Saturday, July 22, 2017 • Page 1B
When Less is Enough the
By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader
Subtraction trumped addition at a 1939 Houston Heights cottage. By rethinking the interior’s room configuration and repositioning a few existing walls, the home was better able to accommodate a family with two growing children (and pets) without building up or out. They share 1,400 square feet of living space. That includes a 400-squarefoot master suite added in the ‘80s, back when having the sink area open to the room was all the rage. “We’re not a tiny home. We’re a small home,” homeowner Jennie Biggs says, putting some spin on the vintage property’s wee proportions. She think her minimalist tendencies help keep space-hogging family life detritus under control. With the downsize trend playing out in home design today, she says, “We’re already there. We may be a little on the extreme side. Still, we have no regrets.” Longer-term Heights area residents might remember the Biggs property being featured on an HG-TV show that helps owners determine the financial wisdom of whether or not to add on. Their Realtor, however, asked “Why?” and pointed out to them that they weren’t using the space they already had. “We wondered why we
hadn’t considered that option,” the homeowner recalls. As a property not located in a Heights historic district, the home could have bulked up. But not upping the footprint has meant still having a back yard, she says. And not building a second floor has meant keeping the classic cottage elevation that’s common to the neighborhood – and having all bedrooms on the same level. Also, staying small and cozy has meant knowing what their children are up to, she quips: “We hear what’s going on.” Having stuck with onestory living – despite larger homes sprouting nearby -also means there’ll be less to manage when their busy nest empties, she says. Their teenagers are in the chute for college departures in 2018 and 2020. “A one-story home after the kids leave will be enough space for us.” “I’m glad we made a good economic decision by working with what we already had,” she says. Here’s how the owners made their semi-modified cottage’s floor plan more efficient, saving construction costs (but not hassle, she notes). “A redo isn’t cheap either,” particularly when it means adding hardwood flooring and a lot of custom carpentry. Plus fresh paint. The original floorplan -- and its awkward ‘80s addition so poorly positioned it prevented a swank back patio -- had a lot of underutilized space. By moving a kitchen wall and the adjacent utility closet, the updated kitchen added a large table for eat-in convenience. A pantry occupies space between the studs, so it’s 6 inches deep. The dining room stayed put as
a second living room used for games and gatherings. Meanwhile, the oversized master suite gave up some space for a second closet and a desk area in the hallway leading to it. Gone, too, is the exposed vanity flanked by water closet and shower functions. It’s a swish master bathroom now that’s “large enough to hang out in,” she says. The initial work scope didn’t remove the half-walls between the living and dining rooms; they might be coming down eventually to make one large space. “For now, we’re holding tight,” she says. MAKING DO WITH A REDO Although he didn’t work on the Biggs project, Stephen McNiel of Creative Property Restoration, former president of the Remodelers Council of the Greater Houston Builders Association, has renovated several properties in Leader new neighborhoods. He says several factors might influence whether a homeowner decides to add space or just rework what’s already under the roofline. Cost: Not having to pour a foundation, add framing or roof, and pull a survey and more expensive permits can bring savings when compared to building an addition, he says. Using a $200 per square foot estimate for new construction, work within an existing structure might run $125 to $150 per square foot, he says, depending on the extent of the scope. A kitchen is more expensive to retool than, say, a couple bedrooms. “All renovation spending is subjective,” he notes. And that includes paint. Did you specify the $25 or $75 version?
Photo submitted Taking space from the master bedroom enabled adding a desk area to the adjacent hallway.
Capture: Consider repurposing space already in the footprint, such as porches, utility and mechanical areas, and closets. In the latter case, how a door swings or its size can cut into usable space. View: Indoor outdoor living space is a rising trend in home design and might help a smaller interior feel larger, he says. Any money saved by working with existing space might be well spent adding an outdoor kitchen, landscaping or patio venue. Lifestyle/Life stage: Consider the age of the home – and that of the homeowners, meaning whether the family is growing or gone. Is the home for now or forever? “It’s a house-by-house decision,” McNiel says, and comes down to what you’re willing to sacrifice. To share your renovation survival tale in The Do-Over, contact cynthia.lescalleet@gmail. com.
