Local track athletes qualify for state - Page 4
The artful presentation combined with delectable tastes made Umami in Sugar Land a hit during a recent visit. Read our food review inside today on Page 8. (Photo by Stefan Modrich)
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TEA makes grant process more inclusive By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 45 • No. 36
As a mother and professional educator, Pari Nazerian was doubly worried about helping her adult daughter secure the technology she needed to continue her remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Her daughter, Ava Ashouri, is 19 and a 12th-grade
student in Austin High School’s Adult Transition Services or Life Skills program. She is cognitively disabled and has had nearly 50 surgeries. So when the Texas Education Agency (TEA) opened up a Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) grant on Jan. 28, Nazerian applied for her daughter seeking a $1,500 account for use toward her daughter’s
education. “I was thinking that she’s totally eligible and she deserves it,” Nazerian said. “I wanted to buy her a laptop because she’s always online and doing her (schoolwork).” An SSES account gives families access to ClassWallet, which allows parents to purchase a device for their child that “the student will directly use and/or interact with to access the curricu-
lum or fill in COVID-based gaps.” But Ashouri hadn’t taken the STAAR Alt-2 test since 2018, placing her outside the scope of the TEA’s query. Matt Montaño, the deputy commissioner of special populations and monitoring at TEA, said eligibility for the test is an indicator of a severe cognitive disability, and
SEE GRANT PAGE 7
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Missouri City set to vote on charter tweaks By Stefan Modrich
Elkins High School alumnus Fabian Romo (32) dribbles during a 2019 wheelchair basketball game. The Missouri City product's wheelchair basketball career has taken off in recent years as he is playing professionally in Spain and hopes to make the U.S. Paralympic Team this year. (Contributed photo)
Elkins alumnus taking shot at Paralympics By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
On Saturday, voters across Fort Bend County will have the responsibility of electing officials to represent their municipalities and decide upon measures that could change the way their local governments operate. In Missouri City, nine proposed changes to the city’s charter are on the ballot. If approved by voters, those changes would take effect in the following ways: · Proposition A: Clarify that the mayor may not act as chief administrative officer and fulfill the duties of the city manager. · Proposition B: Establish a one-year term for the
SEE CHARTER PAGE 7
No matter how daunting the obstacle, Fabian Romo has never backed away from a chance to shoot his shot. The 24-year-old is giving his latest challenge his all as he remains on the watch list for the U.S. men’s national wheelchair basketball team as it prepares for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Romo, an Elkins High School alumnus and professional wheelchair basketball player in Spain, overcame the amputation of his left leg
Fabian Romo
at 4 years old due to a birth
defect. Amid the uncertainty
of the COVID-19 pandemic, he used the downtime to work on himself and mentor younger collegiate teammates while he awaited the start of his professional career in Europe. Romo said he expects Team USA to hold a select camp at the end of May or June, when the squad will be whittled down to its final 12 roster spots. He plans to wait to get his COVID-19 vaccine when he is back on U.S. soil, though the plans for Paralympics preparation remain fluid. "We were supposed to have our final tryout (with Team USA) last May, but
that got pushed back," Romo said. "So it kind of messed up everybody's plans. I was hoping to come overseas (to play in Spain) and thankfully I did. This was my first time trying to reach out and (try out for a Paralympic Games). It was kind of lucky." Rolling up north Romo caught the attention of University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) coach Doug Garner even before he signed his national letter of intent to play with the Movin’ Mavs in 2015, having attended summer
SEE SHOT PAGE 7
Harvard student from area starts fellowship program By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Stafford product Esat Bayar is proud to be a first-generation college student, but he also recognizes that several of his peers who come from low-income households face some of the same challenges he did in learning to navigate a professional setting and
get the most out of a collegiate experience. The Harvard University senior and graduate of Harmony School of Innovation in Sugar Land decided to mark the occasion of his 22nd birthday on Jan. 11 by fundraising for the Bayar Fellowship, which he said he created to help high school students improve their knowledge of business and personal
finance and basic skills like resume and coverletter writing, preparing for job interviews and networking. Bayar said the fellowship plans to provide up to four recipients with a $220 grant, and each winner will also be assigned a mentor. The application is open until May 30 and recipients should expect to be notified by the end of June.
Bayar
The fellowship is open to high school students
“interested in utilizing business principles to improve your community,” according to the Bayar Fellowship’s website. Additional application requirements process are available at https:// bayarfellowship.wixsite. com/home/apply Applications and/or questions should be sent to BayarFellowship@ Gmail.com.
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