Kingwood student uses innovative ways to raise money

Kingwood resident Nick Moilanen serves a customer some lemonade in efforts to raise money for his trip to study in China.


By JENNIFER SUMMER
Updated: 02.24.09
Waving to cars, Kingwood resident Nick Moilanen serves lemonade, coffee and doughnuts to passing motorists and residents
running past to raise money for a trip to China.

For two weekends in February, Moilanen greeted residents and served refreshments to help raise money for the trip where he plans to study Chinese in Beijing this summer.

“My brothers and I had a lemonade stand after 9/11 to raise money for the Red Cross and it was very successful,” Moilanen said.

“I have studied Mandarin Chinese for the equivalent of three years - two in Singapore and one at Concordia Language Villages Immersion Summer Program - so traveling to China to study would be amazing and beneficial.”

Moilanen’s first choice of programs is through Stanford University and he is still waiting on word of whether he has been accepted yet.

If he is not accepted to the Stanford program, Moilanen will travel to China to study with China Quest.

“My brother studied Chinese and loved it, so that inspired me to study Mandarin and it is an intricate and fun language. It is much different than the basic languages people study,” Moilanen said.

Additionally, the Kingwood High School junior has a passion for the language and traveling as he has lived in Dubai, South Korea, Japan and Singapore, though he has always considered Kingwood home.

Besides the lemonade stand, Moilanen is also completing odd jobs around houses in the community like mowing yards, walking dogs and doing chores to help raise the $10,000 he needs to make the trip.

One of the weekends Moilanen had set up his lemonade stand, several other kids set up an orange juice stand across the street from him.

“I was not sure what to think at first but when I was about to close up my stand, I walked over and bought some orange juice to help their cause also,” Moilanen said.

“When I got my juice, they gave me $20 to help me go to China and they even had a sign that said, ‘Raising money for that kid to go to China.’ They were raising money for me. I was very honored and surprised.”

Moilanen is very active at Kingwood High School including involvement in National Honor Society, junior varsity football, orchestra, UIL math team, Model United Nations and he is an Eagle Scout. He will be attending the United States Air Force Academy Summer Seminar this summer as well.

Moilanen and his family should find out in the next couple of weeks if he was accepted for the Stanford program but until then Moilanen will be working hard to raise money.

“I have received a lot of support from the community thus far and I am very excited,” Moilanen said. “It will be fun to use everything I have learned on my trip to China; I cannot wait to go.”

For those interested in donating

E-mail nickslemonadestand@yahoo.com.

Tiger Woods is back!

A NERVOUS Brendan Jones, looking every bit the underdog, walked across the putting green at Dove Mountain towards Tiger Woods and extended his hand.

"Good luck, mate," Jones said to the world's No1 player, probably knowing that fortune needed to flow the other way.

No one gave the Australian more than a Christian's chance in the Colosseum of surviving the most anticipated return in memory; most notoriously the American journalist who, as the pair teed off at the Match Play Championship yesterday, opined loudly that there were only nine holes to go for a 10&8 Woods victory.

"I gave him a bit of a spray," Jones, 33, said, although after Woods began majestically with a birdie and conceded eagle for a fast two-up lead, "I thought, well, maybe he's right."

Woods, who had been away from professional golf for eight months after a knee reconstruction, looked better than ever and the record will show that he won comfortably, 3&2, to progress to today's second-round match against Australian Open champion Tim Clark.

But the truth isn't quite as apparent. After his sublime beginning, Woods started missing irons to the right. On the par-three 3rd hole, Woods went into the sandtrap right of the green and left Jones the perfect opportunity to get back into the match. But Jones hit a simple chip thin, and could only match Woods' bogey.

Woods went on to make two more bogeys - on the 5th and 7th holes - but Jones only took advantage of one. He cut the deficit to one hole but immediately gave Woods a further cushion by not getting up-and-down on the par-five 8th. Woods kicked into gear again on the back nine and after a second eagle on the par-five 13th, Jones could only delay the inevitable.

In the end, Woods tapped in a short par putt on the par-three 16th after an exquisite bunker shot to seal the victory.

"When he got four-up with four to play, I told people that's where I wanted him, but it didn't work out that way," Jones joked. "I'm quite happy I didn't disgrace myself."

In that sense, Jones said he'd had nightmares about being embarrassed.

"I've been lying in bed each night thinking about if I do play Tiger, how is (it) going to be and it's always worse when you're in bed. You're always thinking the worst when you're lying in bed."

Woods was surprised with how quickly he got back into his routine. "It felt like nothing had changed, walking down the fairway, and it felt like business as usual," he said.

