Loni Briggs
Golden Triangle teens crowned
Over the weekend, teens from Southeast Texas were crowned for their achievements.
Kara Beach was crowned as 2023 Miss Golden Triangle on March 25 at Vidor High School during a pageant sponsored by the Vidor Chamber of Commerce.
Beach, the daughter of Kenneth and Sarah Beach, is a junior at Nederland High School.
Two Wilson Early College High School seniors were crowned Mr. and Miss Top Teen of the Port Arthur Chapter of Top Teens of America at the 52nd Annual Top Teens Leadership Conference in Dallas the same weekend. Mr. Top Teen is Damien Broxton II and Miss Top Teen is Kaci Randals.
Friday, March 31, the local Top Teen chapter will be inducting a new group of members.
Go fish for the first
Fish will be fried aplenty throughout Southeast Texas on Saturday, April 1.
First, the Evadale Volunteer Fire Department (EVFD) will host a fish fry at the fire station, 964 FM 105. Price is $12 per plate and includes fish, baked beans, French fries, hush puppies and a drink. All proceeds benefit the EVFD Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact Steve Conner at (409) 289-4200 or Larry Fountain at (409) 233-9426. EVFD will deliver locally.
From 2-4 p.m., the Wiley Mae Community Baptist Church, 9823 Old Spurger Hwy. in Silsbee, will host a Spring Fling with games, bouncy houses, popcorn, Easter eggs and more.
Beginning at 5 p.m., the Boys and Girls Club of Hardin County will host a Fish Fry Bingo at the B&G Club Gymnasium, 1005 North 7th St. in Silsbee. Tickets are $35 for dinner and eight games of bingo. To-go plates are $25 each.
Congress hosts art competition
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.
Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The overall winner of each district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.
The local contest is open to all high school students in the 14th Congressional District. Artwork entered in the contest must be original in concept, design, and execution, and entries may be up to 26” x 26” x 4”, including the frame.
Mediums include: Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor; Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers; Collage; Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints; Mixed Media; Computer Generated Art; and Photography.
All entries must be turned in no later than Friday, April 21, to any of the congressional district offices, or via email to janet.brown@mail.house.gov.
For more information, contact Janet Brown in the Beaumont district office at (409) 835-0108 or visit https://weber.house.gov/forms/submitartwork/.
Galveston state park grand re-opening set
Galveston Island State Park is inviting the public to a grand reopening event with two days of festivities March 31 and April 1 as part of the ongoing, yearlong Texas State Parks Centennial.
The beach side of the park opened last summer following completion of a three-year major redevelopment project, sparked by damages from historic Hurricane Ike.
The first day of the festivities will feature speeches from local, statewide and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) dignitaries, as well as interpretive activities, refreshments and self-guided tours. Day Two is an extravaganza of fun, with activities every hour including prairie hikes, fishing and kayaking at Horseshoe Pond, beach walks and bay exploration at Lake Como.
“We’re excited to invite everyone to come celebrate with us and see the results,” said Park Superintendent Steven Kimbley. “It’s a small way to thank everyone for supporting us through hurricane and recovery. Galveston Island State Park is now fully open and our staff is excited to welcome all Texans to come experience the Third Coast.”
Improvements to the park include a new headquarters building, 95 new campsites, two new restrooms (and renovations to an existing restroom), new roads, two new changing areas and rinse-off showers, 20 new shade shelters in the day-use area and a seasonal equestrian day-use area.
Visitors to the park will find more than five miles of hiking trails, a newly remodeled nature center on the bay side, two observation towers, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bay side with more than 11 miles of paddling trails, a new vendor area and three new group-use pavilions on the beach side. Of course, reconstruction plans also included accommodations for the threat of future hurricanes.
“The new headquarters, campsites and day-use area are more elevated now,” Kimbley said. “Structures are built to flex with the landscape and be more resistant to future extreme weather.”
Texas State Park reservations may now be made online anytime on the TPWD website or by calling the Texas State Park Reservation Center at (512) 389-8900 on weekdays during normal business hours. Overnight reservations can be made up to five months in advance, and day passes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance.
SETX student garners nod in C-SPAN documentary competition
Loni Briggs, a student at Hamshire Fannett High School in Hamshire, brought home the honorable mention prize in C-SPAN’s national 2023 StudentCam competition and, receiving $250 for the documentary, “Increase Teacher Pay,” that answered the question posed to middle and high school students nationwide: “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?”
Now in its 19th year, nearly 3,000 students participated in this project-based learning experience, and C-SPAN received over 1,500 entries from 40 states, Washington, D.C. and Abu Dhabi. The most popular topics addressed were: Health Care (16%); Environment (14%); Education (12%); Economy (10%); and Gun Violence and Firearm Policy (8%).
“Teachers are severely underpaid,” Briggs voiced in her StudentCam documentary while standing in front of Beaumont ISD’s Beaumont United High School. Her comments were later underscored by teacher testimony of a colleague that needed to sell blood to make ends meet.
More than 300 students from across the country won a total of $100,000, representing one grand prize, four first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. The winning videos can be viewed at www.studentcam.org.
PA man conducting national tour at theater
Glenn Alexander II may be married and living in New York City, but he considers himself a proud Port Arthur native to the city he still considers home. Alexander, 27, will soon be able to showcase his ability when he makes his Lutcher Theater debut for the national tour of the Broadway musical “Anastasia” on March 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m., where he serves as the conductor and musical director.
“I'm really looking forward to showing the community we are able to go out in the world and do great things,” Alexander said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to do something for, and perform for, the community.”
Alexander attended Port Arthur ISD schools from second through eighth grades and graduated from Legacy Christian Academy in 2013. Alexander is known for his unique and passionate interpretation of the orchestral repertoire. In the 2022-23 season, Alexander made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting Grammy and Academy Award winning composer Jon Batiste’s premier of “American Symphony.” He is concurrently a Project Inclusion Conducting Freeman Fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta, a conducting fellow with the Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras, while also serving as a cover conductor at the Manhattan School of Music.
Select tickets for “Anastasia” are available and can be purchased at lutcher.org or by calling the Box Office at (409) 886-5535.
The Lutcher Theater is located at 707 Main Ave. in Orange.
Discover Engineering!
Lamar University College of Engineering will host a free community event Saturday, April 1, including engaging activities to get kids excited about engineering and other STEM careers.
Local companies and current engineering students will host experiments, and provide free t-shirts and door prizes. The event will be held at the LU Science and Technology Building, 4810 Rolfe Christopher Dr. in Beaumont, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Registration is available online at www.lamar.edu/engineeringcamps.
Reception welcomes public to view student art
The Performing and Visual Arts Council (PVAC) will honor local artists Saturday, April 1, during a special reception for student artists and their families from 10 a.m. — 1 p.m. at the Silsbee Public Library.
The public is invited to attend the reception and meet the artists.
Also, to kick off Artsfest, students’ artwork from all Silsbee schools and the First Baptist Academy will be displayed at the library through April 22 during regular library hours. Included in this gallery exhibit will be creations by the Floral Design class at Silsbee High School.