An Experiment in Love and Hair
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/ March 2023
AON THE COVER
s we “march” into the third month of the year (see what I did there?), there’s a lot on the docket. The Rodeo is in full swing all month with some fantastic performances (check out our calendar for details), new restaurants are popping up all over the place in the Branch, SBISD students cleaned up in the Rodeo school art contest, and one of our local high schools won a major award — you’ll have to read the article to find out which one. Our cover feature is a combination love and business success story involving the Salazars, who own The Hair Lab in Spring Branch. With the official first day of spring on March 20th, it’s a great time to get a fresh new ‘do or some new color for the warmer months ahead.
Somehow, March feels like a new beginning. It’s a great time to get outside, enjoy the city, and breathe some fresh air while you’re taking walks around your neighborhood. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, happy spring, and we’ll see you in April!
Editor’s Letter to the Residents Advertising Contact: Dawn Gunther
Email: springbranchplus@gmail.com
Phone: 713.828.4604
LLC
Publisher/Editor Dawn Gunther
Content Coordinator Liz Clearman Cover Photographer David Shutts Photography
photography by David Shutts. (story
s#SBISD PRouD: HLSR School Art Program Winners
SBISD featured news
Each year, Spring Branch ISD students submit their art pieces to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) School Art Program. This year, 15 students were selected to display their artwork in the Hayloft Gallery during the Rodeo, beginning Feb. 28.
“We could not be more proud of the students whose artwork was selected for the auction by the HLSR!” said Houston Hayes, SBISD director of Performing and Fine Arts. “This is the premier educational art competition and auction in our area and their dedication to their craft is a wonderful example of the standard we try to maintain in the SBISD Fine Arts department.”
The HLSR School Art contest is judged by the show’s School Art Committee. The artwork is divided into three categories: elementary, junior high, and high school. Best of Show, Gold Medal, and Special Merit awards are selected in each category. The program supports approximately 130 different school districts in the Houston area and receives thousands of entries each year.
During the HLSR’s annual Art Auction, the students will have a chance to win thousands of dollars for scholarship needs.
2023 Spring Branch ISD School Art Winners
Edgewood Elementary School
Diego Quintanilla, 1st grade, Gold Medal
Hollibrook Elementary School
Aldo Reyes, 3rd grade, Best of Show
Memorial Middle School
Kayla Jun, 7th grade, Gold Medal
Sophia Ma, 8th grade, Best of Show
Memorial High School
Alina Du, 11th grade, Special Merit
Maggie Lu, 11th grade, Special Merit
Angali Mandilwar, 11th grade, Special Merit
Zanli Morris, 10th grade, Special Merit
Renae Wang, 11th grade, Gold Medal
Spring Woods High School
Hyunchae Kim, 11th grade, Best of Show
Jennifer Solano, 12th grade, Gold Medal
Johanna St. Clair, 11th grade, Gold Medal
Stratford High School
Sophia Cornell, 12th grade, Gold Medal
Yeojin Lee, 11th grade, Gold Medal
Lucy Thomas, 10th grade, Special Merit
Congratulations to these students, we are #SBISDProud of you!
Hyunchae Kim Sophia Ma
Diego Quintanilla
Spring Break 2023: Things to Do in Houston (and Beyond)
By Liz Clearman
While it feels like the holiday break just ended — or maybe that’s just me — spring break will be here in just a couple of weeks (March 13-17 for SBISD students) and if you’re not planning on traveling or putting your kids in camp, what to do? (Sidebar: If you missed my article on spring break camps in the Spring Branch/Memorial area last month, be sure to go back and take a peek.) Fortunately, Houston is chock full of fun things to do during spring break, so let’s explore some of the options available to keep your kids — and you — from going stir crazy. Disclaimer: Please check each location’s hours individually to ensure that they’re open during spring break.
