cause. It all depends on your position, but when people realize what the underlying goal
of the movement is, they tend to think better of it.”
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 11
Sophomore Samhisth Punukula participates in
No Shave November along with dozens of other
throughout the school.
Courtesy of Samhisth Punukula
While the main purpose of the movement was
to raise awareness and embrace the hair that
lots of cancer patients lose, students like
Punukula took part in the movement just for
fun.
“I did No Shave November this year just for
fun,” Punukula said. “I can grow a beard in
about three days so I just thought, „Hey, let‟s
grow it out for a month.‟ People do it mostly
to support prostate cancer in men and raise
awareness, but I did it this year completely for
fun. With adults, I think that No Shave
November would be a bigger cause than with
students.”
Having raised over 174$ million dollars for
prostate cancer and being one of the top 100
non-profit organizations in the world, No
Shave November has grown as one of the
most popular and influential movements in the
world.
“No Shave November is a great way to
increase knowledge about prevention and an
increase in awareness for a lesser-known form
of cancer,” Punukula said. “The movement is
very unique and if people don‟t want to do it
to support prostate cancer, they can still do it
for fun.”
Orchestra Student Wins YoungArts Competition
By Christopher Latin
There were about 11,000 applications for this year‟s YoungArts competition and Esther Liao was
one of 700 winners in the contest. The competition itself possesses visual, literary, and
performing arts. The YoungArts competition is judged by renowned judges, teachers, and artists.
The National YoungArts Foundation was once deemed the National Foundation for
Advancement in the arts and congratulates high school and college students on their artistic
abilities. This program is considered by many to be the most prestigious competition for a young
artist to win. Liao was modest while discussing her win in the YoungArts competition and spoke
nonchalantly about it.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 12
Junior Esther Liao wins the YoungArts Competition for her renown skills on
the piano.
Photo by Alex Luckey
“The competition
was fun but I was
nervous, Liao said.”
“I did not know
whether or not I was
going to win
anything even
though I knew that
there was going to
be more than one
winner. During my
performances, and
there were a lot of
them, I was really
scared but I was
proud of how well I
did even under the
pressure. I loved the
experience and was
ecstatic when I
realized I had won.
Results came in
November telling
Esther that she won. The artists, poets, and musicians who came to the competition hoping to
win were all judged and exposed to the type of people they want to be like. Esther Liao claims it
was a great experience for her and others.
Count of Monte Cristo Post Mortum Project
On Nov. 8, these photos were taken of students working during lunchtime in the third floor
hallway on their Count of Monte Cristo Post Mortum project for English Teacher Elizabeth
Chapman‟s class.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 13
Members of the BCC come help volunteer at the club‟s fundraising
event..
Courtesy of Kevin Xie
CLUB PROFILES
Bellaire Chinese Club Hosts Carwash Fundraiser
By Jennifer Wang
On Saturday, Nov. 17, 2013, Bellaire Chinese Club (BCC) hosted a car wash at Firehouse Subs
located near the intersection of Stella Link and Bellaire Blvd. Members volunteered for the event
in order to help raise money for the club. The funds earned at the car wash are intended for the
use of paying for the club t-shirts.
BCC is a club that
promotes Chinese
culture. It has been
extremely popular not
only among Chinese
students but also among
other students. The club,
unlike any other club,
covers two yearbook
double-spread pages in
order for all of the
members to be shown
because of its 100+
members. Junior Kevin
Xie, treasurer and
historian of BCC, shares
his opinion of the club
and what appealed him
to it.
“It‟s a club where I can
not only share but also
embrace my Chinese
culture,” Xie said. “I like
it because it‟s fun to be
around fellow Asians and
non-Asians”
Although the car wash
took place on a hot day
under the scorching sun,
members still eagerly participated in the club‟s fundraising event. Xie volunteered and describes
his overall experience during the day
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 14
“Overall, it was exhausting, as we often had more cars lined up waiting than we could wash but
it was fun.” Xie said. “My favorite part was washing the cars with friends, as we often either
talked about how dirty the car was, or jokingly yelled at each other about how bad they washed
cars.”
After a day‟s hard work of continuously washing cars, the club made a profit of $241. The event
was considered to be a success among many members of the club.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 15
Senior Shelby Armstrong wins Grand Champion and Reserve
Champion for the steer she raised at the Harris County Fair.
Courtesy of Bellaire FFA
Senior FFA Member Championed at Harris County Fair
By Claire Weddle
On Oct. 10 senior
member of FFA
Shelby Armstrong won
Grand Champion and
Reserve Champion for
her two steers at the
Harris County Fair.
