The Houston-based research and advocacy group Children at Risk will honor Memorial High School and Westchester Academy for International Studies as two of its Top 10 Area High Schools during a 10 a.m. Monday morning press conference at the southeast campus of Yes! Prep. The local nonprofit ranks schools on a variety of criteria, including test and TAKS scores and several socioeconomic factors.

Sixteen students from Spring Forest Middle School will advance to state competition after competing in the Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament held March 8 at Paul Revere Middle School in Houston. For their work, three separate student teams will step forward to solve problems at Odyssey of the Mind’s state competition, which will be held April 5 at Spring Woods High School, 2045 Gessner.

Peter Benson, president of the Search Institute and founder of the 40 Developmental Asset Model, will speak at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2, at Westchester Academy for International Studies, 901 Yorkchester. The one-hour presentation is co-sponsored by SBISD Community Relations and the district’s Social Emotional Learning Collaborative.

Spring Branch ISD Associate Superintendent of Finance Karen Wilson was named winner of the 2008 Commitment to Excellence Award by her peers during the March 3-7 annual conference of the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO). The award recognizes outstanding TASBO members based on membership years, leadership, certification and several other criteria.

Western-themed paintings by two Memorial High art students are among 54 student works selected for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s upcoming art auction. Through the auction, student works such as these will raise thousands of dollars to help students across the state receive scholarships and attend Texas colleges and universities.

SBISD’s Health Fitness Department kicked off the 2008 March for Babies sponsored by the Texas chapter of the March of Dimes with a March 7 breakfast at Spring Woods Middle School, 9810 Neuens. Last year, district staff donated more than $17,000 to the cause, ranking the district 41st overall in corporate campaigns across Houston. 

The clock is ticking down. The March 31 application deadline is fast approaching to apply for either graduating senior or teacher scholarships through the SBISD Council of PTAs annual awards program. Each year, the Council and Spring Branch Education Foundation awards scholarships to seniors for college classes and to district educators for seminars that will directly benefit students.

Put this on your Saturday morning errands list. The Class of 2011 at Memorial High School will sponsor the school’s annual Freshman Garage Sale from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. The enormous garage sale will be held this year at 8564 Katy Freeway, Suite 121, behind Home Depot.

The Stratford High Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Fahey and Kate Moore, will perform March 22 at the 2008 National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Stratford High orchestras have performed at the renowned performance hall three other times since 1994. The orchestra’s Spring Break trip to New York highlights an award-winning season for the student performing group.

Support the arts and Spring Branch artists! About 40 works of framed art by students at Landrum and Northbrook Middle schools and Northbrook High Shool will be auctioned on Tuesday, March 11, through an ambitious partnership with New Spring, a recently formed nonprofit group. The special auction event will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. on Tuesday at Guadalajara Restaurant, located at Interstate 10 at Bunker Hill.

In memory of Assistant Principal Angela Kulesha, who died Feb. 4, students at Spring Oaks Middle School raised $3,450 as part of this year’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients Drive. Nine students in one Panthers at Work (PAW) study hall and reading period class raised $482, the largest single class donation, during the Jan. 28 through Feb. 15 fund-raising challenge period.

Highly acclaimed Stratford High quarterback Andrew Luck has been chosen to represent Spring Branch ISD in the first annual SpaceCity Classic, which was created to bring together the best high school football players from Houston and the surrounding region. The SpaceCity Classic will be played on Saturday, March 8, at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium.