Articles for April, 2008
TAKS Test Sign Language
My fourth grader came home demonstrating the signals that her teacher taught the class to use in an effort to keep the classroom silent during TAKS testing. I LOVE this teacher.
This means I need a tissue:
Hey, Oncor, We’ve Got 600 Kids in Here
This cafeteria working mom isn’t the only one upset about Oncor’s odd timing.
Smack dab in the middle of serving lunch to 600 kids AND while the 4th grade was still immersed in the TAKS test, some dumba** from the utility companies decided that it was a good time to work on the power poles in the Amherst/Stanford alley and shut off power to the school. Since this plunged the kitchen and all cooking equipment into darkness, I marched my happy a** across the street, through a construction site of befuddled workmen building a house and screamed at the power guys to turn it back on. This was particularly noteworthy since I was wearing my cafeteria visor, UP Elementary apron and rubber clothes as I hollered at them. If my child doesn’t get into Harvard, I’m suing someone.
Another mom wrote in about the same issue and asked:
doesn’t someone in city hall look at this stuff and say wait a minute, there’s an elementary school in full swing at 11:10 AM…do it late this afternoon???
Good point, I mean they did know about it.
Sound Off On HPISD Schools
The district will soon be asking for your opinions. You’re welcome to give them a preview of what you’ll have to say, below in our comments section:
Highland Park ISD will invite parents to provide feedback on topics ranging from curriculum to school safety through an online survey that will be distributed via e-mail May 12.
This is the first comprehensive online satisfaction survey HPISD has conducted.
Go Crazy, Poetry Fans
The Highland Park High School Literary Festival has announced its keynote speaker for next year:
2008-2009 Literary Festival To Feature U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins
The keynote speaker fo rthe 2008-2009 Highland Park Literary Festival will be Billy Collins, United States Poet Laureate 2001-2003. Collins is a Distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York. He has published eight collections of poetry and his next, entitled “Ballistics,” will be published later in 2008.
The festival, scheduled for February, 2009, began in 1995 as a collaboration between interested parents and the HPHS English Department. For more than a dozen years, HPHS students have enjoyed meeting, working with, and learning from distinguished authors, including George Plimpton, Doug Wright, Michael Chabon, Kaye Gibbons, Tim O’Brien, Russell Banks, Anchee Min, and Scott Simon.
Laura and Jenna Bush Visit St. Monica Catholic School
Students at the St. Monica Catholic School got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Wednesday when First Lady Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna visited the school to read their new children’s book, “Read All About It!”
The appearance is one of many the duo is making around the country to push the new book, the story of schoolboy Tyrone, a notorious class clown that hates to read, that is until he discovers how fun books can be. (more…)
HP Plays Host to St. Mark’s Tonight
The Highland Park boys lacrosse team will take on St. Mark’s in a North District semifinal game at 7:30 tonight at Highlander Stadium.
The other semifinal has Plano playing at Episcopal School of Dallas at 7:30 tonight.
The winners will square off in the district championship game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Mark’s.
HP beat Plano West, 21-1, in the semifinals on Monday, while St. Mark’s beat Southlake Carroll, 16-3.
Scots Hope to Keep on Rolling
The Highland Park baseball team enters the playoffs on Friday on a bona fide roll.
The Scots (28-5) have won seven straight games, including a tie-breaker for second place in 10-4A with Forney (15-12), entering Game 1 of their bi-district series against Frisco at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Scotland Yard.
The winner of the series will face Texarkana Texas High (24-3) in area.
Game 2 is at noon Saturday at Frisco. If necessary, Game 3 will be 30 minutes after Game 2.
Stars Looking for Knockout Punch
The Dallas Stars will try to complete a sweep of the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series at 8 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas, which leads 3-0, picked up a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory last night. The crowd was incredible last night, bringing excitement and energy that rivaled the old days of playoff hockey in Reunion Arena.
Looks like a Stars-Red Wings conference finals will happen. Thank goodness at least one team of the big four in this town can win a playoff series.
Avery Is Out
This breaking news alert says Avery is moving on. Good luck Coach!
If I Die, I Want to Come Back a Spoiled Pooch
And that’s the honest truth. All day I could lie around the mansion and have people scratch my back, feed me treats, and take me for the daily leisurely stroll.
Now, there’s even more of a reason to be man’s best friend: shopping. On May 8 from 6-8pm, lucky dog barkery is celebrating its grand opening in The Plaza at Preston Center with a party followed by a two-day shopping event May 9-10.
Of course, if I come back a beloved canine, I want to be the first of the bunch.
Overachiever Alert, Part 2
This picture of the Highland Belles Drill Team was taken a few Fridays ago during the off-season boot camp. Just because there’re no football games to perform at, these girls still train all year long. They’re up at the crack of dawn training at 6:45 a.m.
We at PCP have our own training regimen that requires us to be up early. Merritt is usually staking out a spot at Kuby’s (see the ad in the background?) before the sun comes up. She’s there gathering valuable information for her column and sending us blog gems like this.
Thanks to Stacey Furst, 2008-2009 Highland Belles publicity chair, for the photo.
Crescent Spring Celebration
It was a really fun party up until the torrential storm that blew through Dallas. Thanks to the group of Overheardians who ponied up to attend the party with me. As promised, I’m outing them here.
Left to right: Jane Gordon, yours truly, Judy Sillers, Christy Nicolas, Kim Clow. Photo by Jerry McClure.
Recycling the Recycling Issue in UP
Because I know you Overheardians can’t get enough talk about recycling, and because there were apparently some unanswered questions still, I asked Steve Mace to weigh in again.
Bottom line: Any resident can purchase additional blue recycling bins from the city of UP, if they believe one isn’t sufficient. The city would prefer that residents not purchase non-approved cans or bins on their own, since it would force sanitation crews to have to make a decision about what’s recycling and what’s trash.
