Betas Take On OKC!

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St. George Betas Attend National Convention

On June 14-18, 38 of our Beta Club members attended the Junior Beta Club National Convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The following students represented St. George:

Rising 9th Graders Emma Cantwell, Jessie Cromer, Delaney Dwyer, Macie Lin, Sofy Partida, Sofia Perez-Gomez, and George Welch

Rising 8th Graders Briggs Blume, Berkleigh Bowling, Kalina Calvillo, Ramiro Cavazos, Patrick Clausewitz, Rudy Davila, Eric Draeger, Nicholas Fritz, Grace Garrett, Sofia Garza-Serreli, Xander King, Lilly Kate Lannom, Megan Liu, Benicio Martinez, Sofia Pina-Cervantes, Krish Puri, Sofia Scheuerman, Kate Taylor, and Hallie Verstuyft-Trautwein

Rising 7th Graders Brooklyn Bowling, Kiara Dwivedi, Bennett Kiehne, Lauren Lacroix, Emersyn Landrum, Emily McLaughlin, Chase Miller, James Miller Nelson, Viviane Notzon, Sadie Salter, Maria Santandreu, and Rachele Zarattini

The national convention was in Oklahoma, so this year’s convention theme was “Beta Fueling the Future.” Because our students placed in the following competitions at our state convention in February, we were eligible to compete in these national contests:

 

National Office and Skit

Ramiro Cavazos ran for National President, which required him to deliver a speech in front of thousands of voters explaining why he was the right candidate to show all Betas how being an “every day hero” can change the world for the better. Ramiro emphasized that kind words, deeds, and actions transform us all into powerful heroes. Ramiro also articulately answered a live question on stage. Unfortunately, a candidate from another state (with many more voting delegates present than Texas) was elected, but we are all so very proud of Ramiro’s fine efforts.
For the Campaign Skit to support Ramiro, our 37 other St. George Beta members, dressed in 80’s neon aerobics garb, sang and danced their hearts out to a version of Bonnie Tyler’s 80’s classic song “Holding Out For a Hero.” Our lyrics focused on how Ramiro would inspire us all to be heroes as our National Chaplain. Our skit was full of energy and was well received. For the first time ever, St. George was recognized in the Campaign Skit national competition, bringing home 3rd Place!

 

Painting and Photography

Jessie Cromer, after capturing 1st Place in Painting and “Best in Show” at the state convention, entered her amazing “Oliver Tufts” which is a close-up of a lynx. Jessie’s painting unfortunately did not place, but we all agree that it truly is a masterpiece.

 

In the photography category, Sofia Perez-Gomez entered her close-up color photo of her horse Leroy “smiling” as water was splashed in his face. Sofia’s outstanding photo won 1st Place at state but unfortunately did not receive a ribbon at the national level.

 

Written Academic Tests

Emersyn Landrum participated in the written 6th Grade Language Arts test (having won 1st Place at state). Emersyn exited the testing room saying how difficult she thought the exam was. We think she was simply setting us up so that we would not expect much, and it worked because we were thrilled when Emersyn won 3rd place in this contest!

Our Book Battle team of Megan Liu, Benicio Martinez, and Sofia Pina-Cervantes captured 1st Place at the state competition. They read a list of 12 required books and worked together for months discussing the assigned pieces of literature. After collectively answering written objective and essay questions on the national test, this devoted team of readers captured 5th Place!

 

Technology

This year’s contest theme was “The Future Starts with Beta.” Our dynamic team used technology to create an impressive video which captured 2nd at our state convention and then allowed us to also compete in this contest at the National Convention.  The Technology Team consisted of: Lindsay Blanton, Elise Bostain, Ramiro Cavazos, Rudy Davila, Eric Draeger,
Nicholas Fritz, Carolyn King, Xander King, Bradley Landrum, AJ Liang, Gaige Lipscomb, Jackson Pipes,
Krish Puri, and George Welch. We are thrilled to inform you that our video that used a Back to the Future theme, captured 8th Place at National! Team members present at National were Ramiro Cavazos, Rudy Davila, Eric Draeger, Nicholas Fritz, Xander King, Krish Puri, and George Welch.

 

Group Talent

After winning 1st Place in Group Talent at the National Convention for the past two years, the St. George Betas knew we had “big shoes to fill.” Each of our attending Betas (other than Ramiro, who could not participate in any other contests other than running for office) sang and danced as we told a condensed 6-minute story of Mary Poppins on

stage. After our students gave it their all during the preliminary and final performances, St. George was awarded 1st Place in the nation in the Group Talent category!

We are extremely proud to share that this is our third consecutive year to capture 1st Place in Group Talent at the Junior Beta National Convention! AMAZING!!!!!!!! Click here to watch the award winning performance. 

