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Local LISD students okay after Fri. bus accident New Burn Four Leander ISD students were evaluated by EMS after a bus accident at 7:20 a.m. Friday on RR 620 at the Concordia University Drive intersection. Bus #248 was en route to River Place Elementary with 61 students on board when it was struck by a truck, said Veronica Sopher, LISD Executive Director of School/Community Relations. The driver of the pickup truck was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, according to an Austin Po-
Ban in effect in Travis Co.
lice Department spokeswoman. The school bus was fully loaded with 61 students, most were River Place Elementary students and some were Steiner Ranch Elementary pre-K students. No one aboard the bus ended up being injured but four students were evaluated by EMS before being released to their parents, Sopher said. The remaining students were taken to school on another bus. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
When it was hit Fri. morning, the LISD school bus was fully loaded with 61 students, most were River Place Elementary students and some were Steiner Ranch Elementary pre-K students. No one aboard the bus was injured. John D. Boyle - @BrandFlair
Truck crashed into power pole on FM 2222 affecting hundreds By LESLEE BASSMAN LBassman@austin.rr.com A truck crashed into a power line in the 10100 block of FM 2222, downing the pole and landing in a ditch at around 3:40 a.m. on Jan. 19. The driver fled the scene before officers arrived and no witnesses are known at this time, according to Senior Austin Police Department Officer Veneza Aguinan. The accident slowed the morning commute through Four Points. Austin Energy crews disconnected the power in the area at around 5:00 a.m. to work on the repair. Power returned at 6:30 a.m. “The outage affected 417 customers,” stated Austin Energy spokesperson Carlos Cordova. “We do have a number of poles hit by vehicles, a lot of times in the early morning hours and in bad weather.” The outage was limited to an area bordered by Panther Hollow Creek and the Big View, Canoas and Four Points roadways. A downed power line and pole slowed Four Points morning commuters on FM 2222 last week. The Austin Police Department reported that a truck hit the line in the early morning hours of Jan. 19. Photo by Leslee Bassman
Austin Baptist Westminster Glen focuses on wildfire safety with Chipper Day Church expected to By Leslee Bassman, LBassman@austin.rr.com Although some folks might consider the constant whirr of machinery bothersome, Westminster Glen neighbors didn’t mind the noise recently as homeowners were treated to free wood chipping and hauling in efforts to make the area safer. Members of Travis County’s Fire
and Rescue ESD #4 promoted its first “Free Chipper Day” in the Four Points’ neighborhood to encourage residents to manage the wildfire fuels around their homes. “I’m worried about what’s between 30 and 100 feet around these homes,” said Kenneth Humphries, Travis County ESD #4 Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator. The Wildfire Mitigation team, with
be finished in Sept. Austin Baptist Church is shaping up to be one of the prominent Four Points cornerstones. Construction began in August at the FM 2222 and McNeil Drive site and completion is expected by September. “September is the time frame the contractor is now estimating. Things can cause that to adjust, of course,” said David Procter, executive pastor at
CHIPPER, 5
The commissioners voted to put a new Burn Ban in place in Travis County at last week’s Jan. 17 meeting. This new order will expire Feb. 15 unless further action is taken by Commissioners Court prior to that date. Warmer and dryer than usual weather has been predicted for the next few weeks. The small fuels and high winds are not a good combination. Based on the recommendation of the Fire Marshal and ESD Chief ’s, the court decided to sign a new Burn Ban Order. This ban on Outdoor Burning does not affect a prescribed burn under the supervision of a prescription burn manager. It also does not affect outdoor hot work when done under the guidelines established by Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Sweetheart contest to be held by Four Points News
We want to hear your Sweetheart Story and possibly publish it in our Valentine’s issue. Tell us why the love of your life is so amazing and you may win a Steiner Ranch Steakhouse gift certificate! Share your fun engagement story or the moment you knew you were made for each other. Entries should be emailed to FourPointsNews. Edit@gmail.com by Thurs. Feb. 9 and be about 300 words in length. Please include a photo of you and your sweetheart.
CHURCH, 7
Leslee Bassman
Travis County ESD #4 Wildfire Mitigation team of cadets participated in last weekend’s Chipper Day at Westminster Glen. Pictured (from left): Johnnie Smith, Jacob Liscano, Chris Tamez, Brandon Herrera, Jeffrey Schneider.
Inside
School......................................3 Opinion...................................4 Classifieds...............................6 Sports......................................7 Find us on Facebook Happy 2012! Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has blessed my vision! Sam Houston
The sanctuary of Austin Baptist Church is taking shape. Photos taken on Friday Jan. 20 show the construction progress.
Grandview Hills still being considered for $3M LISD transportation hub By LYNETTE HAALAND Leander ISD continues to look at the possibilities of creating a $3 million transportation hub on the Grandview Hills Elementary site. The district’s only bus barn in Cedar Park is overcrowded and
the southern part of the district, Four Points, has added significantly to transportation needs in the past several years, school officials say. The proposed transportation hub would accommodate 31 bus routes and potentially reducing bus travel by 225,000 miles
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a year, Jim Disler, LISD executive director of capital improvements, told the board on Dec. 15. District estimates indicate the proposed Grandview Hills Hub could cost more than five times the $580,000 allocated for the facility in the 2007 bond proposal.
LISD acquired a site in 2006 for the Grandview Hills Elementary School. One of the benefits of this site was the fact it had several ancillary buildings on the site which could provide the district some additional office and support service use space. The 2007 Bond Authoriza-
tion, totaling $580,000, included monies to renovate the ancillary buildings to provide a satellite transportation facility, warehouse storage, and additional office space. It also included providing parking for 25 buses, TRANSPORTATION, 5
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Page 2 • Four Points News, Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Basic Couture celebrates Grand Opening next week in Four Points By RICH KEITH Four Points News New Four Points gift shop, Basic Couture, celebrates its Grand Opening next week with a sale and special events. Ashley Walker created Basic Couture with the aid of her husband, Barclay, who has a background in the apparel industry. Their shop is one-of-a-kind specializing in fully customized clothing and other items. Ashley Walker noticed that too often custom apparel is bland, over priced and took too long to get it done. “There is no place close to Four Points that can serve this important niche of the gift and fashion market,” she says. The Walkers live in Cedar Park and have two children in
elementary school. Their previous store location was on Pond Springs Road but they wanted to serve the Four Points. They opened Basic Couture behind Walgreen’s in August 2011. A graphic artist is on staff and in-house handling customer requests while they wait. “Our number one selling item to date is a family-tree throw pillow, customized in multiple colors and graphics,” Ashley Walker said. Basic Couture has also created throw pillows with an X and O design with the childrens’ names in the X’s and O’s. Other popular items include personalized melamine platters and bowls, stretch canvas for art or photographs, and banners. For creating clothing, their shop uses soft fabrics, vibrant
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and sizes and then pick from a wide selection of graphics. After personalizing with a name or monogram, then Basic Couture will create a one-of-a-kind or “Couture” garment.
School
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hursday Four PToints News
January 26, 2012 • Page 3 www.FourPointsNews.com
Celebrating Leander Middle School as a school to watch It’s hard to believe that we are midway through the 2011-2012 school year. This week I’d like to highlight how Leander Middle School is successfully aligning its efforts with the district’s goals to close the achievement gap, implement the Seven Student Learning Behaviors, increase access to college- and career-readiness programs and attend to the physical, social and emotional well-being of our students. One of the most honorable recognitions LISD has received came from the Texas Middle School Association last week when it was announced that LMS was named as a 2012 Texas Schools to Watch (STW) campus as part of a program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. LMS was one of only six schools in Texas, and only 100 in the nation, selected to receive the award this year. Being named as a STW is
truly an honor because it draws statewide attention to one school that has worked very hard to do what’s best for all students. Specifically, LMS was commended for recognizing the importance of ensuring that each and every student has access to a rigorous and high-quality education. The school has excellent processes for enrichment and intervention strategies, which ensure that students have access to the resources they need to be successful. In fact, since 2007, LMS has consistently been rated Exemplary or Recognized by the Texas Education Agency. There is no doubt that LMS is making strides in closing the achievement gap, and the state has taken notice. As a STW campus, LMS was recognized for its standard of academic excellence, responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents and commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels. Using best
practices and proven techniques, crease students’ access to collegemany of which are included in and career-readiness opportuLISD’s Seven Student Learn- nities. LMS Principal Sandy ing Behaviors, students at LMS Trujillo wants her students to are making significant gains in not be afraid to take risks, a trait achievement. Data folders help she believes is crucial to collegeensure that evand careerery student at readiness. One LMS is able to way LMS helps articulate what improve stuthey know, dent confidence what they don’t is by taking know and what each grade level they need to through some do to learn BRET CHAMPION sort of teamwhat they don’t building activknow. ity at the beginning of the year, And we know that this is ef- believing that the more comfective: During the STW selec- fortable students are with their tion process, representatives peers, the more likely they are to visited LMS and interviewed participate in class. But knowing students about the one thing that self-confidence must come they would change to make their from within, teachers and staff campus better. Their answer was at LMS are helping students befor more time to learn. What an lieve in themselves and in their impressive response from mid- own goals. With every interacdle-schoolers! tion, teachers and staff at LMS LMS is also working to in- are relating with students, espe-
cially those who might be falling through the cracks, and encouraging them to believe that college is in their future. And finally, let us not forget that LISD is striving to provide a safe and secure learning environment for all students. LMS has taken a stand to ensure that the school is not a threatening place for students by establishing clear guidelines and consistent expectations for how students are to behave. Every six weeks, a team of teachers and staff review discipline referrals and decide if the school’s safety processes need to be adjusted. The district is also proud to note that LMS has been a named a “No Place for Hate” campus by the AntiDefamation League for many years. The school has worked hard to achieve this title, and in doing so, students have led several campus-wide activities to work to eliminate prejudice and bullying.
