A Giving Spirit as Big as Texas: College Collects 20,000 Cans for Food Bank

 

Students, staff, and faculty at Lone Star College-Montgomery collected and donated 20,606 cans to the Montgomery County Food Bank as part of the Maverick Give-a-Can project.

Students used a portion of the canned goods to build a giant map of Texas with the college’s location highlighted with a star.

The project is a testimony to the power of the LSC-Montgomery Maverick spirit, as the final donation amounted to more than double the original goal of 10,000 cans. Psychology professor Karen Buckman and philosophy professor Tim Cowan led the efforts; however, the entire campus (student organizations, classes, groups, and individuals) contributed. Plus, Tutti Fruitti in Conroe made a generous donation of cans.

CENTERPOINT ENERGY RETURNS AS SPONSOR OF THE WORLD OF HOLIDAY TREES AT iWOW

The World of Holiday Trees, a collection of trees adorned with ornaments to depict holiday traditions from around the world, once again enhanced the experience of International Winter On The Waterway (iWOW) thanks to the generous support from CenterPoint Energy.

The ten holiday trees were created by the students of Cunae International School, an accredited International Baccalaureate World School which presents a curriculum in step with the ever-changing world and today’s global society.

“We’re proud to support the cultural diversity of The Woodlands through this unique collection of holiday trees,” says Chris Oliver of CenterPoint Energy. “The students did a great job capturing the spirit of the holidays from around the world.”

For more information on holiday events in The Woodlands, go to www.HolidayInTheWoodlands.com or call 281-363-2447. Also, “like” The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/VisitTheWoodlands, “follow” them on Twitter www.Twitter.com/TheWoodlandsCVB and “view” them on YouTube www.YouTube.com/TheWoodlandsCVB.

A look inside one of Houston’s most luxe neighborhoods

Story courtesy of Houston Business Journal

By Shaina Zucker

A shrouded neighborhood within the Woodlands has become a place over the years where local executives and ex-athletes can find solace from prying eyes.

The luxurious neighborhood of Carlton Woods sits 7 miles west of the Woodlands Mall and, for the last 11 years, has beckoned some of the area’s top oil and gas executives and most prestigious names.

Multimillion-dollar homes sit along the manicured golf course and circle the famed Club at Carlton Woods, which ranges in membership fees from $10,000 to $110,000, depending on the classification.

From a tree high above the 18th hole in the Nicklaus Course, a bald eagle’s nest overlooks the neighborhood’s private man-made lake.

I took a golf cart ride with Paul Layne, executive vice president of master planned communities for the Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), who said the area represents a sampling of the Woodlands office market.

Read my recent conversation with him on the state of development the Woodlands.

“A lot of these owners are self-made entrepreneurs or people who have retired from business,” he said.

The most expensive house currently on the market in the neighborhood is a 30,000-square-foot, French-style home for $19 million.

Woodlands finishes dominant season with state volleyball title

Courtesy of The Houston Chronicle

By Angel Verdejo

This is the way it was supposed to end.

Four years ago, Courtney Eckenrode and Kelly Quinn walked away from the state tournament as freshmen with silver medals around their necks.

It took awhile for Eckenrode, Quinn and The Woodlands to get back. They lost in the second round as sophomores and in the region semifinals the next year.

But they returned with an even better team – the best in the country – and finished what they started. The top-ranked Highlanders swept San Antonio Churchill 25-22, 26-24, 25-17 at the Curits Culwell Center to capture the Class 5A state championship Saturday night.

The Woodlands High School Marching band wins Bands of America National contest

Via The Courier of Montgomery County

By Jonathan Garris

Parents, community leaders and fellow students are celebrating The Woodlands High School marching band’s first national title after taking top honors at Bands of America Grand National Championship in Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 16.

At the end of the competition, The Woodlands scored a 96.80, beating out Carmel High School and Avon High School, both of Indiana, according to the event’s website. The Woodlands also received awards for Outstanding Music performance and Outstanding General Effect and took first place in Class AAAA.

The competition featured 90 bands during preliminary competitions Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, band director Joni Perez said. Of those, 36 bands advanced to the semifinals Saturday and 12 bands made it to finals that same evening. Five of the 12 finalists were marching bands from Texas.

“The kids are just ecstatic about the season in general and the culmination of it this past weekend,” Perez said. “We’re all just very proud of the students and we’re proud to represent the district and the community.”

