Press Releases
- LAMAR SENIORS WIN BIG AT 2008 PROM
- Lamar HS Robotics Competition Press Release
- MYP Personal Projects Exhibition 2008 - Press Release
- Press Release for Luncheon 2008
- Lamar Teacher of the Year Has Recipe for Success
- Lamar Band Earns 41 First Division Medals
- Lamar Honors Sixty-Seven IB Diploma Recipients
- Loading Dock Productions Presents the Little Shop of Horrors
- Two Lamar Students Selected to Perform in Texas All-State Choir
- Lamar Leaders Prepare for the New Year and Beyond
- LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS ANNUAL FRESHMAN ROUND-UP PART II
- Groundbreaking for New Playing Field for Lamar’s Softball Team
- The Spirit of Giving
- Lamar Swim Helps Community Partners Help Each Other
- Lamar Gives Thanks to Community Partners
- Lamar Student Receives Perfect Score on SAT
- Lamar Honors Scholars
- Lamar Band Wins First Place
- Lamar High School to Hold Annual Freshman Round Up for Prospective Students and Parents
- Lamar High School Celebrates 70 Years
- Grandparents’ Day to Kick-Off Lamar’s 70th Anniversary
Lamar Teacher of the Year Has Recipe for Success
March 13, 2008 - Dorothea Polydoros never imagined that her Home Economics degree would land her Teacher of the Year at Lamar High School after three short years. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Polydoros is an alumnus of Westbury High School and Baylor University. After graduating college, Polydoros proceeded to finding what she believed was happiness. She obtained many jobs in the retail business over eight years and next worked in the commercial real estate business for approximately eighteen years. As her real estate business was winding down, Polydoros felt a sense of emptiness in her heart. She then decided it was time to give back to kids and the community. Upon getting her teaching certification, Lamar was also seeking a Culinary Arts teacher; she applied and was hired the next day.
Polydoros stated that starting her Culinary Arts classes with 220 students was a bit overwhelming. Considering she had to start from scratch, the program took off with the awesome support of the PTO, administration and Principal James McSwain. Setting her goals and standards high, the class started with making fruit smoothies and eventually prepared foods from all food groups. Continuing to reach her high goals, last summer Polydoros was instructed she would be opening a restaurant at the school to be run by the students. Polydoros was shocked and then put one foot in front of the other and with that boomed success. Café Mirabeau, named after Lamar’s founder Mirabeau B. Lamar, and later shortened to Café M, opened to all teachers at Lamar with a menu consisting of made from scratch soups, salads, parmesan chicken with a buerre blanc sauce and French apple galette just to name a few. Everything is prepared by the culinary classes and is opened for two weeks at a time. With all these accomplishments for Polydoros, nothing was as rewarding as when two of her students were accepted into culinary schools, and five more are applying.
Along with being Teacher of the Year, Polydoros hopes to become Houston Independent School District Teacher of the Year and State Teacher of the Year with her philosophy, “Get excited about teaching!
Lamar Band Earns 41 First Division Medals
February 12, 2008 - The Lamar High School Band attended the Region 23 UIL Solo & Ensemble Contest on Saturday, February 9, 2008, at Morton Ranch High School in Katy and brought home 41 first division medals. Congratulations to all band students on their accomplishments!!!
Receiving a medal for a Superior, First Division rating on a Solo:
Ashley Fusilier, Kate Kirages, Katherine Sandhop, Ashley Augustino, Leslie Cabrera, Lauren Anderson, Gustavo Morales, Madeline Sandhop, Paul Bunch, Emily Velasquez, Joann Lagunas, Blake Niccum, Jesse Oliva, Joey Arrazolo, Xavier Eldridge, Aaron Castro, Kevin Marotzke, Bryan Hardin, Jonathan James, Taylor Clem, Kieran Copley
Receiving a medal for a Superior, First Division rating on an Ensemble:
Ashley Fusilier, Kate Kirages, Katherine Sandhop, Leslie Cabrera, Lauren Anderson, Madeline Sandhop, Fredy Bonilla, Joann Lagunas, Emily Velasquez, Paul Bunch, Jesse Oliva, Blake Niccum, Allison Dietert, Jonathan James, Olga Galvan, Taylor Clem, Bryan Hardin, William Paschall, Kieran Copley, Ryan Brock
Lamar Honors Sixty-Seven IB Diploma Recipients
January 16, 2008 – Lamar High School started the New Year with a big hooray as they honored sixty-seven of its 2007 graduates who also earned the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. This is the largest number of IB diploma recipients in Lamar’s history. Lamar’s IB Program, now in its 24th year, leads the pack in earning the highest number of IB diploma recipients than any other Texas high school. In addition, the Lamar IB Program is ranked 8th in the United States and 12th in the world. The recipients were honored at the annual IB Diploma Ceremony at the Westin Galleria Hotel on January 7, 2008. Dr. Abelardo Saavedra, HISD Superintendent of Schools, was this year’s keynote speaker.