On behalf of LISD, we are all extremely proud of LMS’ dedicated teachers and staff, hardworking students and supportive parents, and especially Sandy Trujillo, LMS principal, for her steadfast passion for education. These achievements are a direct result of the school’s strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement. LISD is a school system dedicated to ensuring that all students succeed, and LMS, like so many campuses in the district, is striving to move the district one step closer to that goal. Leander ISD is proud to have Leander Middle School honored as a School to Watch.
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Students from Canyon Ridge Middle School participated in the Culinary Throw-Down last week at the Cedar Park High School Cafeteria. The students had to fill out applications and after being chosen to represent Canyon Ridge Middle school they went to competition. Three students that were selected (L-R Parker Wallace, Nate Rosenstrauch, and Kameron Cambre) prepared the entire course of Pacific Rim Asian Vegetable Slaw and Florida Crab Cakes with Mango Beurre Blanc. They received the award for the Best Team.
Four Points MS Geography Bee Winner
Four years ago, Grandview Hills Elementary began its International Baccalaureate quest to become an authorized IB Primary Years Program campus. Recently the school met all of its requirements for IB authorization. During this multi-year process, GVHE teachers and Leander ISD administration have worked diligently to develop curriculum which connects the Texas standards and the IB standards. “Our teachers have been phenomenal at creating units to address the requirements of both, while providing a global learning experience for all students,” said Brenda Cruz, Principal. On Jan. 12, GVHE received notification that it has met all requirements for IB authorization and is recommended to become
an IB World School. Cruz is grateful to GVHE teachers, IB Coordinator Ashley Swindle, and Instructional Coach Kelly Simmons “for their immense commitment, time, and effort. They are truly the individuals whom make this happen each day.” She is also thankful to LISD administration, the LISD School Board and parents for their support and encouragement. “Please congratulate the teachers on a job well done and I look forward to our children continuing to grow as global citizens,” Cruz said. GVHE is part of International Baccalaureate which offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 900,000 IB students in over 140 countries.
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Opinion
Thursday
Page 4 • January 26, 2012
www.FourPointsNews.com
Four Points of View
Publisher’s Point of View
Mansfield Dam is tied to greatness
Asked at Four Points Walgreens, what’s your favorite remedy for Cedar Fever?
The Mansfield Dam has not only in- sisted in development of the dam. spired the name of the best burger in Four Funding for the project came from Points (available only at The MarLCRA, the U.S. Bureau of Reclaket) but also helped LBJ become a mation and the Public Works Adpolitical success. ministration. In the mid 1930s, Marshall The generators at the Ford - a long-time river crossing dam went into operation on Jan. and settlement - was designated 27, 1941 and construction was as the place to build the Colocompleted in May 1942. rado’s main flood-control dam Mansfield Dam is 278 across its deep canyon. feet high, 7,089 feet long, and 213 LYNETTE feet thick at the base. It has 24 Despite the massive size of the project, that acquisition of land HAALAND floodgates and its purposes are was not difficult because the steep flood management, water storage cedar-filled canyons were primarily remote and hydroelectric power. ranch lands, aka Four Points. The two-lane highway that crossed the A potentially severe setback for the dam top of the dam was RM 620 until it became occurred nearly 75 years ago on Feb. 22, too congested and then the state had to 1937 just days after the ground-breaking build the four-lane road we all know. ceremony. The Lower Colorado River Au- Mansfield Dam was Lyndon Baines thority’s chief supporter in Washington, Johnson’s first political stepping stone and Congerssman J.P. Buchanan, suffered a it set the farm boy on a road to success. heart attack at work and died, reports say. The Hill Country politician was born in Six days later, 28 year old Lyndon John- a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River. son announced his intention to run for Nearby Johnson City was named after his Buchanan’s seat. Promising to bring elec- father’s cousin. tricity to the rural areas of his Hill Country LBJ became the 36th President of the district, Johnson beat out eight other can- United States, 1963–1969. He is one of only didates. His campaign slogan “A vote for four people who served in all four elected Johnson is a vote for Roosevely and prog- federal offices of the United States: Repreress.� sentative, Senator, Vice President and Pres Johnson was a powerful ally of the LCRA ident. and years later was responsible for much of So the Mansfield Dam has a very rich its success. history. The dam was named Marshall Ford I was inspired to learn more while enDam, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- joying its namesake - the Mansfield Dam neers still calls it, but renamed in 1941 for Good Burger at The Market. I must say, the J.J. Mansfield, U.S. Representative. Mans- burger lives up to its name! field was 80 years old at the time and as-
Against Austin’s disposable bag ban Dear Editor In your latest issue, you have, in the section entitled "Four Points of View", four individuals expressing their opinions on the plastic bag ban in Austin. Not four DIFFERENT points of view. Four variations of the SAME point of view. Of course, the section is aptly called "Opinion" (singular) as opposed to "OpinionS". Was it really that difficult to find someone who happened to disagree with the ban? Or did you just go and find the first four people you could stop long enough to answer the question, "What do you think about the plastic bag ban?". I don't know if such a pathetic opinion piece is attributable to laziness or bias, but either way, work on some modicum of balance, would ya? It's what Edward R. Murrow called "journalism". That said, I am going to offer MY point of view because variety is the spice of life and whatnot. I am against the ban for multiple reasons. 1.) The city is attempting to remove a product from the market that is in high demand without offering a replacement, but rather assuming that the consumer will provide that replacement themselves with reusable bags. Here is the flaw: I can STILL BUY plastic bags. Not only can I buy them from the store in a box... I can actually buy them for 25 cents a piece at the point of sale, per the law itself. Basically, this is one of those pseudo-environmental laws that you can buy your way out of. Rather disingenuous, wouldn't you agree? Making it less convenient to get the bags is not the same as a BAN. Cynically speaking, is it the city's intention for us to really STOP using plastic bags? Or is this meant to be like the allpopular tobacco tax where they count on
Four Points News
people to keep using and pay the premium to fund their other pet projects? Also, I find it rather pathetic that while consumers are left without a product they want, the Austin American Stateman still gets to use the polybag for their paper deliveries. Exemption hardly makes the case for the rule! IF the point of this law is purifying our water, then there should be no exemptions, right? Much less one of the biggest users of plastic bags around: The Statesman. 2.) The city should not be the arbiter of consumer product use or consumption. Enter in: The Law of Unintended Consequences. First, there is the issue of crosscontamination. Without the ban, sanitized plastic bags were used to separate raw meats from the other foods. Now, they get lumped into the bags together because the customer doesn't have enough bags to separate them. Worse yet, the customer doesn't wash their bags, so the gross residual stuff hangs out in the bag to potentially contaminate the next grocery run. Second, by banning bags in only Austin, individuals who think this is ridiculous, like myself, will simply shop in a neighboring city.... Like Lakeway or Bee Cave whereby driving out business from the Austin retailers. In fact, it's not even far enough to call it inconvenient. I just turn left instead of right. 3.) If the issue is "clean water" as many of the supporters claim, then why only the plastic bags to such a weak extent? Why not the proper disposal of batteries? Appliances? Expired medications and prescription drugs? All of that winds up in our water as well. But we are singularly going after plastic bags? And the plan is to what? MONITOR every single retail store in Austin? With what? An entirely new crew of
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Letters to the Editor: Four Points News welcomes all Letters to the Editor. All letters must be signed and include phone number for verification. Deadline is Friday before publication. Four Points News reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, length and for libelous or objectionable statements. Letters containing more than 400 words will be edited for length. Four Points News • 3129 Rippling Creek Ct. Austin, Texas 78732 • Email: lynette.fourpoints@gmail.com
Austin Energy rate proposal Dear Editor, Your coverage of the Austin Energy rate increase proposal is timely and appropriate. Here are some further thoughts on this scandalous mess. Free money always build constituencies. People who receive the $150 million "dividends" won't want to give them up and those who disburse them will want to protect their jobs. We can expect some pushback in our efforts to cut the head off this snake. Anybody who has been in busi-
ness knows that competition keeps an organization lean. AE has been a monopoly for a long time. I suspect their rate increases could be lower if they did some organizational housecleaning. There has been very little information forthcoming from AE so far about how their various green initiatives are going to affect future rates. The City has already admitted to taking a hit on one of AE's wind contracts. Further hits are likely. Most "green" energy is much more costly than nuclear and fossil fu-
eled energy, even with government subsidies. The federal government's financial situation almost certainly dictates that it will reduce or discontinue subsidies for green power as it has done for ethanol. When that happens, AE is likely to face even more cost pressure, which they will want to relieve with additional rate increases. Becky and Kent Douglass River Place
Five simple steps for a smart financial start in 2012 By JON FLETCHER Guest Contributor If you pay attention to the news, you’ve seen governments around the world struggling to balance their budget and stay afloat. Ironically, the basics of balancing the income and expenses of a country are not that different from what you do with your own. A well-planned budget is an invaluable tool if you want to improve your financial position. Here are five things you can do now to make setting and reaching your 2012 financial goals a lot easier. Step One: Organize your bills Start by gathering all of your
JON FLETCHER monthly, quarterly and annual financial obligations. List and categorize your expenses. Standard categories include housing costs, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment and so on. Step Two: Scrutinize the num-
bers To create a realistic budget, examine and adjust the expenses you’ve identified above against your takehome pay. Highlight areas that are out of whack. One way to evaluate the numbers is to break down your budget categories by percentages. Ideally, your housing costs should not exceed 30%; transportation expenses should not exceed 20%; and food should fall under 15% of your total expenses. Look online for guidelines and see where your spending exceeds recommendations. Step Three: Fix what you don’t like
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To change your financial reality, set realistic goals that will improve your bottom line. Maybe you need to buy items in bulk, purchase off-brand, clip more coupons or employ some other cost-saving strategy. Be creative and rise to the challenge. If it’s clear you don’t have sufficient money coming in each month, consider ways to up your income. If you’re unable to save money, circle back to your spending habits. Step Four: Follow your budget There’s no point in making a budget if you don’t intend to act on it. Keep your budget in front of you and document your expenses on a daily basis. Then adjust your spending as necessary. Monitoring your budget this way can make your money more manageable and give you the feeling of being in control. Step Five: Check in with a financial advisor There are books and websites that can teach you the finer points for preparing and following a budget. But there’s nothing quite like being in the presence of someone who can share their financial knowledge. Consult a financial advisor for an honest assessment of your financial health and take advantage of insights and strategies that can help you improve your finances in 2012 and beyond.