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Page 2B • Saturday, July 22, 2017
Family operation ‘moves’ in on the moving market By Jennifer Layer For The Leader A new business venture by a local area resident may change the way we look at moving. In May of this year, a young woman named Meredith Rimkus opened the doors to Third Coast Moving Services LLC. Inspired from a love for her community and a love for her family, Rimkus decided to create something to solve a problem she saw in the world. “Over the last decade, I’ve moved a lot by myself,” said Rimkus. “After trying many different moving companies I quickly found that the more I paid the better experience I had. I, over time, came to expect that you have to sacrifice a substantial amount of money in order to get any kind of quality service.” Although Rimkus had awareness of the issue, it did not grow into a call for action until she began a relationship with Iram Guerrero, who, coincidently, had extensive experience working within the moving services industry. Their relationship soon included many conversations on the topic of greedy practices and companies they have dealt with. “We started researching the numbers to see just what kinds of profits these companies were making, and the profit margins of the average company are egregious,” said Rimkus. These discussions encour-
aged the thought that maybe together they could create a better option within the moving services industry. Then one day the decision was made: they were going to open their own moving business, where they would be able to make a profit without taking advantage of their customers. “As we planned it out, it got to the point where we were running the numbers over and over again thinking this can’t possibly be right, but it was,” said Rimkus. Third Coast is a local familyowned and operated moving service for residential homes, commercial businesses, corporate offices and everything in between. They happily transport your belongings anywhere in the state of Texas for a very low, flat hourly rate. Rates never change, and there are no hidden fees to hassle with. Rimkus says the business is molded around the commitment to choose relationships over maximizing profits. In its mere two months of being open, Third Coast has received outstanding reviews. One review on YELP claimed, “Meredith and her team took me out of a bind when another moving company no-showed. They were at my door within 30 mins and offered excellent & fast service. Meredith went above and beyond to make sure the process was as easy and stress-free as possible. Highly
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Saturday, July 22, 2017 • Page 3B
2017 Leader Media Campers share their thoughts Standardized Testing
Alice Waters - 7th Grade Throughout public schools every year, students must take a test to measure how smart they are. Though many people argue that standardized testing is used to measure progress and give teachers a curriculum, I believe differently and today I am here to tell you why. Standardized testing builds up stress not only with students but teachers as well. It makes them feel like they have to “teach” better than the scores. According to Fairtest.org teachers are often discouraged because of the score they are given. This chases out perfectly good teachers, or creates a situation where teachers start the drill and kill method. Standardized test also does not fit the unique personality and abilities of each student. Teachers have no way of knowing what students they are going to get. Some students are poor testers, so does this one make them not smart or any less successful than one of their classmates? The way a room looks can also affect how a student takes a test. University of Lethbridge says that lighting, room temperature, or even colors of the walls can affect the way a student thinks. University of Portland also says that it is just data from one day. Colleen Renfrew, who has taught for 41 years as a teacher, counselor, curriculum designer, and special ed says that “While some people argue that testing gives a platform of the curriculum teachers have no way of knowing what the world will be like when students are grown up. The statewide test is telling you to what to learn, not how to learn.” Statewide testing also causes unneeded necessary stress on students. Students often stress about whether they will pass or fail. Stress is not good for your health and also affects if you are actually learning. When you are stressed, you are less likely to retain information you are learning. There are also other ways to measure student progress. For example, Norm Reference test, which is one test that is tested all across the country. This reduces the amount of testiing because there is no longer both standardized and norm reference--meaning it also reduces stress on both teachers, students, and parents. Some argue that it shows if you are ready to move on to the next grade, or shows if you are ready for college. However, you also can use GPA’s, teacher recommendations, enrollments in advanced courses, and even more. Standardized testing, which has become a regular and ongoing thing in our schools today, has many downfalls and unfair variables and disadvantages to many students.
