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Streets of color
Meyerland artist Lilibeth Andre got a little face time – well, a big-face time – at Via Colori, the downtown street-painting festival. Andre did a self portrait on her 10-by-10-foot square. More than 20,000 people attended the event, which raised more than $300,000 for The Center for Hearing and Speech. This is the fifth year Andre has participated, and the first time she did a self portrait. For her Leonardo da Vinci-esque image, she posed herself with a brush for a prop and a sunset landscape.
Using their legs
The Bellaire High girls soccer team organized and ran the Fourteenforteens 14K Trail Run and relay at T.C. Jester Park. The event raised money for the soccer program, Lifehouse of Houston and the Palmer Drug and Alcohol program. More than 100 people completed the race, with Olya Perevalova winning with a time of 55:39. Pictured below are (back row, from left) Alyssa Villarreal, Zemira Rodriguez, Amanda Wick, Madeline Cooper, Devyn Polidore, Claire Weddle, Sara Mirza, Kelly Jackson and assistant coach Bryan Berry; (middle rows, from left): Camille Black, Rebecca Orsak, Ranya Gruber, Laura Landis, Nina Buturovic, Clare O’Gara, Maia Rice, Anja Schaefler, Alexa Sanchez, Danielle Luther, Allie Baumgarten, Vivian Young, Maggie Talley, Marie Kornek, Sarabeth Sandweiss, Jesiah Zapata, Shivani Pandya, Leslie Cundiff, Natasha Schepps and Holly Reichert; and (front row, from left) Yarielee Toledo, Jessica Spence, Zoe Ansell, Paris Griffin, Michelle Wycoff, Stella Kaiser, Sarah Battles, Mackenzie Ward and Lauren Sigmon. Also on the team but not pictured are Hanna Ueckert and Morgan Taper.
A fine job
Gary Tinterow, Bellaire High class of 1972, was named director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Tinterow, an internationally recognized curator and scholar, spent the last 29 years working in New York’s famous Metropolitan Museum of Art, most recently as the chairman of the Department of 19th Century, Modern and Contemporary Art. Tinterow has organized dozens of acclaimed exhibitions, many among the best-attended presentations at the Met. The MFAH has been searching for a director to succeed Peter Marzio, who died a year ago after helping to carve out an international reputation and a hefty endowment for the MFAH, one of the 10 largest art museums in the United States. Tinterow, 58, grew up off Braeswood and went to Shearn Elementary and Pershing Middle School. He spent summers in college working at the MFAH.
Wrangling a championship
Championship baseball came to Houston this fall after all. The Houston Wranglers, a group of 10 year olds, outscored their opponents 70-12 in five games to win the Nations Baseball 10U Elite Halloween Classic. Then they won four straight to take the USSSA Fall State Championship. The wins were team efforts, featuring solid defense, timely hitting and superlative pitching. Pictured hoisting their trophies after the Fall State tournament are (front row, from left) Grant McWilliams, Corbin Kinder, Benjamin Hananel, Hunter Guette and Nathan Bryant and (top row, from left) coach Rocky Flores, Caleb Sheffield, Matthew Allen, Ethan Samuels, Tom Vincent and Adam Farris.
Mister Bellaire
Sam Harker strutted his stuff to a win in the first Mr. Bellaire contest before a full house in the Bellaire High auditorium. The contest was the first of what organizers hope will be the start of an annual tradition at the school, a tongue-in-cheek pageant for senior-class boys. Nineteen guys took the challenge and competed in talent, swimwear and formalwear, donated by Al’s Formal Wear in Meyerland, for the “coveted” title. They presented an array of talent in dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, performing comedy and signing to a song for the hearing-impaired. Nineteen senior girls, in dresses donated by Tootsies for the evening, escorted the contestants. The school’s Madrigal Choir and Emotion Hip Hop Dance Company and a solo by Cassie Schafman also kept the crowd entertained. Harker (pictured) received a large trophy, a “Mr. Bellaire” sash, a $100 gift certificate to Fleming’s Steakhouse and a modeling scholarship to Page Parkes Modeling Agency. Finalists included Layne Schmerin, Justin Rayford, James Dean and Matt Hoffman. Winners in other categories included Matt Hoffman, best eyes; De’von Jackson and Denes Marton, best smiles; and Connor Cox, best pockets.
Hippies for HIPPY
There were peace, love and flowers – and, most importantly, donations to a good cause – at Rhonda Glick’s 60th birthday party. Glick greeted each of the 35 guests, who wore “hippie casual” attire, by giving them a peace necklace and putting a fresh flower in their hair. Party favors included retro candy, peace-and-love buttons and napkin rings that were wearable wrist cuffs. Diane Gelman made a psychedelic cake with flower and peace-sign icing and decorations. In lieu of gifts, Glick asked for donations to the Home Instruction for the Parents of Preschool Youngsters – HIPPY, her favorite charity. The party raised more than $1,200. Pictured (from left) are Barby Weiner, Sandy Harris, Marcia Katz, Cookie Portnoy and Glick. Other guests included Amy Silverman, Patti Hanfling and Marsha Abramson.
PB&C(harity)
The Kolter Cultivators, Kolter Elementary School’s garden club, collected 1,025 jars of peanut butter, which they donated to Stone Soup Food Pantry for hungry Houstonians. Ms. Lyons’ Pre-K class collected the most, 195 jars. Pictured with the jars are (back row, from left) Carson Brown, Lewis Mann, Halyley Mangum and Grant Cambron and (front row, from left) Jadelyn Ko, Katherine Garza, Katie Pettigrew, Emily Yu, Adam He and Sophia McGreger.
Gridiron heroes
It was an epic clash for bragging rights and toys. Firefighters and police officers from Bellaire and West University Place played in the second charity flag football game at Episcopal High School. Admission to the action-packed game was an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots Foundation, and proceeds from food and raffle-ticket sales went to the foundation. Pictured (from left) are Bellaire firefighter Jason Kendall, EHS cheerleader Olivia Netzel, firefighter James Lutz, EHS cheerleader Anna Bailey, EHS cheerleader Lindsey Asarch and police Officer Darrell Hollie.
We, robot
The Carnegie Vanguard High School robotics team didn’t short-circuit at the Houston VEX Robotics tournament. Against 40 other competitors, the team, code-named “Cloud,” won tournament champion in the game Gateway, during which robot teams try to score balls and barrels into 13 goals of varying height. The team is now qualified for the national competition and the 2012 VEX Robotics High School World Championship in Anaheim, Calif., in April. The CVHS team, with driver Tucker Haydon (pictured, in black shirt, pointing to the ring, with coach David Chan to the left of him) was also named “Robot Skills Winner” – and “Programming Skills Winner” under programmers Sam Dietrich and Rick Gordon. The team’s winning scores placed it fifth in the world for both robot skills and programming skills. Other team members include Andrew Nagal, Sai Adhapapurapu, Sam McConnell, Ujwala Bhagavatula, Aaron Schaer and Hakeem Henson. CVHS alum and Rice University student David Chan mentors the team, and parent Les Ruthven is the coach.
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