chipper and trucks in tow, provided complimentary disposal of woody limbs and branches which were cut and stacked at the driveway by homeowners. Leaflets distributed by the team to the 157 area homes recommended that residents maintain ten feet of separation between surrounding vegetation and their homes, including decks, and supported thinning out or removing vegetation within 30 feet of the home up to the property line. The flier did not recommend clear cutting but advocated keeping trees tall and bushes low on the property. Barbara and Brian Dillon spent three days clearing the brush around their Westminster Glen home in preparation for Chipper Day. “Now that I see how much brush there is, you realize what a fire hazard it truly is,” said Barbara. The Travis Co. crew had filled 12 loads of dump trucks on Jan. 14 and finished collecting loads the following day. “We never expected this turnout,” Humphries said of the 590 piles chipped that day. “Our goal now is to go into Bell Mountain, Long Can- Travis County Fire and Rescue cadet Jacob Liscano directs traffic on Westminster Glen Avenue during the yon and City Park Road”. For more information about the Jan. 14 Free Chipper Day. Free Chipper Day program, contact khumphries@esd4.org.
Jon Fletcher, Ameriprise Financial Services Financial Advisor, is licensed/registered to do business with U.S. residents only in the states of AZ, FL, MN, NV, TX, and VA.
Concordia MBA program growing by leaps and bounds
Last week Concordia University Texas announced that its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has grown by more than 50 percent from the Spring 2011 semester and by 225 percent since the program began in the Fall of 2010. Concordia has 130 students enrolled in the MBA program for the Spring 2012 semester. “We are thrilled and feel blessed to have seen such a significant growth in our enrollment figures for the MBA program,” said Donald Christian, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia. “We are excited to see the number of people who have chosen Concordia and are now making a positive difference in their places of work and in the community.” The University is currently enrolling students for the Summer 2012 cohort, and the deadline to apply is March 7. The Concordia MBA attracts students in industries such as government, non-profit, finance, technol-
ogy, healthcare and the performing arts. Most applicants are professionals who are well into their careers, ranging in age from 22 to 58. They come from a variety of backgrounds with undergraduate degrees ranging from political science, biology and finance to geography, economics and engineering. Concordia offers reduced tuition for MBA students working full-time in the non-profit sector. The Concordia MBA is designed to be completed in a two-year time span with students attending class one evening per week. A total of 36 credit hours, including a capstone course at the end of the program, are required. Each student is part of a cohort that functions as a learning community to foster personal and professional transformation and academic achievement. Students learn specific skills in accounting, finance, economics, marketing and business strategy, while developing leadership skills to make a positive difference in the workplace and beyond.
TRANSPORTATION, FROM 1 a fueling station, to convert an existing building into a shop to do minor repairs, and installing a manual bus wash. Today, however, LISD transportation is running more routes to serve the southern part of the district, Four Points. LISD staff has met with the various departments with the City of Austin including Environmental Programs, Watershed Protection and Devel-
Let Our Family Take Care of Your Family • Free Estimates • Lot Clearing • Tree Trimming • Chipping/Mulching
opment Review, and the Fire Department. Staff members have also met with Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, and an installer of fuel station systems. In addition, staff spoke with the Texas Railroad Commission. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the safety of installing a fueling station on the site and what the requirements would be to do so. After meeting with these departments and master planning the site, LISD is recommending 50 bus parking spots, 12 grounds/maintenance park-
ing spots, 65 employee parking spots, and 60 parking spots for future office space be constructed now, along with the required water quality and detention ponds. In addition, LISD is recommending that a manual bus wash and an underground fueling station, for diesel and unleaded gas, be installed. It also recommends renovating one of the existing buildings to create restrooms, tire storage, a parts room, and a bus driver room. The estimated cost to complete these improvements is $3,089,692.
To fund these improvements, an additional $2,509,692 from previous project savings would need to be reallocated to the Transportation Satellite Facility Project and Ancillary Building Site Improvement, LISD officials indicate. Prior to any construction beginning, the guaranteed maximum price would be brought back to the board for final approval. At the December meeting, the board requested Disler and staff continue researching the Grandview Hills location without ruling out alternative plots.
Jim Smitherman, president of The Parke HOA which is adjacent to the property, told the board he is concerned about the proposed project for several reasons including that the area is environmentally sensitive and building such a facility would compromise that. Administrators hope to continue to work with the community throughout the process, said Veronica Sopher, executive director of school/community relations
environmental disasters left with no recourse or remedy. If the land was all privately owned, you go to the owners and make them sort their junk out with an injunction from a court and that's the end of it. But since this is well beyond city government's pay grade to comprehend, I offer this alternative: The issue is clean water. The problem is proper disposal of waste. The solution is Waste Management. I have a service, much like many people in Austin that comes by my home and collects my trash... as well as my recyclables. They are the trash collectors. They manage our waste. Perhaps they should do a better job of it than just tossing it
onto a pile. Perhaps they need to find a way to sort it out and remove the more hazardous items like the "plastic bag". Regulating a few disposal stations seems far more reasonable and manageable a task than overseeing the activities of every retailer in the city of Austin. And what would a regulator look for in a store anyway? Whether or not the customer PAID for their plastic bags? It's not like they are really banned anyway! If it costs more to have our trash collected, then so be it. But that is a more genuine solution to the overall threat of contaminants in our water. Then, perhaps pharmacies can offer collection bins for unused or
expired pharmaceuticals so that they can be properly disposed of. We can have collection points for batteries and appliances as well throughout the city. People are willing to do their part, if they have the resources with which to accomplish it. Better that retailers become the city's PARTNER in environmental responsibility than a victim to lame laws that don't do anything. There you have it. A different point of view: viable, logical and given with far more consideration than all four of the lovely folks you put in the paper put together.