Local activities (within 30 minutes of Houston/Spring Branch):
• Children’s Museum of Houston
• Dairy Ashford Roller Rink
• Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary
• Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center
• Health Museum
• Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
• Houston Botanic Garden
• Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Houston Ship Channel
• Houston Zoo
• iFLY Indoor Skydiving
• Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum
• Lone Star Flight Museum
• McGovern Lake at Hermann Park for fishing
• Splat Zone
• The Rink: Rolling at Discovery Green (Feb. 10-March 17)
• Typhoon Texas
• Zero Latency Houston
Day trips (30 minutes + from Houston):
• Aggieland Wild Animal Safari (Bryan)
• Anahuac Wildlife Refuge (Anahuac)
• Armand Bayou Nature Center (Pasadena)
• Blue Bell Creamery (Brenham)
• Brazos Bend State Park/ George Observatory (Needville)
• Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (Franklin)
• Galveston/Pleasure Pier
• George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum (Texas A&M University campus, College Station)
• George Ranch Historical Park (Richmond)
• Kemah Boardwalk
• Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens (Humble)
• Pirates Bay Water Park (Baytown)
• Sam Houston National Forest (New Waverly)
• San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site (La Porte)
• Space Center Houston (Houston)
• Splashway Water Park (Sheridan)
• St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary (Navasota)
• Surfside Beach
Volunteer opportunities (Please contact each organization individually to verify volunteer opportunities, times, and minimum age requirements):
• Books Between Kids
• Citizens for Animal Protection
• Habitat for Humanity
• Houston Food Bank
• Houston SPCA
• Interfaith Ministries
• K-9 Angels Houston
• Kids’ Meals
• Lily’s Toy Box
• Memorial Park Conservancy
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• Step Up Houston
The Hair Lab: An Experiment in Love and Hair
By Liz Clearman
Everyone’s heard the cautionary tales of working or going into business with your significant other. Mario and MariaElena Salazar, proprietors of The Hair Lab salon in Spring Branch, happily defy that stereotype as a husbandand-wife team who have worked together for 11 years and co-owned their business for four. Mario, a born-and-bred Houstonian, grew up in the Heights and met MariaElena, a Mexico native, at a local Latin club right here in Houston while they were both out with friends. “Conversation was a little stale on my end because my Spanish was horrible and everyone was speaking Spanish, but when it’s love at first sight, you depend on the international language of ‘amor,’” Mario
joked. By the end of the night, their “meet cute” had turned into a true connection, and they exchanged numbers to keep in touch. Initially, they each brought a friend along on dates to help with translation; luckily, those friends found love with each other as well, leading to built-in double dates. Eventually, Mario and MariaElena went out alone and while Mario said he was nervous, the date went swimmingly. As they say, the rest is history — they married in February of 1999 and celebrated their 24th anniversary last month.
Mario, who graduated from Visible Changes University and worked for Toni & Guy for ten years, always knew he wanted to open his own salon. While working under the company’s tutelage,
he absorbed as much information as he could while educating himself on techniques and best practices with the goal of being able to teach and train other hairdressers down the line. Little by little, he and MariaElena (who completed her studies at Dorsey School of Cosmetology) began purchasing furniture, equipment, and décor that they needed to pursue their dream. Years passed, and the realization finally hit that they were ready to “jump out of the plane,” said Mario — so they did. The Hair Lab was officially born in 2019.
MariaElena is the master technician for hair color and loves the challenge of tackling color corrections. She also offers hair extensions, and while she’s also an amazing stylist, she prefers to stick to color and extension services. With over two decades of cutting hair under his belt, Mario specializes in haircuts and loves creating short styles on women, but is an artist with all lengths and textures, noting that his male clientele load has increased substantially since the opening of The Hair Lab. Both offer training in their respective hair trades; Mario was an instructor at Toni & Guy in the Galleria and MariaElena does training for chemical/color services and hair extensions. The Hair Lab staff prides itself on superior guest services and they’ve cultivated a reputation for unsurpassed, quality service in an efficient manner — they don’t want you to have to sit in the salon all day! They offer a variety of services for the broadest audience as well as premium products that will help clients achieve their salon-perfect look and style at home. In addition to Mario and MariaElena, the salon has experts in just cutting as well as all things chemical, color, and extensions.
“Choosing Spring Branch was kind of an accident,” Mario said of how they ended up in the neighborhood. Growing up in the Heights, he always imagined his future salon would be located there as well, but by the time the couple was ready to look for space to lease, he said that the area was too overwhelmed with development and competition. “The 19th Street-area that we first looked at literally had five-plus salons and barber shops up and down it, and that just didn’t feel right to us. We had been residing in Spring Valley for about five years at that point and were witnessing its rapid growth. We knew we had been looking in the wrong areas all along, so we decided to look around Spring Branch for a potential spot for our salon,” reminisced Mario. The diversity and the growth of the area was attractive to them as well as the development, proximity to malls and grocery stores, and the small business boom they’ve witnessed.