She placed first overall
and second overall
with these awards.
Armstrong worked
hard to take care of her
steers and to be able to
win this competition.
“I had to feed and clean
my steers every day to
make sure they stayed
healthy. It‟s important
that they are in great
condition so you can place well at the competitions,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong‟s friend, junior member of FFA Caitlyn Wagner discussed all of the work that went
into caring for their animals at the FFA Barn.
“Every morning I wake up at 4:45 a.m. to feed my goat, and I work with my goat every day for
at least two hours after school. All of the other members of FFA put in just as much or more
work as me to take care of their animals,” Wagner said.
Armstrong has won several other awards because of the hard work she has put into caring for her
heifers and steers. She likes to participate in FFA because she‟s around all of her friends and
works with animals which she is passionate about.
“I‟ve made all my friends in FFA because we all love to do the same thing, take care of and raise
animals. I decided to do FFA because it‟s something I really enjoy doing,” Armstrong said.
Wagner points out that even though it is a lot of work, she enjoys every minute of it.
“FFA really helps with determination, responsibility, leadership, and patience. It is a lot of work,
but I don‟t even notice because it‟s so fun. I don‟t feel like I‟m actually working,” Wagner said.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 16
UNICEF Club Raises Thousands for Charity
By Allie Lefkowitz
Students parade screaming through the halls. Trumpets blare, peers scramble frantically to get
out of the procession‟s way, and paper signs flutter festively from the tips of booming musical
instruments. On Wednesday, November 20, the United Nations
and Children‟s‟ Fund (UNICEF) Club raised awareness for the
ongoing „Kids Helping Kids‟ Fundraiser.
The fundraiser, which was introduced and spearheaded by
UNICEF President Junior Marina Finley, took place over a range
of approximately 4 weeks and raised a grand total of $4,716.
Originating as Linear Middle School‟s “Trick-or-Treat for
UNICEF” fundraiser, Bellaire‟s second annual drive evolved with
Finley to become the highly successful one that can be found
today.
“I originally came up with the idea when I was in seventh grade and my mom said that I was too
old to go trick-or-treating for UNICEF,” Finley said. “Because I couldn‟t take the UNICEF box
out to houses, I brought it to my homeroom teacher and asked her if we could put donations in
the box. It was so successful in my homeroom and we raised so much money that we expanded it
to the whole school. I did it again in eighth grade and we made it a school-wide thing, and then I
brought it to Bellaire and it has been really successful and a lot of fun.”
The drive itself is relatively simple, involving boxes, the English Department, and a number of
smaller fundraisers along the, such as Tribal Tuesdays, where Henna Tattoos were offered in the
Courtyard. Linda Pham explains the process.
“Basically every English teacher in the entire school, from regular to AP to ESL, would have a
little „Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF‟ box,” Pham said. “Kids would donate pennies to bills; and
then the class with the most would receive a pizza party, and the second class would receive a
cookie party.”
The total was tallied by teacher and English teacher Jeffrey Waller‟s class raised the most
money, with a winning total of $1,252. English teacher Elizabeth Chapman‟s classes came in
second, acquiring $737. This fundraiser was possible by the help of many different people.
“It basically just took a lot of really enthusiastic members and happy teachers,” Pham said.
“Everyone had to make their teacher really want to give incentives, like extra credit and food, to
give the students that extra push to donate. And we worked with other clubs like Key Club,
which was a really big help to us.”
Finley agrees, although she feels that there is one more person who has gone above and beyond
in helping this drive flourish.
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 17
“Our amazing Principal Mr. McDonough was definitely a great advocate of the fundraiser,”
Finley said. “He supported it from day one, and he‟s always been very generous with his time
and his talent to make the campaign a real success.”
This was the second of many UNICEF Drives, and other than some minor changes in
organization and membership numbers, the club expects its process to stay the same.
Nevertheless, it still strongly stressed student participation.
“We do the UNICEF Drive because it‟s a really great opportunity for kids to make a difference,”
Finley said. “These kids have talent and drive and enthusiasm and passion, and participating in
or donating to the UNICEF fundraiser is a really great way for kids to make a meaningful
difference and help the lives of kids all over the world. It‟s a great thing to be able to give kids
that opportunity and to see them really make it their own; have competitions within their classes
and donate and bring bags and bags of change and to comprehend that when they donate this
dollar, it changes from something that can buy them one coke to something that can buy
vaccinations that saves lives, and that‟s a really amazing thing.”