BAG BAN, FROM 4
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bureaucrats we can't afford? I mean, this is such a ridiculous idea, I refuse to call it a solution or even a "step in the direction of a solution". This is one of those laws that make people look like they are doing something to solve a problem while in actuality solving nothing. I swear, you slap the word "green" onto something and no matter what the law says, people rally around it like some paragon of hope for the environment! "Okay, Ms. Smary Pants, what would you do then?!" Glad I asked that for you! Unfortunately, government has a tendency to keep land public as opposed to privately owned. As such, you will have
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Thursday
Page 6 • January 26, 2012
Honor Roll
Four Points News www.FourPointsNews.com
LISD ALL “A” HONOR ROLL - 3RD 6 WEEKS
Canyon Ridge Middle School
Sixth Grade: Rehaan Adhikary, Megan Ahern, Kartik Akkihal, Haley Alfaro-Kim, Sabah Ali, Grace Andres, Alexis Atencio, Hannah Aune, Shruthi Balasubramanian, Hannah Barnard, Lauren Barton, Travis Beck, Ava Bell, Abigail Bergey, Chase Binner, Brianna Borgelt-Gonzales, Nicholas Brocklesby, William Bryan, Rachel Campbell, Michael Carvalho, Christopher Conner, Grace Conroy, Alexandra Cook, Adriana Cordova, Erica Corinaldi,Tyler Cronin, Ellie Crooks, Kendall Cuddy, Joshua Decaro, Winston Djonli, Benson Drablos, Natalie Duffield, Haley Dulak, Riley Durbin, Evan Durrill, Nathaniel EdelheitRice, Caden Edwards, Audrey Elliott, Dylan Essad, Nicholas Evans, Sara Everitt, Tyler Fambrough, Sabina Federlin, Neha Fernandes, Ysela Fernandez, William Fisher,Anna Fletcher, Cole Foster, Carlin Fox,Avie Fuqua, Jonathan Gamble, Madison Gaynor, Caroline Gehring, Vyshali Gondi, Meredith Goodman, Anup Guggari, George Gullett, Trisha Guptasarma, Torie Hagin, Brianna Hale, Myles Hammon, Rachel Han, Cassandra Harmon, Hailey Heitmeier, Margaux Helmholz, Chad Herrera, Elizabeth Hill, Jacqueline Holliday, Rachel Honts, Madison Hoopes, Ashley Huddleston, Ansley Huffman, Nicholas Hughes, Madison Hurta, Osorachukwu Ifesinachukwu, Rusama Islam, Renee Jacops, Taylor Jasek, Rayhan Jhanji, Anna Johnson, Naomi Johnson, Emma Jones, Gabrielle Jones, Reagan Jones, Viswanath Kasireddy, Christian Keys, Victor Lai, Jacob Lang, Alaina Laplace, Victor Le, Ryan Leonard, Sydney Levine, Samantha Levy, Noah Lightfoot, Connor Logeman, Francesca Loiodice, Autumn Lucas-Marinelli, Alex Maatz, Robert Magruder, Celine Maniwang, Amanda Meffert, Hope Meffert, Citlalli Mendoza, Hannah Mikhail, Chase Miranda, Cameron Moerbe, Liam Monahan, Isabel Moring, Claudia Morris, John Morris, Kaylee Morris, Leeann Morris, Dylan Morrissey, Samiksha Mulpuri, Ethan Newman, Khoa Nguyen, Paige Norman, Lauren Nuessner, Bryn Olsen, Jordan Ott, Ian Padovani, Nicole Parmelee, William Parrish, Michelle Patanella, Ami Patel, Sonesh Patel, Emily Perez, Jordan Phelps,Andrew Pickard,August Postiglione, Simone Priebe, Hannah Proffitt, Sabrina Pronga, Megan Raftelis, Zachary Rangel, Jenna Recker, Amanda Reeder, Kaili Rice, Emma Richardson, Grant Riddle, Caroline Rinn, Emma Robertson, Samantha Rondini, Jack Rosas, Alexis Sabel, Daniel Sacasa, Grace Saia, Daniel Sarman, Payden Sawicki, Paige Schneider, Michael Scott, Sean Sloan, Rylan Smith, Alexander Stadthaus, Jane Stevens, Brooklynn Stone, Carson Taylor, Addison Threet, Whitney Tran, Avie Vaidya, Megan Varghese, Cindy Wang, Jeffrey Wang, Nicholas Wasser, Evan Welliver, Connor Whitehurst, Ashlyn Whiteside, Megan Whiting, Katie Wokoek, Zachary Wong, Chas Wright, Morgan Wright, Brittany Young, Emily Youngblood,Vincent Zambito, Ryan Zermeno Seventh Grade: Quinlan Apel, Tatum Apel, Jackson Bischoping, Benjamin Borer, Jared Bouloy, Catherine Bunch, Callie Burch, Sara Campbell, Matthew Cao, Jacob Chase, Hannah Collmann, Jordan Daniels, Rachel Dean, Kylie Degilio, Brooke Dew, Patricio Dieck, Claire Duffield, Mary Farrell, Simone Feroce, Madison Finfrock, Dmitriy Gabrieliants, Ryan Galligher, Rachel Green, Shelby Guthrie, Shelby Hansen, Laura Huang, Riley Jacops, Madison Jaeger, Jordan Jalufka, Lisa Joe, Grant Johnson, Anupriya Jose, Spoorthi Kamepalli, Shelby Karleskint, Daniel Klassen, Claiborne Knobloch, Brady Kunkel, Amy Lee, Logan Lee, Valentina Loiodice, John Magruder, Sarah Mahosky, Carissa Mallory, Daniel Martinez, Linnea May, Jack McGee, Emily McCollum, Ethan McCosky, Madison Meadows, Trey Miranda, Katelyn Morse, Ericka Myers, Morgan Nanez, Ann Nguyen, Ellen Pasquarette, Yilong Peng, Dillon Piegat, Kelsey Piegat, Jessica Pikoff, Sophia Povedano, Teresa Rago, Ashneen Rahman, Malavika Ramaswamy, Zoey Rasch, Daryl Remley, William Roberts, Bethany Rossi, Elise Sanchez, Riya Saxena, Savannah Schmidt, Spencer Sharp, Joshua Stelling, Charles Stevens, Bailey Stone, Chloe Stringer, Mollie Stringer, Dylan Tauras, Zachary Trascher, Breanna Vann, Jonathan Walker, Kellie Walker, Alexis Woelffer Eighth Grade: Luke Amundson, Max Askari, Kira Bees, Miles Bentley, Alexander Boley, Jessica Bowman, Logan Bruner, Reese Bryars, Zachary Burky, Dillon Busker, Elliot Charland, Marisa Collmann, Antonio Cordova, Joseph Dean, Grace Dixon, Cooper Dossey, Samuel Drablos, Alex Dulak, Ethan Earp, Cameron Everitt, Jade Federlin, Kaitlin Fuqua, Nicholas Gallarda, Sandeep Guggari, Kelsey Hewett, Rhiannon Himelfarb, Brendan Hollaway, Lauren Holtzclaw, Maile Hooten, Alexander Jiang, Austin Jiang, Alec Laplace, Thomas Lea, Aidan McGonagle, Rachel Menajovsky, Kimberly Morris, Renee Morton, Megan Mowad, Tobin Niblett, Kameron Noorbakhsh, Shivani Pandya, Jessica Pronga, Sydney Prucha, Lila Ross, Danielle Salcedo, Taylor Schmuelgen, Amelia Skelton, Shahyar Sotoudehnia, Emily Tallman, Alayna Thomas, Carley Thornhill, Thorkell Thorsteinsson, Michael Trinh, Nathan Upp, Drayton Whiteside, Amanda Wolf,
Four Points Middle School Sixth Grade: Alexa Adrian, Sarah Barstow, Carson Broe, Barclay Bull, Ashley Burton, Taylor Byrne, Connor Cole, Nicole Dow, Erik Engles, Erin Frye, Raymond Galasso, Alex Garza, Matthew Graff, Anna Gressett, Ashton Gurrola, Andrew Harris, James Hofstadler, Alexis Howard, Hadley Hudson, Garrett Kim, Sophia Krasoff, Kendall Likosar, Christopher Lucido, Madison McCauley, Caitlin McKeand, Austin Meiteen, Dominique Mobley, Dylan North, McKinley Parker, Justin Phillips, Madison Poljan, Gemma Richmond, Cole Roberts, Natalie Root, Jonathan Roth, Philip Sarkis, Kristin Scott, Griffin Shimkus, Gauri Sood, Liberty Stewart, Rivers Stewart, Fernando Suazo, Jordyn Torres, Savanna Ullmann, Madeline Ward, Evan Williard, Angelique Young, Cierra Yudell Seventh Grade: Lucas Bakker, Caden Banta, Annabel Benoit, Bradford Borman, Sarah Bostic, Lauren Burrow, Madison Byrne, Sarah Carpenter, Robertson Cook, Zachary Corder, Brandon Deherrera, Madison Doerr, Natalie Eichorn, Grace Erdman, Emily Fashenpour, Alexander Fernandes, Carson Field, Sophia Froehlich, Mackenzie Gamel, Loren Goddard, Natalie Goddard, Holton Greenfield, Taylor
