Northeast News • 5906 Star Lane, Houston, TX 77057 • Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-1188 • Email: nenewsroom@aol.com
The East Aldine District and Harris County continue their program of removing unsafe buildings from the District. This house at Illene Drive and Charwon Street was recently demolished. The work is under the direction of the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services department. Funding was from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department. You may report unsafe structures in your neighborhood to the District at 713-595-1220.
During the July 20 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees unanimously approved naming the district’s newest high school and ninth grade school after Air Force General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., who was commander of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
Dr. Viola M. Garcia, chairperson of the School Names Committee, along with committee members Merlin Griggs and Rick Ogden, recommended that the Board name the two schools after General Davis.
General Davis served the United States with honor and distinction during an illustrious career, in times of war and peace.
He was the recipient of the Air Force’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters.
He retired from the Air Force in 1970 at the rank of Lt. General, but in December of 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded him a fourth star, raising him to the rank of full general. General Davis was the first African American full general in the United States Air Force. General Davis was the son of O. Davis, Sr., a U.S. Army officer who retired at the rank of brigadier general after a distinguished career of military service.
Born in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 1912, General Davis passed away on July 4, 2002. That same year, Temple University’s Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, considered by his peers as one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars, placed General Davis on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.
A former Aldine ISD Athletic Director has been recognized for his service to student-athletes.
Last week Daryl Wade was inducted into the Texas High School Athletic Directors Hall of Honor. Joining Wade in the CLass of 2010 were former Spring Branch athletic director L.P. Jones, Cy-Fair associate athletic director Sheri Stice, and former Beaumont ISD Athletic Director Michael Mitchell.
Wade served as Aldine’s AD from 2003 to 2007. He was also an assistant athletic director for 13 years.
In 2007 he took the post of athletic director for Houston ISD, the largest school district in the state. He held that post until the end of the 2010 school year. In June Wade began working for the Houston Astros as director of the Urban Youth Baseball Academy at Sylvestor Turner park.
During the ceremony, held July 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Houston, Aldine ISD’s Director of Athletic Services Sandra Mader received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Distinguished Service Award.
She was recognize for her pivotal role in helping get softball sanctioned as an official UIL sport. Last month Mader was also recognized prior to the start of the Class 4A championship game, which was played at the University of Texas’s McCombs Softball Field.
With poise, personality, intelligence, and beauty, Courtney Sonnier, a North Forest ISD alumna, petitions support from a district and community she calls her own.
Courtney Sonnier is a graduate from North Forest High School in 2009, where she was a member of the Student Government Association, choir, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), and the National Honor Society. Her community service includes volunteering in hospitals with the HOSA organization and participation in the “Reach Out to Drop-outs” walk.
Sonnier was reared in the North Forest community with her family — her mother Erica Sonnier, a 1990 graduate of Forest Brook High School, and aunt from W.G. Smiley — as well as attending B.C. Elmore Middle School.
“I felt prepared academically. My teachers were like family, they always helped me with things I was involved in, even if it was outside of academics,” Sonnier said. “Dr. Bryant even helped me with volunteer work. She was always there when I needed her.”
After graduating, Sonnier enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin. She is now a sophomore and is majoring in journalism. She received a Longhorn Scholarship last year.
In May she was accepted into the Miss Texas USA pageant, where she will be judged in three categories: personal interview, swimsuit, and evening gown. This will be the first pageant in which Sonnier will compete, but she said she is not worried.
“To prepare myself I have done a lot of research in interviewing techniques, I have been practicing applying my own makeup, and I am receptive to any advice from those who want to help,” she said.
Sonnier said she wanted to enter the pageant to represent her community and all who have given so much to her.
“In North Forest, I believe i learned tools to help me with all life experiences. I am proud to say I am a product of North Forest,” she said.
The Miss Texas USA pageant is Labor Day weekend, September 3-5, and is a ticketed event. If Sonnier wins, she will be able to represent Texas in the Miss USA pageant.
Construction for a better tomorrow in Northeast Houston has commenced as Comcast donated $15,000 to YouthBuild Houston, a program administered by HoustonWorks USA in partnership with United States Department of Labor, YouthBuild USA, and Houston Habitat for Humanity. YouthBuild Houston is a program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development.
HoustonWorks hosted a press conference and check presentation on July 20, at a Houston Habitat for Humanity site under construction. The site is in the Milby Park subdivision located on Mesa and Sterlingshire.
“We are grateful to Comcast for their continuous support and investment in YouthBuild,” said HoustonWorks CEO Larry V. Green, Esq. “We are not only building homes, we are building a future for our youth while tackling multiple community concerns that face our city. The program provides participants with a second chance to complete their education, learn the necessary skills to become gainfully employed, and build a hopeful future for themselves and their families.”
In the program, at-risk youth, 18-24 year olds, work toward their GEDs, learn job skills, and serve their communities by constructing low-income housing. Participants receive hands-on training working with Houston Habitat for Humanity and complete more than 500 hours of community service. Additional YouthBuild partners include: The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, Houston Area Women’s Center, AFL-CIO, and the City of Houston.
Since the YouthBuild Program was established last fall, participants have helped build multiple houses, and four participants recently received their GEDs.
HOUSTON — North Forest Independent School District is encouraging the entire North Forest community to participate in this year’s district-wide community clean-up on Saturday, August 14.
North Forest ISD’s Community Clean-Up will serve as the prelude to the Back-to-School Family Festival and Family Empowerment Conference.
The clean-up will take place throughout the North Forest community. The rally begins at 8:00 a.m. at Forest Brook Middle School, 7525 Tidwell Road. The clean-up will immediately follow. While the district has organized an annual Back-To-School festival for the past several years, the Family Empowerment Conference and Community Rally & Clean-Up are new components of the event.
The East Aldine Management District approved a grant for Spay/Houston to provide free spay and neuter services to pet owners in the district who qualify under certain income assistance guidelines. To qualify, residents must be able to provide proof of residence within the East Aldine Management District as well as proof of public assistance, such as Lone Star card, Social Security, or unemployment. Animals serviced can be cats, dogs, and rabbits.
Pet owners who meet the criteria can either call or email Spay/Houston. Once the clinic validates eligibility, an appointment will be arranged at its Greenspoint area facility. Residents will be helped on a first-come, first-serve basis. Spay/Houston’s contact information is service@spayhouston.org or (281) 260-0015.