Children and Electronics Today
Evan Donohue - 6th Grade Children today are more electronically oriented than ever before. You don’t even need to do any research. It’s fairly obvious. And why shouldn’t they? We live in the golden age of technology. Almost everyone has a phone, a laptop, or at least an IPad! I’m not saying no electronics, just FEWER electronics. Kids don’t even have to try! The average kid in 2015 spent 10 hours a day on electronics versus the 7.5 hours a day from 2000. That’s a 3-and-a-half-hour difference. Think of all the other things they could have been doing instead! I think that they (kids) should lay off the amount of time on electronics. They aren’t focusing that much on what’s important! Says Elizabeth, 6th grade. Elizabeth is right. I’ve talked to several teachers and they have all agreed that kids should focus more on school work more than anything at this age, but they aren’t. Another thing: it’s crazy how the charts have sky-rocketed since only 2000! And not just in electronic use, but also in athletic activity. In 2000 Physical Education wasn’t even required in the majority of HISD schools. What’s even crazier is that now P.E. IS required, but physical activity has plummeted! Which brings us back to electronics. Kids come home from school and go straight to their X-Box. There are many bad side effects that most parents don’t even think about. Parents think “Oh, that won’t happen to my child.” But the truth is, if you let kids do nothing but sit around playing video games all day, it will. It may take longer for you to realize it on some kids, but it will happen. Children are now becoming obese, anti-social, or reluctant to try much else. A problem like this can’t be solved all at once. But if parents start teaching their kids about some of the “dangers” of electronics, future generations may become more active.
How I like my friends
By Alejandra Cabello Hi my name is Alejandra and today I’m going to tell you how I like my friends. First of all, one of the things I look for in a friend is kindness. I like it when my friends are kind because if they are not nice I can’t be their friend. I mean, nobody likes a friend that’s mean to them. At least I don’t. Second of all, I like my friends to give me space sometimes the reason why is because if they to close to me I get really mad.
But, sometimes I wonder what my friends think about me and what they think I shouldn’t do to them. Do they think I shouldn’t hug them or even touch them at all? Most of the time I try to fix it myself, but sometimes it doesn’t work and it doesn’t work out. So now I am going to tell you a story about an used to be friend Taylor, who one day just stopped talking to me. I didn’t know why though, and we were like best friends until that day and I kept asking her what I did wrong. Later on I told my mom what was happening and she told me not to ask her what I did wrong and to just leave her alone. So the next day I left her alone and after a while she finally started talking to me again and the first thing I asked her was “why weren’t you talking to me?”. Then she said “You were annoying me.” In my mind I said “ok then.” And after that I we weren’t friends any more. So that’s my story. Thanks for reading.
The change of the houses in the Heights
Anita Wolfsteiner The style of houses in the Heights has changed throughout the years. The oldest houses that can still be found are around 100 years old. These homes have seen and resisted many storms and even disasters. Part of the reason that they are sturdy is because they were small and compact and they were made by well-trained craftsmen. As a result, there was a lot of green space and the water from rains could be drained by the earth. Today, the appearance of the neighborhood is decided by the professional builders. They buy a lot of land to build, split it into pieces and then build big houses for a maximum profit. When I walk along the roads I notice all these houses squished together and I think that like people houses should have personal space in a sense that they have room around them. It looks more natural. These opposing interests in between the need for big houses and preserving the old styles. These interests have been looked into and as a result the Heights were made into a historical district. Rules were established that were not strongly followed. Now the rules are being revisited and get more precise to make it fair to the home owners. In my opinion it is a good effort of trying to preserve historic buildings. The process is still ongoing and it needs a final approval by the city counsel. I hope that this effort will change the way that the houses are built in future. The Heights will remain a pleasant place to live in.