Grikis, Jared Hirschhorn, Robert Jones, Aiden Kanuck, Zainab Khan, Shelby Kohn, Heather Kosumsuppamala, Mae Kubena, Daniel Kulick, Jocelyn Lackey, Steven Lo, Olivia Lukas, Tucker Mathis, Jennifer Maunder, Cameron McRae, Taylor McDonnell, Christopher Miller, Alexander Moore, Erica Munoz, Thomas O’Donnell, Dylan Page, Nidhi Pandya, Jack Porch, Carmella Quintos, Jesse Riedel, Michael Riley, Isabella Roberts, Ryan Sanfratello, Christopher Schwartz, Kathryn Scott, Adrian Sherwood, Jordan Silvers, Chloe Smith, Grace Speaks, Holly Streber, Kayla Streber, Connor Swanson, Sara Tabash, Julia Tate, Rachel Williams, Kellis Williard, Jonathan Zachem
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Eighth Grade: Emily Banks, Bethany Becker, Rachel Berke, Travis Brannan, Peyton Brewster, Tristan Cho, Tiffany Do, James Dunlap, Simon Egerton, Trevor Egerton, Sarah Engen, Ariana Engles, Alaina Galasso, Grayson Goolsby, Holly Hodge, Maxwell Hunter, Alexandra Hutchinson, Amanda Keck, Jacqueline Kotlarz, Belinda Le, James Legg, John Christopher Lowrie, Adrien Maxey-Salomone, Caroline McKenzie, Allison Michel, Megha Murthy, James Nguyen, Paxton Segina, Gaelen Shimkus, Reagan Tucker, Rebecca Wagner
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Cedar Park High School Ninth Grade: Amir Alzer, Tyler Ashcraft, McGregor Bailey, Maria Barcenas Solis, Rachel Bardshar, Claire Bohrer, David Bonsall, Landon Brack, Tyler Brandys, Connor Brown, Lauren Burgett, Cassandra Bush, Lauren Campbell, Tyler Campbell, Elizabeth Carter, Max Castillo, Alyssa Cepeda, Luke Chisholm, Reid Claassen, Erin Clevlen, Matthew Cloward, Benjamin Coers, Sabrina Cone, Kirstyn Conwell, Samantha Corey, Joseph Cuteri, Anne Dattilo, Robin Davies, Jacqueline De Muynck, Mauricio Degregori, Mackenzie Dunnehoo, Brian Edwards, Heather Etherton, Brielle Ferdinand, Saundra Francis, Rachel Freeman, Savannah Freeze, Joseph Gerules, Daniel Grant, Alexis Green, Monica Harkins, Joshua Harwell, Sara Havener, Reagan Head, Rebecca Hill, Jessica Hinderliter, Annie Hooper, Rylie Hoover, Robert Houdashelt, Nina Hoyt, Jonathan Huang, Kathryn Huff, Godson Iheanacho, Emily Ismail, Jocelyn Loren Jopio, Haley Kehoe, Heidi Klein, Curtis Knight, Carter Kriss, Se Young Kwon, Louis Lachowsky, Megan Lamonica, Christina Land, Patrick Lannan, Christina Lanzoni, Olivia Larkin, Sabrina Lee, Melanie Leigh, Tiffany Litton, Hunter Love, Reya Martinez, Leonor Martins, Daniel Matas, Katherine McQuaid, Alexandra Medina, Lillian Meroff, Caroline Metcalf, Erin Monroe, Payton Morris, Chaitra Murthy, Kayla Najjar, Quynh Nguyen, Griffin Northcutt, Keller Northcutt, Julia O’Hanlon, Sarah Orth, Paige Parks, Anneliese Pessoa, Jenna Phillips, Jake Pokorney, Rachel Pokorney, Nathaniel Possis, Logan Prosise, Makenzie Radke, Neha Ravi, Brianna Ray, Jacqueline Reichert, Blake Rice, Alexandra Rima, Evyn Robertson, Sara Samani, Rafael Santos Macias, Kaitlyn Saucedo, Ryan Scott, Heather Sieger, Alexander Smith,Wylan Sparkman, Kaitlyn Spohrer, Shawn Spradling, Elizabeth Stein, Rebecca Stewart, Rebekah Storke, Amanda Suggs, Alina Tang, Mia Trautz, Sydney Trenholm, Nathan Vu, Christina Walker, Conner Walsh, Christopher Washington, Kya Wenz,York Westenhaver, Autumn Whaley, Joshua Wiggers, Taylor Williams, Hannah Williamson, Tenth Grade: James Allred, Benjamin Baldazo, Paris Bennett, Leslie Bonorden, Savannah Burchfiel, Chloe Busick, Rachel Cai, Bailey Carlisle, Brian Castelli, Austin Cernosek, Maria Cervantes, Brandon Chan, Kan Chen, Christina Colletti, Corey Cox, Sabrina Dagher-Arevalo, Maximilian Doan, Santino Doles, Asaf Drizlikh, Devin Fisher, Justin Fogle, Gabrielle Ford, Kamryn Gerner-Mauro, Ethan Goldberg, Diego Gutierrez, Wyatt Hahn, Kristen Harlow, Gabriel Haro, Jackson Heard, Kathryn Hill, Jacqueline Hilton, Jamison Holt, Kassi Hormuth, Chenyi Huang, Nadia Husain, Benjamin Jackson, Emily Janak, Isaac Jochimsen, Jocelyn Johnson, Shane Kelly, Alexis Kennedy, Anna Killgore, Michael Kiszkiel, Kara Ko, Derek Koh, Amanda Krakar, Emily Landgrebe, Rachel Landoll, Taylor Lavine, Hoo-Won Lee, Suzanne Lee, Dalis Leyendecker, Amanda Lorenz, Tyler Lovelace, Chandler Lyle, Alexis Martinez Esperon, Blake Maupin, Kyle Maupin, Madison Meehan, Lindsey Miano, Kara Moore, James Moorhead, David Moritz, Alyssa Phillips, Alexa Price, Caleb Price, Cohl Prosise, Philip Raschke, Emily Roblee, Samuel Simpson, Lindsey Stawowy, Cheryl Stellman, Brooke Swift, Sydney Tran, Max Vargas, Christian Walsh, Robert Wang, Sheena Wang, Anna Wessels, Tiffany Wong, Nicholas Woodyard, Amanda Wu, Connie Zhao, Eleventh Grade: Jacob Adair, Kristina Beall, Natasha Bower, Kayla Brown, Katherine Brunt, Ryan Butcher, Adrien Castberg, Darshil Choksi, Rebecca Church, Dana Clary, Tessa Dahnert, Aleksej Demjanski, Jason Devlin, Lynda Dillard, Wadih Eljuri, Eric Eschenbrenner, Caitlin Etherton, Hannah Fay, Evan Feiereisel, Samuel Foster, Douglas Franklin, Chloe Gillmar, Leora Gisser, Sophie Goodstein, Natalie Haecker, Zoe Halbert, Nathan Harwell, Zachary Hawks, Brian Hopson, Charles Hoyt, Jamie Jackson, Bryce Jenkins, Nicholas Kantor, Chase Kavcak, Megan Kehoe,Alexander Kelley, Darby Kendall, Rahul Kothari, Jordyn Ledyard, Hoo-Jung Lee, Savannah Lee, Tyler Lehmberg, Huanyu Lu, Ethan Lundgaard, Laura Mahaney, Marissa Mann, Patrick Meier, Zackary Misso, Christopher Mulverhill, Bailey Noakes, Stephanie Nordmeyer, Courtney Norris, Adrik Oas, Katherine Pia, Nicholas Possis, Naga Amulya Pratapa, Meghna Ravi, Sarah Salzman, Sophia Sanchez, Stone Schoenfeld, Jisoo Seo, Jennifer Snodgrass, Trevor Spohrer, Linda Steinhardt, Brandon Stephens, Rahul Thakkar, Trevor Thompson, Bailey Todd, Samuel Turner, Kenna Vielleux, Kevin Vu, Roger Welch, Lydia Williamson, Jacob Wood, Jamie Xia, Jenny Zheng Twelfth Grade: Tatianna Allada, James Anderson, Elias Ansari, Samuel Baldazo, Alexander Batten, Allyson Bond, Emma Bradford, Skyler Bragg, Anna Brahce, Alexandra Burks, Kaitlin Bush, Noelle Buttery, Cole Carey, Allison Chavez, Jorge Chong, Reid Coleman, Suzanne Dailey, Dominica Doan, Taylor Donohue, Amanda Doran, Sarah Ennis, Kaymi Franco, Herbert Gutierrez, Morgan Halstead, Leah Havens, Brian Hogan, Alexander Huynh, Courtney Kendrick, Katie Labaume, Jordan Lachowsky, Kendra Lanford, Laura Larson, 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Liddiard, Nicole Lohrstorfer, Erin Lukow, Tarek Makawi, Trevor Martin, Laura Matas, Katlyn Maupin, Kendall McCulloch, Samantha McEntire, Caleb Mehalic, Brady Miller, Quan Nguyen, Nathan Nichols, Andrew Noll, Grayson Northcutt, Michelle Petersen, Kaitlin Phillips, Arta Rahmani, Lauren Replogle, Grayson Roberts, Juan Salazar, Cristina Sanchez, Brooke Schiller, Ellen Schryver, Michael Schwartz, Anna Shaw, Christopher Sheahan, Joseph Sirrianni, Lily Streiff, Elizabeth Stuckman, Lyndsey Teets, Adrianna Tirloni, Guillermo Vargas, Jeffrey Walker, Nicholas Weddell, Davis Wilkinson, Austin Williamson