After a successful opening year in 2019, the pandemic hit The Hair Lab hard in 2020, as it did for many small businesses. “It was scary witnessing other small businesses go under due to the government shutdowns. We were shut down for about a month and three weeks. We didn’t panic so much the first month because of our successful first year, but when we entered May of 2020, we started to panic,” said Mario. They used the downtime to do odds and ends in the salon like cleaning, painting, and other touch-ups, but in order to make a living, Mario began offering both house and business calls for salon services around the Spring Branch area. He admitted that it was an incredibly tough time, but said that once they were allowed to reopen, they were so overwhelmed with business that they shut down their online appointment system and took clients via phone only.
This allowed them to control the traffic flow inside the salon, maintaining safe distance protocols, and also ensured that staff had ample time to clean and sanitize their stations in between clients. This in turn attracted new patrons as word had spread about The Hair Lab’s stringent sanitizing procedures and making sure that customers felt safe coming into the business.
Now, 24 years later, their life is full with a 22-yearold son, Mario Jr., 10-year-old twins named Mia and Sadie, two rescue dogs (Koko and Popcorn), and their thriving hair salon. On the weekends, Mario plays music with a tribute band called The Last Dance-A Tribute to Tom Petty, while MariaElena loves to cook, and both of course enjoy spending time with their kids — you can often find the family at the Houston Zoo, concerts, or festivals — and their furry, four-legged companions. Mario Jr. is following in his parents’ footsteps and is currently training at Toni & Guy in the Galleria, where his dad started his hairdressing career. While the twins are animal-obsessed and want to be veterinarians one day, Mario noted that they both are gifted at art and creating. “Who knows, they may be fabulous hairdressers like their parents and big brother!” he said.
The Hair Lab can be found at 8385 Westview, and they’re open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am – 6pm. For more information, a full service menu, appointment scheduling, and more, visit their website at thehairlabhouston.com. Follow them on Facebook (The Hair Lab) and Instagram (@thehairlabhouston).
1 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (HLSR):
Armed Forces Appreciation Day and Family Wednesday –Brooks & Dunn
Baby Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Recess Redo @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
2 HLSR: Lauren Daigle
Toddler Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Energy Corridor Farmers Market
@ Briar Forest & Eldridge, 4 pm
Teen Chess Club @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
Yoga for Beginners @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Spring Branch Super Neighborhood Central meeting @ 1560 Foley St., 6:30 pm
3 HLSR: Black Heritage Day — Bun B’s Southern Takeover
Steak Night @ VFW Post 8790, 6 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
4 HLSR: Walker Hayes
Memorial Villages Farmers Market @ 10840 Beinhorn Rd., 9 am
Calligraphy workshop @ Freedom Floral, 1 pm
American Shuffleboard Tournament & Queen of Hearts Drawing @ VFW Post 8790, 2 pm
Queen of Hearts Game @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
5 HLSR: Zac Brown Band
Sunday Night Live @ CityCentre, 3 pm
6 HLSR: First Responders Day — Jason Aldean Preschool Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 2:15 pm
CityCentre Running Club @ lululemon, 6 pm
7 HLSR: New Kids on the Block SBISD’s Parent u: The Power of Pre-K and Early Childhood on Zoom, 6 pm
No Tech Tuesdays for Teens @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
8 HLSR: Community Day — Jon Pardi
Baby Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Recess Redo @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
The Mix + Spring Branch networking mixer @ Loose Cannon, 5 pm
9 HLSR: Ashley McBryde
Toddler Story Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Energy Corridor Farmers Market @ Briar Forest & Eldridge, 4 pm
Yoga for Beginners @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Toastmasters @ VFW Post 8790, 6:30 pm
10 HLSR: The Chainsmokers
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
11 HLSR: Turnpike Troubadours
Memorial Villages Farmers Market @ 10840 Beinhorn Rd., 9 am
American Shuffleboard Tournament & Queen of Hearts Drawing @ VFW Post 8790, 2 pm
Queen of Hearts Game @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
12 Daylight Saving Time begins
HLSR: Go Tejano Day — La Fiera de ojinaga
Sunday Night Live @ CityCentre, 3 pm
13 SBISD spring break
HLSR: Cody Jinks
Tech Help Hour @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 2 pm
Preschool Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 2:15 pm
CityCentre Running Club @ lululemon, 6 pm
14 SBISD spring break
HLSR: Machine Gun Kelly
No Tech Tuesdays for Teens
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
Latinas Houston Run Club @ CityCentre, 6:30 pm
15 SBISD spring break
HLSR: Family Wednesday — Kenny Chesney
Baby Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Women’s History Month
Recess Redo @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
