2024 October Preston Hollow Advocate

PRESTON HOLLOW

PRIVATE SCHOOL CORRIDOR

Broker, REALTOR ® , GRI, ABR ®

Catherine is an expert in luxury homes near our neighborhood’s priority schools.

With over 27 years of experience in the “private school corridor” of North Dallas and experiences with her own family, she has unmatched insight into the area’s renowned public and private schools. Catherine Cole has been recognized as one of Dallas’ top realtors for the past nine years and a leading producer at Allie Beth Allman and across Dallas.

| catherine.cole@alliebeth.com dallasrealestatebroker.net @catherinecole.broker | @catherinegcole

PRESTON HOLLOW ADVOCATE VOL. 23 NO. 10

PROFILE

8 Killer Daisy becomes Eagle Scout

DINING

14 Chefika’s Turkish Mediterranean

FEATURES

18 Career Institute North promotes job readiness

34 Preston Hollow Presbyterian School celebrates more than 60 years

38 An educator running for Congress

DESIGN 10 Clover Lane

ADVERTISING

23 Education Guide

This Clover Lane home, featured in AIA’s annual home tour, incorporates different floor patterns sporadically to add interest.

SCOUTS FOR SERVICE

How one Preston Hollow

student combined her passion for horses with her aim for Eagle

Story by ALYSSA HIGH | Photography by YUVIE STYLES

To Hockaday senior Madalena Ritz-Meuret, riding horses is more than just a hobby. It’s a way to connect with a creature that is more like us than we may think.

“It is just so amazing to be able to connect with a creature so big and to be able to practice a skill that not many people do,” RitzMeuret says. “Throughout the years, I have discovered how special it is to have a bond with them.”

As she prepared to enter her senior year of high school, RitzMeuret also got closer to another deadline: becoming an Eagle Scout.

Since the Boy Scouts of America organization began letting girls join area troops that agree to it in 2019, coed and girl’s scout troops have popped up all over the country. There are hundreds of troops in DFW, tied to neighborhood churches, schools and other local groups.

One of these is Troop 890, sponsored by Lake Highlands United Methodist Church. The troop has over 30 girls, and nearly a dozen have gone on to become Eagle Scouts. One of these is Madalena Ritz-Meuret, a rising senior at The Hockaday School.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is no small feat. It has been estimated that only 4-7% of Boy Scouts earn the Eagle Scout rank. Scouts have to be active as a Life Scout (the second highest level for scouts) for at least six months, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, hold positions of leadership within their troop and complete a significant community service project – all before turning 18.

Ritz-Meuret recently completed her service project, which BSA describes as one of the most “distinctive and challenging aspects of becoming an Eagle Scout.” The scout has to plan, develop, lead and execute a service project that benefits their community or a nonprofit.

therapeutic riding to go there and support them,” Ritz-Meuret says.

Similar to the concept of therapy dogs, domesticated horses are thought to be attuned to human’s emotions and nonverbal cues, mirroring their rider’s emotions and allowing for the rider to engage with and identify what they were feeling. Others use horse riding to foster empathy, build trust and learn to interact with the animal calmly and safely.

The Heart of Texas Therapeutic Riding Center offers therapeutic riding with social, educational and sport opportunities, aquatic therapy, massage therapy and “elite therapy,” which includes speech, physical and occupational therapy.

After discussing the needs of the riding center with its employees, Ritz-Meuret decided to build the benches for the facility so that riders can observe their peers and have a place to sit while not riding.

Together with a leader from the troop, Ritz-Meuret planned out the materials and funding requirements of the project. She set up a GoFundMe that collected $680 and gathered volunteers to help out. Ritz-Meuret was responsible for leading the project, even after the rain foiled the volunteers’ original plan of building the benches outside of Lake Highlands UMC.

Though adults did the sawing, Ritz-Meuret notes, she and her peers built the benches entirely by hand, adjusting along the way when things did not go to plan.

How one Preston Hollow student combined her passion for horses with her aim for Eagle

For Ritz-Meuret’s project, she facilitated designing and building several benches for the Heart of Texas Therapeutic Riding Center in West, Texas.

