In a statement posted on the district’s website Wednesday, Board President Rusty Burkett described the incident as a “serious criminal activity involving email theft and wire fraud.” Burkett detailed that on December 10, the district was alerted to the situation by Hometown Bank regarding a suspicious wire transfer.

“This incident is part of a troubling pattern, with multiple fraudulent transactions occurring over a brief 20-day period, totaling approximately $1.2 million,” Burkett stated.

The district immediately contacted the Friendswood Police Department, who are now actively investigating. Authorities are working to determine how the fraud occurred, recover the stolen funds, and identify those responsible.

The district assured taxpayers that it is taking all necessary measures to address the breach and protect the community’s financial interests moving forward. “We are focused on recovering the lost taxpayer funds and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice,” Burkett concluded.

The Friendswood Police Department has not yet released additional details as the investigation remains ongoing.

The Child Development classes at Friendswood High School took on a project the week of Dec 2. Students were assigned a confetti egg to care for as an “Egg Baby.”
“This project is an introduction into infants and their development,” Child Development Teacher Lisa Thames said. “It’s a fun EGGS-perience and opportunity for them to learn parenting skills and responsibility.”

Students were given Monday and Tuesday to decorate their egg babies and their babies’ carriers.

“I decorated my carrier as a castle because I thought it would be cute for my baby,” student Bella Garner said. “I wanted my egg to look like a baby model, so I gave her a jewel as a bib, false lashes, long hair, and even a beauty mark.”

Students took their egg babies to each class, keeping their babies safely enclosed in a carrier.

“This is similar to how it is when you have a baby in the real world,” Thames said. “The hospital requires you to bring your car seat and safely strap your baby in before you can leave. We do the same thing in our class, making sure their egg baby is in a safe carrier.”

Whenever a student needed to leave their egg, such as to go to the bathroom, a babysitter was assigned to watch over the egg baby. The owners had to be responsible and careful with their eggs for the entire duration of the project.

“It was very stressful taking my egg around the school because I was afraid it would get bumped and fall,” Brentan Castleberry said. “I held it extra tight around other people and I was careful about who I left my egg baby with.”

The project was documented in an online journal. This is where each egg baby was given a name, birth certificate, documented experiences, and babysitters.

“One of my pictures in my journal was with Leonardo, my egg, and I watching SpongeBob after braiding her yarn hair,” Garner said. “We get to make up fun activities that we did with our eggs and take pictures to document them.”

According to Ms.Thames, she hopes that students learn valuable skills to apply to their lives.

“This project teaches self-control, awareness, responsibility, being gentle, and thoughtfulness,” Thames said. “The goal is for our Child Development students to walk away with necessary skills and have fun, all while learning to take care of something else!”

With a remarkable record of 40 wins and six losses, the Lady Oilers dominated their district, securing the coveted first-place position. Their exceptional performance earned them the prestigious Chevy Spotlight Trophy presented by Bayway Chevrolet, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the sport.

While the season may have concluded, the Lady Oilers’ dedication and hard work have laid the foundation for future success. The team’s accomplishments this year have inspired young athletes and set a high standard for years to come.

Team members include:

Maddie Dement, Emma Dines, Cora Wolford, Arie Glover, Adrienne Enriquez, Mackenzie La Chiusa, Avery Koonsen, Emily Brock, Liryn Davis, Britney Solomon, Megan Stano, Kimanni Rugley, Aaryn Brown, Easton Heinrich, Katy Cavanaugh, Emma Garza.

In a split vote, Pearland City Council this month rejected a rezoning request by an office park developer interested in building a business space with expanded uses at 2849 Cullen Parkway.

A representative of Mission Park said the zone change would permit a wider variety of businesses, from plumbers and electricians to dance schools, to set up shop.
The council voted against the request 4-3, with members Joseph Koza, Chad Thumann, and Tony Carbone in support.

Those who voted against also were uncomfortable with the zone change for a specific project, pointing out that zoning will run with the land regardless of what happens afterward.

“If something happens and they don’t move forward, we have the max zone there,” Council member Layni Cade commented.

The developer, who has projects in Katy and Tomball, was seeking a zone change from a general business district to a general commercial, which allows more uses.
“If you go up and down 35, a lot of those office warehouses back in there are greatly aged and dated — and they are full,” Mayor Kevin Cole said.

Kimberly Barfield has been named director of Pearland ISD’s nonprofit Education Foundation, where plans for an annual fundraising gala are underway.
A Houston native, Barfield comes to the foundation from a League City nonprofit where she served as development director.

“This is Day No. 2, so she’s drinking out of a fire hose,” foundation board President Tony Carbone told school board members on December 10. “She’s touring campuses and she’s got three months to put on an awesome gala.”

Themed “Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams,” this year’s fundraising gala is set for 6 p.m. March 8 at the Hilton Houston Post Oak.

“It’s a great, classy venue,” Carbone said. “We’d love to see everybody there.”

The foundation’s annual gala has led to $750,000 in teaching grants, district initiatives, and academic programs over the years. Sponsorship levels range from $1,500 to the $15,000 presenting sponsor, and individual tickets are $350 or $2,500 for a table of eight.

Reform of high-stakes STAAR testing, teacher support, and behavioral support are among the legislative priorities approved by Pearland ISD Trustees on December 10.
The 89th Legislature will convene from January 14 to June 2, 2025.

The district also is asking for a rewrite and reform of the state’s code “to remove barriers to correcting disruptive students and encouraging policies that support proactive parent involvement,” Superintendent Larry Berger told the board.
Both Pearland and Alvin ISDs are asking legislators to look at Texas Education Code Chapter 38 — which addresses school discipline, he said.

“Alvin ISD partnered with us and we sat down with elected officials, and we brought this to them as well,” Berger said, “that Chapter 37 has become an omnibus of issues and concerns for us that prevent us from being pro-active, reactive and mitigating things that are taking place on a daily basis in our classroom.”

Student behaviors and concerns about the state’s discipline code are not limited to Pearland ISD, trustees agreed.

“Chapter 37 has gone from a one-page document to now a 100-and something page document,” Trustee Crystal Carbone said. “Barriers presented there to mitigate behaviors in the classroom make it very difficult for us to address those.”

The commission recently approved adding 621 as an “all services overlay,” or adding an area code to the same geographic region as an existing area code to ensure a continuing supply of new telephone numbers.

The new area code becomes effective on Jan. 23 for the Houston metro area that includes Pearland, Sugar Land, Baytown, League City, Missouri City, Pasadena, The Woodlands, and other smaller communities served by the 281/346/713/832 area codes.

The change will not require anyone to change existing area codes or phone numbers and will not change how calls are dialed.

Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. on weekends and 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, Dec. 16-23.
Victory Camp is located at 1407 Victory Lane in Alvin. Online tickets for the 15-minute rides are available for $12 at thechristmastrain.com, and a limited number of tickets will be available on-site for $14 each. Children 2 and under ride free.

For more information, call 281-388-2267.

Texas youth and education funds include $14.7 designated for scholarships, $9.76 for junior show exhibitors, $3 million in education program grants, and $481,100 for graduate assistantships. Scholarships include Houston-area Rodeo Scholars, Texas 4-H, Texas FFA, and Achievement and Vocational scholarships. More than 800 scholarships will be awarded through the Rodeo’s scholarship programs in 2024.

Rodeo scholarship applications will be open between Dec. 16, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025. For eligibility requirements or to apply online, visit rodeohouston.com/scholarships-and-grants/how-to-apply/

The 2025 Rodeo is scheduled for March 4-23, and the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest is scheduled for Feb. 27-March 1.