 

Premier Performers

Macie Lin, Viviane Notzon, and Rachele Zarattini “captured the eyes” of judges at our state convention in February and were selected to perform as Premier Performers at the national convention. After putting in several hours of dance and vocal practices at the convention center in Oklahoma City, these 3 girls were outstanding entertainers in ensemble groups on stage at the convention’s opening convocation. We are proud of you, ladies!

 

Challenge Competitions

Because we earned the right to compete in two on-site contests at a Beta Club Leadership Summit in October 2018, the following teams participated:

Lauren Lacroix, Sadie Salter, Maria Santandreu, and Sofia Pina-Cervantes competed in a challenge called “Lead Outside the Box.” These four Betas were given a problem that involved students’ over-usage of technology and social media. The team had to devise, propose, and explain a solution for this problematic situation. After a brainstorming session, our team’s proposal was to completely limit student internet usage during the school day, while providing many more student opportunities for healthy face-to-face interactions. This group’s quick thinking skills and teamwork made us proud!

In the expo titled “Rapid Response” our team of Kalina Calvillo, Jessie Cromer, Eric Draeger, Sofia Garza-Serreli, Meg Liu, Sofia Perez-Gomez, Krish Puri, and George Welch had to quickly “apply collaborative leadership skills and effective communication to produce a result or response in an allotted time.” Our team employed their abstract reasoning, problem-solving, and memory skills to complete two different on-site tasks within a very short amount of time. They definitely exhibited great teamwork!

 

“We will never forget you, Mary Poppins!”

 

Jumping into nationals like…

 

Paying our respects at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. 

 

Sofia “The Air” Scheuerman

 

The Man, The Myth, The holder of all the things! Thank you, Mr. Davila!

 

No matter what, there is always Starbucks!

 

Betas in Training!

 

“It’s not ok…”-Ms. Leibowitz

 

We are extremely proud of our St. George Beta Club members who represented our school so well at the national convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We undoubtedly showed the nation how bright, talented, well-behaved, and service-oriented St. George Episcopal School truly is! Next year’s national convention will be in Fort Worth, Texas, so we cannot wait to show everyone how Texas Betas host a national convention!

 

High School Graduates To Be Honored

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Our high school graduates will receive their Bibles during the 10:45 AM worship service on Sunday, May 19.

We will be offering prayers for all graduates during both worship services. It is our hope that these Bibles will be a treasured source of guidance and inspiration for our graduates as they begin a new journey in their lives. We thank you for your contributions.

A Message from Our Rector

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Dear Friends in Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, I announced two items of interest to all in our SG Community.

First, beginning on Sunday, September 8, we will launch a third, late afternoon worship option. The vision for this is to reach those in the surrounding community who, for whatever reason, cannot make it to any church on a Sunday morning. It will also be a help to our own folks who, more and more, find their Sunday mornings filled with personal and professional activities. At this point, what I would ask is that you pray for the design team (Keith Earle, Jessica Leibowitz, and myself) and pray for an opportunity to invite someone you feel God is calling you to share this new offering.

Second, the Vestry and School Board will begin a review of bids from several local contractors on a possible renovation and refreshing of the Parish Hall. The plan would include enlarging the stage for both Church and School Fine Arts performances, raising the ceiling, installing new flooring, and generally upgrading this much-used space. Timing and cost are the two primary considerations and will be the two main factors on moving forward. I will keep you informed about the process as it moves along. Please do pray for the Vestry and School Board as they weigh the options that will come before them. Please feel free to ask questions of Keith Earle, our Senior Director; Susan Alwais, our Senior Warden; or me.

Our beloved community of St. George is in a very healthy place right now – which is a wonderful blessing.  I believe strongly that God is calling us to share that blessing by reengaging our mission of joining Jesus on the mission fields of our life. We are called to go to the mission fields that are nearby and far away, the familiar and the unfamiliar, in order to share the Good News of Jesus with those whose hopes have faded, whose faith has waned, who seek the Light of Christ to drive away the inner darkness which besets their hearts.

I am grateful for all that God is doing among us, around us, and through us! I am grateful to have each of you, my St. George sisters and brothers, as partners in this mission of Jesus to which we have been called!

Peace,
Ram+

Le Marché

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What is Le Marché?

  • Le Marché is an entrepreneurial event taking place on the St. George campus on Thursday, April 25, from 9:00 – 11:00 AM. For the past few months, every 4th-8th grader has been involved in gathering partners, forming businesses, attending conferences and study sessions, crafting business plans, proposals, and marketing tools, and most importantly, designing and producing products to showcase at Le Marché on April 25.
  • We will have more than 75 different booths selling amazing and unique products at Le Marché.
  • All profits from Le Marché will be donated to CHAIN OF LOVE.

More information on Le Marché will be sent out soon!

Easter and the Easter Egg Hunt are Coming!

