April 2021 Volume 3, Issue 2
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ~ Cover Story ~
CONTENTS
Pages 4-7
~ Meridiana News ~ Page 10-11
Read Across America Day at Meridiana Elementary
Health Fair and Blood Drive
~ School News ~
~ Features/Columns ~
Recognitions at Manvel High School and Meridiana Elementary
Cookin’ with Corey, The Postscript, Just Another Voice
Page 8-9
Email Us Your Photos We would like to highlight your children’s awards, school projects or hobbies. You may include their name, age, parents, siblings etc.
Email to: officemanager@alvinsun.net 2
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Page 12-16
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Cover Story
Explorers celebrate
‘Read Across America’ Day Meridiana Elementary students and teachers participated in National Read Across America Day in March. Explorers and staff dressed up as their favorite Dr. Seuss characters, read amazing books and participated in fun activities.
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LIFESTYLE
Students could place their face in the cutout or pose with Dr. Seuss’ Thing 1 and Thing 2.
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The grown-ups would not be left out of the fun and are seen posing with students.
June & July Birthday Photos Email to: officemanager@alvinsun.net Deadline for Next Publication April 30, 2021
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Everyone had fun dressing up and posing as Dr. Seuss characters.
Keep Informed Of The Local News Have the Sunday, Wednesday or both editions of the Alvin newspaper mailed to your home. $22 year - Sunday $32 year - Wednesday Call 281-331-4421
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School News
Mr. Quinton Virgil was named as the new Associate Principal of Manvel High School.
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Meridiana Elementary counselor, Edith Zaragoza, was named Alvin ISD’s Elementary Counselor of the Year.
Magnificent Mavericks Recognized
Rick Veal safe, secure classroom
Kay Ali ensures safety and well being
Catherine Blake supports student success
Demetra Davis makes teaching Algebra 2 look easy
Carrie Jeffries supports staff and students
Jacob Jeffries great team player
Kristin Glines science dept. standout
Kendra Miles makes Algebra 1 fun
MAV of the Week Assistant Principal, Lisa Almendariz
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Meridiana News
Health Fair and Blood Drive hosted Jan. 23
L O C A L B U S I N E S S D I R E C T O R Y 10
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Left to Right: Miguelina Nelson and Katherine Nunn from Abundant Heart Home Care
Left to Right: Heidi Kingston, Guest Relation Specialist and Stephane Rodriguz, Welcome Center Manager
Photos by Sheila Rieke
Alicia Padilla and Jorege Vite from Origen Artesania Unica Herbal Life consultant and Owner of Crazee Cravings, Christina Calzadillas
Caricature Artist: Raul Guantello and Meridiana’s Guest Relation Specialist, Lauren Acosta
Fred Alvarez from Fred’s BBQ Stuff (he also does wood crafted signs)
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Cookin’ with Corey
Photos & Story by Michael Edmonds What do you get when you mix dreams, aspirations, determination, passion, training and a lot of hard work? One could say a recipe for success. A question often asked to young children is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and the answers are numerous and varied. Some are doctor, nurse, firefighter, pilot, cowboy, ballerina, etc. to name a few. Influences for these future careers are just as prevalent and constantly observed by the youngsters. Sporting events, plays, televitelevi sion, movies, and a vast host of other life occurrences play a key role in shaping the future for them. Family influence could arguably have the biggest impact in one’s future career
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path, especially if one has a natural interest in food preparation and his parents own a business “catered” to his love of cooking. Corey Scopel, son of Jack and Theresa Scopel, had the cooking bug instilled in him as a young boy, which was just the beginning of what life had in store for him. In junior high, his interest to one day attend culinary school later on in life was on his mind, but would obviously have to wait until he got older. In the meantime, he worked at his grandgrand father’s ranch for a summer, and started up a lawn care business at the age of 15. He was also involved in 4-H and doing youth rodeo. These activities kept him too busy to watch