The center focuses on equine therapy, which is used to treat behavioral and relationship issues, grief, anxiety, depression, ADHD, addiction and eating disorders as well as assisting with occupational therapy and veteran reintegration.

Story by ALYSSA HIGH Photography by YUVIE STYLES

“I wanted to pick out a center that was not publicly known to raise awareness of it and encourage clients or people interested in

“We had to think creatively on how to work around challenges,” she says. “We made errors on measurements so we had some benches that varied in size, but it taught me to embrace the diversity of problem solving and making sure that everybody’s opinions are taken into consideration.”

She later transported the benches to the center, a little over an hour away, sanded them and applied a translucent paint to seal them once at the location.

“It’s really special to discover the different personalities that the horses have,” Ritz-Meuret says. “They have this very therapeutic power that, if you are calm around them and you’re patient with them, they will be able to reciprocate that.”

In her free time, Madalena Ritz-Meuret rides dressage, like her grandfather and her mother did as children. She says her mother was “influenced by the creatures and their calming presence.”

SIMPLE & STRIKING

A look inside an Alys Beach-inspired home

Story by JEHADU ABSHIRO

Photography courtesy of Robert Tsai. design

ON A CORNER LOT ON CLOVER LANE AND FOLKSTONE ROAD, AN ALABASTER COLOR TWO-STORY HOME

SITS. It differs from the older ranch-style homes and newer sharp modern homes on the street. The facade is simple and flat — three perfectly symmetrical gables, three shutters and three alcoves framing large glass windows and a door striking.

“As an architect, I wanted to create something very simple in form,” Wonjin Park says. “I wanted to create something that has a simple geometry that’s powerful visually at the same time.”

A brainchild of Park, owner of Studio Park Architecture, and Phuong Vu, owner of M & E Development Homes, the project is a spec home inspired by homes in Alys Beach, Florida. Park references the beach town’s Cape Dutch architecture. Extensive use of gables, whitewashed exteriors and sash-panelled windows are staple characteristics of this style.

The contemporary interior uses light, warm tones in the paint and the floors, vintage brass and natural stone. The fireplace utilizes plaster, adding a “nice texture and softness” to the interior, Park says.

“When we designed the home, we designed a home for the general market. It’s not for any specific buyer,” Vu says. “So we want to stay very neutral, very timeless, very classic.”

Throughout the 5,200-squarefoot home, curves are utilized in the asymmetrical arches in the hallways, the dramatic staircase in the foyer, muted alcoves and even the shower.

“We’re trying to be very clean

line modern,” Vu says. “Even when a house is really modern, we still add some soft curves just to make it look not too cold.”

This is the duo’s first project to be featured in the annual AIA Dallas Tour of Homes.

Park and Vu, who connected on Instagram after admiring each other’s work, have been collaborating on projects for the past few years. Vu left a corporate marketing career in telecommunications to found M & E Development Homes with her husband. Ten years ago, they started building their home and then got hooked. They started purchasing real estate, designing and building one home at a time without a specific buyer.

Park fell in love with architecture as a high school student in Chicago. He completed his undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before attending the University of Pennsylvania for his master’s degree, he then worked at firms in Los Angeles and New York.

They start working on a functional floor plan, often with a family and children in mind, and work outward from there. In terms of form, they like to make sure plugs are hidden, and even consider the depth of cabinets to work with cookie sheets.

“We take into consideration that if we’re living there, that’s what we would want,” she says.

“Everything has to be visually appealing and functional at the same time,” Park adds.

Wonjin Park, left, and Phuong Vu, right Photography courtesy of Harley Le Photography.

food

Owner Sam Sensel’s Turkish menu is refined from decades of experience in the cuisine.

TURKISH DELIGHTS

Chefika’s Turkish Mediterranean flavors lie at the intersection of high-end and casual

Story by SIMON PRUITT

Photography by KATHY TRAN

“EVEN

TODAY, TALKING TO YOU, I’M STILL SHAKING,” SAYS SERDAR SENSEL.