16 SBISD spring break
HLSR: Chris Stapleton
Toddler Story Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Energy Corridor Farmers Market
@ Briar Forest & Eldridge, 4 pm
Yoga for Beginners @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Spring Branch Super Neighborhood East meeting @ 1414 Wirt Rd., 7 pm
17 St. Patrick’s Day
SBISD spring break
HLSR: Cody Johnson
Hamburgers and hot dogs @ VFW Post 8790, 6 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
18 HLSR: Brad Paisley
Memorial Villages Farmers Market @ 10840 Beinhorn Rd., 9 am
American Shuffleboard Tournament & Queen of Hearts Drawing @ VFW Post 8790, 2 pm
Queen of Hearts Game @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
19 HLSR: RodeoHouston finals — Luke Bryan
Sunday Night Live @ CityCentre, 3 pm
20 First day of spring
Preschool Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 2:15 pm
CityCentre Running Club @ lululemon, 6 pm
21 No Tech Tuesdays for Teens
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
22 Baby Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Recess Redo @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
23 Toddler Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Energy Corridor Farmers Market
@ Briar Forest & Eldridge, 4 pm
Computers 101: Microsoft Publisher
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 5 pm
Yoga for Beginners @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Toastmasters @ VFW Post 8790, 6:30 pm
24 Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
25 SBISD Create Fest
@ Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum at Westchester Academy, 9 am
Spring Fiesta
@ Spring Branch Family Development Center, 9 am
Memorial Villages Farmers Market @ 10840 Beinhorn Rd., 9 am
March Floral Workshop @ Freedom Floral, 2 pm
American Shuffleboard Tournament & Queen of Hearts Drawing @ VFW Post 8790, 2 pm
Queen of Hearts Game @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
Live Music in the Plaza @ CityCentre, 6 pm
26 Sunday Night Live @ CityCentre, 3 pm
27 Preschool Story Time
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 2:15 pm
SBISD board of trustees regular meeting
@ Wayne Schaper, Sr. Leadership Center, 6 pm
CityCentre Running Club @ lululemon, 6 pm
Spring Branch Super Neighborhood North meeting
@ 10355 Centrepark Dr., Ste. 220, 6:30 pm
28 Just Between Friends consignment sale
@ Splat Zone, 4 pm (tickets required)
No Tech Tuesdays for Teens
@ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
Latinas Houston Run Club @ CityCentre, 6:30 pm
29 Baby Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Just Between Friends consignment sale @ Splat Zone, 9 am
Recess Redo @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 4:30 pm
30 Just Between Friends consignment sale @ Splat Zone, 9 am
Toddler Story Time @ Spring Branch Memorial Library, 10:15 am
Energy Corridor Farmers Market @ Briar Forest & Eldridge, 4 pm
Yoga for Beginners @ VFW Post 8790, 5 pm
31 Just Between Friends consignment sale @ Splat Zone, 9 am
Spring Branch Education Foundation Space
City Rodeo Gala 2023 @ Royal Sonesta Hotel, time TBA
SBISD’s Parent u: Cyber Safety on Zoom, 6 pm
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s New Community Day
Press Release by HLSR
On January 23, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced its plans for Community Day, presented by TC Energy, with free admission for all guests until noon on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
For the first time, the Rodeo will host Community Day, providing additional discounts for guests coming to NRG Park on the middle Wednesday of Rodeo. The celebration includes buy one get one rides and games, discounted food and beverage offerings and community activations.
“This is the first time the Rodeo has offered free admission to the entire community, and we’re thrilled to have TC Energy as our presenting sponsor on March 8,” said Chris Boleman, Rodeo president and CEO. “Community Day will ensure the entire community gets the opportunity to come out to the NRG grounds and truly experience what the Rodeo has to offer. We are grateful for our partnership with TC Energy, and we can’t wait to celebrate on March 8.”
In addition to free admission and discounts, there will be several exciting community-driven activations across the Rodeo grounds. Additional community partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
Community Day discounts include:
• Free admission for all guests until noon
• Buy one, get one rides and games in the Junction Carnival area until 4 p.m.
• Discounted food and beverage offerings until 4 p.m.
• $3 mini corn dog at McKinney Corn Dog
• $3 small popcorn at Kid Shack
• $3 small sour apple lemonade at Squeezers
Additionally, for every person that walks through the gates between 8 a.m. until noon on March 8, TC Energy will donate $1 to the local community through its social impact program, Build Strong, which invests in organizations that are integral to local communities.
“Our partnership with the Rodeo reflects our commitment to build strong, vibrant communities where we live and work,” said Tina Faraca, President U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines at TC Energy. “We’re honored to bring our community together in a family-friendly atmosphere to experience and celebrate what RODEOHOUSTON is really about.”