Why You Need A Pet
By Rafael Fernandez-Watson It’s another boring day alone at home. No one to comfort you or relax with. A pet can solve all of those problems with more to spare! Weather it’s a dog, cat, or fish, or an exotic animal or something else, you will be overjoyed when you get a pet. There are many different kinds of pets that are available, the most common of them being dogs, cats, and fish. Though pets are expensive, they are 100 percent worth it. They brighten your day and get you through emotional trauma. Most people say they are better than kids. Many children have a very hard time making friends, and pets can become friends for kids that have a hard life. Pets are always excited to see their humans. You have to be responsible to have a pet, and teaching children responsibility is very important. Pet will always be loyal to you, no matter how you act. Depending on what type of pet you have, you could cuddle up with your pet and be happy with it. Pets are a merry gift. Cat, dog or anything else, pets are one of the best things in life.
Social Media’s effect on Children
Bella Becker - 10th Grade Social media apps consume the lives of children, myself included, at first it seems harmless and just a way to express yourself or keep in touch with others but eventually becomes a downside. Children at younger and younger ages are joining social media, “By the age of 10, more than half of children have social media”, according to Daily Mail. The quote from Daily Mail shows how quickly kids are exposed to social media and that the damages from social media can affect kids at even the age of 10. Social media proves negative towards children’s behavior when you, start to compare your amount of likes to others and spend all day scrolling through Instagram or sending Snapchats, or when bullying arises through social media accounts. Most bullies feel powerful through screens, allowing bullying to occur much more often than in person. Being afraid to post things because of others opinions or how it will make you look is all kids think about now. I know that personally, I hold back from posting pictures because it doesn’t go with the rest of my posts. It seems silly, but to teens now its normal. Images on social media display photoshopped
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Campers, from P. 3B models and make girls want to be just like these photos, sometimes risking their lives -- just another negative effect of social media on young teens. Bullies, low self-esteems, and wasting of time are all effects of the use of social media in young teens and children. To solve all these negatives, I believe children should be restricted from social media until the age of 15.
Misogyny in Rap Music
Grace Pratchett - 9th grade One thing that you have to understand is that I’m the type of person who always has an earbud in at all times. Being a teenager in this day and age, rap is very prominent in the music I listen to, but I wonder if it is really having I positive influence on me and the rest of today’s youth. Don’t get me wrong, I love rap music, but it I hard for me to respect the misogynistic language used by many rappers and it is a constant topic of discussion between me and my mother. She will always argue that the language they use promotes the idea of women as objects and I have to agree, but I feel like a lot of today’s youth are de-sensitized to this fact and simply don’t care. I myself suffer from the same apathy that seems to affect many other teenagers considering the disrespectful nature in which rappers regard women, but as I grow older, the more I realize that this has to change. By supporting the mistreatment and inequality of women through music, it will translate to reality by influencing the way we think about these things. The popularity of all these rap songs that put down women convince others, especially teenagers, that it is ok for them to do it too. In the future, I think that many of these influential rappers should thoughtfully consider the message they are putting out and how it is affecting the youth of America.
Why I Believe Phones Shouldn’t Be Allowed At School
Helene Rose Miller - 8th Grade Phones have a very negative impact on school work and attention span. Phones can distract us from paying attention to the teacher and not focusing on school work. Teachers put their time and dedication into teaching, and by using our phones we are taking away from that. The light on our phones is called blue light. The blue light on our phones is similar to sunlight. Our brains, when the see sunlight, know to keep working and stay alert. When we are on our phones our brain thinks that the blue light is sunlight so our brain keeps working. Everyone knows that the blue light can damage your eyes and brain. Phones can distract us from schoolwork and social skills. Instead of reading a book or doing homework, kids are staying on their phones and using social media. Social media can have a very negative impact on someone’s mental health and school work. Phones need wifi to work, so by using the school’s wifi, it’s charging the school more money and posing another threat. More than 1 billion accounts were hacked in 2016. By allowing kids to have their phones at school, they could be posing a threat to other kids and the school. From a parental point of view, phones are just a distraction. They can ruin some ones life and destroy their reputation. In conclusion, phones shouldn’t be allowed at school according to me at least.