"I thought I would be more nervous on that first tee. It just came down to playing the game again, and that felt good."

Woods said his knee held up well although it was sore, as the doctors had told him it would be.

Woods did not putt very well but much of that was down to the speed of the greens. He said they were the slowest he'd ever played on the US Tour, but they are necessarily so because of the perilous slopes.

"If they had them to normal Tour speed, they would be unplayable," Woods said.

Of the eight Australians who began the tournament, only two remain, Geoff Ogilvy - a past champion - who needed 19 holes to down Kevin Sutherland, and Mathew Goggin, who upset American Kenny Perry, 2&1.

"More holes than I wanted to play after being two-up after 16, but I played a horrible shot on 17 and three-putted and then he made a great birdie on 18 and then I got let off the hook a little bit, he had a three-putt on 19," Ogivly said.

Rod Pampling was hammered 7&6, by Camilo Villegas, but the others all lost close matches. Adam Scott played well but was beaten one-up by rising star Sean O'Hair.

Stuart Appleby was poor all day but lipped out a birdie on the last which would have taken Germany's rising star Martin Kaymer to extra holes while Robert Allenby also lost one-up, to Ross Fisher.

Aaron Baddeley trailed England's Paul Casey all day.

Harris County to sponsor hazardous waste collection

Humble to sponsor household hazardous waste collection

By OBSERVER STAFF

The city of Humble has teamed up with the Harris County Watershed Protection Group in providing residents with the opportunity to safely dispose of hazardous household waste in an environmentally responsible way.

In addition, participants will receive information on less toxic alternatives to common hazardous household products and can also receive free items at the reusable products booth.

In preparing materials for transport to the collection site, residents are asked to adhere to the following guidelines:

Whenever possible, bring products in their original, properly sealed and labeled containers

Do not mix products

If the container leaks, pack in a larger container and use absorbent, such as cat litter, to soak up leaks

If you do not know the contents of a container, mark it “unknown”

If possible, place materials in cardboard boxes

Place materials in areas away from drivers and passengers

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway

COST: free

INFO: call Cheryl Burton-Fentress, Harris County Program Manager, at 713-290-3000, e-mail cburton@swq.hctx.net, or log on to www.cleanwaterways.org

What to bring

HAZARDOUS WASTE: fertilizers and pesticides, paint and paint related products, motor oil and filters, antifreeze, gasoline and fuels, household cleaners, solvents, car batteries, pool chemicals

RECYCLABLES: aluminum cans, all plastics, newspapers, magazines, phone books, cardboard, up to five automobile tires per household

ELECTRONIC WASTE: televisions, computer monitors, laptop computers, CPUs, printers and scanners, fax machines, cell phones, stereos, VCR/DVD players

What not to bring

Business waste, medical waste, radioactive waste, PCBs, dioxins, ammunition, explosives, compressed gas cylinders, smoke detectors, washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, household trash

Humble ISD takes concerns to Austin

Originally posted in The Observer: Kingwood

By COREY L. TURNER
Updated: 02.18.09
Kingwood resident Ted Mandel has seen his share of legislative committees make trips to Austin. But even he had to admit that Humble Independent School District’s Feb. 10 trip to the capital was a special occasion.

“Over the years, I’ve never heard the kind of comments I’ve heard coming out of this most recent trip,” said Mandel, who has served on Humble ISD’s Legislative Committee for more than five years.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but there may actually be some money coming this time. Legislators are really listening and you can tell they want to help.”

Mandel didn’t make the trip to Austin, but several dedicated members did, led by Legislative Committee Chairman Charles Cunningham and fellow board members Dan Huberty and Robert Scarfo.

While in Austin, the committee met with several legislators including Sen. Tommy Williams, who serves on the Senate Education Committee. Williams has been a constant supporter of addressing the public school financing issue. The committee also met with Sen. Dan Patrick, Rep. Debbie Riddle, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Rep. Joan Huffman, Rep. Joe Crabb and Sen. Royce West.

Superintendent Dr. Guy Sconzo was pleased with the feedback the committee received while in Austin.

“Our state-elected officials were extremely responsive to our needs,” Sconzo said. “It was very encouraging that they expressed a sincere willingness to work this session to change the funding system and add new money for schools as a bridge to the 2011 legislative session, when there is a strong intent to completely fix state funding for schools.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also met at length with representatives from Humble. The meeting lasted more than an hour and Sconzo stated that Dewhurst showed “exceptional understanding” of the financial crisis and issues facing Humble and other school districts across the state.

“We must continue to work diligently to keep our needs and the importance of fixing the state funding system for schools right in front of all our state-elected officials throughout this legislative session,” Sconzo added.

