2023
READERS’ CHOICE
Taxpayers’ Coalition: Vote ‘No’ on Fort Bend County bond propositions- Page 9
281.690.4200 WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 18, 2023
Sienna's Gingerbread Market returns on Oct. 21
Sienna will hold its 18th Gingerbread Market on Saturday, Oct. 21 Submitted photo
Staff Reports Sienna, the Missouri City master-planned community, will hold its 18th Gingerbread Market featuring food, music and plenty of opportunities to shop, on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 60 artisans, crafters, small businesses and entrepreneurs will display their wares at the community’s Sawmill Lake Club, 10323 Mount Logan. “ This year’s market is shaping up to be the best one yet,” Shanelle Channell, special events coordinator at Sienna, said in a press release. “Many of our favorite vendors will be back, plus we’ve added a few new merchants to the lineup. As always, there will be live music, adult beverages and great food.” Admission to the market is at least one non-perishable donation for the Second Mile Mission Center. Tequila with Friends and Austin East Ciders will provide shoppers 21 and older with a complimentary beverage with the donation of a canned good. Yancey’s Food Kitchen and Rob’s Mini Donuts will be on hand serving up a full menu of brunch items. A two-piece jazz duo will provide holiday tunes. Some vendors such as Liz Silk Creations and Amy’s Crafts & Jewelry have been selling their creations at the market for more than 10 years. Nicole Calabrese, owner of Nik Calabrese’s Wrap Bracelets set up her first booth in 2015. “I love this market,” Calabrese said. “It was my very first market in 2015 and now, eight years later, I still look forward to this time of year! I love seeing repeat customers every year.” Additional returning vendors include Donna Williams, Tiffany’s Designer Nails, Brazos River Provisions Company, CT Designs, Tonya Duncan Ellis Books, It’s Simple Artisan Soaps, Veronica Allen, Koala’s Treehouse, Best Day Ever Ears Co. and 4 Paws Gourmet Dog Treats. Several businesses have signed on to sponsor the event, including Sienna, Hyundai Genesis of Southwest Houston, Tequila with Friends, Austin Eastciders, David Weekly Homes, Newmark Homes, J. Patrick Homes, Harvest Market and Sara B. Goldstein, DO. For more information about the Gingerbread Market and a full list of vendors visit, www.siennatx.com/ gingerbreadmarket.
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UH at Sugar Land breaks ground on new academic building Staff Reports The University of Houston on October 5 celebrated the groundbreaking of a new $65 million academic building in ceremonies at the UH at Sugar Land instructional site. Before faculty, staff, students and community leaders, UH officials turned the dirt for what will become the Technology BuildingSugar Land Academic Building 2, according to a UH online story.
“We are grateful for the collaboration of supporters in the region and state whose investment in UH will result in a new generation of engineering and technology professionals,” said Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston. “The growth of our Technology Division and our Sugar Land instructional site supports our vision of building a top 50 public university that provides a top tier educational experience
and creates impactful research.” The three-floor, approximately 75,000 square foot building will be home for faculty, staff and students of the UH C ullen College of Engineering-Technology Division. In 2021, the Texas Legislature approved funds for a second academic building in Sugar Land. The allocation was
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The University of Houston recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the $65 million Technology Building-Sugar Land Academic Building 2. Rendering courtesy University of Houston
Area superintendents discuss ‘State of the Schools’ at chamber event
Jim Rice, left, moderates a panel discussion between Stafford MSD Superintendent Robert Bostic, Lamar CISD Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens, and Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Christie Whitbeck at an event on Oct. 11. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The heads of three Fort Bend County school districts participated in a wide-ranging discussion of issues facing the education world in the annual “State of the Programs” luncheon program hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce at Richmond’s Safari Texas Ranch last week. Jim Rice, chair of the chamber’s education division and moderator of the event, noted at the outset that there are many changes going on in the nation’s capital and in the Texas Legislature. “But our public schools have remained constant, because the kids are coming every day that school is in session. And our teachers are there. They’re there to stand and deliver and educate all the children that walk through the door of their classroom, and they’re doing a good
job of it.” Fort Bend Independent School District Superintendent Christie Whitbeck began by referencing the district’s proposed voterapproved tax election, or VATRE, which voters in the district will decide on Nov. 7. If approved, the election would add 4 cents per $100 to the ad valorum tax rate for maintenance and operations. It comes after an earlier VATRE was rejected by voters last November, but also after voters approved a $1.26 billion bond election, the largest in the district’s history, in May. Similarly, Stafford Municipal School District Superintendent Robert Bostic referenced that district’s VATRE election, which the district says is necessary after it has “increased operating costs due to inflation, recapture due to increased property value, and unexpected expenses as a result of COVID 19. It’s the first
VATRE that the district has called. “Stafford is only sevenand-a-half square miles, but the size is not as important as the same message,” Bostic said. During this year’s regular session of the legislature, he said, “there was no money for public education, except for dollars that were added for safety.” “VATRE will help us keep money back in the district,” adding 12 cents to the tax rate. “That wouldn’t give us any great amenities, that would really kind of help keep us afloat.” A nd La ma r Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens discussed that district’s proposed $15 million bond election for capital improvements, which is targeted at making renovations and improvements to Guy K. Traylor Stadium. The stadium has foundational problems and
issues with its lighting and turf that make it unsafe, so much so that Nivens said he has had to close a section of the student section, which is supported by wooden beams. Sports programs are fundamental for creating a sense of community at schools, Nivens said. “We want students to be connected, to each other, to our school system, we want them to be connected to something that’s bigger than themselves,” he said. “Our job in the school system is to help people. Our job is to help our young people be better adults. When they leave us, they can be professional, they can be successful. And what can we do in the school system to make that happen?” he said. Rice noted that Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, with a projected population of one million in the next few years. “People are moving here because
we have a great quality of life, and we have great schools for their children to attend. That’s why they’re coming,” he said. Rice brought up the growing issue of bullying at schools, which now extends to the world of social media. Bostic said Stafford MSD has “technical tools” in place that helps the district identify social media bullying, which allows personnel to intercede ahead of time. “The other part is the preventative piece of this, which is equipping our counselors and social workers - which we don’t have enough of because we don’t have enough money to pay for those staff members - to actually go out and interact with kids,” he said. “It requires real people. You can’t use technology to solve bullying. You actually have to use people.”
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