Why the Rockets need to trade for Melo
Rafael Hernandez The Houston Rockets already contain two All-Stars in Chris Paul and MVP-Runner up James Harden. But in order to win the west, a Big two is not enough to stop the Big 4 of the Warriors. That’s why a third star might be enough to topple the defending champs. Harden, Paul and Carmelo, Three players who have been a Top 3 player in NBA before. Even though Paul and Melo are out of their prime and have barely reached the All-Star Game over the past couple of years, they could return to form. Maybe the Mike D’Antoni System is just what they need, I mean, It definitely helped Nene and 6th Man of the Year Eric Gordon, whose careers looked blemished. It could all work out and a potiential third championship would reach Houston. The bad part about this is the chemistry, they all love to have the ball in their hands (at all times). CP3 is a passing guard, but who takes the winning shot with the game on the line? How will the defense work out? Carmelo and Harden give up on the defensive end, and D’Antoni doesn’t
preach defense. But maybe they all know that this is their big chance at a ring and give it their all. It doesn’t matter how it goes, it’s the Rockets’ only chance at competing at a title, Melo is the last star left. I rather take a chance and lose in the first round than feeling we really needed Melo after another second round defeat. This is the Rockets’ best shot since the 90s, and they need to take it.
Electronic devices harmful physically and mentally
Megan G. Waters - 5th Grade Have you ever been bored and your first instinct is to grab your iPad, phone, etc.? Would you believe it’s bad for your health? It is, as it can give you brain issues, make your grades fall, and hurt your eyes severely. Did you know there’s a disorder called Screen Syndrome? Screen Syndrome causes grade drops, exhaust, and meltdowns. Screen Syndrome can be prevented by playing outside when you get a chance instead of playing on electronics. Electronics can also cause eyes problems and even blind you. Looking at a screen all day can affect your vision. It can also keep you up at night. So, next time you’re on a device, remember what it can do to your eyes. Electronic devices can even cause a drop in grades too. Some parents have reported having A+ students as children and then they got electronics for them, and they were then B students. So hopefully, you will consider this next time you are on a device. In my opinion, the worst cause of electronics is being a different person. Most people who have phones spent more time with their phone than family. They also become grumpy, mean, and rude. There are many people in America today who have a device to use. There are actually 315 million people in the U.S. today who have cell phones, and those people are on them almost six hours a day! The amount of time on electronics should definitely be reduced. So, as you can tell electronics have a mental effect on your body as well as non- mental. Next time you are bored, I persuade you to look away from your device and play outside or another active thing to do.
Importance of arts in schools
Madison Creech - 7th Grade From experience, I have experienced what it is like to not have an artistic outlet in school. Kids without a creative part in their day will lose concentration and become bored. My school I went to for a little while was a Lutheran school, and it taught classical education, including Latin. There were no art classes of any kind except for choir, and it did not allow you to express yourself. They also had a band, but it did not have a very good program. Art programs are threatened to be cut frequently through schools, even though they are proven to help improve grades. Also, brain research shows that music improves math and reading skills and inspires creativity. To add to that, children who study art are more academically gifted and have a higher level of attendance. Also, countries such as Japan and Hungary, which have some of the highest math and science test scores, require the arts. After I moved schools I went to a school with many arts and athletic outlets such as theater, art, karate, band and much more. So many opportunities have opened up to me, and I want that for so many other kids to have that opportunity to explore different passions. The No Child Left Behind Act states that the arts are part of common core subjects -- meaning that these class should be mandatory in the Houston independent school district schools.