A few of the recipients who were not available to attend the event were represented by their parents or grandparents. The 2007 IB diploma recipients include Lindsay Aldrich, Jacqueline Arevalo, Blane Barker, Rebecca Barnett, Lauren Baughman, Emily Brents, Asasia Carter, William Collie, Phoebe Cooper, Ross Couvillion, Melanie Cruthirds,Christine Culotta, Cassady Davidson, Grace Fletcher, Joe Franco,Victoria Garcia, Chelsea Glover, Kristine Greive, Erin Holt, Michael Hurta, Lauren Ibarra, Ali Irani, Courtney Jay, Andrew Kennedy, Jan-Dirk Kieback, Jordan Kincaid, Jennifer Kovacs, Christopher Lange, Sian Leach, Zachary Lebovitz, Alexander Levy, Erica Lokken, Rebecca Long, Aixa Lopez, Juan Macias, Yaniv Maman, Devin Nath, Scarlet Neath, James Newman, Hoa Nguyen, Anh Vu (Robin) Nguyen, Nancy Nguyen, Grant Niccum, James Nimri, Christopher Nunu, Jairo Portillo, Antonio Quintanilla, Sonja Radovancevic, Joel Rajan, Leah Robbins, Samantha Roe, Isabelle Rowdon, Dulce Salazar, Jackson Sandeen, Raphaela Sapire, James Sayre, Sawyer Sellers, Daisy Soriano, Gregory Story-Lindstrom, Mariam Tejeda, Jacob Tice, Marianne Tiutan, Frederick Tuthill, Zachary VanBrunt, Cassie Walker, Zihe (James) Wang, and Rebecca Young
Loading Dock Productions Presents the Little Shop of Horrors
A beautiful woman, a nerdy man, and an outrageous and man-eating talking plant. Can the three of them ever make this crazy relationship work? Lamar Loading Dock Production Company presents Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken in the Lamar theatre on February 20, 21, 22, and 23 at 7:30pm and the 24th at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults. Come and see if they can live together in peace.
Come see Noni Culotta, Sam Mayer and Jasmine Thomas as Audrey, Seymour, and The Plant, Audrey Two. Other cast members include Megan Duncan, Shelby Smolen, and Liliana Ruiz as the sassy trio, Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronnette. Kevin Culver plays the stingy shop owner, Mushnik. Orin, the demented dentist and Audrey’s abusive boyfriend, is played by Russell Traylor. Also included in the cast are Katie Sayre, Becca Sayre, Chris Frugé, Maggie Vaughn, Taylor Broomas, Diane Gennity, Elena Vann, and Jonelle Walker. The stage manager is Sarah LaMond and the assistant stage manager is McKenzie Hull.
Two Lamar Students Selected to Perform in Texas All-State Choir
January 11, 2008 – As part of theannual 2008 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention, a professional organization of 10,000 school music educators headquartered in Austin,Lamar High School Chorale members Kortney Johnson and Devin Walker, both seniors, have been selected to perform with the Texas All-State Choir in San Antonio on Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The All-State recognition is the highest individual musical honor in the state a student can receive. This is the first time for both Kortney and Devin to perform as members of a TMEA All-State organization. The students were chosen for this honor through a competitive process of auditions held across the state at District, Region and Area levels beginning fall 2007 to arrive at the state level. This year, 14,558 students entered TMEA Region vocal contests, which were used in leading to the All-State selection. A total of 504 All-State Choir members were selected. The annual TMEA Clinic/Convention will be held February 13-16, 2008. Over 22,000 people from Texas and beyond will attend over 200 workshops, 60 concerts and visit over 1,100 exhibit booths at this nation’s largest music educators’ convention.
