DISD trustees were briefed this afternoon on Version 5.0 of the 2011-12 budget, and I’m trying to make heads or tails of it. For example, I see that the Dealey Montessori Vanguard is losing two FTEs, aka full-time educators, aka teachers. But elsewhere in the massive document (search for “Dealey”), it says the school is going from 4.5 Montessori teachers to 3.0 Montessori teachers.

Andrea Polito Photography

Mr. and Mrs. David Carruth of University Park are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lane Elizabeth Carruth, to Robert Frank Hawkins Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Frank Hawkins of Del Rio, Texas.

The bride is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lenox Carruth of Highland Park and the late Mr. and Mrs. Carl Alexander Freeze of San Angelo, Texas.

The groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Hawkins of Carrizo Springs, Texas, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Walter Vincent Welsh of Buna, Texas.

The couple plan to exchange vows Aug. 13, 2011, at El Monte Sagrado in Taos, N.M.

Loren Collins, son of Tom and Susan Collins of University Park, graduated cum laude in the top 10 percent of his graduating class from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. He received a Jurisprudence Doctorate during commencement exercises held there May 14.

A member of the Harlan Society, Collins will spend the summer studying for the bar exam and working at a criminal-defense firm in San Antonio.

Third-graders Ashley Owens, Emma Merriman, Emily Caplan, Sara Mohammad, and Kerri Rosenthal, collectively known as Hand in Hand Help Japan attracted a crowd every morning for their bake sale. Photo courtesy of Greenhill.

If you need to raise money for a cause, I can think of few better ideas than selling sugary treats. No need to reinvent the wheel, just whip some butter, flour, and eggs together, add a dash of sugar and people will come running.

Students at Greenhill saw this lesson of economics and human nature unfold earlier this month as they raised more than $2,600 for relief efforts in Japan. To read more about their project, check out the press release after the jump. Read More…

Four Preston Hollow-area students were among the more than 2,900 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities announced today by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

• The University of Alabama awarded scholarships to Ursuline senior Haley Malin and homeschooler Sara Omador.
• Kenyon College awarded a scholarship to Greenhill’s Erin Ginsburg.
• The University of Chicago awarded a scholarship to St. Mark’s senior Shashank Mittal.

So we’re poring over the court documents Unfair Park posted Monday about Episcopal School of Dallas teacher Nathan Campbell’s alleged affair with a student. And for all its tragic elements, the story contains some amusing legal-speak.

My favorite note so far regards ESD’s claim of charitable immunity, which would allow it to cap damages at $500,000. Here, the plaintiff-family’s attorney compares a soup kitchen to the menu at the school’s $30 million wellness center (a building we’ve certainly crowed about in Preston Hollow People):

The contrast between a bona fide charity and what ESD does is stark. A classic example of a bona fide charity is a soup kitchen or food pantry that relies upon volunteers and raises money to perform the charitable function of feeding the poor of Dallas. Contrast that bona fide charity with ESD that raises and spends over $30 million to build a “Wellness” Center named after its Headmaster — not an essential and needed service for the use of the citizens of ‘Texas and local communities” — so that privileged students can eat in a fancy dining hall, select from a multitude of “organic” and “locally sourced” dining options, and decide whether on … Thursday they would like to eat for lunch “Pan-Roasted Pork Loin w/ Chasseur Sauce,” “Chicken Florentine w/Suprême Sauce,” or “Grilled Asparagus w/ Sauce Moutarde” from among the multitude of selections created by ESD’s Registered Dietitians.

The menu itself becomes an exhibit later. And you can see all that and more in the 200+ pages of documents that’re now online.

Want to cut to the chase? Pick up Friday’s issue of Preston Hollow People. For archived stories/context from last year, click here.

Brookhaven College School of Art will display student works such as the above colorful selections from W.T. White today through June 3, with a reception tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. For more examples of Longhorn creativity, check out this Visual Art photo gallery by Louisa Meyer.

Kara Davis, Elizabeth Farrow, Anna Brink, KK Pedigo, Catherine Thompson, Claudia Hammond

While I’m out traipsing through the jungle and kayaking in the ocean in Belize, I thought it’d be nice to have local pinch-hit for me. This article about an April class trip to Washington, D.C. is contributed by Preston Hollow resident KK Pedigo, an eighth-grader at Providence Christian School.

Providence Class Eight Visits Washington, D.C. Before Graduating

While visiting Washington D.C. early in April, the eighth grade class of Providence Christian School realized how important and real history is.  Through museums and monuments, we began to understand how fortunate we are today.  In the Newseum, one of the several museums visited, we were reminded of recent historical events, such as 9-11 and the Berlin Wall, and considered how major historical events caused America to respond and adapt.  The other eye-opening museum we visited was the Holocaust Museum, which, like the Newseum, revealed the importance of actions and how wrong thinking can impact people groups and the world.  The heartless and inhumane deeds toward the Jews opened our eyes and hearts to the brutal reality that no book can convey.

Another museum, just outside of D.C. is the beautiful Mount Vernon, the house of George Washington.  In class we studied about Washington, which included his estate. However, walking through the actual grounds reminded us of everything we had learned about our fabled first president and his brilliant leadership. George Washington came alive to us as we walked in his home and on the grounds.

In D.C. our class also visited several memorials, with the Vietnam War and Korean War Memorials being most memorable.  While walking along the Vietnam Memorial, my eighth grade class saw the solemn list of soldiers’ names, who died fighting, and were touched by the numbers of people that died for our country.  Along with the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial was emotional, capturing the pain and dedication of our nation’s honored soldiers.  Although we read and study about war, gazing upon a concrete reminder of it somehow moves one in a way no textbook can.

Our trip would not be complete without a focus on American politics, so our tour included the Capital and meeting a few Senators.    Even the architecture of the government buildings reminded us of history and how the quality and craftsmanship have changed over the years. Overall, the D.C. trip made us understand the necessity of history and its impact on us.

KK Pedigo is an 8^th grade student at Providence Christian School of Texas

I have a wonderful babysitter who is looking to get more sitter jobs.  She is an elementary education major and is wonderful with children.

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If you would like a personal reference, call Karen at 214-673-0794.