Read this entire story at www.thekingwoodobserver.com

“They are hearing us and we just need to keep it up.”

The district’s next trip to Austin will be Feb. 26 for the Parent Teacher Association rally at the capital, and the next committee meeting will be March 9 at the Humble ISD Administration Building.

Kingwood Swimmers Dominate!

Orginally posted on Kingwood Now:

The Kingwood High School Swimming and Diving Team cruised to a first place finish in District 19-5A competition on Feb. 6 at Atascocita High School.

The top six swimmers in each individual event qualified for the Region V meet Feb. 12-13 at the University of Houston.

Kingwood racked up the points winning all the relays. The Mustang girls set district records in the 200 yard medley relay (Jillian Vitarius, Merritt Krawczyk, Dannye Osburn and Jamie Friderichs), the 200 yard freestyle relay (Osburn, Friderichs, Kim Summers and Michelle Gean) and the 400 yard freestyle relay (Summers, Krawczyk, Vitarius, Gean).

Medals were awarded for the top three individual finishers. The Kingwood girls swept up all the medals in each race. Taking one, two and three respectively were: 200 yard freestyle (Summers, Vitarius, Rachel Berude); 200 yard individual medley (Krawczyk, Danielle Meara, Rachel Martin); 50 yard freestyle (Friderichs, Osburn and Shannen Wehrman); 100 yard butterfly (Osburn, Wehrman, Martin); 100 yard freestyle (Gean, Berude, Friderichs); 500 freestyle (Summers, Caitlyn Luhrs, Rachel Lu); 100 yard backstroke (Vitarius, Gean, Lisa Swank); and 100 yard breaststroke (Krawczyk, Meara, Kathryn Hartwig). Freshman Vitarius was named female swimmer of the meet.

The boys accomplished a medal sweep in the 500 freestyle (Jones, Mitch Glander, Blake Briscoe) and 100 backstroke (Ryan Glander, Hayden Polenz, Robert Harrison). Jones added a silver medal in the 200 IM with Briscoe taking the bronze. The Mustang boys went one-two in the 50 freestyle (Austin Wilson, Kyle Sorge) and 200 freestyle (Ryan Glander, Will Oswald). Wilson was also district champion in the 100 free with Polenz in third. Medalists in the 100 breaststroke were Taylor Kneisley with a silver and Evan Dalton with a bronze. Steve Ciliske earned a bronze medal in the 100 butterfly.

In diving competition, junior Loren Figueroa won the 1 meter event – just missing the district record she set in 2007.

2 die in Montgomery county plane crash

HOUSTON - A plane crash in southeast Montgomery County killed a couple Thursday afternoon.

Daniel Boyd Williams, 59, and Rheta Lynn Williams, 58, were flying a twin-engine, four seater, beechcraft baron plane when their plane crashed into a field on Holly street near Moss. They were attempting to land at Williams Airfield, a tiny air strip nestled between several houses in rural southeastern Montgomery County.

Witnesses said the plane was about 50 feet off the ground when it climbed and then banked sharply to the left and then crashed through the trees.

The wreckage narrowly missed a house, coming to rest about 50 feet from the back door. No body inside the home was injured, but the Williams were killed upon impact.

Investigators said the couple was flying in to see their daughter, who was scheduled to pick them up from the airfield. The daughter hadn't yet arrived when her parents' plane had crashed, but she has been informed of their deaths.

The accident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation and Safety Board.

LSC-Kingwood’s Education Expo on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009

Originally published on Kingwood.com


Don’t miss this opportunity to win countless giveaways. Free food, entertainment, and childcare for ages 4-12 are all part of this showcase event to be held in the Student Center/Fine Arts Building from 4 to 7 p.m.

Individuals have a variety of goals when they consider continuing their education. For some, it is a graduate degree while others want to complete an undergraduate degree that was sidetracked by employment or family obligations. Many are ready to start a college program for the first time and others are interested in specialized certificate programs.

This free information and registration fair gives prospective students and their families an efficient and convenient way to learn about the programs that fit their needs and goals available at LSC-Kingwood such as university transfer courses, one- and two-year career programs and student services.


LSC-Kingwood offers a wide array of associate degrees, which are two-year programs, and certificates, some of which require as little as one semester of study. Both prepare students to enter to the workforce in career fields where employees are in demand. Each of these career programs are not only led by faculty who have recently worked actively in that field, but are guided by an advisory board of local business owners who make sure the skills students are learning are those sought by employers.


