Cy-Fair Education Section - Cy

Cy-FairEducation
News about Cy-Fair Area
Schools & Education
67
Olympic Spotlight
Local Alumni Jonathan Horton & Cat
Osterman Compete in Beijing
68
Extreme Classroom Makeovers
Four Teachers win Cy-Fair Classroom
Enhancements
70
The Value of a Dollar
How to Prepare your Cy-Fair Children to
Make Good Financial Choices
76
Choosing Child Care in Cy-Fair
Finding the Best Fit for your Family
CY-FAIR
EDUCATION
Cy-Fair’s
Olympic Graduates
Horton’s High Bar routine
helped propel Team USA to
a Bronze medal
Osterman recently returned
to Cy-Fair for her jersey
retirement ceremony at the
Berry Center
Jonathan Horton graduated
from Cy-Fair High School
In 2004, Cat helped Team
USA win the Gold in Athens
Local Alumni Jonathan Horton and Cat Osterman Compete in Beijing
The 2008 Olympics saw many great athletes, but none as special to
Cy-Fair as two of our own graduates. Jonathon Horton, a graduate
of Cy-Fair High School, and Cat Osterman, of Cy-Springs High
School, both brought home medals for their teams and honor for
the Cy-Fair community.
Horton Helps Gymnasts Capture Bronze
Cy-Fair High School alumnus Jonathan Horton helped lead
the USA Men’s Gymnastics Team to a bronze medal at the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing. The host country, China, won the
gold medal with a score of 286.125, followed by Japan with a score
of 278.875 for the silver, and USA with a score of 275.850 for the
bronze.
Horton led Team USA in four of the five routines he participated
in. He had the top team score in the Rings with 15.625 and again
in the Vault with a score of 16.200. He registered a 15.625 in the
Parallel Bars and followed it with team highs in the Horizontal Bar,
15.700, and Floor, 15.575.
Horton and his teammates defied expectations following the
withdrawal of two Olympic veterans, Paul and Morgan Hamm,
from the silver medal-winning team in the 2004 Athens Games,
leaving Team USA with no returning veterans.
Ostermand & Team USA Win Silver Medal
Cypress Springs High School alum and USA Softball pitcher Cat
Osterman helped Team USA take a silver medal following a 3-1
defeat to Japan in the final game of the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Osterman pitched 20 innings throughout the Olympic Games,
accumulating a 3-1 record and a 0.70 earned-run average while
striking out a team-leading 34 batters.
After graduating from Cy-Springs in 2001 as the Gatorade
National Softball Player of the Year, Cat joined the USA Softball
National Team and has accumulated impressive stats and won
other numerous awards. She ranks first in the nation in strikeouts
per seven innings at 15.4, owns four of the top five seasons for the
NCAA’s best strikeout ratio (strikeouts per seven innings pitched),
and is the first softball player to twice appear on the cover of Sports
Illustrated. She was also the first of only three NCAA pitchers to
register 2,000-plus strikeouts. Cat also won a gold medal in the
2004 Summer Olympics.
Recently, Osterman’s No. 20 jersey was retired during a special
ceremony at the Berry Center. Her jersey will be hung in the high
school and recreated on the exterior of the softball field press box.
CFM
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CY-FAIR MAGAZINE • 67
CY-FAIR
EDUCATION
Dana Hitchcock created an
inviting environment for the
Newcomer Arrival Center
Ruby McLellan’s science
center includes guinea pigs
Extreme
Classroom Makeovers
Four Cy-Fair Teachers Win Classroom Enhancements
Marcia McCaughey set up a
reading center in her classroom
Students enjoy the plants and
animals in Elise’s classroom
68 • CY-FAIR MAGAZINE Visit CyFairMagazine.com for Cy-Fair jobs, events, news and more.
C
Written by Dana Ashwari and
Photos by Deb Colson
Cy-Fair teachers can take note about an annual contest that
awards cash for classroom materials. The contest idea came to
Leslie Martone, Business Development Manager for the Cy-Fair
Federal Credit Union, at a conference. “I thought this would be
a way for the credit union to give back to the teachers in a very
specific way,” Martone explains. Interested teachers submitted
an essay explaining how they would use $500 to enhance their
classrooms. After a successful launch in 2007 with one winner,
the program expanded in 2008. Cy-Fair Magazine’s very own
Mary Holdsworth was one of the essay judges for 2008, helping
to select four winners from a pool of deserving entries. “It was
really fun and a good way for the magazine to get involved too,”
says Holdsworth. Here’s a look at this year’s lucky winners.