For more detail from Steve, (more…)
You Gotta Love ‘The Misanthrope’
I had the pleasure, along with my sister, of being the guest of one of the performers to attend The Misanthrope last night at the Dallas Theater Center. Our own Glenn Arbery will have the full review in Friday’s paper. I certainly think it’s worth seeing, even if at times the rhythm of the lines (all in rhyming couplets) and the extreme cold of the theater’s air conditioning lulled me into a daze.
My sister, herself an actress (got her master’s at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater, on a full-ride scholarship), mentioned a slight criticism of the stage lighting during half-time, and I admit it bugged me the rest of the show. But even these minor concerns melted away whenever the play’s anachronistic theme song was heard. Terrific fun.
Now, if only parking at DTC hadn’t been such an unpleasant experience.
UP Residents Don’t Recycle Much
I asked Steve Mace, the official spokesman for the city of UP, to address some questions that came up in our discussion about the new recycling program. His arguments make sense. I hadn’t thought about how much an open-top bin can contain:
Based on collection figures from 2000-2007 (tonnage and cubic yard figures), the average U.P. household recycles about 1.98 gallons per week, per home.
Does Lakewood Hate the Park Cities?
In light of our discussion about our love of the Park Cities, a forum-browsing Overheardian shares a link to a online discussion forum in which a fellow going by the name of “Lakewooder” says:
I have more than enough money to live in HP - but I don’t want to be around those types. The way they treat others is despicable and by criticizing them I am not revealing my own shortcomings (IMO) - I am calling them out and asking them to be ashamed.
Re:Mustangs Must Cross Hillcrest to Slurp Beer
SMU couldn’t have done this even if Turner wanted to. With UP being dry, it would be very difficult to get the proper permits to allow this sort of thing on campus. I don’t realistically see this as a viable option anyway, since most upperclassmen don’t live on campus anyway.
University officials need to ease up on the pressure on the fraternity bus parties, however. Groups, including, but not limited to fraternities, are going to have functions at bars regardless of the rules, and busing students to parties from campus is a much safer alternative to the literally hundreds of students that attend these functions.
Even for students that don’t live on campus, that extra time waiting for the bus and then the bus ride back to campus is invaluable to helping students stay safe.
Buy Our Photos
I’m thrilled to announce to you, our loyal readers, that photos taken by People Newspapers staff can now be purchased through our website, here. (From our main news page, just click “photo galleries.”)
Not only can you receive photos of various sizes, you have the option of placing the photo on puzzles, coasters, mugs, T-shirts, basketballs, or even a ceramic tile mural.
Check it out.
Mustangs Must Cross Hillcrest to Slurp Beer
SMU President Gerald Turner gets all nutty about partying. He’s making it tough to drink on campus or cut loose on Thursday nights.
Gerald, are you really Baptist? Just checking.
To the Mustangs, Kuby’s (a really short walk from campus) serves a HUGE cold beer.
The Skit
We had one of our three weekly rehearsals last night (yep, I said 3) and it’s not looking so good for me. I mean this is a complex production. I have to memorize two dances (one is rap) and make sure that I don’t stab the mom next to me with the 44 inch pencil we use as a prop. I’m really frightened.
I hope that video is prohibited.
Relocation Advice Needed, Help This Overheardian
An out of state, soon to be Dallasite Overheardian needs help with her relocation.
I am been reading everything I can about Dallas for the past few months as my husband has taken a great new position with a company there.
We have had our kids in wonderful private schools here (equivalent of an Episcopal or Greenhill School) — which is something many people [here] do with the not-so-great condition of our county’s public school system. The kids will be starting 10th and 5th grades when we finally get to Dallas.
My big dilemma is private or public. From a couple very short trips to Dallas, I know that I prefer the “in town” areas. I love the ambiance of the Park Cities and the idea of a nice public school is great.
Should we try the private school route in Dallas and have a broader area in which to house hunt — Preston Hollow, etc.?
As an avid reader, I know you have four kids and, I believe, your oldest is soon to enter 5th grade. From your experience, which route would you recommend?
Any insights would be appreciated.
Palm Trees Cause a Stir
Since the original post about the palm trees I’ve received a great deal of feedback. As it turns out, I’m not the only one puzzled by the creative landscaping. The trees seem to be causing quite a buzz around the neighborhood. Not that there’s anything wrong with palm trees in the yard of a country-ish cottage in Dallas- it’s just unexpected.
An Overheardian tells me that the new owner responsible for the palm tree operation is a local realtor. No. Way. Can such odd landscaping hurt resale?
By the way, there are more in the back yard!
Justice Delayed
These are the best of times and the worst of times for the Dallas County justice system.
On the one hand, a man by the name of James Lee Woodard, who was held in prison for 27 years, was exonerated today based on DNA testing that shows he was wrongly convicted. That’s the good news. The bad news is that a man was held in prison for 27 years for a crime he didn’t commit, and he was the 17th man in Dallas County to be released after DNA testing proved his innocence. That’s 17 people unjustly imprisoned, and the Dallas County District Attorney’s office itself, in this case, suggests that evidence that would have helped Mr. Woodard’s case was improperly withheld from the defense.
Don’t think for a second that these 17 were the only ones wrongly convicted. These are just the first 17 to be exonerated.
Dallas County citizens should be glad that some of these injustices are being examined, but we should also shudder to think how many mistakes have been made. Prosecutors have an awesome responsibility.
Happy Dale Earnhardt Day!
If you haven’t already guessed it, I’m a pretty big NASCAR fan, and for us race fans, today is a pretty special one.
By declaration of Governor Rick Perry, today, April 29, is Dale Earnhardt Day in the great state of Texas. (more…)