PLACES TO GO Around the Neighborhood Page 2-3
VOLUME 37 ISSUE 5 - SINCE 1986
WEST SIDE STORIES Max Sherman
INSIDE Helping Hands
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RiverCity
W E S TA U S T I N N E W S . C O M
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SHOAL CREEK CONSERVANCY
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Congratulations to National Merit Scholarship Winners
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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF STEWARDSHIP By Alana Moehring Mallard
Shoal Creek Conservancy celebrated 10 years of advocacy for Shoal Creek with a State of Shoal Creek breakfast earlier this month. Speakers were Shoal Creek Conservancy founder Ted Siff and City of Austin council members Leslie Pool and Alison Alter. Shoal Creek Conservancy executive director Ivey Kaiser said this anniversary celebration highlighted the organization’s focus on championing the entire Shoal Creek watershed to improve the water quality for wildlife and human visitors to Shoal Creek. The conservancy is within a handful of miles of completing a 30-mile loop of hike and bike trails running through the 13-square-mile area of Shoal Creek watershed. The State of Shoal Creek breakfast surpassed the conservancy’s goal of raising $5,000 to fund an intern for the organization, which will allow a semester of training and development under the guidance of Shoal Creek Conservancy staff. Board members of Shoal Creek Conservancy are Felicia Garcia, Michelle Slattery,
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National Merit scholarship winners were announced May 8 and included local students from six schools. Each winner will receive a $2,500 college scholarship. Austin winners include: From St. Stephens Episcopal School, Jorik Damman who will study in college for a career in mathematics. From Anderson High School, Tula David who will study for a career in neuroscience, and Alexa Meachum. From Alpha Academy, Kate Liemandt who plans to pursue a career in writing. From Veritas Academy, Carson Ferris who will attend Texas A&M as a Brown Scholar in the field of medicine. From Westlake High
School, Patrick Flaherty who plans to study computer engineering, Joshua Kou who will study mathematics, Nasser Romman who plans to enter the field of banking, Julia Ward-Mulligan who will study astrophysics, and Cedric Xia who will also study mathematics. From Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, William Newby who will study Economics. The 2,500 scholarship winners nationwide were chosen from 15,000 finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program on the basis of their academic record, PSAT and SAT scores, leadership in school and community, an essay, and a recommendation from their high school.
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PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS J. CARROLL Ulf Habermann, Shannon Stagner, Clinton Sayers, Steve Davis, RJ Endsley, Brian Greig, Perry Horton, Sara Koeninger, Hector Leiva Jr, Jeffrey Richard, Lauren Taylor, and Ana Wanamaker; Ted Siff is founder and former board member. Go to shoalcreekconservancy.org to volunteer to help remove litter and recyclables from Shoal Creek on June 14 and June 29. The conservancy along with Yellow Bike, Ghisallo, and Austin Watershed Protection Department will sponsor a Shoal Creek Bike Tour on June 8.
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Troops 5 & 50 Award Eagle Scout Rank to Eleven Scouts Eleven Scouts – 6 girls and 5 boys – from sister/brother Scout Troops 50 and 5 were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony on Sunday, April 28 at First United Methodist Church. This is the first dual ceremony of boys and girls for the two troops, which are closely linked by families, troop leaders, and the host church, First United Methodist Church. The new Eagle Scouts include: ▲ Zack Ellington, son of Andy Ellington and Heather Deiderick ▲ Hudson Hawes, son of David and Jeanne Hawes ▲ Farrah Kleeman, daughter of John and Michele Kleeman ▲ Fiona Kleeman, daughter of John and Michele Kleeman ▲ Lyla Macon, daughter of Randall and Veronica Macon ▲ Griffin Meroney, son of Mike and Shannon Meroney ▲ Owen Miller, son of Kenny and Melissa Miller ▲ Griffin Moore, son of Susan Moore ▲ Skylar Moore, daughter of Susan Moore
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▲ Ali Reichenberg, daughter of Jason and Michelle Reichenberg ▲ Rylie Shieh, daughter of James and Sue Shieh Since the inception of the Eagle Scout award in 1912, only about 2 percent of eligible Scouts have earned Scouting’s highest honor. Although the percentage has trended upward, this award is still incredibly rare. Troop 5 was founded in 1911, one year after Boy Scouts of America was established. Troop 5 was the second troop to be formed in Austin, and is one of the oldest continuously operating troops in the United States. Troop 50 was established
in 2019, making it one of the very first BSA Scout troops in the country that welcomed girls in Scouting. In 2018, a small group of central Austin families saw the upcoming opportunities that were being made available for girls in Scouting, and took advantage the next year. Troop 5 and 50’s Eagle Scout ceremony opened with a bagpiper, followed by a brass band of Scouts who played our National Anthem, and a dozen Scouts and leaders who led Scouts through the Scout Oath and Law, Trail to Eagle advancement, presentation of candidates, the Eagle promise and finally, the Eagle charge.
At the Eagle Court of Honor, each family pinned the coveted Eagle Badge on their Scout’s uniform and presented the Eagle neckerchief. In turn, Scouts presented their parents with Eagle “Mom” or “Dad” lapel pins to commemorate the occasion. Troop 5 Committee Chair Brian Wilson said, “Our ceremony was a first with Eagle Scouts from both Troop 5 and Troop 50. It both honors our heritage and looks to the future. We celebrate these Eagle Scouts, and anticipate future Eagle Scouts from Troop 5, Troop 50, and other troops around the world. We place great hope and expectation in each of them.”
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