Sara Hickman Named “Texas State Musician”
One of our favorite Austin mamas has earned the highest honor in the state for a musician. The Texas Commission on the Arts selected Sara Hickman as the 2010 Texas State Musician. To be nominated, a musician “must have attained the highest levels of excellence and success…and have received critical reviews in state, regional or national publications,” according to the Commission. Additionally, the honoree must have produced at least two nationally available records or have substantial musical teaching experience. Ms. Hickman has released eight adult albums, three children’s albums, and a DVD. She is also on the board of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and volunteers for numerous charitable organizations. Legislators officially recognized Ms. Hickman as the new Texas State Musician at a State Capitol ceremony on May 28. Incidentally, the 2009 Texas State Musician was Willie Nelson. Congratulations from all of us here at Parent:Wise, Sara — you deserve it!
Eanes Students Shine at Destination Imagination Global Finals
Two teams with students from the Eanes Independent School District took home top honors at the Destination Imagination Global Finals in Knoxville, Tenn. Students from West Ridge Middle School competed on the team that clinched the title in the “Private DI” category, beating out 56 other domestic and foreign teams. Kristi Astrachan, Dana Capotosto, Jono Krawczyk, Max Green, Danielle Strasburger and Sarah Guthrie, all eighth graders from West Ridge Middle School, comprised the team. Additionally, a Westlake High School team competing in “DI Extreme” placed fourth overall. Team members were Erin Brown, Meagan Brown, Elizabeth Harwood, Angela Lin and Megan Twomey. Destination Imagination is an international creative problem-solving competition for students. Kids in some 30 countries worldwide compete in teams to think on their feet and devise original solutions to the various mind-bending challenges posed by the competition.
Austin Library Goes Green With Recycled Reads
Looking for a “green” book to read? Look no further than the Austin Public Library’s newest venture: Recycled Reads. The store, which opened in March, sells books that are removed from, or donated to, the library. Most of the books cost $1 to $2, and all children’s books are 50-cents (although better books start at $5 and go up from there) and all proceeds benefit the library. The 5,000 sq. ft. store replaces the Book Bonanza sales that the Friends of the Austin Public Library used to hold. “The impetus behind opening the storefront was to support Austin’s ‘Green Initiative and [our] goal is to try and reduce to zero, if possible, the amount of landfill and do as much recycling as we can,” says Dave Fox, a volunteer with Recycled Reads. Given that, whatever the store can’t sell is donated to Books Beyond Borders, an Austin-based nonprofit that sells books online and donates the proceeds to Project Schoolhouse to educate children in Central America. Recycled Reads has a large children’s section, which is organized in much the same way as the library, with small tables, chairs and a play mat for the kids. “It was designed by our children’s librarians,” Mr. Fox says with a smile. “We would love for people [with kids] to just show up and hang out!” Recycled Reads is located at 5335 Burnet Rd. and is open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 323-5123 or check out their blog at www.recycledreadsaustin.wordpress.com.
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