Several student groups participated in the 2010 City of Euless Parade of Lights.
Current and former students of Mr. Stevens' Auto Collision class, with
support from Teresa and Lisa Foreman and Chicken Express, entered the HEB ISD Art Car in the parade and won 1st Place Community Group! Congratulations to all participants, and thank you to all
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Welcome to the HEB ISD Art Car Blog!
If you are unfamiliar with this project, please start at the bottom and scroll up! Basically it covers the unfolding of the very first HEB Art Car project for which we were humbly honored with the People's Choice Award and the 2nd Place Youth Group Award at the 22nd Annual 2009 Houston Art Car Parade, but as they say... the real story is not about winning a trophy or in this case two (although THAT was pretty awesome!)
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Representatives from the Technical Education Center and the Jeffrey H. Morris Foundation teamed up last weekend to showcase the award-winning HEB ISD Art Car at the Bedford Bluesfest and Barbeque. Students new to Mr. Steven's Auto-Collision and Repair classes volunteered their time to help set up, pass out T.E.C. brochures and talk to visitors about the program. Many passersby including children and adults alike also had the opportunity to "be a part of art" and paint their own custom miniature guitar to hang on the "the boat". Previous Bell Graduate and art car project participant Robert Whittington also made an appearance, a side to the onstage headline performance of his father Buddy Whittington, Blues guitarist virtuoso. The JHM Foundation, a non-profit organization, was on hand to speak about cancer awareness and the cause behind their efforts. They also sold merchandise with profits creatively benefitting youth in ways such as art car projects and music scholarships in addition to annual contributions to the Parkland Foundation. |
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On June 13, 2010, the HEB Art Car was honored with the People's Choice Award in the Car & Truck Show at Bedford's Summer-Fest, benefiting the new Bedford Library! Mr. Stevens was there to represent, along with two TEC Auto Collision & Repair alumni. One of the former students, Robert Whittington, was a participating artist in the creation of the art car in 2009. Mom, Cathy, is also shown. All proceeds will help benefit the construction of the new Bedford Library. View more photos from this event.
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Overall the parade was a huge success! Friday night at the Sneak Peek, 200 children crowded the boat to paint a fish to hang from the mast. They were all so excited to take part and come to the realization that they too, were a part of an Art Car and that their art was going to sail through the parade. MANY THANKS TO THE 200 CHILDREN (and a few adventurous adults) from Houston for your fabulous fish creations! . We gained many new fans in Houston, before, during and after the parade and we feel so grateful to be a part of this amazing parade. As for the parade itself (photo), the weather was perfect - breezy and 81 degrees. I think even more people showed up this year than last year with a record of 300,000 reported. I personally know of about 20 first-timers from our area and Houston who primarily attended the parade just to see the boat. Of course they were blown away by the whole experience and are making plans to return next year. PS: MANY thanks to all back home, for showing your support in attempting to text to show your support. Unfortunately, there was some kind of malfunction in the texting system on their end as you have probably figured out. Of course, not that this was about winning or anything but just wanted to let everyone know that there was indeed an issue and recognize our supporters. In the end and in our hearts, our true purpose was served and served well! |
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The boat will ride again in the 2010 Houston Art Car Parade! This time it is entered under the Art Car category, but as always it is not really about winning. Although the student artists have mostly graduated that worked on this piece of art, their art lives on! The Jeffrey Morris Foundation has volunteered to make the pilgrimage to Houston so that she may once again sail the streets of downtown Houston. If you get a chance to come down to Houston we'll be looking for ya! *** We will also be planning to do the Sneak Peak on Friday night at discovery Green if you care to join us. Paint a fish to hang on the art car! For more information about this year's parade and Houston Art Car Weekend, please visit Orangeshow.org " |
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In December the art car was decorated for the holidays and entered into the Euless Parade of Lights. Unfortunately I was sick and unable to attend, but Mr. Stevens and the gang did a terrific job without me! (hahaha) The boat was so beautiful. It looked like it was out at sea, lit up against the dark night. Many thanks to Dave Nielsen, Assistant Webmaster, who braved the cold to take photos of the event! Oh yes, they placed Best in Category!! Way to go!!! Read more about the event and see photos here |
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We are just now starting to venture out with the art car. This is partly because up until now we haven't had a viable way to transport the "boat"... being that it is not actually legal to drive on the road under normal circumstances. However, I am very proud to report we have purchased a used trailer with part of the prize money from the parade! So this means as long as we have someone with a truck willing to tow it, there is a good chance you will see more public appearances of "Jeffrey's Oceanic Peace Extravaganza".