In addition to Community Day, the Rodeo has announced Family Wednesdays on March 1 and 15 with similar discounts and free admission for seniors 60+ and children under 12 until noon. For more information on discounted Wednesdays, please visit rodeohouston.com.
HLSR’s Go Texan Spring Branch/ Memorial Subcommittee Fundraises for SBISD Students
By Liz Clearman
Since 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has given more than $575 million to Texas youth and their education. According to HLSR’s website, the 2022 educational commitment surpassed $14 million, with more than 800 scholarships awarded to Texas students.
Troy Lee, a Spring Branch resident, has been volunteering with the Rodeo for 34 years as part-owner of the cook-off team dubbed the Trail Riders, which has been serving up delicious, authentic Texas barbecue since 1977. He also currently serves on the Western Art Committee, which focuses on bringing Western art and memorabilia to the Rodeo for display as well as archiving Show history, and the Rodeo Contestant Services Committee, which greets Rodeo contestants, monitors the contestant gate, and assists contestants with stalling their animals and parking their trailers. He was also the former chairman of the Corral Club-Club West Committee.
For the past eight years, Troy has been on the Houston Metro Go Texan Committee’s Spring Branch/Memorial Subcommittee (serving as the assistant captain for the past two years), which promotes and raises money for scholarships for seniors in SBISD high schools through local fundraisers. Each year, the Area Go Texan Committee awards 79 fouryear scholarships at $20,000 each; in 2022, over $200,000 in scholarship dollars went specifically to SBISD students. Applications can be found here: rodeohouston.com/Educational-Support/Scholarships/Apply.
The next fundraiser is an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil on Saturday, April 22nd from 1-5 pm at Texas T Tavern, located at 1535 Brittmoore Road. Join Troy and the Spring Branch/Memorial community and dig into delicious mud bugs while supporting education for our phenomenal SBISD students.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of ten 2021 Tony Awards including Best Musical, two Drama League Awards including Outstanding Production of a Musical, five Drama Desk Awards and ten Outer Critics Circle Award Honor citations including New Broadway Musical.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers and with a book by Tony Award winner John Logan, choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Tony Award winner Justin Levine.
Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular … Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Baz Luhrmann’s iconic film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and – above all – Love. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.
As in the film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical celebrates over 160 years of music – from Offenbach to Lady Gaga. The stage musical features many of the iconic songs from the movie, and also includes recent hits released since the movie premiered 21 years ago.
The show will run through March 12 at The Hobby Center, 800 Bagby Street. Tickets can be found online at thehobbycenter.org/events/moulinrouge-the-musical.
AoMG You Guys! Legally Blonde – The Musical
Comes to Houston, April 4–16
merica’s favorite blonde, Elle Woods, is ready to prove who’s in charge (again) as Legally Blonde – The Musical comes to Theatre Under The Stars in Houston for 15 performances beginning April 4. The ultimate Broadway tribute to girl power, Legally Blonde will take you from the UCLA sorority house to the Harvard halls of justice with its coming-of-age story.
Tickets for Legally Blonde are on sale now starting at $40. Tickets can be purchased online at TUTS.com, by calling the Box office at 713-558-8887or by visiting the Box Office at 800 Bagby St. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Groups of 10 or more can be purchase tickets by emailing Christina Benavides at christina@texasgrouptickets.com.
Based on the iconic movie, Legally Blonde follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams, and proves, contrary to dated bias, that you can be both legally blonde AND the smartest person in the room.
Things are groovy for Elle Woods but suddenly her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can start getting more “serious” about his life and attend Harvard Law. Determined
to get him back, Elle uses her brain and ingenuity to also get admitted to Harvard. School begins with endless struggles, but with the help of her new friends, Elle quickly realizes her potential and her strengths, as she sets out to change the narrative. This contemporary, topical story touches on many current hot button issues while delighting audiences with memorable songs and explosive dances. Legally Blonde warms the heart by proving
that self-discovery never goes out of style! The 2022-2023 National Tour of Legally Blonde is produced by Daniel Sher of Big League Productions, Inc. The musical is directed by Jeffrey B. Moss, with choreography by Bob Richard. Set design is by Randel Wright, with lighting by Charlie Morrison and stunning new elaborate video design by Jon Infante. Casting is by Alison Franck.
For more information, visit www.BlondeOnTour.com.
