2023
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Dulles's Academic Decathlon team earns 3rd place in national competition Community Reports Dulles High School’s Academic Decathlon team earned third place at the 2024 National Competition, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week, according to a Fort Bend ISD news release.
Dulles High School’s Academic Decathlon team placed third for the second consecutive year at the 2024 U.S. Academic Decathlon® competition. Courtesy Fort Bend ISD
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Schoof, Tassin win in FBISD board election By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
In a low-turnout election, Fort Bend County voters on Saturday made a lot of important choices in municipalities, school districts and others. A total of 20,928 ballots (both early and election day) were cast, representing 3.91 percent of registered voters. In perhaps the mostwatched races, two candidates emerged as the winners of seats on the board of Fort Bend ISD, the sixthlargest school district in the state and the county’s single largest employer. In still-unofficial results with all 62 precincts reporting, Adam Schoof, an Army veteran who currently serves as a police officer, was the leader in a four-way race for the Position 2 seat held by Judy Dae, the current board president who chose not to run for election. Schoof took 35.16 percent of the vote, followed by former FBISD
principal Riz Quadri (30.12 percent), teacher M. Asher Baptiste (19.51 percent), and businesswoman Manisha Gandhi (15.22 percent). In the hotly contested race for Position 6, attorney and businesswoman Kristin Tassin, a former FBISD board member and president, defeated one-term incumbent Kristen Davison Malone and three other candidates. The final results are Tassin (31.84 percent), Malone (26.80 percent), teacher Angel Hicks (15.38 percent), Simran Patel (14.12 percent), and Ferrel Bonner (11.87 percent). In Stafford MSD, voters handily defeated two bond propositions totaling $60 million meant for facility renovations, land purchases and transportation needs, and technology upgrades. In the district’s board races, Position 2 incumbent Manuel Hinojosa, a healthcare executive, defeated challenger Jannell Kelly, 53.20 percent to 46.80 per-
cent. In the open Position 1 race, Joyce Wilkins defeated Clint Mendonca, 70.50 percent to 29.50 percent. In contested municipal races, incumbent Sugar Land District 1 Council member Suzanne Whatley defeated challenger Mouzaffar Vohra, a businessman and political newcomer. In Stafford, City Council Position 1 incumbent Alice Chen defeated former Council member and mayoral candidate Don Jones, 70.54 percent to 29.46 percent. Position 2 incumbent Virginia Rosas defeated former Council member and mayoral candidate Wen Guerra, 54.26 percent to 45.74 percent. Rosa’s reelection is likely to continue the long-standing issue of the city reinstating a property tax, which Rosa favors and Guerra does not. In the only contested Meadows Place race, Audrey St. Germain, a teacher at Meadows Place Elementary School. defeated retired computer engineer Dave Dyer
In a low-turnout election, Fort Bend County voters on Saturday made a lot of important choices in municipalities, school districts and others. Photo by Ken Fountain
- both political newcomers - for the mayoral seat being vacated by Charles Jessup IV, who has served in that role since 2007. St. Germain took 66.49 percent to 31.36 percent. Another candidate who did not actively campaign, Douglas Barber II, earned 2.15 percent. Other Fort Bend municipalities outside the Fort Bend
This was the last competition for Dulles teacher and Decathlon coach Kelsey Halfen, who has served the team for 19 years.
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Star’s coverage area that held elections were Arcola, Beasley, Fulshear, Rosenberg, and Simonton. Several Municipal Utilities Districts also held board elections. A complete list of the still-unofficial results can found at https://results.enr. clarityelections.com/TX/Fort_ Bend/121028/web.317647/#/ summary.
George touts Fort Bend’s future in ‘State of the County’ address
Dulles remains a dominant team in the Decathlon, earning third place at last year’s national competition and second place in 2022, among its many state and regional wins. In addition to their team placement, they received 28 individual medals and two individual overall placements. Individual results are as follows: • Anant Asthana – Seven individual medals and first place overall in Honors category • Koushik Chaliki – Seven individual medals and third place overall in Scholastic category • Sreela Gutha – One individual medal and seventh place overall in Varsity category Audrey Hanan – Four individual medals and sixth place overall in Scholastic category • Alex He – Four individual medals and fourth place in Scholastic category Ella Sheridan – Eighth place overall in Varsity category • Sriram Susarla – Three individual medals and seventh place overall in Honors category • Jason Wu – Three individual medals and eighth place overall in Honors category
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Fort Bend County Judge KP George gives the ‘State of the County’ address at the Sugar Land Marriott last week. Photos by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County Judge KP George painted a mostly vision of the county and its government during last week’s annual “State of the County” address. Hundreds of members of the county’s political and business classes filled a massive ballroom at the Marriott Sugar Land for the event, themed “Thriving Together,” the sixth such address George has given since he first took office in 2019. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term in 2022. Like many of these kinds of events in recent years, it was a multimedia affair, as George gave his prepared
speech while also introducing highly produced videos featuring employees of the county’s many departments and also all of George’s fellow members of Commissioners Court Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales, Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy. In a new wrinkle, members of George’s Youth Leadership Program also got into act, making brief statements from the stage. George said that while raising the county’s next generation of leaders, “We must instill a sense of compassion and empathy. Because true leadership
isn’t just about achieving goals. It is about understanding and caring for others, lifting them up and supporting them on their journey.” George touted the fact that Fort Bend is the fastest-growing county in the state, with a current population of more than 945,000 and a projected 2 million residents by 2040. But he acknowledged that with that fast growth there have been a lot of demands on infrastructure and services, which he said the county government is working hard to tackle. George also applauded the county’s enormous di-
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