It’s a Wednesday afternoon. Sensel, who goes by Sam, is sitting inside Chefika, his latest restaurant concept. Named after his mother, Sefika, the Turkish-Mediterranean eatery opened in Preston Hollow Village just six days ago, and Sensel is already noticing repeat customers.

This is no surprise though. Sensel is a career restaurateur, working in the high-end service industry since his upbringing in Turkey. He cut his teeth at five-star Hilton Hotels and the acclaimed Sahara Mediterranean Restaurant in New York City. In 2012, Sensel opened Pera Turkish Kitchen in North Dallas with his half-brother Habip Kargin. By 2016, Sensel needed something of his own. He opened Istanbul Grill close to his then-home in downtown Fort Worth.

“We had a full setup. Tablecloths, white wine glasses, red wine glasses, everything,” he says. “But I saw a lot of people scared to come in. I’m losing customers thinking it’s too expensive or dressy.”

Sensel noticed the problem and changed course, opting for a more casual, BYOB approach. It was a hit, giving way to a second location in Arlington two years later.

Both locations are still open and thriving, but Sensel has moved his family to Uptown. He wanted to open something fresh, and closer to home. Chefika was born, taking over the old Tricky Fish space at Preston Hollow Village.

Chefika’s menu is similar to the two Istanbul Grill locations, but not identical, with the new restaurant offering a full bar and in-house bakery atop a slightly higher-end aesthetic. The dishes are still Turkish-Mediterranean based, the distinction being very intentional for Sensel.

“Israeli people say Mediterranean. The Arabic people say Mediterranean,” Sensel says. “Some of the [dish] names are the same, [like] kebabs, but [we use] as different marinade; we’re lighter, not a much is mixed. We use Turkish crushed pepper. It’s very simple.”

The Mediterranean food label can often be a blanket term, with customers walking in with a certain expectation of the menu.

“Tabbouleh is not Turkish, falafel is not Turkish,” Sensel says, referring to two of the most popular Mediterranean dishes. “Falafel belongs to a more Middle Eastern restaurant. That’s why I say Turkish Mediterranean — whatever you see on the menus came from Turkey.”

For those who might be unfamiliar with Turkish cuisine, Sensel says the Hunkar Be ğ endi is Chefika’s signature.

It’s a beef tenderloin cut into small pieces, then sauteed with grilled red and green peppers. Then fresh creamy eggplant on top. For $23, it’s a substantial portion that lives up to his recommendation. With selling points this good, you’ll probably have to order a few more things off the menu too.

Chefika’s lamb shish kabob is an excellent take on a classic dish, the same can be said about their standard hummus appetizer. As for appetizers, their paçanga böre ğ i, a traditional Turkish dish with cheese or beef stuffed inside a flaky pastry crust, was fantastic. After that, enjoy a small Turkish coffee, but be warned that it is both very strong and very hot. If you still have room, or if you have an event on the horizon, peruse Chefika’s baked goods offerings, all freshly made from their in-house bakery.

“I like the restaurant business,” Sensel says. “I like the people, I like to see you happy. After that, I’m happy.”

Chefika, 7859 Walnut Hill Lane, 214.758.0155, chefikadallas.com

Slow-cooked lamb shank in its juices, creamy eggplant puree, served with basmati rice, grilled tomato and pepper.

PICK A CAREER, ANY CAREER

At CI North, students are able to get hands-on experience like building tiny homes for construction, doing procedures on AI dummies for patient care, learning code for cybersecurity or flying drones and plane simulators for aviation.

Dallas ISD facility provides job skills for neighborhood teens

Story by ALYSSA HIGH | Photography by LAUREN ALLEN

WHEN THE 2019 TORNADO HIT PRESTON HOLLOW, ONE OF ITS CASUALTIES WAS WALNUT HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AN 80-YEAR-OLD BUILDING KNOWN FOR ITS SPANISH-STYLE FACADE

. Though students from Walnut Hill were moved to a nearby school, Dallas ISD rebuilt the demolished portions and rebranded the building as Career Institute North.

CI North is a CTE (Career & Technical Education) school, part of a push that started 10 years before it opened. The 83rd Texas Legislature passed the Foundational High School Program as a requirement for high school graduation, requiring each student’s diploma to be “endorsed” with a career (or CTE) pathway, a requirement that became nationally funded in 2018 under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (aka Perkins V.)