Led by President and Executive Producer Dan Sher, Big League is celebrating its 31st season of producing, general managing and booking Broadway musicals and special attractions for touring throughout North America and the world. For more information visit www.BigLeague.org.
Press Release
Press Release
Big Appetites, Open Wallets
By
SprInG Branch haS BEcoME a havEn For chEF-drIvEn rESTauranTS and Fun Food concEpTS, and ThE GrowTh oF ThE arEa haS aTTracTEd a plEThora oF nEw EaTErIES. pEruSE ThE BElow To SEE whIch FoodIE paradISE you wanT To vISIT FIrST.
low TIdE KITchEn and Bar (2030 A Bingle Road)
Opened in summer 2022 by Alli Jarrett, owner of Harold’s in the Heights, this South Carolina, low country-inspired restaurant serves fresh seafood, chicken burgers, po’boys, and mud bugs during crawfish season.
KolachE KInGS (1829 Bingle Road)
With mouth-watering, creative kolaches such as Korean beef and egg, the Greek, and Best Stop Boudin alongside more traditional favorites like potato, egg, and cheese, Kolache Kings officially swung open its doors in mid2022. Prior to that, Ken Brunecke, the owner, operated the business as a catering-only model.
anGIE’S MunchIES
(10100 Hammerly, Suite A)
This restaurant in the heart of Spring Branch is already well-loved after its September 2022 opening and serves both breakfast and lunch daily. On the menu is homestyle Mexican food with some Salvadoran cuisine thrown in, and rumor has it (via their Facebook page) that they serve mimosas.
looSE cannon (8518 Long Point Road)
Lei Low owners Liz and Russell Thoede partnered with two other Houston bar owners to open up nautical-themed Loose Cannon in the Branch back in the fall of 2022, meant to be a neighborhood watering hole with a focus on hand-crafted rum cocktails.
coSMIc IcE crEaM
(8207 Long Point Road)
This craft creamery was brought to Spring Branch by husband-and-wife duo Camille and Julian Haynes. With one location already in Clear Lake, where they live, they opened their
west Houston location in February. All flavors are made in-house and are inspired by the couple’s travels, family recipes, and childhood memories.
ThE BlInd GoaT; STuFFEd BElly (8145 Long Point Road)
Christine Ha, MasterChef season 3 winner, and her husband John Suh are opening their James Beard Award-nominated restaurant, The Blind Goat, in Spring Branch this spring. Previously located in Bravery Chef Hall, this modern Vietnamese gastropub is making the move to the Branch, where the couple lives. Slated to open in March 2023, they’ll also be debuting Stuffed Belly, a drive-thru sandwich shop that will capitalize on Ha’s favorite comfort food.
pIncho
(10201 Katy Freeway)
This Miami-based chain is opening up its first non-Florida restaurant in Memorial City in early spring. The restaurant serves “pinchos,” which are Latin-American kebabs, as well as burgers, bowls, and salads. Their burgers have been lauded as one of the ten best burgers by the Miami News Times.
hando
(8141 Long Point Road)
A casual sushi hand roll bar with one location in the Heights, this eatery focuses on serving fresh hand rolls (temaki) crafted in front of guests by trained chefs, small plates, craft cocktails, beer, and sake. Rolls are prepared and served one by one to ensure the freshest experience for guests. Hando is slated to open in early 2023.
vIa 313
(10201 Katy Freeway)
A popular Austin-based, Detroit-style pizzeria is coming to Memorial City in the spring. Started by two brothers out of Detroit in 2011,
they’ve developed a huge fan base of their deepdish pies with crispy, cheesy crust and chunky tomato sauce. Note: As of the publishing of this article, their website does not have Houston/ Memorial City listed as an upcoming location, but it was announced by MetroNational in 2022. Stay tuned.
wIld oaTS; undErBElly BurGEr (1222 Witte Road)
Widely respected Underbelly Hospitality will open second locations for both Wild Oats, a Texas-themed restaurant, and Underbelly Burger, serving wagyu burgers made from Texas beef farms, fries, and milkshakes. Construction on both will begin in early 2023 with the goal of opening mid-year. Wild Oats will have a dining room and outdoor area while Underbelly will have a walk-up ordering window, a small indoor dining area, and a large patio/green area outside.
