Andy Blitzer

No More Apples for Teacher

August 2012
Sharon Krost, pictured here with students (from left) Tova Staller and Miriam Cororve this year, has taught 2 year olds at Beth Yeshurun Day School for 29 years.

An apple on a teacher’s desk seems perfectly in place in a Norman Rockwell setting, but who recalls sending an apple for the teacher recently?

Giving apples as teacher’s gifts isn’t the only classroom practice that is different these days. Here’s what local veteran teachers say has changed and, in other cases, remained the same.

David Nathan, five years at

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Summer Lovin’

July 2012
This summer, Cadie Hancock, 18, looks forward to spending time at home after being away at college.

Even with three months of 95-plus-degree weather, almost everybody looks forward to summer for one reason or another. To me, summer means fresh strawberries, flip flops and an evening stroll with the dog. It may be hot, but we can relax while the kids remain slouched in front of the TV with no homework lurking.

Here’s why others are lovin’ …

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College Times Two, or Three

June 2012
Twins Caitlin and Camille Owens (from left) are comfortable with their choice to live together in college because, besides being sisters, they're also best friends. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

During the college-application process, the dining room table is likely to change from an eating surface to one holding piles of paperwork.

Keeping track of deadlines and letters of recommendations, among other things, requires an unnatural amount of organizational skill.

Now, times that by two (or three) and imagine shopping for colleges with twins or triplets.

Some parents know all …

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Green Moms

May 2012
Shenequa Aranda is teaching son Preston, age 2, about caring for the environment. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

The words “Green Moms” may conjure up images of women with hairy armpits feeding their children nothing but raw veggies and crunchy granola. But you won’t find them here. These moms look like most mainstream neighbors – but they have committed to living healthier, eco-friendly lives, in a variety of ways.

Although these women say they’re far from100 percent organic, …

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Healing our Urban Forest

April 2012
Garden Club of Houston members Doris Heard, Karen Terrell and Gail Faris (from left) help the Memorial Park Conservancy in its reforesting efforts.

The drought of 2011 left its ugly mark not only on our national forests, but also on our city parks and streets. As the hot and dry days stretched to weeks and months, I had an urge to store jugs of water in my car to dump on stressed trees when driving around town.

Obviously one water crusader is not …

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Choosing the Right Camp

March 2012
Spencer Elston (fifth from left with other campers at Camp Cho-Yeh) advises parents to pick a camp that teaches real-world social skills.

Glossy advertising postcards and websites depicting happy campers aren’t always enough. With so many choices out there, how can picky parents narrow down a sleep-away summer camp that best fits their child?

They say if you really want to know the truth, ask a kid. For the past eight years, brothers Spencer and Kendall Elston have attended Camp Cho-Yeh, a …

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Not So Smitten – At First

February 2012
It may have taken some effort for Brad Sondock to convince Deborah to date him, but their marriage has stood the test of time. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

Not every love story begins the same way. Plenty of happily married couples would not have bet that, after their first meeting, they would want to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

Here are some neighbors’ accounts of rocky dating with smooth endings.

Noga and Steve Tobias
Married 25 years this April with three girls (Sharone, Leore …

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Playful Holiday Traditions

December 2011
Neighbors, family members, school friends and everyone in-between look forward to showing off their creations at the Stewart's annual gingerbread house contest.

“Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years.” – Fiddler on the Roof

Are your family traditions as dear as the family sterling? Read on as residents share the fun-filled customs that make their holidays special.

Betsy and David Johnson and their son Andrew, now a junior at Baylor University, began a pre-holiday tradition about eight …

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Raising Backyard Chickens

October 2011
Billie Stafford outside her family’s chicken "mansion" with her favorite chick, Laverne. (Photo: ##http://www.lawellphoto.com##www.lawellphoto.com##)

Move over, Shirley. A new duo is in town – Laverne and Billie. Billie Stafford, a retired hairdresser referred to as “Momma Chicken” by those who know her, is proud of all her chicks. (By “chicks,” we don’t mean kids, but actual chickens.) However, she admits, one chicken, Laverne, is her favorite.

Besides the physical similarities between human and fowl …

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Pet Lookalikes

October 2011
Jamie Rubenstein goes nose-to-nose with her just-like-me Shih Tzu Chloe.

People say that over time, spouses begin to resemble one another. Perhaps we naturally gravitate towards those who look like us. Or maybe we influence each other so profoundly that the effect can be seen.

But how do you explain it when owners look like their pets? Read on for some insights from these residents and their furry friends.

Jamie

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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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Hot Wheels

June 2011
Mark Brinker and his wife, Newie, win a ribbon with their Beast III at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Not all car collections can be stored in a box. But, that’s where it all began. Robert Belt’s childhood Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars preceded his grownup fascination with full-size cars and their histories.

“I like the historical significance of seeing progress in automobiles that point to the evolution of the current-day car. Car design is connected to what is …

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Polo – The Sport of Kings

May 2011
Ray Stainback and daughter Luisa share a passion for horses and polo. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

On a Sunday afternoon, when some folks may be napping on the couch, at least a few Houstonians are engaging in one of the roughest and most dangerous sports around, and I don’t mean football.

The game of polo, played over 2,000 years ago by cavalry warriors in faraway places like Japan and Turkey, took off locally when Houstonians Will …

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Brooms, Frisbees, and Hoop

April 2011
Freddie van den Haak, a student at The British School, hopes the sport of netball will catch on in Houston.

Don’t be alarmed if you pass a field of kids running with broomsticks between their legs. Quidditch for Muggles is one of several unusual sports becoming recognized in some high schools and colleges. CBS even gave airtime recently to a Quidditch game between Princeton University and Middlebury College.

When Bellaire High School junior Reagan Rexford put out word that she …

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Home Again

March 2011
Living in her childhood home brings memories to life for Jill Farren Kershner. The painting by her late sister Judy Farren, seen in the background of this 1959 photo of siblings Dunlop, Jill, June and Paul Farren, still hangs above the fireplace today.

Ever get the urge to drive by your childhood home, or even knock on the door asking its owners for a glimpse inside? The forces drawing us to the walls that hold our childhood memories are strong. For some residents, the attraction was so strong that they took things a step further, moving back to the home they once lived …

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