There are 14 approved pathways in Texas, with several endorsements each, from aviation to law enforcement to cosmetology and culinary arts. While most are approved further by Dallas ISD, not every school has the resources, space and appropriate faculty to teach every CTE pathway.

Dallas ISD has three institutes aiming to bridge those gaps, with the Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute serving southern Dallas high schools and Career Institute East serving eastern Dallas high schools.

Last year, the district opened Career Institute North, a campus for students at Conrad, Hillcrest, North Dallas, Thomas Jefferson and W.T. White High Schools. Though all three institutes have been operating for years, Career Institute North is the first permanent building the district has finished.

And $75 million later, some classrooms are still unfilled.

All of CI North’s pathways and programs are aimed toward securing post-graduation jobs in careers in-demand in our area. Though the programs are tuition-free and transportation is provided, program director Jean Laswell says they have had trouble getting students to sign up due to language barriers, class schedule complications and lack of awareness from the community.

Since Dallas ISD is on a block schedule, students who want to pursue career pathways that are not available at their home campus are able to go to CI North on one of their blocked days. To ensure that more students are able to access the courses, foreign language courses are also available on campus.

“When we first started the program and when I did this in other districts, I found that counselors want to enroll students that are in the ninth grade, as freshman, into as many classes that will get them their graduation credits as possible,” Laswell says.

“They don’t want to put them in electives, so we offer Spanish or German, which is one of the languages other than English that is required for graduation, to entice the counselors to put them here so that we could get them into those classes as well as their program of study elective.”

Though not all classes offered are specific to a career, all classes

are aimed toward preparing the student for whatever career they go into, specifying language classes toward industry terminology and offering classes on entrepreneurship with presentation skills and business modeling competitions.

“We also found that we have 250 German businesses throughout Dallas-Fort Worth that have recruiting groups. They bring their students that are recruited into their programs and train them in Europe and send them to locations all over the world. They also pay for their four years of college,” Laswell says. “So German is a great thing to have. We also do heritage Spanish for Careers because 75% of our population here at this campus are English learners.”

ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

Ely Aceitino, a sophomore at North Dallas, is on the interior design pathway. After taking German and employability skills, she took her first interior design class.

“I want to learn different languages, and I want to branch out to maybe going to different universities in other places in the world,” she says.

“So far, I want to do something in the medical field, but it’s nice to learn something else in high school, because if anywhere in life I want to change my mind, I can go be an interior designer because it’s actually a passion of mine.”

Interior design courses are taught by Bridget Williams, a certified interior designer who has worked in the industry for over a decade.

“We do a lot of teamwork,” Ely says. “It helps us get out of our own spaces and our comfortability, like when we planned and modeled an entire house.”

AVIATION

Tucked inside an area that was the former elementary school’s auditorium, the aviation students have a donated first-class cabin for both the culinary and aviation students to use, as well as secure drone flying areas and several flight simulators.

The program partners with Dallas Love Field Airport, aiming to provide students with internships and postgraduate jobs in air traffic control and as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operators or electromechanical technicians.

CONSTRUCTION

In the construction classrooms, students gain industry-required certificates, and each course has a laboratory component with hands-on shop projects, local field trips and preparation for their senior year practicum.

Last year, the students built and assembled a tiny home — complete with plumbing and electricity — and underclassmen built birdhouses and benches that were donated to the Dallas ISD Environmental Education Center.

“We’re hoping that maybe we can get some kind of situation with them where we can have the students build the tiny home and get paid for their labors, so they’d actually be working for that

company when they’re here in the lab,” Laswell says.

Some of the students that are in their practicum semester in the spring are working with Dallas ISD maintenance, Laswell says.

CYBERSECURITY & SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

“I look forward to, in the future, being able to work with computers and hacking legally,” says Emely Marroquin, a junior from North Dallas who is on the cybersecurity pathway.