ThE pIT rooM (10301 Katy Freeway)
This popular barbecue joint in Montrose — rumored to be Guy Fieri’s favorite — was opened in 2016 by Kingwood native Michael Sambrooks, and is poised to open in the Memorial City area in the fall. The floor plan will have an indoor-outdoor setup with a dedicated ice cream bar for its homemade ice cream sandwiches.
other recent/upcoming openings: Ragin’ Cajun – slated to open in 2022; as of the printing of this article, no updates were found, 1725 Wirt Road
Velvet Taco – October 2022, 10201 Katy Freeway
Black Rock Coffee – February 2023, 901 Dairy Ashford
Pita Republic Greek Café – early 2023, 2038 Gessner
Liz Clearman
The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency: 9th Annual
Barbara Devetski Scholarship Essay Contest
Press Release
The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency, a nonprofit providing Houston-area women and girls with the tools needed to be advocates for their health, is now accepting applications for the 9th Annual Barbara Devetski Scholarship Essay Contest. Two winners will receive a $2,500 scholarship towards tuition for the 2023 fall semester.
The Women’s Fund invites Houston-area, college-bound, graduating high school senior girls, who plan to enroll in a minimum of nine college credit hours in the 2023 fall semester, to participate in its essay contest. The essay must include the importance of resiliency, a time or situation in which the applicant was resilient and explain what they learned from the situation and how it has prepared them for college. For full scholarship details and eligibility requirements visit thewomensfund.org/scholarship.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 31, 2023, by 11:59 pm CST. The winners will be announced at The Women’s Fund Spring Membership Luncheon at Tony’s on Friday, May 19, 2023.
The scholarship was created in loving memory of Barbara Devetski, the organization’s first executive director who served in that capacity for over two decades.
For more than 44 years, The Women’s Fund has educated girls and women in the Houston area through classes, workshops, lectures, and publications that teach resiliency skills and relate those skills to current and future health risks. Dedicated to ensuring positive health outcomes for individuals and communities, The Women’s Fund serves close to 12,000 women and adolescent girls and distributes 9,913 publications each year at no cost.
For more information on The Women’s Fund visit thewomensfund.org and for questions about the 9th Annual Barbara Devetski Scholarship Essay Contest, please contact Jennifer Ramirez at 713.623.6543 or jennifer@ thewomensfund.org.
Spring Woods High School Celebrates Major Achievement
By Liz Clearman
Glow sticks, necklaces, and headbands, brightly colored neon t-shirts, and contagious school spirit electrified the gymnasium air at Spring Woods High School on Friday, February 3rd. Spring Woods students, staff, and the SBISD community gathered to celebrate the campus’s Special Olympics National Unified Champion School banner recognition, a massive achievement for not only the high school, but for the entire district. Spring Woods is one of only five schools nationwide to be recognized by both ESPN and Special Olympics North America as a school that promotes and practices inclusion, respect, and acceptance for all students. Quite fitting since the school’s beloved motto is #AllMeansAll.
Unified Sports, through the Special Olympics, promotes social inclusion through sports training and competitions, joining people both with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Teams are made up of people of similar ages and abilities and reduce stigma and bullying by fostering inclusivity, leadership, and acceptance. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming is in more than 8,300 schools across the United States, and Spring Woods High School is one of them — making its designation as a Champion School even more special. Principal Jennifer Collier introduced the Unified Sports program at SWHS in 2019.
You can watch the official SBISD video on the district’s Vimeo channel here: vimeo.com/sbisd, and view the KHOU 11 story here: tinyurl.com/33vtahj6.
Congratulations to the entire Spring Woods High School community!
Spring Branch High Schools Create (Good) Drama
By Liz Clearman
Memorial, Northbrook, Spring Woods, and Stratford high schools have been busy over the past couple of months putting on some of, arguably, the best theater productions in the city, if not the state. We have some incredibly talented students in this district and if you attend any of the productions and look around the theaters, the amount of community members in the audience should tell you something. If you missed any of the amazing performances below, Stratford has one more production in April. Keep your eyes peeled in the fall for more announcements about all four high schools’ play schedules for the 2023-24 school year. Please consider supporting our local student thespians!
Memorial High School debuted “The Canterville Ghost” at the end of October and beginning of November, and just wrapped up “The Addams Family” on January 26-28 and February 3-4.
Northbrook’s theater department performed “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” on January 26 and 27.
The Spring Woods High School Theater Company, the Safari Players, opened “Oklahoma!” on January 27 with a wrap date of February 4.
Stratford High School’s 2022-2023 Playhouse season has included “Clue” (October), “Young Frankenstein” (January 27-28 and February 2-4), and the last performance of the season will be “Footloose,” performed on April 28-29 and May 5-7 (when tickets go on sale, they can be purchased here: shsplayhouse.org/footloose).
