Philanthropy

Counselors from Camp Sweeney visited the Lake Highlands Town Center for the Come Out & Play 5k at the Memorial Day Art & Play Festival. The race raised funds for the summer camp for diabetic children. Mary Claire Stewart, a graduating Lake Highlands High School senior, a camp loyalist of ten years, says the biggest lesson she learned at Sweeney is the importance of hope. Longtime camp director Dr. Ernie Fernandez was at the festival passing out hugs and words of encouragement to kids he’s mentored for many years. “To see Dr. Ernie and all of the camp staff and counselors here is amazing,” Stewart says. “We recognize that a lot of the families out here, we’ve leaned on at one time or another. Seeing them come out and get their friends to come out — I just feel very supported and loved by Lake Highlands.”

The third annual Lake Highlands-founded Carry the Load walk on Memorial Day benefited many foundations, including the Assist the Officer Foundation, Tip of the Spear, and nonprofit Friends of Dallas Fire-Rescue. The event, which lasted Sunday afternoon through noon Memorial Day, is a symbolic effort— a 20-plushour walk while carrying a weighted pack — to show solidarity with and gratitude for military members and veterans, police, firefighters and their families who have sacrificed lives, body parts and years in order to save lives and serve our country.

Sports

Neighborhood rowers Bailey Parkerson, Tom Carr, and Brittany Albrecht of the White Rock Rowing Team all earned individual medals at this year’s Texas Rowing Championships Regatta in Austin. The rowing team medaled in 13 events, their most impressive performance yet in the sprint race season.

Schools

Lake Highlands High School choir director

Michael O’Hern retired at the end of the school year after 31 years directing choir in Lake Highlands schools, first at the junior high and later

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at the high school. Associate director Terry Berrier, who has been with Lake Highlands High School 14 years, also resigned at the completion of this year. O’Hern told students and parents in a letter that he is leaving to work on a textbook, judge choir competitions and take care of his 91-year-old mom. He says he will stick around to pick next year’s a cappella and Espree choirs and will return frequently as an observer. The Lake Highlands Choir Booster Club hosted a farewell reception for both in June.

Kari Gilbertson has been hired as the next choir director at Lake Highlands High School. Gilbertson taught music at Forest Meadow Junior High for 14 years and was nominated RISD Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2001. “I am honored and pleased to carry on the tradition of excellence at Lake Highlands High School,” says Gilbertson. “I feel that I’m ready for the task, and I know that I’m the luckiest person in the world to have wonderful colleagues and friends to turn to for advice.”

Charles Bruner has been named the new principal at Richardson High School, replacing the retiring Charles Pickitt. Bruner has led Forest Meadow Junior High since 2002. A farewell reception was held in Bruner’s honor Tuesday, June 4 in the Forest Meadow Junior High library. The come-and-go party, celebrating Bruner’s 11 years of service at Forest Meadow, was hosted by the PTA. Following Lauren Turnbull and Catie Epple’s end-of-semester departure as Lake Highlands High School Highlandettes directors, Sarah Stoeber has been tapped to lead the team. Stoeber most recently was assistant director of the Plano East’s Senior High Golden Girls and the director of the Clark High School Cougarettes.

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