North Channel Star

North Shore stuns Westfield with Hail Mary field goal, wins 24-21

Sep 19, 2019

North Shore’s field goal kicker John Villalobos split the goal posts defeating Westfield as the clock expired 24 -21.

By Allan Jamail

Friday, September 13, 2019 at the Galena Park ISD football stadium, the North Shore Mustangs came from behind late in the fourth quarter to tie the game 21 to 21. A Westfield fumble gave North Shore the ball with less than a minute. They moved the ball within field goal range for kicker John Villalobos, who kicked the game winning 3 points in a thriller, beating the Westfield Mustangs 24 -21.

It’s not over till it’s over. In a similar game ending play, North Shore won the Football State Championship over Duncanville from a Hail Mary Pass, 41-36. (more…)

Protesters on Hartman Bridge arrested

Sep 19, 2019

GREENPEACE protesters hang from the side of the Fred Hartman Bridge in Baytown last Thursday, with colorful flags blowing in the breeze to call attention to their stunt. Protesters chose this location because it is over the Houston Ship Channel where much of the ship traffic is oil tankers. The timing of the protest was the same day as the Democratic debate in Houston, meant to call attention to the need for environmental and energy regulations to reduce on-going climate change.

BAYTOWN – A group of young men and women from the Greenpeace movement chose last Thursday, the day of the Democratic debate in Houston, to stage a dramatic protest by dangling over the side of the Fred Hartman Bridge, suspended over the ship channel where oil tankers normally move.

There were 11 protesters hanging from ropes below the bridge rail, and another 12 on the bridge helping them.

On the Greenpeace USA Twitter page, they stated that they were protesting the fossil fuel industry, and trying to block the oil tankers exporting in the channel below. The Coast Guard said they had closed about one-half mile of the channel for safety reasons. The protesters are dangling about 100 feet above the water. The bridge is 180 feet above the water. A fall could be deadly, they were warned.

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New Cloverleaf Elementary School Ribbon Cutting

Sep 19, 2019

By Allan Jamail

Houston, TX. – A year and a half after the ground-breaking ceremony (on May 22, 2018), the New Cloverleaf Elementary School, located at 1035 Frankie Street, held its Ribbon Cutting Dedication Ceremony on Sep 12, 2019.

The new school had its beginning in 1935, when Romanus F. and Frances Nadolney arrived in the North Shore area of Houston. They envisioned having a community and school near the 1,000 acres they bought. They began selling lots, creating the subdivision community of Cloverleaf. In 1942 the Nadolneys donated 6.5 acres of land to the Galena Park school district, for a new elementary school named Cloverleaf Elementary. It opened with 256 children and has been remodeled many times since to provide for the increase of attendance.

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LyondellBasell to mobilize hundreds of volunteers for Global Care Day, Sept. 21

Sep 19, 2019

Volunteers from numerous LyondellBasell locations in the Greater Houston area will take part in this year’s Global Care Day, a community service program. Staff from LyondellBasell’s more than 100 sites or locations around the world will donate their time, effort and energy to support sustainability projects in the areas where they live and work.

LyondelBasell’s Global Day Care will be Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 in Houston from 8 a.m. – noon. Locations include:

• Bayport Complex, Armand Bayou Nature Center – 8500 Bay Area Blvd.
Projects: Replace trail fencing, refurbish dip netting pond and set up nature library
Number of volunteers: 80

• City of Shoreacres – Shell Beach and Miramar Beach
Projects: Beach cleanup and removal of invasive vegetation to allow visitors to enjoy the beach area
Number of volunteers: 10

• Channelview Complex Adopt-A-Road – 8280 Sheldon Road, Houston, TX 77049
Projects: Cleanup along Sheldon Road in front of Channelview Complex
Number of volunteers: 20

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Grant will allow expansion of East Harris County bus service

Aug 29, 2019

Service to include Channelview, Cloverleaf, and Sheldon and connect with La Porte, McNair, Highlands, Crosby and Baytown

Public Meetings Set for input from riders

Harris County Transit Services has received a $3.8 million dollar Community Development Disaster Recovery Block Grant (CDBGDR) to expand its fixed route bus service to some of the communities hardest hit by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey.

Five new routes are proposed to specifically serve individuals in areas damaged by Hurricane Harvey. They will serve the communities of Channelview, Cloverleaf and Sheldon with approximately 70 miles of additional service for a three-year period. Service start-up will require public meetings take place first. The public is asked to participate and voice their needs.

Two of the three planned public meetings have been set as follows:

• Tuesday, September 10, 2019
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Leon Grayson Empowerment Center
13828 Corpus Christi St.
Houston, TX 77015

• Thursday, September 19, 2019
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Flukinger Community Center
16003 Lorenzo St.
Channelview, TX 77530

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Manuel Escalante new Principal at GPISD’ Woodland Acres Middle Schoo

Aug 29, 2019

By Allan Jamail

The Galena Park Independent School District (GPISD) announced for the 2019-2020 school year Manuel Escalante as the new principal at Woodland Acres Middle School.