The TMEA, an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in music education, is the sponsor for annual All-State auditions and tryouts. This year, over 1,500 students were selected through a process that began with over 55,000 students from around the state who entered the All-State competitive process vying for the honor to perform in one of the 13 assembles, which includes bands, orchestras and choirs. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 28 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in seven TMEA Area competitions. Only the highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. These All-State students participate in three days of rehearsals directed by nationally-recognized conductors during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event held in February 2008 to a close.
Devin Walker is the daughter of Debra and Reginald Walker and Kortney Johnson is the daughter of Veronica Johnson. The Lamar Chorale is under the direction of Scott Houston and Gail Land, who are members of the TMEA.
Lamar Leaders Prepare for the New Year and Beyond
January 10, 2008 - From collecting toys and food for the needy to sending care packages to our soldiers, Lamar leaders are there to help others and each other. With over 70 clubs and organizations offered at Lamar High School, leaders of each group have united to lend support to every group’s present and future plans to help local and world-wide causes. This school-wide initiative is one that Principal Dr. James McSwain implemented at the beginning of the school year. To accomplish this goal, all leaders from every club or organization at Lamar meet with the principal once a month to discuss upcoming plans and projects from each group, as well as to discuss school-related issues and concerns. With this merge of leadership, student leaders now have ownership in the school’s extracurricular activities, and this united front can be passed on to future leaders and students at Lamar. The meetings are the under the direction of Student Council sponsors Ms. Linda Harrison, Mr. Taron Jones and Ms. Angela Rice.
LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS ANNUAL FRESHMAN ROUND-UP PART II
January 10, 2008 – Lamar High School is gearing up for next year’s freshman students as they will host the annual Freshman Round-Up Part II on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on the school’s campus, located at 3325 Westheimer. Lamar offers over 70 clubs and organizations, and there’s something for everyone’s interest at Lamar!
All incoming 2008 freshman and parents are invited to learn about campus life, fine arts and athletic programs, as well as club and organization membership opportunities. Attendees will get a first-hand look at all of the activities that await them Fall 2008, as current Lamar students will be on hand to perform and discuss how to get involved at Lamar!
For additional information, please contact the Main Office at 713. 522. 5960.
Groundbreaking for New Playing Field for Lamar’s Softball Team
December 21, 2007 - Lamar’s softball team will have a new playing field for their upcoming season. The playing field, known as Zeke Field, is located on the campus of the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, located at 4701 Dickson. The two high schools will share the field, but Lamar’s softball team will use it as its primary practice and playing field. Carol Mosteit, principal of High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, welcomed Lamar principal, Dr. James McSwain, Coach Brenna Guthrie, HISD Athletics administrators Darryl Wade and Marmion Dambrino and softball parents Cindy and Bill Hinckley to the official groundbreaking on Friday, December 21st. Batter up!!
The Spirit of Giving
The Lamar Marketing Co-op formed an organization called Helping Hands Foundation 4 years ago, which involves students collecting toys for children who are less fortunate during the holiday season. All donated items will be taken to the St. John's Academy Downtown on December 7th. Students are given difficult challenges during this process such as tracking inventory, solicit for sponsors, wrap all new gifts and sort accordingly by age group, and meeting company deadlines that are set forth by the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
This is a great real world learning experience for the students. Students are formed as a company. The company consists of a Chief Executive Officer, Jorge Limon, Vice President, Jahlisa Turner, Marketing Director, Raven Britt, Public Relations Director, John Lastovica, Merchandising Director, Tanisha Boston, and a Logistics Director, Stephan Sexton.
Lamar Swim Helps Community Partners Help Each Other
Shown in photo: (l to r) Doug Threeton with Bethany Christian Church and the Lamar Swim Team
November 30, 2007 - Ready. Set…Go! Area high school swim teams entering the Lamar High School “Redskin Relays” showed their competitive spirit both in and out of the pool this past Thanksgiving season after being challenged to create a “Horn of Plenty” Thanksgiving basket for deserving families, in lieu of paying an entry fee to participate in the swim meet. The food collected exceeded what Lamar would have made in entry fees, which is usually estimated at $800 from each team. Each team vied for the best basket in both quantity and presentation. The food baskets were donated to Lamar’s community partner Bethany Christian Church, located at 3223 Westheimer. Doug Threeton, the Bethany Christian Church Office Manager, picked up the baskets, but had to make two trips. Each time, he loaded his car to the brim with turkeys and all of the holiday trimmings imaginable. From there, the food baskets were delivered to the Christian Service Center who was ecstatic to be able to serve so abundantly the dozens of hungry people in the waiting room as well as others who would come later. Participating swim teams from area high schools included Westside, Clear Creek, Galena Park, North Shore and Alvin. The Lamar swim team is under the direction of Coach Stephen McDonald.