The TWHS marching band has seen plenty of success this season, as the team won the 2013 BOA Conroe Regional Championships in October and earned their first San Antonio Super Regional Championship one month later.

Band president and senior Jason Hulet said the band had plenty of momentum following these two big wins and fellow band members gave their performance at nationals their best effort.

“All of the experience we gained leading up to our final performance really showed,” Hulet said. “It was filled with more energy and emotion than any of our other performances.”

This was the sixth time that the band has been a finalist on the national level, Perez said. The band’s performance was likely bolstered by what Perez called energetic and moving performances as part of a show titled “Crossing Boundaries.”

“We used the visual images and soundscapes of trains and locomotives,” Perez said. “We tried to express a concept of a journey and moving towards something.”

MORE FASHION, MORE FUN: MARKET STREET ANNOUNCES EXTENDED HOLIDAY SHOPPING HOURS

The more than 70 fashion boutiques in Market Street – The Woodlands will offer extended holiday shopping hours, beginning Black Friday, November 28, 2013 when its stores will be open an hour earlier from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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Holiday shopping hours at the shopping, dining and entertainment destination through December 15 are Mondays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

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Shoppers can enjoy an extra hour of shopping from December 16 – 21 as Market Street stores will be open 9:00 a.m.  – 9:00 p.m.  Last minute shopping hours on Sunday, December 22 are 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Monday, December 23 are from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and on Christmas Eve from 9:00 a.m.  – 6:00 p.m.  Market Street stores will be open New Year’s Eve from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and New Year’s Day, noon – 6 p.m.   Although most stores and restaurants will be closed on Christmas Day, Cinemark Theater will be open.  For a full list of restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas please visit the Market Street website.

THE HOWARD HUGHES CORPORATION RECOGNIZED AS A TOP WORK PLACE IN HOUSTON

The Woodlands, and the entire Houston area, is abuzz with the Howard Hughes Corporation’s development of Hughes Landing on Lake Woodlands, a 66-acre mixed-use development. Situated at the heart of The Woodlands, Hughes Landing is the #1 master-planned community in Texas.

Well, as if the hype surrounding this massive undertaking wasn’t enough, today, The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) announced that its Houston division, which includes The Woodlands and The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center, placed 33rd  in the ‘large companies’ category of the Houston Chronicle’s Top Workplaces list.

Houston’s Top Workplaces recognizes outstanding local businesses based on employee surveys that measure qualities like company leadership, career opportunities, workplace flexibility, compensation and benefits.

“Ranking among the top workplaces in Houston is truly a testament to   the exceptional team at The Howard Hughes Corporation,” said Paul   Layne, Executive Vice President of Master Planned Communities. “We   are very pleased with the recognition and will continue striving to be an   employer of choice for our team members.”

With nearly 742 employees in Houston, The Howard Hughes   Corporation owns, manages and develops two of the largest and most   acclaimed communities in the area – The Woodlands and Bridgeland –   both listed as top-selling master planned communities in not only Texas, but the nation. Within The Woodlands, Carlton Woods offers luxurious, custom homes in a private golf community and The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center provides guests resort-style amenities, well-appointed accommodations and high-tech conference facilities.

The Howard Hughes Corporation was established in 2010 and recently celebrated its third anniversary – making it the youngest of the organizations listed within the ‘large’ category.

“Cars & Coffee for a Cause” Pays off in Big Way

Change collected in the voluntary parking meters at Market Street – The Woodlands and at The Woodlands Car Club’s “Cars & Coffee for a Cause” paid off in a big way for Emergency Ministries, a non-profit organization that provides on-scene chaplaincy service to EMS, fire, paramedic and police agencies.

WWAC ANNOUNCES CALL TO ARTISTS TO DESIGN UNIQUE BENCHES FOR PROJECT

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council (WWAC), through its community outreach program, Because Art Matters! (BAM!) is accepting applications to an artist competition for eight unique art bench designs to be installed along The Woodlands Waterway in 2014 as part of The Woodlands Art Bench Project.

BUY-ONE, GET-ONE-FREE TICKETS TO THE WOODLANDS ICE RINK AVAILABLE AT XFINITY SERVICE CENTER

Ice skating at The Woodlands Ice Rink can be twice as fun, thanks to buy-one, get-one-free tickets to the Ice Rink available at the Xfinity Service Center, 1501 Lake Robbins Drive.

The buy-one get-one-free Ice Rink offer is available at the Xfinity Service Center from November 23, 2013 – January 20, 2014.  The center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.