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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, June 11, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 24
About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
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Area schools see rising, falling grades in 2016 Children at Risk report By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
School
See Grades P. 5A
Heights Specialist & Oak Forest Resident
HOUSTON RANK
LETTER GRADE
STATE RANK
2016
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Principals at schools like Helms Elementary know better than anyone that turning around a school is a long process. That’s why principal John Baker is taking this year’s report by Children At Risk in stride with the improvements made at the local elementary and awaiting this year’s final STARR results to see what impact it will have on next year’s rating. Helms Elementary’s score, which was graded a D- compared to a F in 2015 and a C in 2014, is an indicator of the beginning of that turnaround. “As we continue to improve our school and build on this year’s successes, including exceeding the district average on our first round of 2016 STARR scores in both reading and math, our growing community support, expanded extracurricular opportunities for kids, and our new Hispanic Art and Culture ancillary class, I am eager to see this year’s final STARR results and the impact it will have on next year’s rating,” Baker said. “Our teachers, parents, and students are working together to keep making Helms a better place to learn each year.” This year marks the 11th year of Children at Risk’s annual school rankings across the state. The study has received both praise and criti-
Realtor®
STATE RANK
HOUSTON RANK
LETTER GRADE
STATE RANK
HOUSTON RANK
2015
LETTER GRADE
2014
OAK FOREST EL
37
15
A+
50
17
A+
73
26
A+
HARVARD EL
419
131
A
104
33
A+
383
103
A
TRAVIS EL
39
16
A+
161
53
A+
381
101
A
CROCKETT EL
1854
413
B-
291
83
A+
1,591
343
B-
GARDEN OAKS EL
1106
272
B+
988
244
A-
2628
530
C-
FIELD EL
676
188
A
977
249
A-
618
156
A-
SINCLAIR EL
746
205
A+
1042
332
B
647
166
A-
MEMORIAL EL
2062
450
C+
2055
451
C+
2,401
488
C
LOVE EL
1303
308
B+
2317
507
C
3,043
600
D
STEVENS EL
3985
815
F
2518
538
C
2,920
577
D
SMITH EL
4175
854
F
2576
547
C
1,439
316
B-
BENBROOK EL
2826
602
D+
2950
612
D
3,543
682
D
BROWNING EL
3054
642
D
3019
626
D
2,282
469
C
WAINWRIGHT EL
3129
657
D
3084
641
D
3,587
687
D
HELMS EL
3351
708
D-
3767
764
F
2,312
478
C
DURHAM EL
2657
573
C-
3909
788
F
3,087
609
D
2016
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
2015
2014
HAMILTON MIDDLE
819
160
C+
794
157
B-
644
142
B-
CLIFTON MIDDLE
1138
210
D+
1,090
202
C-
796
166
B-
BLACK MIDDLE
725
146
B-
1,427
248
D-
1,820
325
D
HOGG MIDDLE
1073
243
D-
1,550
271
F
1,954
345
F
2016
HIGH SCHOOLS
2015
2014
REAGAN HS
597
91
C+
491
69
B-
776
88
C-
WALTRIP HS
924
134
D-
618
78
C+
1,019
119
D
SCARBOROUGH HS
1135
163
F
1,211
157
F
1,171
146
F
WASHINGTON HS
1134
162
F
1,089
139
F
1,123
137
D
A Run For Fun
Lauren Worrall
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INSIDE.
Photos by Jonathan Garris
Houston Heights Association hosts 31st annual Fun Run amidst rainy weather
A
cloudy, rainy day couldn’t keep away hundreds of people from making the annual trek down Heights Boulevard last weekend as the Houston Heights Association put on another successful annual Fun Run in the Heights. The 5k course began and ended at Marmion Park,
The art of movement While relatively young, the somewhat daredevil art of parkour has continued to gain steam through awareness, pop culture references - and now the local business Urban Movement which operates out of a 20,000 square foot Heights gym.
Find it on 1B
EVENTS. Rose of Sharron, a nonprofit that runs a ministry for men and women in need of shelter, will be selling artwork, custom jewelry and other items this weekend at Alabama Furniture, located at 4900 N. Shepherd Dr. From 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The INDEX. Church....................................................... 7A Classifieds.............................................. 7B Coupons. ................................................. 8A Food/Drink/Art................................... 9A Obituaries.............................................. 6A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 5B
running along (no pun intended) Heights Boulevard and included a 5k Fun Run, walk and a kids 1k untimed race. Each runner was able to show their support with their own commemorative t-shirt for the event and could enjoy a post-race party with live entertainment, door prizes, refreshments and visits
with local vendors like Memorial Hermann Greater Heights. For more photos from the event, go online to www. theleadernews.com
Heights icon makes new carving for Woodland Park
Sago scare renews worries over local plant in Leader area
By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Last October on a Wednesday evening, Kristen Powell, the owner of the Barking Pig, went for a walk with her 2year old dog Wylie. Powell said that Wylie was obsessed with chasing squirrels so she let him chase one around a Sago Palm that was in one of the yards on the walk. “He was so happy,” she said. “I thought everything was normal. We went about our day.” The next evening when she came home from work, Wylie wasn’t at the door for his customary greeting, but instead on the sofa. Later that night Powell found him hiding in a corner of a dark guest room. “That’s when I freaked out and took him to the hospital,” said Powell. “They admitted him and over the next 48 hours every organ in his body shut down slowly and I had to watch him die the most horrible way. I had to make the decision to put him down on day three. That’s when the doctor told me about sago palms and how if they catch it in the first 24 hours they can save them, but Wylie was too late.” It’s something that unfortunately a lot of people learn the hard way,” said Dr. Stephen Chmaitelli of Garden Oaks Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Chmaitelli sees about 1 to 2 cases a year, compared to the 5 or 6 he saw some years back. “Our success in treatment depends on how fast we get to them. Some people wait a day or two before signs and symptoms start. That’s too late.” See Sego P. 5A
Sago palms are a popular ornamental plant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. It’s a species of gymnosperm – or seed producing plant – in the family Cycadaceae, native to southern Japan. “They’ve been here for years and are a huge part of our tropical landscaping,” Contributed Photos said gardener Merin Noon- Marissa Clark’s dog Gia was an. “They like subtropical one of the lucky ones. She got to the vet in time for environments in Houston.” “I hate that plant,” said treatment after sago ingesDr. Lynda Case with Wash- tion. ington Heights Veterinary Clinic. “I see it all over the place. “The statistics say that there’s a 50 to 75 percent mortality rate but in my experience the dogs almost always die.” Marissa Clark’s dog Gia was one of the lucky ones. Her dog, Gia, got a hold of one of the seeds and began to throw up. “We thought that she had an upset stomach for some reason until we found chunks of the seed in her vomit, but we didn’t know what it came from,” Clark said. “We went out to
Local Heights icon Paul Carr is at it again with his wooden sculptures, this time completing a replica of a trolley car for Woodland Park and a recreation of Noah’s Ark for All Saints Catholic Church on East 10th Street. The trolley was a first for Carr, who has typically made trucks and other vehicles for Leader-area schools and parks. Friends of Woodland Park connected with Carr through Houston City Councilmember Ellen Cohen’s office, who suggested Carr provide his services for the group which sought to celebrate the park’s history, which is located at 212 Parkview. “The park used to be a big destination for many people living in Houston in the early 1900s,” Carr said. “It happened to be the site of Houston’s first See Trolley P. 3A
Contributed Photo Paul Carr’s newest wood carving of an early 20th century trolley now sits at Woodland Park.
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