Marroquin is taking computer science and technology networking, two classes required for a computer science endorsement in either cybersecurity or software development. Next year, she will be eligible to do a cybersecurity practicum, where she can get school credit for an internship, mentorship, independent study or school or work-based laboratory experience along with earning four related certifications.

“This is a class I definitely recommend to a lot of people because it teaches you stuff that your home campus probably could not,” Marroquin says.

MEDICAL

First-year students aiming to go into the medical field start with medical terminology and principles of health sciences classes before branching off into their specialty of choice: Emergency Medical Technician, patient care, dental assistant or phlebotomy

AI-operated hospital simulation lab, where mannequins of all ages and sizes talk, cry with real tears, describe their conditions and allow students to practice procedures.

During their senior year, students are also able to test for their patient care tech certification, EKG or phlebotomy certification, dental assisting certification or EMT certification. Outside of Dallas ISD, it would take students months to years and cost hundreds to thousands of dollars after graduation to pursue the same level of certification.

“Right now, we’re studying the systems of the heart and we’re learning to dissect the heart,” says Fatima Vega, a senior at Conrad in the patient care pathway. “For us, as seniors, we’re working with EKG, phlebotomy and patient care as well to get all these certifications.”

Vega hopes to be a combat nurse after graduation using the certifications and knowledge she got in high school.

HVAC & REFRIGERATION

“[I joined because] my sister was in HVAC and because I actually have an interest in air conditioning systems,” says Daniel Zavala, a sophomore at W. T. White in the HVAC pathway.

Though his first few classes are focusing on safety, Zavala says it’s important to take the classes seriously.

“The torches, they go to like 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, so don’t

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BEFORE ITS TIME

Preston Hollow Presbyterian School has served students with learning disabilities since before they were widely acknowledged

Story by ALYSSA HIGH

When Preston Hollow Presbyterian School first opened its doors more than 60 years ago, learning differences such as dyslexia were not recognized by the government or most school districts.

Yet, Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church leaders set out to start a program for students with learning differences. The first class was conducted in 1962.

“The school has been here for so long. It’s a really strong, close-knit community of families and students and teachers,” Nicole Bell, Preston Hollow Presbyterian School director. “Our mission, to return students to the mainstream learning environment, has a really good demonstrated success rate.”

Later that inaugural school year, the term “learning disability” was used for the first time, marking a significant step for students by distinguishing learning differences as a disability that would be regarded like physical disabilities, and understanding that there is a difference between learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities.

In that vein, Preston Hollow Presbyterian School offered admission to primary school students with average to above average intelligence and learning differences, and still does to this day.

“All of our students come to our school because they need specialized learning instruction for a diagnosed learning difference, so we have very small classes by design,” Bell says

Students are put into small classes of eight to 12, with smaller groups of targeted remediation in reading and math.

“Our mission is a little different than other schools that serve kids with learning differences in that our purpose is to remediate learning differences so students can return to a mainstream learning environment, rather than keeping them here at a specialized learning environment through their entire 12 years of school,” Bell says.

“We’ve been around a long time, so we’re actually the oldest school for kids with learning differences in Dallas.”

Learning differences served by the school include dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, oral language disorder, written language disorder and mathematical disability.

Rather than focusing on typical modes of classroom accommodation — like IEP or 504 plans — accommodations are built into the classroom environment through individualized instruction, small class sizes and classes geared toward different learning styles.

“They’re learning the information through multiple modalities,” Bell says. “It may be tactile, so they may be manipulating shapes or cubes or something like that for math, but we may use other senses as well. Usually the visual sense and auditory sense are used together, but multiple modalities strengthen the likelihood that it will be retained in long term memory.”

Lots has changed since PHPS was founded. Students stopped being sent home with their tuition bills pinned to their shirts in 1968. The school became a nonprofit in 1995. But in the over 60 years since its inception, PHPS has continued to exclusively serve students with learning differences.

Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, which houses PHPS, in the late 1950s. Photo courtesy of Jack Walker Drake.

WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?