Lamar Gives Thanks to Community Partners
Shown in attached photo from left to right: Mr. Richard Hogan, president and CEO of Solvay Chemicals; Ms. Joan Karff, Director of Women on the Way Up; Dr. James McSwain, Principal of Lamar High School; Ms. DeAnn Englert, PTO president; Rev. Brad Stagg, Senior Minister Bethany Christian Church
November 29, 2007 – Lamar High School joined in to thank its community and business partners at the Houston Independent School District’s annual Partnership Breakfast held on November 20th at the InterContinental Hotel. The theme of the 2007 Partnership Breakfast was “Promises Realized Through Partnerships.” Lamar’s partners included Richard Hogan, president and CEO of Solvay Chemicals. This is the second year for Solvay Chemicals to participate in Lamar’s Mentor program, under the auspices of Communities in Schools (CIS). In an effort to form a partnership between the community and the schools, CIS has been a part of Houston’s schools for 24 years. It is dedicated to helping children succeed in school and life so they will stay in school, graduate and go on to successful careers. The Solvay Chemicals’ volunteers act as mentors for Lamar students. Each employee/mentor is assigned one student whom they get to know and help in any way possible, from tutoring to just listening. Joan Karff, Director of Women on the Way Up, is another partner whose company is also involved in mentoring young ladies at Lamar. Ms. Karff, a Houston community leader and patron of the arts, leads the group of young ladies in preparation for college, careers, and knowledge of the arts. The girls meet weekly during the last class period of the day. At the end of the Women on the Way Up program, students who have fully participated in the meetings and activities throughout the year are awarded a $1,000 college scholarship. Bethany Christian Church, under the leadership of Rev. Brad Stagg, has been a long time community partner of Lamar High School. Located across the street from Lamar, Bethany Christian Church lends a helping hand wherever and whenever needed, from assisting with parking and testing site accommodations to sponsoring faculty and staff appreciation lunches.
Lamar Student Receives Perfect Score on SAT
November 16, 2007 – Lamar High School senior, Krishna Kulkarni, proved practice makes perfect after receiving a perfect 800 on all three parts of the SAT math, verbal and writing sections, totaling a perfect score of 2400. Krishna attended Windsor Village Elementary and Lanier Middle School before entering. He is an IB diploma candidate and the current salutatorian for the class of 2008. He is involved in many extracurricular activities both on and off campus including Model United Nations, Russian Club, Key Club, Ultimate Frisbee (co-captain), and Speech and Debate (co-captain). This year, as co-captain for the Debate team, Krishna helped his teammates to victory by taking first place at the Alief-Elsik Invitational tournament. Last year, he competed in the Ultimate Frisbee All-Houston competition and won the state tournament. Krishna enjoys weightlifting, reading, spending time with friends, and playing the piano. He also finds time to work part-time at Potbelly Sandwich Works and freelance tutor. Krishna would like to attend Princeton University, where he plans to study mathematics, physics, or possibly political science
Lamar Honors Scholars
November 8, 2008 – Lamar High School recently honored 45 of its students who earned the status of finalists in the 2008 National Hispanic Recognition Program; Semifinalists and Commended in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program; Semifinalists and Outstanding Participants in the 2008 National Achievement Scholarship Program. The following recipients were honored at the annual Scholars’ Breakfast held at The Houston City Club:
National Hispanic Recognition Program Finalists -Cameron Albin, Steven Bhutra, Kyle Caid-Loos, David Cisneros, Daniel Gonzales-Luna, Vivian Graves, Ryan Sanchez
National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists- Thomas Downs, Krishna Kulkarni, Benjamin Miller, Patty Soong
National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalists- Aurra Fellows, Brooke Kelley, Jasmine Thomas
National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students- David Barron, Melissa Beasley, Jonathan Berger, Shelby Bottoms, Kyle Caid-Loos, Claudia Casbarian, Taylor Chen, Carlye Ferrill, Katherine Koehler, Michael Krocker, Stephen Liu, Layne Piper, Allison Rea, Ashley Reed, Ashley Savage, Joseph Steed, Jena Tavormina, Robert Tysor
National Achievement Scholarship Outstanding Participant Students: Sonya Brooks, Erica Butler, Monica Eaton, Kayla Haynes, Jardin Joyner, William Kelly, Stacy Lenior, Khashad McBean, Eliyah Omar, Jonathan Osei-Kuffour, Jarrett Scott, Lauren Taylor, Joseph Warren
Lamar Band Wins First Place
The Mirabeau B. Lamar High School Marching Band competed at the U.S. Scholastic Band Association’s Texas State Marching Band Championship on Saturday, October 27, 2007. They took first place to be named the USSBA Class II Texas State Champions. Their competition show derives from the music from the opera “Carmen”, by Georges Bizet, arranged for marching band by Key Poulan. Drum majors for the Lamar Band are Stephanie Watson, senior, and Jesse Oliva, senior. Directors for the band are Chad Collins, Nathan Fink, Michael Acosta, and Areef Bhuyan.