TV (namely cooking shows, something I did quite often in my youth), which would not have been a factor in keeping the dream alive. His first chance at some formal training was accomplished while attending Alvin high school when he got into the culinary arts program they offered. His parents owned a small catering business, and naturally Corey helped them to do events. I’m guessing his passion was fired up a few degrees. After graduating high school, Corey parpar layed his initial training into an even higher level of cooking knowledge and enrolled in the culinary department at Alvin Community Continued on Page 13
Continued from Page 12 College for one semester. Not yet finished with schooling, he enrolled in the culinary arts program at Texas State Technical College in Waco. While attending school he worked full time at a local 5-star restaurant and grabbed the #1 position in his class. After graduating, he was ready to further pursue his dreams and turn them into reality. During the initial phase of his career, Corey was the banquet and catering manager at a popular eatery in Alvin. He also was the executive chef and general manager at another restaurant/bar in the area, which he had a part in getting it started from the ground up. All this time while Corey was gaining a vast array of experience and knowledge, he still found time to cook for his family and friends. They often told him, “You should open your own place.” His reply was always “Give me time.” He always liked to leave a smile on someone’s face after eating some of his tasty creations. After graduating high school in 2006 and perfecting recipes, honing his chef skills, learning all he could, and getting his ducks in a row, the time had come. Opening a restaurant is a daunting task and quite pricey, so in 2017 Corey decided to start “Corey’s Kitchen,” a bright taxi cab yellow food truck, a more affordable option to get his tasty fare out to the public. According to the chef, Alvin had become a food truck friendly town making the decision somewhat easier and he knew if it was done right it would be big. He needed a place to park his mobile kitchen, so he purchased a small parcel of land and started Scopel Square, the new home to show off his cooking skills. A barn-like structure is also on his little piece of Heaven. Just serving lunch and dinner out of a window was not his only plan; he was always planning on doing catering as well, thus Elite Catering was formed. Talk about following in your parent’s footsteps. Not satisfied with having just a food truck, Corey still had the ambition of having a brick and mortar location. In 2019 he found an empty space and began work on what was to become “Corey’s Southern Comfort Food.” The restaurant would also provide a bigger kitchen, which expanded the versatility of his catering business. He chose the Manvel area due to its rapidly expanding population and to offer more dining out options, which was somewhat lacking. His family friendly restaurant is cozy and inviting, and features “phone boxes” on the tables to encourage actual conversations. So in just a short period
of time, his plan is off to a super start. Food truck – check. Location – check. Catering business – check. Restaurant – check. Corey and his wife Jennifer live in Alvin and have four children, Emery (8), Corley (6) and two year old twins Jackson and Cannon. As of now, Scopel Square is being groomed to be a food truck “park” and event venue. Toy drives, live bands, markets will be hosted
there as well as having the “barn” available for rent. For those who want to get into the business, he offers these words of wisdom: dream big, pray often, work hard, and pray even harder! When asked what he has in store for the future, Corey simply said “I have big things coming soon. Stay tuned!”
We are dialed in!
Food/Catering trailer in that hard to miss taxi cab yellow!