Vandegrift High School Ninth Grade: Jennifer Abbarno, Cole Adams, Emily Adams, Mark Banta, Callaway Barr, Adrian Barraza, Ariel Barraza, Hunter Barton, Madison Benkovic, Emma Bergman, Nicolas Birk, Taylor Boles, Dana Brannon, Abby Brossette, Jonathon Broughton, Hanna Brown, Jessica Brown,Victoria Brown, Gloria Bui, Amanda Burton, April Buslawski, Matthew Carpenter, Nora Chestney, Prahan Chetlur, Madison Claflin, Taara Clarke, Marcus Codrescu, Lauren Conroy, Rachel Cook, Carly Cox, Carley Crossman, Alexandra Dake, Aaron Daniels, Corinne Delius, Christopher Dieck, Meghan Duemler, Manasa Dutta, Yesenia EspinoGuerrero, Landry Everett, Siobhan Fahy, Gabriella Fatke, Emily Finfrock, Jonathan Fisher, Davis Florence, Eric Floyd, Julia Franklin, Evelyn Frederic, Allison Gamble, Christopher Gardner, Taylor Gaskins, Hope Gilbert, Taylor Goodman, Andrew Graff, Austin Gray, Adley Greear, Kennedy Grimes, Cole Groom, Vishal Gupta, Nicoll Gutierrez, Greta Handing, Jonathan Hanna, Marie Hargan, Aric Hasting, Charles Hielscher, Hunter Hinze, Dallas Holstine, Hayley Holzer, Kelly Honts, Alyina Hossain, Kyndal Howard, Richard Howe, Holly Huddleston, James Hudson, Ryan Huntington, Caitlyn Hyde, Madison Ibrahim, Iqra Imam, McKenna Jasek, Andrei Jaume, Nicole Jaynes, Emily Jensen, Catherine Kellogg, Nicolette Keys, Eman Khan, Abigail Knowles, Emily Krause, Maria Krychniak, Sean Kupec, Jonathan Lackey, Wenxiu Lei, Brian Li, Abby Locascio, Alexander Lutz, Katelin Maatz, Prathyusha Mahasamudram, Nicole Massamillo, Matthew Mastrodicasa, Ryan McGee, Emily McShane, David Meeks, Sahil Mehta, Ruchika Mitbander, Darryl Mobley, Kylie Morse, Brian Mulligan, Lauren Murphy, Alexandra Myers, Jacob Nanez, Caroline Naples, Kristina Nguyen, Viet Nguyen, Claire Nissen, Sarah Norell, Kathryn Olsen, Seena Ounsinegad, Parth Patel, Madison Peacock, David Pedersen, Justin Piegat, Jackson Pierce, Lauren Poole, Shwetha Prabakar, Maria Priebe, Nicole Principe, Sondra Rahmeh, Naomi Rapier, Sahar Rashed, Brynnan Recker, Bhargava Reddy, Maclane Regan, Bret Reinking, Jordan Reyes, Andrew Rhea, Jacob Riedel, Marshall Rigney, Mackenzie Roach, Tyler Roach, Emani Roberts, Kelly Rosenblatt, Sydney Sabel, Sydney Sanders, Leticia Santillana Fernandez, Delaney Saragusa, John Scherer, Olivia Schmitz, Valerie Schroeder, Robert Scott, Taylor Searels, Cody Shelton, Mikalai Shlapkou, Hannah Smith, Madison Smith, Radhika Sood, William Spellmann-Saenz, Nathan Steichen, Austin Stelling, Sessen Stephanos, Govind Vikram Sundaram, Margaret Talbot, Nicholas Tallman, Blane Tamez, Kayla Tate, Lindsey Thompson, Cory Thurston, Keith Tran, Cole Van Landuyt, Zameer Vaswani, David Walker, Morgan Waters, Matthew Watson, Brian Weeks, Paige Welch, Megan Welliver, Lucas Williams, Madison Williams, Kate Wong, Matthew Woolf, Morgan Wright, Evan Yu, Hannah Zabalaoui, Alicia Zhou, Audrey Ziari, Riley Zoellner, Samuel Zugg, Steven Zuraski Tenth Grade: Rhea Adhikary, Hisham Ali, Cameron Allen, Carolyn Andrade, Amulya Angajala, Tristan Apel, Chase Bailey, Samantha Bassman, Hannah Bell, Carly Blaine, Ryan Brewster, Cody Brigham, Lauren Brigham, Trudy Bui, Delaney Bull, Caley Butler, Elliott Byrd, Makenna Callen, Devon Castoe, Savannah Cavanaugh, Sabrina Cheshire, Mia Chiarelli, Zachary Chipman, Damian Cho, Taylor Christensen, Sydney Cohen, Zachary Collmann, Haley Conroy, Normandy Crohn, Tyler Davis, Victoria Dixon, Jack Evans, Mason Everett, Christopher Fernandes, Harrison Field, Nicholas Fionda, Rachel Flatt, Jordan Freeze, Kaitlin Frierson, Morgan Gaither,
Michael Galvin, Emily Garbutt, Calvin Geng, Joshua Gerstenhaber, Leila Ghasemi, Jeffrey Gillespey, Brooke Golden, Rachel Graham, Carson Harais, Roslyn Harold, Zachary Hartman, Yannick Heard, Addison Holmes, Dylan Hoover, Allyson Hunter, John Jacob, Cray Jaeger, Marion Jaume, Chandler Jaynes, Abby Jimmerson, Loryn Johnson, Tyler Jones, Janet Karpenske, Lauren Keith, Megan Kosumsuppamala, Rachael Landry, Robert Launius, Veronica Long, Ashleigh Lusher, Megan Marks, Paige McCollum, Elisa McMeen, Natalie McRae, Merritt McCall, Mariah McLelan, Naomi Miller, Joshua Minor, Zachary Moring, Sri Moturu, Neha Mulpuri, Lienne Ng, Keyana Noorbakhsh, Natalie Nouri, Sarah Nouri, Emma Oldham, Niraj Patel, Alexis Pederson, Luke Peterman, Bailey Phillips, Chase Phillips, Tracey Powell, Pamela Quintanilla, Kayleigh Rago, Deepti Rao, Luke Richard, Hayley Richburg, Bryn Robertson, Nicole Rossi, Melanie Ruiz Esparza Kohrs, Katelyn Santerre, Patrick Sarman, Katherine Schaal, Jacob Schmidt, Jakob Schnell, Megan Sekiya, Matthew Sherman, Emmaline Shields, Hailey Shuster, McKenna Shuster, Brenna Smith, Nishith Sripathi, Matthew Stipek, Carley Tauras, Olivia Von Oldenburg, Li Wan, Jeffrey Willoughby, Paige Youngren, Justin Yu, Jill Zambito, Marguerite Zamora, Kelsey Zaroff, Jonathan Zhang, Quinn Zulkowski, Eleventh Grade: Taylor Allen, Zachary Amundson, Hayden Anz, Brooke Asher, Lindsey Atencio, Mollie Bailey, Karina Batek, Piyushi Bishnoi, Clarissa Branca, Blake Brannan, Sarah Bristow, Denise Bui, Nicole Cacho, Allison Carruthers, Joseph Cinclair, Chandler Colbeck, Matthew Conte, Danielle Cooley, Connor Cox, Kyle Daugherty, Natasha Desai, Nathan Do, Lucy Donaghy, Haley Driskill, John Elder, Marshall Eldred, Andrew Engen, Danielle Esteban, Abbygale Flickinger, Conor Flynn, Ethan Frederic, Laura Gama, Devon Gerstenhaber, Kaanti Gowru, Lindsey Graff, Sara Gravely, Kent Grimes, Emily Hanna, Mason Hargreaves, Sarah Hassall, Brook Heitman, Dustin Hoang, Dylan Hosek, Chad Howland, Hunter Huang, Mattie Isturiz, Kaitlyn Johnson, Alexandra Jones, Lindsey Keels, Harlan Kind, Kendall King, Kathryn Kupec, Amey Langford, Lindsey Langford, Dillon Launius, Brittany Le, Leticia Lee, Wenqing Lei, Christopher Lick, Evan Luza, Brandon Maas, Priyunka Maheshwari, Haley Martin, Nicole Martinez, Paige Mason, Mitchell McShane, Conor Mitchell, Kendall Mitchell, Nathan Munoz, Lan Nguyen, Thomas O’Brien, Tristen Paffe, Megha Pandya, John Park, Elise Patterson, Morgan Patterson, Antoinette Perez, Keegan Pitts, Maria Popov, Danielle Prieto, Nicole Quick, Alexander Quintos, Jonathan Ramlow, Alexandra Rayas, Erica Reichman, Jake Reynolds, Eric Riewski, Megan Rondini, Spencer Ronshagen, Madeline Sabel, Jacqueline Sadler, Tara Schmidt, Emily Schmitz, Kelly Schriner, Jordan Sekiya, Keanu Sims, Brandon Smith, Jasmine Smith, Jordan Sonnier, Hadley Sorsby-Jones, Melanie Stamps, Tyler Stec, Megan Steichen, Madeline Stich, Benjamin Streber, Conor Stuart, Keith Taylor, Maria Taylor, Shiyu Teo, Chandler Thomas, Steven Thompson, Forrest Threadgill, Kole Thurston, Isabella Voelkl, Audra Volk, Brittany Von Oldenburg, Hannah Von Oldenburg, Sarah Von Oldenburg, Keith Waggoner, Hayley Walz, Caitlin Weaver, Sydney Wilson, Danielle Woche, Craig Wolf, Ashley Zaroff Twelfth Grade: Kristen Abbarno, Austin Aja, Jacob Banks, Brandon Brown, Sarah Brusseau, Madeline Castleman, Brigitte Chapman, Taylor Christman, Cameron Corinaldi, Cody Cox, Lauren Daniels, Courtney Davis, Jenna Diven, Danielle Docherty, Briana Fisher, Nicholas Florence, Sophie Grossman, John Hardy, Randell Harold, Luke Hartman, Raine Hoffman, Deric Jech, Christopher Jensen, Lauren Kamp, Brandon Keys, Gillian Lewis, Marshall Long, Michael Lundy, Rebecca Menajovsky, Jasmine Mobley, Maria Morales-Heyser, Catherine Mueller, Ashley Munoz, Jordan Ng, Max Nowak, Eric Nukulkarn, Adelaid Oun, Mas Owen, Greta Peterson, Sandy Pham, Christopher Pleshek, Dakota Prukop, Audrey Pyle, Ross Raven, Emily Rigney, Kevin Rutkowski, Emily Sears, Hannah Simpson, Kathryn Skinn, Lauren Smith, Jordan Speir, Brian Stewart, Collin Stobart, Christina Tran, Kendall Turner, Matthias Voelkl, Erin Wallace, Anna Walls, Amanda Watson, Marshall Wilson, Anna Zanot
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Community Events
Jan. 25 Concordia University Texas MBA program hosts info session for prospective students 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. RSVP: http:// tinyurl.com/84ne4ey.