The fake Homeless
Emily Erwin - 6th Grade Every day on my way to school or the park, I pass by homeless people on the street begging for money, and at night when we pass by the same street or intersection and I wonder “Are they actually homeless?” Do they have a car or a house? Well, some homeless American aren’t actually homeless or poverty stricken. Read on to learn more. When you’re homeless, it normally means you don’t have enough money to afford a house, you have mental disabilities, or in some rare cases you ran away from home. In 2016 many supposedly homeless Americans were exposed for not actually being homeless. They took money and fooled people into thinking they were telling the truth, and they were stealing money and attention away from the homeless who were telling the truth. Fake homeless Americans can make millions of dollars. Being falsely homeless and begging for money is technically not a
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crime. When you use physical action to beg it then becomes an offense. Some fakes even act for it too. In 2016, a man who was physically disabled also pretended to be mentally disabled. He stuttered when he talked and used incorrect grammar, but the funny thing is he was great at it! There was a woman once who also faked being homeless. Every day she took her son and unborn baby with her to the same street corner, they stayed there and begged all day then they would walk down an ally and get inside a white Mercedes. Being falsely homeless is not a big deal, but it would definitely clean up our streets if they just got a job and provided for their family like most Americans do.
7:00
Olivia matelske When I Went to Harvard Elementary they wanted us to get 12 hours of sleep… which means going to sleep at 7:00. I was NOT going to do that. Why? Because going to bed at 7 means barely any time with our families because when we get home we do our homework, which is about an hour, then we play for a while, then it is dinner time, after that it is bath time, and then bed time, which it would be seven you barely got to spend time with your family. Now I explained that to my mom… you might get a little more time with your family. It is not exactly like what I explained. That’s what my mom said. I still thought that it still was a bad idea to go to sleep at 7:00 (unless it was the day before the STAAR test.. but not on a regular day), but I think that going to bed at 7:00 gives you less time with your families. Plus we are 5TH GRADERS -- even my grandmother (the perfectionist in my family) makes my bed time 9:00 because I am older now. My point is that kids who are not homeschooled should be able to spend more time with their families.
Why Summer Homework Shouldn’t Exist
John Mitchell - 8th Grade It’s the last day of school, and you’re finally done with deadlines, stress, and teachers bossing you around all day -- or so you think. As you’re celebrating with your friends, your teacher hands you a packet. You read the first page of instructions, it’s 20 pages of math, and when you’re done you have to read two books and make a report on both of them! Now, instead of enjoying yourself and not thinking about school, you’re stressing out about when you’re going to finish your summer homework. It’s called summer vacation not summer review! Children should be at the beach or hanging out with their friends, not working on 20 pages of homework! Most children just procrastinate until the last week of summer anyways, so there’s no reviewing over the summer, if a child can’t regain his grasp of fractions with a brief review, maybe those skills weren’t taught well enough in the first place. Doing a mountain of math sheets without a teacher’s help (and perhaps incorrectly) is not the answer. Summer was made so we could have 2-3 months off. You can do things that you couldn’t during the school year like hanging out with your friends or catching up on sleep. Do we want children to start the year refreshed and ready to learn? Or burned out and resentful? It’s something everybody should carefully consider. Therefore, we should not have summer homework, and I hope you agree.
Dress Codes are very bad
Kathryn Gara Gunning - 6th Grade No matter where you live, where you go to school or what grade you’re in your school probably has a dress code. It may be strict or it may not be, but either way they’re useless. The first reason is it’s hard to self-express because what if you have a shirt that you really like but it has something slightly inappropriate My second reason is that most schools only focus on girl’s dress codes. It’s inappropriate so you can’t wear it at school, all you can wear is a plain polo shirt and that’s not very exciting. My third reason it doesn’t matter what boys wear, because if a girl wears shorts that don’t follow “the finger-tip rule” it’s a distraction because apparently men clothes instead of teaching boys it’s not ok to be creepy can’t control themselves and we need to change our and to control themselves. My fourth reason is that the way you dress has nothing to do with your academic performance and it doesn’t make you an idiot if you wear spaghetti straps and short shorts. In conclusion dress codes are bad because of how they only focus on girls and how they dress.
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