Scopel Square is now a Food Truck Park & Event Venue
Corey’s Southern Comfort Food store front in Manvel
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COLUMN
The Postscript by Carrie Classon
Stretch Pants Lifestyle
Carrie Classon I don’t remember exactly when I took to living in stretch pants full time. The process was gradual, I’m sure of that. I started out wearing a pair of bell-bottom stretch pants when I was writing. I didn’t actually live in them; they were part of my writing costume and they were comfy. But as the pandemic wore on, I noticed the legs of my stretch pants were getting longer and longer until, one day, I saw they were covering my feet, and it was not a very respectable look. “I need to upgrade my stretch pants!” I decided. So, I bought stretch pants with pockets. Pockets in stretch pants are completely useless because you can’t put anything in them without it looking as if you have a growth on your leg. A credit card makes a bump. A key looks like the beginnings of a tumor. But the pockets signaled that these stretch pants were almost like regular pants. They just stretched. They were certainly less disreputable looking than the stretch pants that covered my feet. I started wearing them most
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of the day. In the late afternoon, I take my hike and that’s when I put on my second pair of stretch pants. “There’s nothing wrong with hiking in stretch pants!” I remind myself. “These are athletic stretch pants!” My hiking stretch pants look nothing at all like the stretch pants I just took off because they are not bell-bottoms and they don’t have pockets. I wear them exclusively on my hike, and they are a little worn out because dogs jump up on them and bushes snag them. You would certainly never mistake them for my regular stretch pants, the ones I wear the rest of the day. But one day I got home from my hike, took a hot bath and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to just slip into something comfy like ... maybe stretch pants?” That was when I brought out my old stretch pants, the disreputable ones that cover my feet, and put them on. “I can look a little disreputable in the evening!” I figured. These stretch pants are not as tight as the stretch pants with pockets, and they are a bit heavier, which is nice on a cool night. I think of them as my “casual stretch pants”, and I wear them as I make my dinner and lounge about in the evening. Then one night while getting ready for bed, I put on my nightgown and I had an epiphany. “What I need is nighttime stretch pants!” I wouldn’t wear my stretch pants with pockets, of course. That would be ridiculous. I wouldn’t wear the tight stretch
pants that I wear on my hike and dogs jump all over, nor would I need anything as substantial as my casual evening stretch pants. I found a pair of stretch pants that were loose and made of a lighter fabric and, I am here to tell you, paired with a nightgown, they are the perfect pajamas. So now I move through my day, from one pair of stretch pants to the next, marking the movement of the sun across the sky like a sundial by changing
into a different pair of stretch pants - pants that might appear (to the untrained eye) strikingly similar in appearance. Of course, I’m delighted that we are able to get out and about more. But it does seem like a bit of a shame since I just perfected my stretch pants lifestyle. Till next time, Carrie Carrie Classon’s memoir is called, “Blue Yarn.” Learn more at CarrieClasson.com.
Departments / Phone Numbers www.iowacolonytx.gov/
Iowa Colony City Hall, 12003 Iowa Colony Blvd, Iowa Colony, TX 77583
Department
Phone
Department of Community Development
281-369-2471
Department of Finance
281-369-2471
Department of Public Works
281-369-2471
Municipal Court
281-369-2471
Office of the City Manager
281-369-2471
Office of the City Secretary
346-395-4526
Community Development handles permitting, platting, inspections, and engineering.
The Department of Public Works is responsible for keeping all city assets and facilities in a state of good repair. Public Works contains streets and sidewalks, parks, municipal buildings, and right-of-way maintainance. Municipal Courts are the judicial branch of city government. In addition, the Municipal Court is part of the state judicial system. Municipal Courts hear Class C Misdemeanor criminal cases, including traffic violations, for which the maximum fine, upon conviction, does not exceed $500, and for which no jail sentence may be assessed. They also hear cases involving violation of city ordinances, which may have fines up to $2,000 for certain offenses.
The City Secretary is the clerk of the City serving as a link between the citizens and the City organization. The City Secretary’s office is committed to providing excellent customer service to the public in a timely, professional and efficient manner. Responsibilities: Provides all pertinent information for City Council meetings; Custodian of all official records of the City, including agendas, minutes, agreements, ordinances, resolutions and contracts; Maintains the City Seal and attests official documents; Oversees City elections; Provides the public with information in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act; Administers the oath of office to new City employees and officials; Publication of legal notices
Parks
Iowa Colony City Park • 4003 Meridiana Parkway (Next to Meridiana Elementary School) City Hall Park • 12003 Iowa Colony Blvd (Behind City Hall)
Police Department
281-369-3444
Mosquito Spraying Requests for mosquito spraying can be made online with Brazoria County Mosquito Control.