Congrats to all of the students, staff, and theater departments for a successful season!
Young Frankenstein
Photos courtesy of Martha De La Garza
The Lightning Thief
The Addams Family
Oklahoma!
#FullyFundSBISD: Why You Should Care about Recapture
By Liz Clearman
The 88th session of the Texas legislature is fully underway, running from January 10th-May 29th, and one major topic on SBISD’s docket is the issue of recapture. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, recapture (also known as Robin Hood or Local Revenue in Excess of Entitlement) allows the state to take local property tax dollars from public school districts, theoretically redistributing an excess of wealth from rich school districts to those that are poor or struggling. It was originally a very limited revenue source for funding education but it’s now grown to over $3 billion in Texas homeowner property taxes, almost tripling over the past decade.
More than 160 school districts in Texas pay recapture and those districts educate 1.2 million students, more than half of which come from low-income households. When the state collects local property tax dollars through recapture, the money that would otherwise be spent on education is reduced, leaving Texas excess money in the General Revenue fund that is spent on other priorities — not necessarily on education. Districts with higher property wealth per student pay more, but poorer districts don’t always receive that extra, which was the original premise of Robin Hood. The finance formula used by the state of Texas takes into account district student enrollment and local property taxes to determine what’s called “entitlement” for that school district — if tax revenue doesn’t provide enough to educate each child, the state will fill in the rest. Conversely, if a district’s property values or wealth per student increases, that simply increases the amount of money that the state collects, leaving many districts lagging behind the nationwide average for cost spent on education per child.
How does this affect Spring Branch ISD? We’re the 39th largest school district in the state (out of 1,019 total districts), but we funnel the 10th largest recapture payment into the state’s ledger, despite 57% of our student
population being considered economically disadvantaged. Texas has designated SBISD as a wealthy district; however, given our student population, we have the needs associated with a much poorer district — kids who are English Language Learners (ELL), atrisk of not graduating high school, on free or reduced lunch programs, and/or low-income. Since 2014, our district alone has paid out over $400 million in recapture, but has only received about $148 million from the state in funding. Unfortunately, there are no adjustments for inflation or cost of education, meaning that the amount paid to the state is calculated using the same formula year in and year out. Texas is among the lowest ten states for education funding, contributing to an already overwhelming educational and financial issue.
This isn’t the first time this has happened to our district, either — in 2011, SBISD lost $37 million in state funding and was forced to eliminate 350 staff positions, which was a devastating blow. In 2023, we stand to lose $87 million of taxpayer dollars that won’t come back into our district. The state is predicted to have a $33 billion surplus, and is expected to collect almost $5 billion in recapture funds statewide, exceeding the previous record of $3 billion. To illustrate this formula simply: If you take a $1 million tax bill, $790,000 stays in SBISD while $210,000 (or about 20%) goes to recapture. If your property taxes increase the next year, or if the cost of education due to inflation or other economic factors rises, that extra money — due to the outdated formula used by the state — doesn’t stay in the school district.
To help SBISD meet its goal of being fully funded, district officials formed the School Finance Advocacy Team (SFAT) in the fall of last year comprised of parents and community members who are informed about SBISD’s finances to help the district advocate during this year’s legislative session. Motivated by many of the points made in this
article as well as the fact that Texas students are funded $4300 less per student than the national average, SFAT has committed to advocating for the Texas legislature to: 1) increase the basic allotment; 2) provide an adjustment for inflation; 3) provide a cost of education adjustment; 4) provide an early recapture payment discount; and 5) provide a full credit for the local homestead exemption.
“That’s not good. But what can I do?” I’m so glad you asked! Here’s a list of how you, as an SBISD resident, can help.
a Go to Austin with other community members and advocate a Tell a friend or a neighbor about recapture and why the way it’s currently done is damaging to our entire district a Call, write, or email your representative (Find your local reps here: texastribune.org/directory)
a Retweet, share, and like social media posts
a Write an op-ed a Sign a petition
More resources:
• Texas School Coalition (txsc.org)
• Texas School Alliance (texasschoolalliance.org)
• Raise Your Hand Texas (raiseyourhandtexas.org)
• Just Fund It Tx (justfundittx.org)
• PF3 (parentsforfullfairfunding.org)
• Spring Branch Speaks (springbranchspeaks.com/index.html)
• Local and Texas PTAs (txpta.org)
Sources: texastribune.org, recapturetexas.org, springbranchisd.com/about/board-of-trustees/ legislature/school-finance, springbranchisd.com/ sfat, justfundittx.org
