The National Merit® Scholarship Program has announced Klein Oak’s five finalists in the 2010 competition. Principal Ron Webster is pictured with Klein Oak’s finalists, Emily Jamieson, Elizabeth Park, Kevin Baker, Kevin Rozell, and Daniel Harrison.

Klein Oak seniors, Sarah Howard and Daniel Harrison, have been honored for their exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their community and their country, was presented by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Obama.

Klein ISD art students won nine individual nine Gold Keys and 23 Silver Keys and four Silver Keys and for portfolios in the regional art competition of the Scholastic Art and Writing program. All pieces awarded a Gold Key at the regional level will advance to the national competition in New York.

Sara Nesbit, a sixth grade student whose head is “full of ideas,” channeled that creativity into a book, Mary Wants to Be an Artist. It is available at Amazon.com, authorhouse.com, and barnesandnoble.com. A visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston with her aunt gave Sara the inspiration for her book. Mary, the main character, is patterned after Sara, and the grandmother in the book is patterned after Sara’s aunt.

Ms. Michelle McCharen, a counselor at Klein Forest High School, was selected as a 2010 Very Important Counselor (VIC) by Texas A & M University. The VIC Program recognizes the outstanding service and important work of high school counselors in guiding students on the path to college.

Building on an interest in cultures dating from her days of elementary school pen pals, Ms. Karen Kulhanek-Rochin has created a sense of community at Doerre Intermediate School where students, parents, and staff members take pride in their heritage and show appreciation of all cultures. For her success in building unity, the Anti-Defamation League is awarding Ms. Karen Kulhanek-Rochin, an associate principal at Doerre Intermediate School, the Walter Kase Teacher Excellence Award.

Benignus Elementary Students Visit Camp Write Along

Benignus Elementary School in the Klein ISD offered fourth grade students Camp Write Along as a review of the writing process.

The Klein High School mathematics, number sense, calculator, computer science, science, current events, and social studies teams participated in the UIL B competition. Klein High teams earned first place in mathematics, calculator, number sense and current events teams.

Klein Oak ninth grade student Gracie Qu is a published author. In fact, her novel My Other Half, the first in a series of seven, can be found for sale on Amazon.com.

Students from Klein High School placed tenth in the state Academic Decathlon contest. Adam Chu placed first and Lucy Shen placed second in the honors mathematics division. In the scholastic category, Tyana Markowitz placed second in the essay competition. Josh McCammon placed first in the varsity division of the mathematics contest.

Tiffany Pham and Terazha Pitts competed at this year’s State DECA Career Development Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas and were successful in advancing to the International CDC in Louisville, Kentucky. These girls received recognition for the work they have done for the 2009-2010 Klein Oak DECA Community Service Project. The project highlighted the struggles of a local Klein family whose three year old son suffered from chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction, a rare disorder that prevents him from properly digesting any food. Therefore he has to live off an IV while he awaits his “gut transplant”. Along with the organization COTA (Children’s Organs Transport Association), the girls wanted to do something for this amazing little boy and his family.

Klein Oak teacher Fayla Curry’s dance students participate in “Houston Choreographers-Generation Next”, sponsored by the Jewish Community Center (JCC).

Allison Burckhartt is a well-rounded student at Klein Oak High School where she is completing requirements to graduate in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. On campus, she consistently gains recognition for her talents in the visual arts. And off-campus, she has attained a United States Tennis Association (USTA) ranking of 23 in Texas.

The Klein Education Foundation sponsors an annual writing contest for Klein students as a part of the Culture Fest experience. The foundation provides cash awards for secondary school students and gift certificates to Barnes & Noble located in Champion Village for elementary students. On March 1, students will read winning essays at Barnes & Noble at a celebration that begins at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to the Barnes & Noble event.

When the Klein Forest Jazz Ensemble plays for the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), Mr. Ryan Barker will be the director of the 21 student members of the group. Ms. Terri Leo, a member of the SBOE invited the group to perform as the special music for the March meeting in Austin.

Klein Oak High School tenth grade students James Hatchett will attend the W. E. B. Dubois Scholars Institute for the third consecutive summer. This summer institute, held in Princeton, New Jersey, develops young leaders/scholars with a sense of community purpose who are committed to the betterment of their communities and nation.