Lamar High School to Hold Annual Freshman Round Up for Prospective Students and Parents
Lamar High School will hold its annual Freshman Round Up Night Part I “Academics at Lamar” for all fall 2008 incoming freshman and parents on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 in the Lamar auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. All prospective parents and students who are interested in learning more about academics at Lamar are welcome to attend this informative session. Freshman Round Up Part II “Clubs and Organizations” will be held January 29, 2008 for all prospective students.
Click here for the flyer!
Grandparents’ Day to Kick-Off Lamar’s 70th Anniversary
October 9, 2007 – Lamar High School will begin its homecoming week activities with Grandparents’ Day on Monday, October 29th, starting at 10:00 a.m. in the school’s auditorium. All grandparents in the Lamar community, including Lamar alumni who are grandparents of students currently attending Lamar are invited to join in the festivities on Grandparents’ Day. Grandparents will be welcomed with a reception at 10:00 a.m., followed by a program with performances by the Lamar fine arts students. Campus tours will be offered by the PTO, immediately following the program. Parking and special needs assistance will be available. Lamar’s homecoming week will culminate with the 70th anniversary celebration on Saturday, November 3rd, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. School-wide activities are planned, including a Choralettes’ Reunion Show.
To register for Grandparents’ Day or to get additional information about Lamar’s 70th anniversary celebration, please call the PTO office at 713.522.5960 ext. 352 or the Communications office at ext. 338.
Lamar High School Celebrates 70 Years
September 10, 2007 - Lamar High School will celebrate is 70th Anniversary on November 3, 2007 with an Open House from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. All alumni, teachers, and staff from the last 70 years are welcome to attend. There will be food, fun, entertainment and campus tours, followed by the big homecoming football game against Bellaire High School at 2 p.m. at Delmar Stadium.
The Lamar High School Alumni Association has planned a very special day to celebrate Lamar’s unique history and is very anxious for alumni, former teachers and staff, and parents to attend this celebration. There will be time set aside for classmates to visit with each other and their teachers and friends from other classes. There will be tours of the school to see the new improvements. Entertainment in the auditorium will include the famous Choralettes, a special singing group from the 50’s-70’s, and other performances by today’s dance, orchestral, and choir groups. Historical trophies, photos, and other memorabilia will be on display.
Lamar High School opened its doors for the first time in September 1937. It housed 1500 students in grades 10 and 11.Westheimer was a shelled road and River Oaks had just a few homes. Since that time, over 30,000 graduates have passed through the halls. Some of Lamar’s notable graduates include: Jack Blanton, Linda Ellerbee, Walter Fondren, Jeanette Clift George, Lisa Hartman, Fred Hofheinz, Johnny Holmes, Ned Holmes, Francie Mendenhall, Paula Prentiss, Peter Roussel, Jaclyn Smith, Tommy Tune, Mark White, Marvin Zindler, and hundreds of other graduates who have been important to the business, political, medical, legal, scientific and non-profit organizations in Houston and other parts of the United States. Lamar has had a remarkable history and continues to produce graduates who will be important to the future of our city and our country.
For additional information, please Lamar’s Alumni Director, Fran Callahan, at 713.522.5960 ext. 359.