Jan. 28
Leander ISD Board of Trustees Coffee 10 -11:30 a.m. Deer Creek Elementary library 2420 Zeppelin Dr. Cedar Park
Feb. 2 - 4 Vandegrift HS Theater’s “Kiss Me Kate” VHS Auditorium 9500 McNeil Drive in Austin. 7pm
Feb. 3 Pennies for Pasta Viper Cancer Fundraiser Finishes
Feb. 8 Four Points Whataburger Grand Opening 5pm - 8pm
Feb. 9
By CLAIRE BALFOUR Guest Contributor
Feb. 17 Four Points Chamber of Commerce Whataburger Ribbon Cutting at 10am
LISD, Cedar Park Rotary Club Talent Show Auditions at 6:30pm Leander HS Little Theatre
It was a brisk 40 degrees Sunday morning January 15th, as we headed out of Steiner Ranch at 6:45 am on our way to America’s Got Talent. We were prepared for a day of waiting in lines, our backpack filled with our day supply of snacks, water, iPad, iPod, iPhone, iEverything to keep us occupied. We rounded 4th and Trinity to find a huge surprise. No crowd. No lines. Happy to be out of the cold we headed in at 8:00 am.with our wristband #7062172. (Could we really be 7 million?) We were thrilled to walk right up to registration, sign another 10 pages of release forms and then be promptly escorted to the first waiting area behind the other 171 people to arrive. Yes, we were only 172! McKinzie sat quietly listening to her iPod as we focused on the colorful artists of Austin. The experience had just begun. Dancers leaped nearby, hula hoopers twirled, gymnasts flipped around the room. It was joy to hear the young kids practice for their parents and supporters, while small bands strummed their guitars, ukuleles and banjos. There was lots of glitter and glam. A young girl in a silver sequin jacket, pink tinseled hair, a 12 piece Mariachi band in
green garb, a boy dressed in yellow from head to toe, tube socks and green suspenders, ladies in feathered headdresses and even an Elvis sighting or two. We sat with a young family from San Antonio, daughter playing games on the DS while mom was the nervous contestant. Young and old, men, women and children ready to show off their talents. An hour later we were routed to the Holding Room. Some were being interviewed while others practiced their routines. There was a mob scene of rappers, brass bands and crowds clapping it up. But many sat praying, meditating, contemplating and singing quietly alone. Then we met Dana Mix, a local Country guy sporting a red western snap shirt, jeans, cowboy hat and boots. It was a blessing to have been placed by him. A 40 year old man performing Cowboy Poetry, and for the second time this weekend. He had been asked back to perform again. Who would have thought? A verbal illustrator on America’s Got Talent, but that is exactly what the show articulates - Talent. The capacity for achievement or success, performing your natural ability. He is the great grandson of Tom Mix, Hollywood’s first Megastar. A silent Western film actor from the 1920’s and here was the next generation continuing the talent. If he wins he plans to give $200,000 to the Youth Services of Goodwill. He was a generous soul, fight-
ing for the youth of today. And youth were everywhere! Within 2 hours we were headed for the audition. In a large room with only one judge McKinzie would sing, along with an Italian Opera duo dressed to the nines, a local male Austinite with a long goatee and a voice that the Live Music Capitol of the World appreciates, and three teenage girls singing Amy Winehouse and Carrie Underwood. McKinzie belted out her song with her sweet 9 year old voice, “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles. Those few minutes I will never forget. And with the words from the judge “we still have several cities to visit and will be making our final decisions by the end of February,” we headed out the door by 10:45. It is hard to say if we will get that call back and claim the day a success, but we will call it significant and a proud moment of great accomplishment. We also wonder how our friend did at her audition. Laura Parrish danced with her Jemi dance team, from Dance Institute Performance Academy. The youngest of four groups auditioned. It takes a lot of courage for these artists to perform, and it was a pleasure to experience their abilities. It was a record turnout for Texas at America’s Got Talent’s first trip to the Capitol City. If you missed it head to
McKinzie Balfour at America's Got Talent Austin auditions on Jan. 15.
Charlotte, NC or San Francisco, CA, where the colorful artists are sure to impress. McKinzie Capri Balfour,9, is a student at Steiner Ranch Elementary.
Local LWB student performs at Kids Got Talent
Viper Band Fundraiser Last day to order mulch from www.vhsband.com/mulch
Feb. 21 & 23
January 26, 2012 • Page 7 www.FourPointsNews.com
Local student auditions for America’s Got Talent
Now - Feb. 24 Girl Scout Cookie Sales
hursday Four PToints News
A fourth grader at Laura Welch Bush Elementary competed in the Center Stage Texas Kids Got Talent Gala this past weekend. Olivia Hellmund, 10, was one of the top 22 finalist performing at the Austin wide talent show. “She was among four finalists who were 10 years old and younger. It was an honor to be a part of this event,” said Alison Hellmund, Olivia’s mom. The emcee of the Kids Got Talent event
was Broadway star and Austinite David Bologna. He is a teenager and Tony-nominee for his role in the Broadway musical "Billy Elliott". To get to the Kids Got Talent gala, students ages 8 to 18 auditioned last fall representing over 80 acts. From there the top 40 acts were invited to perform in the Semi-Finals at One World Theatre in front of an audience. Then on Jan. 21, the finalists competed for a $10,000 college scholarship at the
gala held at The Westin in The Domain. Proceeds from the event will benefit Center Stage Texas' programming for youth in Austin. Programming includes theater, dance and visual art for over 700 students from low income families each year. All Kids Got Talent finalist's videos were sent to America's Got Talent (see related article by Claire Balfour) producers and they attended the audition without waiting in lines with fast passes.
Olivia Hellmund with Tony Award nominee, David Bologna.
Kiss Me Kate to be LISD, CP Rotary Mulch will be delivered free by Viper Band performed at VHS host 1st annual
Four Points Family Vision Appointments & Walk-ins Welcome • Therapeutic Optometrist • Specialty Contact Lenses • Pediatric Vision Exam • Laser Surgery Consultation
The Cedar Park Rotary Club is partnering with Leander ISD on an areawide youth talent show. Auditions: Feb. 21 & 23, 6:30pm.1 Entry Fee: $7.00 Location: Leander High School Little Theatre Proceeds fund Cedar Park Rotary Club’s local and international service projects. Applications and official rules available online at www.cedarparkrotary.org There will be two di-
Located at the Four Points Wal-Mart at
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at Four Points
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VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE!
The main 60,000- to 70,000-squarefoot building will house the worship facility, fellowship area, classrooms and offices. The master site plan calls for additional buildings as needed in years to come. Austin Baptist has around 800 members.
Helping Four Points, Cedar Park, & NW Austin learn to play since 2004.
Now open
Mon, Tue, Th, Fri, Sat,: 9:30-7:00
piano
The price is $3.50 a bag with discounts beginning with orders of 20 bags or more. Most homeowners need between 20 and 80 bags of mulch for all their beds. Larger lots require more mulch. Delivery of mulch will be Sat., February 18. Homeowners do not have to be home to take delivery.
paul@clancysguitarschool.com
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Board Certified by the Texas Board of Optometry
Talent Show will be held onMarch 2 at 7pm in the Don Tew Performing Arts Center at Leander High School
CHURCH, FROM 1 Austin Baptist. Austin Baptist is four years old and currently leases space. After an extensive search for a permanent home, a year ago the church purchased the property across from Four Points Middle School, Vandegrift High School and Alexan Ribelin Ranch apartments.