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Just Another Voice by James Hopkins
The Perfect Solution
My Pastor made a statement as he was ministering one Sunday morning; (not an exact quote - paraphrased) “medicine has greatly improved over the last several years”. When he said that, God spoke this to me, “Yes, man has made great improvements in medicine and medical procedures, however, I haven’t improved one iota. I am still just perfect”. By shear definition, ‘perfect’ can’t be improved upon; it is finished. It’s my belief when Jesus made His last statement on the cross, “it is finished”, He was speaking of “the perfect solution” to all of man’s problems. He is the perfect solution; all that He is as well as all that He did. Because of this, I think a lot about what it says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”. The key phrase here is “fallen short”. Now, I understand this is speaking of man before salvation, but, it could just as well be said of those of us (myself included) who haven’t quite reached the pinnacle of being ‘glorified’ as Jesus had prayed in the ‘garden’ before going to the Cross. John 17:9-10: “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them”. Jesus said in John 17:1: “Father,
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the hour has come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee”. Here’s the way I would say that; Father, make me look good so I can make you look good. What I mean by that is this; let me be the best at what I do in every area of my life as a testimony of your goodness. It’s just hard for me to imagine that a perfect God would want anything less than perfect for His children since He purchased us with such an enormously precious price. There is no way that I could ever think that He would withhold anything from us, because He said that He wouldn’t. I recently was reminded of a scripture that I focused on several years back; Isaiah 48:17: “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go”. The thing that really caught my attention here was the word ‘profit’. When I looked it up, I was surprised at the meaning. Strong’s: H3276 ya’al A primitive root; properly to ascend; figuratively to be valuable; objectively useful; subjectively benefited: to receive help from anything. 1)To ascend on high, to rise above; verb - to ascend a mountain, to stand on the summit. How about a little trip back to “the beginning” in Genesis 1:26: And God said. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion (Dominion: to subdue, dominate or rule over from a command position; reign) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. Isn’t it absolutely amazing that God would make all of His children
just like Himself? Now, if that was His desire in the beginning, then why would it be any different after Calvary, since God never changes? He tells us “I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to ascend” or rise to the level of glory that He is at. Can it get any better than that? God wants to teach every one of His children One on One. So maybe with His help we can work our way from “fallen short” to “And hath raised us up together” (Eph 2:6). For God so loved the world that He descended to our level so He could teach us to ascend to His level. Now, the way scripture reads, when we are ‘born again’ we are immediately translated into God’s Kingdom spiritually. However, our mind must be renewed so that we can begin to think and act like Kingdom citizens. That’s where the teaching comes into play. This is the main purpose of Holy Spirit in our lives. How long it takes to reach that level of ‘glory’ is up to each individual. I think of the disciple John, he seemed to get a head start on a relationship with Jesus because he understood the love Jesus had for him. He called himself “the disciple that Jesus loved”. It didn’t seem to bother Jesus one bit that this grown man would lay his head on Jesus’ chest. This revelation of God’s love was reflected in John’s writings. The father approved of Jesus with signs, wonders and miracles (Acts 2:22). After Jesus was ‘glorified’ by His resurrection, He did so many miracles and healings the world would not be able to contain the books if they were written down. In that ‘glorified’ state is where God intends for us to be, as evidenced in 1 John 4:17 that says,
“as He is so are we in this world”. This was written after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. So the Father intends for each of His children to be in a ‘glorified’ state here, now, before we leave this world. How else could Jesus be returning for His Glorious Church? So, I guess it is time to choose that which Mary chose (Luke 10:39) and sit at the feet of Jesus so as to let Him “teach us to ascend to that glorious state”. This is when we will rise above the ways of the world to: • Be whole and have no need of a physician (Mark 2:17) • Have power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18) • Walk in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) • Dwell in His presence (Ps 140:13) • Cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink deadly things without harm, lay hands on the sick so they recover (Mark 16:17-18) • Make disciples of all men (Matt. 28:19-20) • Do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13) • Know all things so we can tell the world (1 John 2:20) • Etc. So, in light of the things that have taken place over the last several months in this great nation and the world, we have need of this “teaching to ascend” more than ever. Jesus said, “we are in this world, but, we are not of this world” (John 17:14-16). It’s time to go beyond the norm and “draw nigh unto Him so He can draw nigh unto us” (James 4:8). The world as well as creation needs us to give them The Perfect Solution. Because of Him, James