Belles Host Monthly Breakfast for Teachers and Staff
On Dec. 6, the Bellaire Belles hosted the monthly breakfast for all teachers and staff to enjoy.
Good job ladies!
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 18
AP Biology teacher Anna Loonam wins a
cash prize that will be toward technology for
her students.
Photo by Joe Mabry
TEACHER AND FACULTY PROFILES
Science Teacher Wins Award for Excellence in Teaching
By Krishna Sigireddi
On Nov. 5, AP Biology teacher Anna
Loonam was recognized for receiving
the 2nd
place Texas Medical
Association Ernest and Sarah Butler
Award for Excellence in Science
Teaching. Requirements for the award
included a Texas state-certificate for
full-time public and private school
science teachers with at least two
years of classroom experience.
Teachers must be returning to teach in
a Texas classroom during the 2014-
2015 school year.
As a second place nominee, Loonam
received a cash reward. Loonam
intends on putting the money towards
technology for her AP Biology
students. She hopes to purchase new
technology for lab equipment. The award
was a big honor out of the whole state of
Texas. Loonam has been a teacher for thirty
three years. Five of the thirty three years
Loonam spent as a Physical Education
teacher.
“It was a great honor receiving the award since it was out of all the science teachers nominated
for the award in the whole state of Texas.”
Loonam was presented the award on Dec. 11. She welcomed her students to join her in the
presentation of the award. A small celebration was held after with her students.
Assistant Librarian Wins HISD Employee of the Month
By Sachi Kamble
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 19
Assistant Librarian Martha Moreira is named
HISD employee of the month.
Courtesy of Debra Campbell
The following interview is in celebration of
Martha Moreira being named HISD Employee of
the Month for December.
Q: In your interview on the HISD website, you
said that your son César and the principal at the
time actually motivated you to accept the job as
library assistant. How did they do so?
A: Well, at that time I was working in the
cafeteria, and the principal at the time asked me
„Mrs. Moreira, would you like to work in another
department.‟ I wasn‟t so sure if I should take the
job, but my son told me to take it. I still had doubts
and didn‟t want to feel bad if I couldn‟t do the job,
but he said that he was going to help me since he
was going to come to Bellaire for his first year.
And from then to now, it‟s been years.
Q: What made you doubt that you could take on
this job?
A: Well, I was not sure if I was going to do a good
job in the library, and I afraid of not doing well,
because I like to make everything perfect.
Q: Is it hard to keep track of all the work that
needs to be done?
A: Not really. We have a lot of people coming in
and helping us: office workers and moms. I think
we control everything really well with all the outside help.
Q: How do you promote literacy in Bellaire?
A: We always tell kids that reading is important to increase knowledge and become more
knowledgeable. We have so many books in this library, from science to religion to biographies.
You know what they say, „if you read you will open your mind.‟
Q: I heard that you actually fled from El Salvador because of a civil war at that time. Could you
tell us more about what was going on?
A: At that time, it was a really dangerous place to be, especially if you were a teenager. The
army or guerilla could take you, and force you to fight. You don‟t have a choice.
Q: Even girls?
BHS Today Volume 8 Issue 3 December 2013 Page 20
A: Oh yes, especially girls. They would make girls work in both armies. They just grab you and
take you away. It was really scary. The rebellions came shooting one night when I had my little
child and the army was occupying that place. The guerilla possessed my house. I think they are
called the Sandinistas in English. They are supposed to fight for people‟s rights. They wanted to
take over the government, have their own rules, eliminate the rich people and give everything to
the poor. They used to brainwash people.
Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: I like Isabel Allende. We have a book here called, The Daughter of Fortune. I like the way she
writes, and another one I like is Gabriel García Márquez. I think I tend to like Hispanic authors,
because Spanish is my native language.
Q: I heard that you help your son teach ESL classes. In your opinion, why are ESL classes so
important?
A: I think ESL classes for parents allows them to be more involved with their kid‟s school, and I
think it‟s very important. If they learn English, they can motivate their kids more. We even
taught them how to open Gradespeed, and they didn‟t even know that they could check their
kids‟ absence and grades. I actually didn‟t know English when I came to America, and I ended
up learning through night-time classes. I needed to learn English to get a job. I had to send
money to my younger siblings in El Salvador.
Q: Do you have any dreams and goals that you really want to accomplish?
A: I wish one day that I can have my own business so I can help kids. There are a lot of parents
who aren‟t in the house and leave kids by themselves. I want to have a place for kids who don‟t
have parents at home after school. I want my kids to be successful. Two are done with college,
and the other two are still in college.
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