PILATES
Dr. Sherry Salkhordeh Steiner Ranch Resident
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visions: Junior (K-6th grade) and Senior (7th12th grade). Cash Prizes for Winners $1,000 - Overall Winner $ 500 - Each Division Winner $ 250 - Each Division Runner Ups
The Vandegrift Viper band is hosting its mulch fundraiser and is taking orders now through Feb. 9 for quality landscaping mulch for free home delivery. Contact your friendly neighborhood VHS band student or visit www. vhsband.com/mulch . Be sure to specify your band member’s name on the online form.
Clancy ’s
Vandegrift High School is proud to present “Kiss Me, Kate,” the Tony award winning musical by Cole Porter, based on a story by Sam and Bella Spewack. The musical will run from Feb. 2nd through Feb. 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Vandegrift High School Auditorium, 9500 McNeil Drive. Tickets are $12 for reserved seating and $8 for general admission, and can be purchased online at www.vhstheatre.com or at the door.
talent show
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www.clancysguitarschool.com
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We’d love to hear from you! Call us, email us, send a photo or share a story. All submissions are welcome.
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Sports
Thursday
Page 8 • January 26, 2012
Hyde Park Boys Basketball poised for district playoffs By JAMES BARTON Hyde Park Senior
Four Points News www.FourPointsNews.com
Lady Vipers Soccer take home a win The Vandegrift Girls Soccer Team won 6-0 over East View High School in Georgetown on Jan. 20. Top: Megan Weliver, Freshman Middle: Brook Heitman, Junior Bottom: Megan Steichen, Junior
The Hyde Park Varsity Boys’ Basketball team opened district play Jan. 13 with a convincing win over Corpus Christi John Paul II. The Panthers were led by senior Spencer Phillips, who scored 19 points and added 4 assists. Phillips hit a deep three at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 26-20 lead going into the half. Cheered on by an enthusiastic home crowd, Hyde Park then dominated the third quarter and cruised to an easy 54-37 victory. Phillips, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game said that “the win was a great way to Hyde Park Senior Spencer Phillips at the line. start district play” and described the district championship as public schools, the team feels prepared both men“ours for the taking.” Hyde Park team member Jackson Sigman, who tally and physically to make a deep run into the lives in Four Points, has been contributing to the TAPPS 4A playoffs. With a current record of 14-10, Hyde Park looks team wins this season. Due to an extremely tough non-district sched- to build onto its already impressive resume by addule, in which the Panthers played many 4A and 5A ing to it a district title.
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Basketball players from River Ridge Elementary, Steiner Ranch Elementary and Canyon Ridge Middle School kicked off the YMCA of Austin Youth Basketball season on Jan. 14 at CRMS. "Both teams gave it their all in trying to win the first game of the season," said Jim Kleffner, who contributed the photo.
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Montessori An “education for life”… starts at School in the Hills Call 512.266.6160 to schedule a tour of the school to see our amazing children in action. Let us demonstrate why Montessori and School in the Hills is the right choice for your child. Discover why Montessori education has amazed parents and inspired children for over 100 years. Enroll and watch your child grow to love learning while developing life skills such as: Self Confidence, Independence, Curiosity and Creativity.
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Stars of the Week
Four Points News www.FourPointsNews.com
Pablo Aranda -
S O C C E R
Devon Gerstenhaber -
Junior
Favorite part about being involved in Viper Swimming and Dive: I love my teammates ! Not only are they friends, but they are great motivators!
Denver Fesmire -
T H E A T E R
Freshman
Favorite part about being involved in Viper Theater: I love theatre because you have the rare opportunity to step into another time and place and become the character. VHS has amazing theatre program and instructors who are helping me develop my skills so I can succeed as an actor. I’ve played in The Odd Couple and currently in Kiss Me Kate as the General.
El Señor
Ernie Reyes World Martial Arts
Open everyday 11am - 9pm, Sat. & Fri. until 10pm
Signing Day at VHS Feb. 1 Vandegrift High School will host Signing Day on Wed. February 1 with a celebration in its VHS athletic room at 8 a.m. Three football players, two cross country runners and one baseball player will announce what college they will play their sport at. Athletic Coordinator Drew Sanders said there may be more players involved too. “This is a very big deal,” Sanders said.
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From January 19, 2012 paper the Viper Girls Soccer Spotlight, Lauren Brigham was in the top photo.
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`Vandegrift Boy's Basketball is halfway through district play with a record of 2-4.
Photos by: Marci Palmer Photography
Below right: Senior Captain John Hirschhorn shooting 3 pointer. Above: Senior Raine Hoffman dribbling past defender. Below Left: Senior John Hirschhorn shooting a layup.
The Vandegrift Lady Vipers hosted the Cedar Park Lady Wolves Jan. 17 in a District 25-4A contest. The game was close; however the Lady Wolves held on for a narrow victory, beating the Lady Vipers by a score of 43-40. The Lady Vipers traveled to Rouse Fri. and took on the Raiders for a victory, Vandegrift 51, Rouse 30.
CORRECTION:
Senior
Favorite part about being involved in Viper Theater: I have been involved in theatre since the beginning of middle school. Most recently, I have been involved with the Odd Couple, Kiss Me Kate, UIL Oap and directed my own Senior One Act. I love theatre because I get to play as someone else, while discovering who I am.
Viper Tennis Lady Vipers battle Wolves, Raiders wins against Austin HS, 10-0 The Vandegrift Varsity Tennis Team played Austin High School in a dual match on Jan. 18. The Vipers won 10-0 in their first match of the spring season, according to Coach James Larremore.
Senior
Goal for this Viper Wrestling Season: Wrestling requires more heart, strength and determination than any other sport in order to win. That’s why I do it. Plus it’s fun - if you’re not first your last!
VHS Boys play challenging hoops against CP, Rouse Jan. 17 Cedar Park 43, Vandegrift 31 Jan. 20 Rouse 58, Vandegrift 47
Sophomore
Favorite part about being involved in Viper Soccer: I get the opportunity to play with some great people and love playing the game with my friends.
The Shops at Steiner Ranch 2900 N. Quinlan Park Rd. Suite 260
Mexican Cuisine 512.372.9700 Located in the Shops at Riverplace
January 26, 2012 • Page 9
Mason Everett -
Junior
Favorite part about being involved in Viper Soccer: Viper soccer is great to be in because we have great coaches and players. Truly enjoyable.
S W I M M i N G
Thursday
Top Left: Katy Gallien (#32, senior) - driving to the basket Top Right: Tasha Desai (#5, junior) - shooting over the Cedar Park defense. Desai led all scorers with 13 points Bottom Right: Paige Lichtenberger (#11, senior) pushing the ball up court on a fast break Bottom Left: Sophia Duffield (#3, junior) - shooting a pull up jump shot
Photos by John Lichtenberger
Page 10 • Four Points News, Thursday, January 26, 2012
CMYK
Girl Scout cookie sales have started Girl Scout cookie sales are in full swing and buying the once a year favorites - Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties and Lemonades - help the local community. Girl Scouts will be selling through Feb. 24 either door to door or at the entrances of WalM a r t , Starbucks and Walgreens on most weekends. “We also have our ‘Operation Cookie’ that allows people to support the cookie sale in buying cookies that are in turn shipped out to the troops that serve our country,” said Amy Kerr, Troop Cookie Coordinator for Troop 1743 in Steiner Ranch. Girl Scouts of the USA is the premier leadership organization for girls. The $700 million Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the
country. Girls set cookie goals to support their chosen activities for the year, to fund community service and leadership projects, to attend summer camp, to travel to destinations near and far and to provide events for girls in their community. The activity of selling cookies is directly related to Girl Scout’s purpose of helping all girls realize their full potential and become strong, confident and resourceful citizens. All of the proceeds from a local council's cookie activities remains in the area where the cookies are sold. This revenue is used to benefit girls, some of it directly by remaining in the Girl Scout troop/group treasury and some of it indirectly by subsidizing the cost of providing the Girl Scout program in the local area.
Concordia hosts MBA program info session on Wed. The Concordia University Texas MBA program will hold an information session for prospective students on Jan. 25 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. The University is currently enrolling students for the Summer 2012 cohort, and the deadline to apply is March 7. The event will give prospective students an opportunity to ask questions, get more information and apply onsite. The Concordia MBA aims to attract employees of Central Texas business and corporate
FREE
Steiner Ranch Yoga
Wednesday, February 8th from 5-8pm
We will be giving away 15 Free Whataburger for a Year packages (That’s 5 people per hour for a 3 hour event will receive Whataburgers for a Year!) • Games 2U will be there for free games, including the popular “Just Dance” • Radio Remote, Prize Wheel, Whataguy Appearance, Free Balloons for Kids
8300 RR 620 (@ Concordia Drive)
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