Serving as Assistant Principal with Escalante are Lakeisha Washington and Diego Merino, and Sandra C. Andrade-Reed as Counselor.

Principal Escalante has 20 years of experience as an administrator and educator. He’s been selected as Teacher of the Year, State finalist for the HEB Principal of the Year award, and numerous other recognitions.

Escalante said, “I served as an educator in the Channelview School District for sixteen years, and four years in the Laredo School District. My last two years there, I served as the principal of JC Martin Jr. Elementary School, in which the school became one of only thirteen schools to receive the prestigious 2019 National Blue Ribbon nomination for exceptional performance in closing the achievement gaps.”

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Jacinto City’s food distribution day brings out hundreds

Aug 29, 2019

Volunteers Oziel Salinas and his wife Irasema Salinas, Keep Jacinto City Clean Vice-President and Lupe Gomez handing out free food. (Photo by Allan Jamail)

By Allan Jamail

Jacinto City, TX. – On August 23rd, hundreds of area residents came to get free food at Jacinto City’s distribution point, the city’s Town Hall, located at 1025 Oates Road.

Adele Brady, Director of Marketing and Communications at Houston Food Bank (HFB), said their nonprofit organization supplies the food to their Jacinto City Community Partner (on the fourth Friday of every month) and a network of 1,500 other Community Partners.

“Last year we provided access to 104 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast Texas that included food pantries, soup kitchens, social service providers, and schools,” Brady said.

Mayra Loera, Capacity and Operations Manager for the HFB, encourages anyone interested in setting up a new distribution point as a Community Partner or receiving food assistance help to contact info@houstonfoodbank.org.

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Sheldon ISD celebrates opening of new stadium

Aug 29, 2019

School Officials and community members at ribbon cutting of new Sheldon ISD stadium.

Sheldon ISD celebrated its second ribbon cutting in two weeks as the new Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium was officially unveiled to the entire community on Wednesday.

Superintendent King Davis thanked everyone for coming out to celebrate this special occasion, which was part of a $285 million bond package voters approved in May 2016.

“This wonderful new 10,000-seat stadium will start a new chapter for our coaches, athletes and fans,” Davis added.

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San Jacinto Pilot Club installs new leadership

Aug 29, 2019

San Jacinto Pilot Club’s recent officer installation. Pictured in the photo (L-R): Karen Westbrooks, Julie Fallin, Joan Van Fleet, Carolyn Roberts.

The San Jacinto Pilot Club installed their new officers for the 2019-2020 Pilot year in June. Co-Pilot Jerry Fallin was the installing officer for the evening’s banquet, held at Iguana Joe’s in Crosby.

Officers for the 2019- 2020 year, which begins July 1 are: Julie Fallin, President; Joan Van Fleet and Carolyn Roberts, CoSecretary; and Karen Westbrooks, Treasurer. We wish all these officers the very best of luck this Pilot year.

The San Jacinto Pilot Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month at noon at the Amegy Bank building on I-10 (near Federal Rd.). Membership is open to men and women in the community.

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Sheldon ISD holds ribbon cutting for new Sheldon Lakes Elementary

Aug 22, 2019

Sheldon ISD Superintendent King Davis cuts the ribbon to officially open the new Sheldon Lake Elementary campus. (Photo by Derek Moore)

SHELDON – The Sheldon ISD Board members, administrators, dignitaries, teachers, students and community members participated in a ribbon cutting at the new Sheldon Lakes Elementary, last Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 6:00 pm. All who attended enjoyed learning about the new 21st century learning opportunities at this new school.

The campus is located on the Beltway 8 feeder road, just south of Garrett Road.

The principal for Sheldon Lake Elementary is Christopher Dickson, formerly the principal at Sheldon Early Childhood Academy.

Architect’s rendering shows the exterior entrance of the new elementary that opens this fall. The building is just one of the new projects for this fast-growing district.

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NEW PRINCIPALS – A SERIES: Marcus Morrow is new principal at Joyce Zotz Ed. Ctr.

Aug 22, 2019

By Allan Jamail

The Galena Park Independent School District (GPISD) announced for the 2019/2020 school year Marcus Morrow as the new principal for the Joyce Zotz Education Center.

Principal Morrow brings to his new position 18 years of academic experience as a teacher, at-risk specialist and assistant principal at the Zotz Center. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and a Master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

The Joyce Zotz Education Center (JZEC) specializes in the accomplishment of students being able to obtain their educational goals through non-traditional settings. GPISD’s goal is to provide students a valuable and worthwhile education in a caring but well disciplined surrounding that they may not be getting from their home campuses.

Morrow said, “Parents with children can attend our night classes, and we’ll provide child care while the parent is in class, much like a normal day-care center does.”

The center was named after Joyce Zotz, who joined GPISD as a business teacher in 1956. Over the next 47 years she held numerous positions ranging from teacher to campus principal. Ms. Zotz had a vision for better meeting the needs of students who did not seem to fit the mold of regular classroom. She advocated for those students who often “marched to the beat of a different drum.”

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