The 16-acre campus at Hillcrest Road and Willow Lane has attracted the interest of Prestonwood Baptist Church. The mega-church is hoping to put a second satellite campus in Dallas to attract more members in a congregation that is already 30,000 strong. Both churches announced the news during Sunday services.

We are working on in-depth coverage of this development for our April 1 edition of Preston Hollow People. If you’re a resident of the Hillcrest Forest Neighborhood, or a member of either congregation, we’d love to hear your reaction. E-mail claire@peoplenewspapers.com

Jesuit's Derrick McNarry, 14, supports the ball in a ruck. Staff Photo Christina Barany

In this Friday’s edition of Preston Hollow People, Chuck Cox has a great centerpiece story about Jesuit’s 12th annual rugby tournament. The photo on the front page is pretty striking, but the one above isn’t bad either. Our photographers routinely capture more notable moments than we have room to print. Happily, we have endless space online. Check out our photo galleries to catch all the action from sports, society, and the arts.

Saturday morning, students and local celebrities took to the runway to finish out National Eating Disorder Awareness week in style. Saks Fifth Avenue in the Galleria hosted the second annual Esteem fashion show, which was chaired by Jan Osborn and Robin Bagwell and benefited the Elisa Project. Still photos by Osborn after the jump. Read More…

Whether you’re a no-holds-bar, fancy-pants kind of couple, or a laid-back, dinner for two sort of pair, the Hollow has plenty of locales and products to suit your interests this Valentine’s Day.

Fancy Pants: Start things out right with a limo ride to Bailey’s Prime Plus on Park Lane. True, this does technically take you out of the confines of the Hollow, but what’s gas money to a jet-setting individual like yourself? After getting your fill of red meat and wine, take the little lady back in town for dessert at Creme de la Cookie in Preston Royal Village. This place, if you remember, boasts its own Cupcake bar, which is sure to earn you some serious brownie points.

Peace, Love, and Biodegrade: If spending money on killing flowers and animals won’t make your sweetheart smile, then perhaps a stroll through Thackery Park is a good place to start your green Valentine’s Day. Take advantage of the warmer weather to stop and smell the roses, without picking them, of course. After you’ve worked up an appetite, drive your Prius on over to Bliss Raw Cafe in Preston Center for delightfully fresh and healthy menu. For post-dinner entertainment, head to NorthPark Center, where Neiman Marcus is displaying 30 winning works of Valentine’s Day art by local students, including some from Parish Episcopal. It’s all part of the Love Lessons Art Competition hosted by Today Marks The Beginning. Intrigued? Pick up the Feb. 11 issue of Preston Hollow People for the full story.

Traditional Twosome: There’s something comforting in the old staple of dinner and a movie. It didn’t become a classic date choice by chance. So why mess with perfection? After dinner at Catina Laredo (or the Tex Mex joint of your choosing), hit up Inwood Theater for a showing of Just Go With It, a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston.

I would like to personally congratulate our very own Dan Koller for being named a winner for Editor of the Year in the Weekly Newspaper Category by Suburban Newspapers of America! We all know he’s the best, but now it’s official.

Here is a judge’s comment about Dan:
He will put himself in any and all situations for the newspaper!

Congratulations, Dan!  We’re so proud of you!

The police blotter in this week’s paper is anything but typical. Sure, there is the customary purse snatching at NorthPark Center, a dozen or so burglarized cars and businesses, and a couple home break-ins, but there was also this:

Between 7 p.m. Jan. 7 and 1 p.m. Jan. 8, a vandal used a real estate sign to cause $2,300 worth of damage to the hood, bumper, and window of a yellow 2007 Chevrolet Corvette in the 7300 block of Fieldgate Drive. According to police reports, the victim, a 57-year-old man from New Mexico, “had no idea who would have damaged his vehicle.”

While it’s likely a middle aged New Mexican doesn’t have many enemies in North Dallas, I could venture a guess as to the culprit.

Punk kids.

Perchance the same ones responsible for a rash of rock throwing. The word “rock” is found seven times in this week’s blotter, five of which occur Jan. 7 on Beechwood Lane.

Looks like even criminals are affected by the weak economy. Guns and baseball bats are just too expensive these days.

Hillcrest sophomore Sashia Keith peeks inside the Einstein Bagels at Preston Road and Royal Lane on Tuesday morning. The first 100 customers received free breakfast sandwiches for a year.

If you have students falling asleep in class today, I know why.

At about 5 a.m., I ran into hordes of high school students from Jesuit, St. Mark’s, St. Rita’s, Episcopal School of Dallas, Parish Episcopal, Shelton School, Dallas Lutheran, and Hillcrest High School at Einstein Bros. Bagels at Preston Royal Village. They were all competing for free breakfast for a year, the prize given to the first 100 people in line when the shop opened its doors at 5:30 a.m. Many camped out overnight, sleeping in tents and cars sporadically. Some students sacrificed more than sleep for a chance at 52 free bagels (one a week for a year). Hillcrest High School has yearbook pictures today for organizations.

“We’re sacrificing prettiness to get free bagels,” senior Victoria McKay said.

McKay and her friend senior Nichole Porras arrived around 11 p.m. and pitched a tent in the parking lot. The pair entertained themselves by keeping a log of all their activities on an iPhone.

A chilling excerpt:

11:40 p.m. The log begins

11:56 pm. Argued over the prize

McKay and Porras said they were confused as to the number of bagels, 52 or 365? And also about how old you have to be to claim it. The 17-year-olds’ fears were not unfounded, as the official rules stated only adults 18 years of age and up were eligible for the 52-bagel coupon book. Some of the minors were appeased by an offer of two free bagels later and a complimentary breakfast today, but many phoned home in hopes of a parental stand-in. Check out Friday’s edition of Preston Hollow People for a full report on the give-away.

Akiba Academy has joined an elite group of only five schools nationwide. The Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative accredited the Merit Drive campus in May and will celebrate the accomplishment on Sunday. Among other innovative practices, Akiba uses an “emergent curriculum,” which means the lessons are planned as students’ interests are revealed and not a moment sooner. The teacher works as a facilitator to expose the children to certain stimuli and then discover what piques their interest. For example, the pile of dirt pictured above could be used in lessons on counting, colors, or adjectives.

Read more about Akiba’s accomplishment and its methodology in today’s editon of Preston Hollow People. Pick one up here.

Then we want to hear from you. Letters are already pouring in on the Nov. 19 story “Winston’s Changes Cause Backlash.” We will publish as many as we can in the Nov. 26 edition of the paper. If you’d like to contribute to the ever-growing pile, send your letter to editor@peoplenewspapers.com and please include your name and phone number for verification. We do not print anonymous letters.

You have until midnight to vote for your favorite People and Places in the Park Cities. So if you haven’t voted yet, now’s your chance. Oh, and while you’re there, check out our new “Services” ballot.