Choose from degrees and certificates in the following areas: Business Management and Leadership, Logistics, Management, Professional Office Technology, Legal Office Technology, Computer Technology, Networking Computer Programming, Computer Applications, PC Helpdesk, Visual Communication, Computer Gaming, Cosmetology, Facial Specialist, Facilities Management, Interior Design Technology and Health Science Professions -- Dental Hygiene, Medical Office Technology, Medical Transcription, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, and Respiratory Care.

New library will transform readers across community

Source: JENNIFER SUMMER/Kingwood Observer
Updated: 01.29.09


Tucked back into the woods, the new location for the Kingwood Library will fit into its surroundings and provide a little bit of everything for the community.

With large windows overlooking a forested landscape, spacious meeting rooms, specialized rooms for teens and kids and more room for books, the new library has plenty of amenities and special features to offer.

“We are very excited about the new library because we will have so much more to offer our guests and we have something for everyone,” branch manager Christie Whittington said.

The Kingwood branch was first constructed in 1983 and was dedicated Aug. 21, 1983, only a few days after Hurricane Alicia.

Now, almost 26 years later, the community as well as the library has continued to grow; thus the new location, near Kingwood Town Center, is expected to be completed and ready for business this December.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the new location was held Dec. 13 and welcomed Mayor Bill White, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, City of Houston Councilman Mike Sullivan, Lone Star College-Kingwood President Dr. Katherine Persson and many other community members.

“Though we have been in this location for many years, it will be kind of sad to move on but the new location will have so much more and we are very excited,” Whittington said.

The schematic plans for the new library illustrates large windows overlooking the green space and spacious rooms to accommodate library patrons.

The design for the building leaves 70 percent of the site as a forested green space and will consist of two floors and 30,000 square feet. The library will be situated on a 9.12-acre tract of land in the circle of Bens Branch Drive off of West Lake Houston Parkway.

“We will have meeting rooms, a children’s activity room, conference room, four study rooms and more parking spaces. We are thrilled about more parking and rooms for people to meet and get things accomplished,” Whittington said.

Additionally, the new location will have a pick-up and drop-off window where guests can pick up books they have placed on hold or drop off books they are finished with.

“This will be great for busy moms with young children,” Whittington added.

As a new addition, the library is adding a teen room with books that appeal to teens, and the designers’ vision is to have about four screens in the room where teens can play games, watch DVDs and other things.

The new location will also have its own special room for members of Friends of the Library Kingwood which was formed in 1978 and was instrumental in Harris County providing a library for Kingwood.

Their special room will be a place where people can volunteer and also look at books that have been donated to FOLK and the group can have its quarterly used book sale.

The library currently hosts video gaming for teens every Thursday featuring “Rock Band” on Xbox 360 and there is also a Nintendo Wii. The library plans to expand on that at the new location.

“I am always so proud and excited because our teens and the community use the library well. Teens will come in and pull tables together to work on projects or enjoy spending time with each other,” Whittington said.

There will also be quiet rooms, computer rooms, study tables and a computer training lab where guests can learn how to use computer programs and current social networking tools and websites.

The colors have already been picked out for the library and are very natural tones, reflecting the natural surroundings of the community.

“Libraries should be full of life and we are glad to provide these services for the community,” Whittington said.

The current location of the library will be renovated and transformed into a community center for special meetings and celebrations.

“The new library is going to be wonderful and we have such great plans like our special programming,” Whittington said. “They have already started working on the site and we are just very excited about the new Kingwood Library location and everything it will bring each of us.”

More info

Call 281-360-6804 or log on to www.hcpl.lib.tx.us/branchinfo/kw/kwinfo.htm.

FOLK Used Book Sale

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 7, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

WHERE: Kingwood Branch Library, 4102 Rustic Woods Drive, Kingwood

HOW MUCH: 25 cents to $3

INFO: president@kingwoodfolk.org

Capital Improvement Project Meeting Wednesday,

Article courtesy kingwoodnow.com

Council Member Mike Sullivan is hosting a Capital Improvement Project Meeting Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at Creekwood Middle School, in the auditorium. The school is located at 3603 Lake Houston Pkwy Kingwood, TX. Sign in begins at 6:00 PM, with the CIP presentation beginning promptly at 6:30 PM and ending at 8:30 PM.

Please join representatives from various City of Houston Departments presenting upcoming projects for District E. There will also be a question and answer session afterwards to hear your ideas and thoughts on CIP Projects. CIP Request forms will be available at this meeting.

Council Member Sullivan encourages residents to attend. "This is an opportunity for us to bring government to the citizens and their neighborhoods. I would like to extend a personal invitation for everyone to attend and see their local government at work, see how their tax dollars are being spent, and allow them the chance to have meaningful input to the process", said Sullivan.
If you have any questions please contact Council Member Sullivan's office at 832.393.3008.

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