AC & HEAT

ALEXANDER HOME REPAIR. AC/HEAT Repair & Install. LIC#28052 469-226-9642

AIR SHIELD LLC AC/Heat Repairs, Installs Airshieldpros.com. 214-394-1788

THE HEATING & AC EXPERTS Installations & Repairs

214-710-2515 dallasheatingac.com

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

BUY SELL TRADE

I BUY USED CARS

Sam. Dallas. 469-609-0978.

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! Gibson, Fender, Martin, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar Paid. 1-866 -433-8277

SALE: FULL SIZE BED. $400. Bed frame, headboard, box spring, mattress, Good Condition. 469-363-2480

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 jhholbert2@att.net

CLEANING SERVICES

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN, Organize, De-clutter, or Pack. Sunny 214-724-2555

WINDOW CLEANING Power washing No Job To Small. 30 Yrs exp. 214-360-0120

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky Windows computer. Hardware/Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $100/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 972-639-6413 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

NEED HELP WITH YOUR COMPUTER, Smartphone or Smart Home? My Tech Guy Harvey. 214-770-2598. harveymccall@gmail.com.

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

ADVANCE STONE ART CREATIONS

Decorative Concrete Overlays. 214-705-5954

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

CONCRETE, RETAINING WALLS 25 yrs exp. T&M Construction, Inc. 214-328-6401

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

JOHNSON PAVING Concrete, Asphalt, Driveways. New or Repair. 214-827-1530

R&M Concrete

Concrete • Driveways Retaining Walls Stamped Concrete

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC

Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricdfw.com 50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd.TECL-34002 214-850-4891

EMPLOYMENT

BENJAMINS PAINTING Hiring:18-26Yr.olds, Top Pay- Will Train. In Advocate since 2007. 214-725-6768

EXPERIENCED NANNY 2 months-6 Years Great References.15 Years Experience warconie@gmail.com. 469-987-2172

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

4 QUALITY FENCING • 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood. YourWoodmaster.com

AMBASSADOR FENCE CO. Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers, Arbors. AmbassadorFenceCo.com 214-621-3217

FENCING, ARBORS, DECKS oldgatefence.com 214-766-6422

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

FLOORING & CARPETING

HASTINGS FLOORS Epoxy Garage Foors Many colors to choose (flakes optional) Call Nick for bid 214-341-5993 hastingsfloors.com

HARDWOOD INSTALLATIONS Waterproof, hardwood, carpets, tile laminate, & vinyl click. 214-440-6244 . aaa-texas-floors.com

FOR SALE

FOR SALE 6 pc Queen bedroom set (solid wood). Separately or together. Good Condition. $1200 for set. 956-645-1747

FOUNDATION REPAIR

Slabs • Pier & Beam

Mud Jacking

Drainage

Free Estimates

GARAGE SERVICES

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned. 214-251-5428

GENERAL CONTACTING

A2H GENERAL CONTRACTING,LLC Remodel, Paint, Drywall/Texture, Plumbing. Electrical, Siding, Bathroom/Kitchen Remodels Tilling, Flooring, Fencing. 469-658-9163. Free Est. A2HGeneralContactingLLC@gmail.com

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

PRO WINDOW CLEANING prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, Repair. Single, Double Panes. Showers, Mirrors. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

DANHANDY.NET Repairs Done Right For A Fair Price. References 214-991-5692

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HANDYMAN WANTS your Painting,Repairs, To Do Lists. Bob. 214-288-4232. Free Est. 25+yrs exp.

HOME REPAIR Doors, Trim, Glass. Int/Ext. Sheetrock, Windows, Kitchen, Bathroom 35 yrs exp. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

ONE CALL WEEKEND SERVICES

Contractor & Handyman. Remodels, Renovations . Paint, Plumbing, Drywall, Electrical. 469-658-9163

Let Us Tackle Your To-Do List!