Marcia Elise
Math and Science 2nd Grade, ESL/GT
Tipps Elementary
Last spring Elise knew she would be moving to a room without
windows. Elise wanted to create a window using a special light
that would keep classroom animals and plants healthy. She
purchased a 5-shelf rack and the special light, which is attached
to the rack. “The outcome exceeded my wildest dreams. Now I
have a ‘window’ in my room that draws students, parents, and
teachers to do a double take,” enthuses Elise. “I’m so pleased and
grateful that Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union thinks so much about
furthering students’ educational progress. They even offered
‘people-power’ to help set up my room, and that is priceless.”
Marcia McCaughey
Senior English
Windfern High School
Students at Windfern, an alternative campus, come as juniors
or seniors in need of completing high school credits. Oneyear classes are condensed into one semester, including Senior
English. Thanks to the contest money, McCaughey set up centers
for reading, computer writing and research with a new printer,
and writing. The reading center features a rug and a bookshelf
of British literature, a DVD player, a knight on horseback, and
inspirational posters. The makeover created an atmosphere that
motivates students to enjoy literature. “The students comment that
it doesn’t look like a classroom,” laughs McCaughey.
Continuing to Expand
For those teachers who didn’t win, the judges know that they
deserved it just as much. “It was hard to choose,” explains
Holdsworth. “Teachers are always looking for ways to help their
students, and we couldn’t help every teacher do that.” This contest
is an important part of community business support for the
district. Martone hopes to expand the contest each year, either
with more winners or a bigger prize. Local businesses can donate
to the prize by simply giving a gift card to a store like Target. For a
chance to win $500 to make even more of a difference in the lives
of dozens of children, teachers can sharpen their pencils and start
their rough drafts now! CFM
DANA ASHWARI is a former classroom teacher who now owns a marketing and publicity
company in Cypress.
Ruby McLellan
Math and Science 3rd Grade
Lamkin Elementary
At Lamkin, McLellan set up a designated science lab in one of
the open concept classrooms last year, and in the spring, she
learned that the lab would be moved to an enclosed classroom.
When she heard about the contest, McLellan envisioned a
Science Learning and Discovery Center for Lamkin. McLellan is
purchasing hands-on learning materials and shelving to centrally
locate the school’s science materials. “The more we can put
science into the children’s heads now, the better solutions our
world will have in the future,” encourages McLellan.
Dana Hitchcock
Newcomer Arrival Center teacher
Kahla Middle School
Students come to the Newcomer Arrival Center classroom
unable to speak English. Some have never attended school, and
many are very anxious. Hitchcock imagined changes that would
immediately make students feel comfortable. With her award
money she is setting up a theater area for role playing and a cozy
reading area with soft chairs, a coffee table, and a lamp. “My
students come from every continent. I see all these people come
together, not knowing each other or the language, and they help
each other like brothers and sisters. The makeover will allow
them to feel more at home as they settle into the classroom,”
explains Hitchcock.
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CY-FAIR MAGAZINE • 69
CY-FAIR
EDUCATION
How to prepare your Cy-Fair children to
make good financial choices
the VALUE OF
A DOLLAR
Written by Alice Hicks
Photography by Deb Colson
70 • CY-FAIR MAGAZINE Visit CyFairMagazine.com for Cy-Fair jobs, events, news and more.
k
ids and money… if seeing these two words together scares
you, some tips from financial advisors and parents
who’ve been there might help. Cy-Fair mother and
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University instructor
Jessalyn Ball recommends using visual aids to help
children learn the concept of earning and saving. “For kids
younger than five, filling up a jar with money helps them see
that money adds up,” says Ball. “Give them an amount of money
per chore and have them fill the jar. It teaches them the value of
a dollar.” Ball says that dollar bills are better to use than coins
because the jar fills up faster and gets the message across to
kids sooner.
Cy-Fair parent Sharon Davis has been using that system with
her children, Benjamin, 5, and Samuel, 2. It seems to have ‘paid
off ’ with Benjamin. “You save money so you can use it later,” says
Benjamin. “I take my money to the bank. It’s fun.”
