Thirty-four students from Northbrook High’s Childress Foundation Academy program repaired the home of an elderly southeast Houston couple during a volunteer community service project held Saturday, Oct. 20. In separate but related news, 17 Childress Academy graduates from the high school have received renewable scholarships valued at between $1,000 and $1,500 for college and career studies.
Childress Academy students volunteer with PSI Homesavers, a renovation group that targets homes occupied by the elderly, low income and physically disabled. Northbrook High students have volunteered for six years on the full-day group projects.
The Childress Foundation Academy was created about a decade ago by famous Houston Oiler Ray Childress and his wife, Kara, both of whom have a strongly held belief in the value of community service. The Foundation aims to help more teenagers graduate, be involved in their communities, and participate in field trips and other activities.
Program coordinator Donald Miller, who was named 2007 SBISD Secondary Teacher of the Year in May, reports that the 34 students replaced fascia, rebuilt window sills, replaced doors, scraped, caulked, painted, planted flowers, raked, spread mulch and “cleared up MOUNTAINS of trash” at the couple’s home, located near Old Spanish Trail and Texas 288. Adult volunteers for the day included Stacy Tyler, Julia Byesada and Claire Hutchison.
In separate but related news, 17 recent graduates of Northbrook High’s Childress Academy have earned scholarships to help them attend trade, community college, or four-year colleges and universities. Students have either begun their studies or plan to enroll soon in the following institutions: North Harris Montgomery Community College District, Cy-Fair College; Houston Community College; Lee College; Art Institute of Houston; University of Houston-Downtown; and the University of St. Thomas.
Childress Foundation scholarship winners include Cynthia Espinoza, Crystal Diaz, Jose Gomez, Gabriela Medrano, Berenice Figueroa, Rachel Davies, Karina Hernandez, David Rodriguez Megan Garcia, Juan Cruz, Jose De Leon, Ricardo Palomares and Martha Arguelles. Four other graduates plan to begin their college studies in January. They are Fernando Mejia, Carina Herrera, Beatris Galvan and Jessica Rodriguez.