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It takes a lot of Easter treats to make a successful Easter egg hunt, so if you’re looking for a way to serve, we could use your generous donations of Easter treats to make the St. George Easter Egg Hunt a success!

We kindly accept candies in all varieties; nut-free chocolates, stickers, temporary tattoos, bouncy balls, or other small toddler friendly prizes and treats!

Please bring your donated Easter treats to the Leadership Building by April 10! Please contact Happy Wilson at hwilson@saintgeorgechurch.org if you have any questions.

Pancake Supper Success!!

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We had an amazing turnout at this year’s Pancake Supper! We had parishioners and school families of all ages that came together in fellowship before the Holy season of Lent.

Not only did we share a wonderful meal together, but we were also able to raise over $700 to benefit the St. George Camp Scholarship fund! Because of your generous donations, kids from St. George Church or School, who may not have the financial ability to attend camp, will now be able to! This is an amazing achievement!

A huge thank you to our Kids For Christ group, our Youth group, our parent volunteers and our St. George staff for working so hard to put on this wonderful Episcopal tradition and to give us time to come together with our St. George community!

Beta Club Treat Sale

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The Beta Club will host a special Treat Sale on Wednesday, April 17, during all lunches. We will be set up in the Gathering Area. Proceeds will benefit the Chain of Love campaign. Because most items are priced well under $1, there is no need to send large amounts of money with your child. Please encourage your child to eat his/her full lunch before purchasing at the Treat Sale.

Thank you to the Beta Club for supporting Chain of Love!

St. George Family Fun Day, Oct. 20, 9:00-2:30

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Let’s Get Together!

Join the St. George family for a day of fun, food, fellowship, and formation.

There will be activities for children and adults, worship time, a message from Bishop Lillibridge, free time for fun and catching up including board and card games, card making, and bar-b-que for lunch – all for $1 for children under 13 and $5 for adults (13 and older).

Adult Schedule

9:00-9:30        Sign in at the Registration table
9:30-10:00      Gathering and Worship Time, Sanctuary
10:00-11:30   Kids’ programming (see below)
10:00-11:30   Presentation and Formation with The Right Reverend Gary R. Lillibridge, retired Bishop, Diocese of West Texas – Sanctuary
11:30-1:30      Lunch – Bill Miller’s BBQ – in the Parish Hall, followed by time to enjoy fellowship through lawn games, football games, giant Jenga on the deck, jam session on piano, card making (Leadership Center) board games (Parish Hall), and karaoke
1:30                 St. George Community Family Picture (Courtyard)
2:00                 Closing Worship, Sanctuary

Kids’ Programming Schedule – VPS Style

10:00-10:20   Lesson: Family
10:25-10:45   Games
10:50-11:00   Craft/Activity
11:05-11:25   Bounce House fun
11:30-1:30     Lunch and fellowship activities with adults

All this for $5 (adults) and $1 (kids under 13)

BUY  TICKETS  HERE!

This is a great chance to visit with friends and to make new friends.

If you’d like to organize or facilitate any of the activities above, please contact clerk@saintgeorgechurch.org.

Children’s/Youth Ministry Spotlight

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Hi! My name is Happy Wilson, and I am so blessed with the privilege of serving as the Director of Family Ministries and love being a part of the amazing things that happen here at St. George! My love for children’s ministries began many years ago when I was a stay-at-home mom and volunteered in many roles throughout the church from Sunday school teacher, children’s chapel leader, VBS station leader to VBS Director.

In 2011, I became an official member of the staff when I accepted the part-time position of Children & Family Ministries Coordinator. As the children’s program grew, so did my role and I was named Director of Family Ministries. In this role, it has been my goal to equip every child with the knowledge and desire to reflect Christ through their lives. It is important for every child, no matter their age, to recognize that God wants to use them for His purpose and glory each and every day; at church, at home, at school, when they are with others and when they are alone. It is an honor to continue this work in a place that has been a loving church home for me and my family for the past 21 years! My husband, Bart Wilson, and I have 15 yr. old twins, Sophie & Sully, who have grown up in the church and recently graduated from St. George School in May of 2018. They are now paving their own paths at 2 different high schools: Tom C. Clark & Antonian College Preparatory High School! While our lives are crazy busy, our family continues to be deeply involved in the life of this wonderful St. George community! When I am not working at the church, you can find me volunteering at Sophie & Sully’s schools or cheering them on at their team events! I am a proud graduate of Texas A&M University, where Bart and I met, and hope to one day see Sophie & Sully follow in our footsteps and become proud Aggies themselves! My family and I love our Aggies and attend as many A&M games as our schedule allows! We also enjoy traveling, hiking, taking our sweet beagle Bo for walks, and spending time with family in Port Aransas! I gives me great joy to share our lives with the family of St. George!