Don’t Spend it All
While Benjamin seems to have the idea of saving down, what
about giving? Is it too early to teach young children about
investing and charitable donations? No, says Ball. She suggests that
parents adopt the routine of “give, save, spend” with their children
to teach them financial responsibility.
“Give, save, and spend is easy for kids to understand,” says Ball.
“It teaches them the first steps in being accountable with their
money.” In Ramsey’s version of the give, save, spend concept,
kids give away 10% of their money and then split the remaining
amount between savings and spending cash.
Samuel and Benjamin each have
their own piggy bank
Money in the Bank
First Community Credit Union, which has three locations in
the Cy-Fair area, has youth accounts, which encourage children
to save. The accounts range from birth to age 25. “Each of these
accounts is designed with the age group in mind,” says Nancy
Trennel, FCCU vice president of marketing and development.
“You can open any of these accounts with a minimum $5 deposit.
For the Red Ranger and CU Succeed accounts, as the savings grow,
the youth earns prizes.” Trennel adds, “Children that understand
you need to put aside some money for future needs or save for
what you want are better prepared for the real world when they get
older.”
Ramsey agrees with this maxim and advocates using a
commission-type structure with children. Commissions include
the amount made per chore throughout the week. Ball says for
young kids giving the same amount per chore is a good idea,
but as they get older you can rate the value of the chores as they
become more complicated and change the amounts accordingly.
“The idea is that you have to work to earn money,” says Ball.
“Every time a child does a chore, you check it off. At the end of the
week you give a pre-determined commission amount per chore
($1, 5 cents, etc.).”
Putting it into Action
Ramsey recommends starting this system with children at age five
or six. Ball says that again, visual aids are key. “It’s good to have an
image of something children are saving for,” says Ball. “A picture
of a specific toy they want or whatever will help them visualize
their goal.” Benjamin’s goal was of the amphibian variety. “I bought
a frog with my money,” says Benjamin. “I bought two pretend
frogs.” Mason, Ball’s five-year-old son, had a more practical wish.
“I want to buy tools,” says Mason.
Benjamin enjoys saving his money
and taking it to the bank
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CY-FAIR MAGAZINE • 71
Sharon teaches her son to save money
Mark and Jessalyn teach their sons
Mason, Hayden, and Peyton the value of money
72 • CY-FAIR MAGAZINE Visit CyFairMagazine.com for Cy-Fair jobs, events, news and more.
Giving from the Heart
You might think giving away their money would be the hard part
for children, but Ball and Davis found otherwise. After hearing
about an effort to prevent malaria in Africa at Vacation Bible
School, Benjamin willingly donated to the cause. Mason presents
his earnings as an offering at church. “Sometimes when I clean, my
dad gives me money,” says Mason. “I give it to God at church.”
Cy-Fair mom Amy Gray says she found a way to teach her son to
appreciate his money and learn to give to the community. Gray’s
son gave his birthday money to the zoo. “Since it was a large party,
I didn’t want to get so many gifts and wanted to give back to the
community,” says Gray. “I thought the zoo was perfect since Scott
likes animals. He said ‘OK, the animals need it.’” Gray says that
another friend had their children’s birthday party guests donate to
SPCA. “I think it’s neat to give back to a place we like to visit and
that represents the interest of the child,” says Gray.
The Davis family also donated to the zoo. In order to make the
gifts more tangible, they purchased individual gifts for animals
and delivered them in person. “If you look on the zoo’s website,
they have a wish list for each animal,” says Davis. “I read the list
to Benjamin and he said, ‘I want to get a hat for the orangutan!’ so
we got a hat and purse for the orangutan.” The Davis family also
bought other supplies for the zoo. “I thought it was a great learning
experience,” says Davis. CFM
ALICE HICKS is going to start implementing Dave Ramsey’s ideas for kids with her children
after researching this article.
Kid-Friendly Finance
Start saving now - you can’t change
the past, but you can change the
future
Plan ahead - decide how much you
want to spend before you go out
Give 10% of your allowance away
Spend half of what’s left
Save the remaining amount
Parent Guidelines
Use visual aids
Set goals
Keep it simple for kids under five
Ask younger children to collect
money in a jar
Bring kids to the bank with you
Assign set dollar amounts per chore
Remember - save, spend, give
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CY-FAIR MAGAZINE • 73