Kids

Buzz Kidz by Jordan Kassab, age 13

February 2012
Jordan Kassab, a seventh grader at The Kinkaid School, dances with the Little Dippers in front of thousands of professional-basketball fans about 15 times each season.

Don’t Stop the Hip-Hop

For as long as I can remember, I have been dancing. Like most little girls, when I was a toddler, I studied tap and ballet for a year or two. But, then a new style of dancing came into my life; that new style is hip-hop.

I love hip-hop because I can move with the music …

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Buzz Kidz by Edward Morris, age 17

January 2012
Edward Morris, a junior, is an IT expert at Lamar High School.

On an IT roll

When I came to Lamar High School as a freshman in 2009 I could never have imagined that I would one day work as an employee of the school district. I had always had an interest in computers and the way things worked, and I had spent much of my time at St. John’s middle school working …

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Buzz Kidz by Charlie Brennig, age 9

December 2011
Charlie Brennig, a River Oaks Baptist School fourth grader, hopes to swim at the college level one day.

A Fish in the Water

I began swimming the day I turned 2 years old. My parents wanted me to learn how to swim in case I fell into a pool or lake. After a few months of swim lessons, I passed the float test and thought my lessons would end. I was wrong! Some days I enjoyed swim lessons, …

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Buzz Kidz by Laura Laughead, age 13

November 2011
Second Baptist Middle School eighth grader Laura Laughead is in costume for a school production of Peter Pan.

A Real Showstopper

Yes, I am a drama queen. My father has always called me one, but now after the numerous productions I’ve been in, I must finally admit I love drama.

Last year, for the Second Baptist Middle School production of Peter Pan, I was a Lost Boy. Earlier this year, I played Mark Twain complete with a …

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Memories of Halloween Costumes Past

October 2011
Harry Potter

Were you one of those gung-ho Halloween kids? The ones who bravely pushed their way up past the spider webs and creepy music strung on the front porches, despite the fact that some overhyped dad in a zombie costume was going to jump out from a dark corner?

Or maybe you were more like me – the girl in the …

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Buzz Kidz by Françoise Wagner, age 14

October 2011
Awty International School student Françoise Wagner helped create the teen-produced film Adrift.

Almost Famous

I’ve always wanted to challenge the saying that only one in a million gets the chance to be famous in film or in music. I’m a harpist and play the prima balalaika, a three-string Russian instrument, in The Houston Balalaika Society. I also perform in hand bell choir with my mother at Second Baptist Church, and this past …

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Are Our Kids Too Dependent?

October 2011
Are parents, trying to be helpful, making their children fragile? (Photo: ##http://istockphoto.com/diane555##istockphoto.com/diane555##)

At parents’ night at my son’s school, I could have sworn that when the principal got to the part in her speech about not doing your children’s homework for them and allowing them to make their mistakes, her eyes fastened on me.

All parents wonder at times whether they are doing enough – or too much – for their children. …

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Buzz Kidz by Madeleine Moorhead, age 17

September 2011
Madeleine, a twelfth grader at St. John’s School, bonded with many of the children when visiting an orphanage in China.

Big hugs for little kids

Three years ago, my family became involved in Show Hope, a Christian non-profit that cares for special-needs orphans in China. Maria’s Big House of Hope is a special-care center in China that houses children whom the official state orphanage does not have the resources to support.

After organizing several fundraisers, my family and I were …

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Kids in Service

September 2011
Rachel Houston poses with a friend during her mission trip to the Parish of Santisimo Sacramento in Piura, Peru.

Last year, my son and I were introduced to the concept of required community-service hours. He had to do 12 hours of them to pass the sixth grade.

You will, perhaps, not be surprised to learn that we forgot all about those hours until a week before they were due.

During our last-minute search, we discovered many opportunities for kids …

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Is College Worth It?

September 2011
Evan Mintz, pictured at Rice University, wonders if law school was the right choice. The $240,000 price tag represents the amount Evan paid for his education.

PayPal cofounder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel recently made headlines for critiquing the “education bubble,” the newest ridicule-worthy institution since the housing bubble popped.

Higher education is overvalued, underwhelming and elitist, according to Stanford-educated Thiel. That’s why he created the “20 Under 20” Fellowship. He selected 20 young “visionaries” to drop out of college and receive $100,000 to pursue an …

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Retro Fashion

August 2011
Kirby Sinclair’s dress was made by her great-grandmother for her great-aunt and later worn by Kirby to her own graduation. Michael Levine’s retro styles, including shoes, are often obtained from Value Village. (Photo: ##http://www.scottkohn.com##www.scottkohn.com##)

What’s Old is New Again

I recall my parents shaking their heads at some of my fashion choices when I was a teen, critiquing them as “so old fashioned.”

Now my daughter is hunting through my closet. Too bad for her that I am not much of a pack rat.

It appears I’m not the only one whose yesteryear items …

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Buzz Kidz by Stephen Firestone, age 18

August 2011
Stephen Firestone strives to amuse, shock and inspire his audiences with each film he makes.

Lights, Camera, Action

Sometimes inspiration can come in the form of a small, semi-aquatic mammal. Of course, this statement requires further explanation. When I was 14 years old and on vacation in the Canadian islands of Georgian Bay, Ontario, I had the good fortune to stumble upon a mink. As I watched the unusual creature skip across the rocks and …

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Back Porch – Children’s Bedtime Routines

August 2011
Joe Sutton and his daughter, Megan Sutton-Reed, get a kick out of passing down their favorite bedtime story, Wanda and the Oblahlahs, to Megan's son Brady.

August is so strange. It’s still 100 degrees outside and sunny well into the evening hours. But somehow we’re supposed to turn our minds to new semesters, school clothes and earlier bedtimes. Even if we don’t have school-aged children, all ads focus on fall, and workweeks get a bit more pumped up.

In my family, our most profound adjustment is …

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Academic Redshirting

August 2011
St. John's School graduate Cameron Steele went to T. H. Rogers School for the sixth grade and then repeated the grade when he entered St. John's the following year. Although he was resistant at first, ultimately he was pleased with the consequences.

They are two of life’s certainties – children grow up, and parents worry if they’re making the right decisions about their education. Some pending moms and dads feel compelled to make critical school choices as soon as they learn their child’s due date. The result of this planning is a growing number of older kids in class who have received …

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The Summer of Busy Kids: Last Minute Escapes

August 2011
Six-year-old Asher Golub floats happily in Hamilton Pool.

This is the third in a three-part series on out-of-the-box ways to keep kids busy and happy this summer.

Summer’s winding down, and there’s a big question looming – how are we going to make the last few weeks count? If you’ve already breezed through your summer wish list and vacations are memories in a scrapbook (or if you’re like …

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