Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Newspring awarded each of five students with a $5,000 scholarship recently at the annual Student Art Auction, each one an “impressive student working to make a better future for herself and her family,” according to release from the organization.
 

Receiving scholarships were:

• Daniela Cruz, Northbrook High School, who will study geosciences and studio art at Stephen F. Austin State University.
• Emalee Higgins, Northbrook High School, who will study graphic design and fine arts at Sam Houston State University.
• Sandra Melgar, Northbrook High School, who will study the arts at Bryn Mawr College.
• Alicia Villalta, Northbrook High School, who will study science at the University of Houston and hopes to pursue a career in a medical field.
• Natividad Mosqueda, a University of Houston-Downtown senior pursuing a degree in mathematics and art with a certification in secondary education.

The scholarships were funded through an original donation from the now-closed First Baptist Church of Spring Branch and sales of large butterflies over the past 18 months.

The butterflies, on display various places around the Spring Branch-Memorial area, are five-feet across and “as unique as the artists who create them” – art students and teachers who bring to life designs submitted by art classes and professional artists.

Spring Branch ISD schools that decorated the aluminum butterflies include Buffalo Creek, Housman, Ridgecrest, Sherwood and Terrace elementary schools; Landrum, Northbrook and Spring Woods Middle Schools; and Memorial, Northbrook and Spring Woods High Schools.

“When we imagined this project, we chose the butterfly because it’s a symbol of transformation,” said Robert Westheimer, chairman of Newspring, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to making a positive social and economic impact in the

Spring Branch area. “(T)hese butterflies will transform our community landscape, and the proceeds will fund scholarships for at-risk students and transform their lives.”

Some of the butterfly “kaleidoscope” (a swarm of butterflies) can be seen at Memorial City Mall. Other butterflies have made their way to other points across the district.

Sponsorships ranging from $7,500 to $50,000, are available. Contact Robert Westheimer at rwestheimer1@comcast.net for more information.