HOME IMPROVEMENT

RGC - HOME IMPROVEMENTS 214-477-8977

HOUSE PAINTING

BENJAMINS PAINTING - Professional work @reasonable price. In Advocate since 2007 214-725-6768

HECTOR PEREZ PAINTING Commercial/residential. Intrior/ Exterior. Fair Rates. 214-489-0635

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TEXAS BEST PAINTING LLC Resd,Interiors 30Yrs. 214-527-4168

TOP COAT 30 Yrs. Exp. Reliable. Quality Repair/Remodel. Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

morganexteriorsdfw.com

TILE & MARBLE Shower & tub install & repair

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WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

REAL ESTATE

SERVICES FOR YOU

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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Kicking for Christ

All-Star Jesuit kicker raises money for Christian nonprofit through football

Story by CAROL TOLER

NOAH MCGOUGH WAS JUST 8 YEARS OLD WHEN HE FIRST BEGAN CAMPAIGNING FOR HIS FATHER. He tagged along to fundraisers and community events, and after Adam was first elected to the Dallas City Council in 2015, Noah became comfortable shaking hands and chatting with folks from the mayor to members of the Exchange Club to the guy complaining because his garbage wasn’t collected last week. At the Fourth of July parade, Oktoberfest and other community events, District 10 became like the proverbial Cheers bar — everybody knew his name.

These days, Noah is senior kicker on the Jesuit Dallas football team. But he’s not just any kicker. Noah has been training with Chris Sailer, founder of the elite national Chris Sailer Kicking School. Last week, Sailer released the pre-season list of All-American High School Kickers for 2024. Noah is at the top of the list. Last season, Noah was selected First Team All-State by

the Texas Sports Writers Association and Special Teams Player of the Year for 7-6A. He was Special Teams MVP at Jesuit and Kohl’s All-American Kicker, among many other honors. His achievements are talent-based, but much of his success has resulted from good old-fashioned practice and hard work.

“I am grateful for all the experiences I have been able to have through football,” Noah told me. “Early morning practices, August Texas heat, working in the weight room, bus rides after a win and just working together with a team is something that I will remember forever. It is interesting to be part of Special Teams. Snapping, holding and kicking is not what most people think of when they think of football, but for those living in these roles, we know we have to be ready to come through for our team every single time we are called. I recognize that I have been given a gift to be able to kick and to be part of such a great team.”

“I aways want to use whatever gifts I have been given

to serve others,” Noah says. “If I can help support the Men of Nehemiah by kicking, I want to help as much as I can. I love worshiping with the guys, and I love witnessing the amazing life transformation happening through the MoN.”

You may support Noah’s effort by at menofnehemiah.org/kick.

“Men of Nehemiah is special,” he says. “When I get to spend time with the guys, I always feel a sense of connection and an awareness of God’s grace and mercy. We all make mistakes, and we all struggle with sin and addiction in some way. Learning from the testimonies of so many helps me see how close we all are, and how we each need God’s grace every day.”

Noah knows it’s odd, in a way, to ask football fans from all over Dallas to cheer for a player on one of their team’s rivals.

“I have grown up with so many friends and families I love. Through my dad’s service, I got to attend meetings, knock on doors during campaigns, advocate for big projects like rec centers, aquatics centers and libraries,” he says. “But the relationships I get to have are stronger than a once-a-year rivalry.”

Noah believes the funds raised will have a big impact, but he’s not ready to stop there. He wants to bring students together — on and off the field.

“I just want to ask people to look for ways to use their gifts to impact the lives of others. With all the division in our world, serving others should and can be something that brings us all together. Anyone can pledge just a couple dollars per point and have a direct impact in the lives of others. And I hope it makes it more fun for people to come out and support the kicker, snapper and holder. We are all on the same team in this way. I have helped start a group of young leaders called 1613 Leaders. It is based on 1 Corinthians 16:13 that calls us to ‘Be on alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous and strong’ and verse 14 says to ‘Do everything in love.’ We want to live out this verse through everything we do, including playing football. I hope to bring players from teams on both sides to pray before and after every game this season. We are going to play to win every game, but we are going to work to remember that we are all on this journey together.”

Noah isn’t sure yet where he’ll study next year, but he plans to pursue a degree in business and entrepreneurship. He’s met with coaches at Duke University, The University of Oklahoma, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, University of Tulsa and Indiana University, but the whirlwind of changes in college recruiting have left him focused instead on playing the game of football – for now.

“The right situation will present itself,” he says. “And I will be ready when it does.”

Photography courtesy of Men of Nehemiah.