Spring Branch ISD Featured News

 

Northbrook High School graduate Homero Perez Flores spoke about the impact that the Chapelwood Foundation has had on his life during a recent scholarship award luncheon hosted by a community-minded, local church-based group.

The former Northbrook student graduated from the University of Houston (UH) and now is a student in the UH College of Optometry.

“If I could describe the impact that the Chapelwood Foundation had on my education in one word, it would be the word blessing. Personally, having the support of such a great foundation motivated me to go out every day and take care of business,” he said during remarks made at the “Path With a Purpose” Scholarship Luncheon hosted on Oct. 18 at Chapelwood United Methodist Church.

Since its beginning in 2005, Chapelwood’s Foundation Scholarship Program has given approximately $950,000 in scholarships to about 200 area student scholars to provide much needed assistance to help them reach their higher education goals.

Earlier this fall, 51 students who have graduated from SBISD high schools received an initial foundation scholarship or continuing scholarship. (View SBISD’s statistics below.)

The foundation scholarships target identified, high-performing Houston area high school students who lack the financial resources needed to attend college, or to take their next step to higher education. The scholarships are offered for the student’s entire college or university experience. They are renewable if the student maintains a 2.5 GPA and is also involved in a community service project. 

The biannual scholarship event honors recent recipients while building awareness of the local church group’s transformative community outreach program.

 

This year’s keynote speaker was Kenny Baldwin, president and founder of SpringSpirit, a Houston-based local nonprofit providing safe pathways for at-risk youth to realize life goals and opportunities through sports, education and mentoring programs based on a faith group’s undergirding Christian principles.

SBISD Community Relations Office Linda Buchman also spoke at the luncheon on the strong partnership between SBISD and the Chapelwood congregation and the specific way that this scholarship program fills a void for students and enhances community.

“Spring Branch ISD is incredibly grateful that Chapelwood United Methodist Church and its members place a high priority on investing in the education of our 35,000 students. The foundation’s deep and sustained generosity to fill both financial and resource gaps through college scholarships and hands-on mentoring from early childhood to college readiness assures that more of our graduates fulfill their potential and helps our students transition from hopelessness to hope,” Buchman said.

All students in Chapelwood’s Foundation Scholarship Program have a personal tie or connection to a church member or ministry. Most students, like UH’s Homero Perez Flores, are from the long-running Collegiate Challenge Program based at Northbrook High School.

The Collegiate Challenge Program’s adult mentors help students navigate the college admissions and scholarship application process, which can be daunting for those who are first-generation college goers. Student applicants must show high levels of school and academic achievement as well as financial need.

In addition to SBISD graduates, scholarships have been awarded to those graduating from Cypress-Fairbanks, Katy and Aldine ISD high schools.

At the recent luncheon, Foundation Executive Director Teresa Cannon said she had the privilege of “walking beside and glimpsing the amazing character of these hard working, motivated, courageous students as they daily take the difficult steps to move beyond the limitations imposed by poverty and life circumstances.”

“They are changing the world for themselves individually, as well as for their families for generations to come, as many are the first in their family to attend college,” she said.

Chapelwood Foundation Scholarships: By the Numbers

Students receiving Fall 2018 Foundation Scholarships – 67 

SBISD graduates receiving Fall 2018 Foundation Scholarships – 51

Foundation Scholarships by SBISD high schools:

• Northbrook High School – 43
• Stratford High School – 2
• Memorial High School – 3
• Spring Woods High School --
• Westchester Academy for International Studies – 1

Total Awards for SBISD Graduates for Fall 2018 Semester – $58,871

Scholarship awards are renewable each semester based on students earning a 2.5 GPA and participating in some type of community service project.

Colleges represented:

The University of Houston and Texas A&M University reflect the highest amount of awarded scholarships. Other colleges and universities represented include Prairie View A&M, Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, Houston Community College, Texas State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Lone Star College, Baylor, UH-Downtown, Blinn College, Sam Houston State, Pomona College (Calif.), The UT Health Science Center, Houston Baptist, Texas Southern, Texas State Technical College, College of the Mainland, The University of Arkansas, University of North Texas, UT-Tyler, LaSell University (Penn.) and Franklin and Marshall (Penn.)

Student Majors:

Education (all levels), architecture and interior architecture, nursing, business, engineering, biotechnology, biology, photography, environmental geology, dental assisting, kinesiology, criminal justice, psychology, chemical engineering, public health, finance, animal science, sports management, Chicano/Latino studies