The other reason is well, we are new at this…what do we do now? We are learning though and we were able to recently participate in the Trinity Home Coming Parade (complete with returning THS graduates and art car artists) as well as our first competition beyond the Houston Art Car Parade.
On October 31st, 2009 (marking the one year anniversary of Jeffrey's passing) we participated in the Relay for Life - Car, Truck and Cycle Show. The fundraiser and competition benefited the American Cancer Society and attracted custom show vehicles from across the area. Needless to say we felt a little like a "fish-out-of-water" so to speak, next to the shiny custom classics. The Scooby-Doo classic VW van however, made for good company!
Our purpose for participating in this competition and show was primarily to commemorate the day and help the cause. The day was beautiful and we displayed a poster showing the transformation as well as a bio about Jeffrey and the history of the truck. Many people stopped to read the literature and analyze the makeover up close in amazement. I was also really proud to see several of the graduating students/artists return for this occasion.
Wrapping up the day, we felt great about our appearance, knowing that we were continuing to spread smiles, warm hearts and bring about more awareness in the fight against cancer. As they announced the winners, we listed in jest to see if we would win in the custom classic truck category. Alas - we did not. However, to our surprise, once again - we were honored with the People's Choice Award! What an honor this was to receive on this commemorative and special day.
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UPDATE!: The HEB ISD Art Car video (with interviews on left) was recently recognized by the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA). It earned the "Best of Category, Documentary" Medal and Gold Star!
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We sold over 170 tickets for the first ever EAT-4-ART fund-raiser. The day was perfect for a picnic! From 11-2 last Friday, a steady stream of people came by to pick up their lunchbox (sponsored by Boomer Jack's and mighty good I might add) and check out "Jeffrey's Oceanic Peace Extravaganza" up close. I had feelings of being in a small town, or at least imagining what that might be like. The community gathered round for small "art car" talk, students were frolicking on the lawn, and passersby honked and screamed how proud we made HEB! Thanks to everyone who supported us, especially the central administration complex and a very big thanks to Boomer Jacks! |
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(recap 5/10/2009) Off to the Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts we went for our final day in Houston to mingle with our newly found comrades and display our masterpiece one last time. Pulling up to 2402 Munger St, we were pleasantly reassured we were in the right place seeing the tops of the whimsical structure of the Orange Show Monument peering above the rooftops of modestly built wood-framed homes. Approaching the hollowed Volkswagen Beetle-turned-grill piled high with self-serve migas, we were again reassured we were definitely not in Kansas, 'ehem HEB anymore. Spirits were high as we anticipated the announcement of the winners, but trophy or not, we knew we had already won in our own hearts, minds and souls. In the mean time, the scorching heat was still not enough to prevent the students from displaying themselves proudly upon the boat resting on the lawn with many of the other art cars. We wandered the corridors and rooftop platforms of the Orange Show monument building while various acoustic acts performed. One musician in particular caught us off guard for his uncanny likeness to Jeffrey. Even more so coincidental was his musical bluegrass style. For this we could not be drawn away from him as he brought back vivid happy memories of Jeff playing on stage for his friends and family. For just a moment, it was easy to suspend reality...
I'm not sure how much sweeter this otherwise bittersweet day could have gotten, except for what happened next... As the announcer began the distribution of fabulous trophies, we perked up when he began to announce the winners in the Youth Category. Did we have a chance, our first attempt? Either way, it didn't matter, BUT...
WE PLACED 2ND in the Youth Category! At this point, we had surpassed our greatest expectations, or so we thought.... After going though numerous other categories including Daily Driver, Low Rider, Best Contraption, Music and Cycle, they geared up to announce the three Grand Prize winners of $1500 and top honors in the world of Art Cars...Mayor's Cup, Participant's Choice and lastly People's Choice. Winning one of these awards is on par with winning State Football, Band Nationals, and even the Oscars when it comes to art cars. It is highly esteemed and much sought after in this largest of all Art Car Parade Competitions. And it is definitely not for the prize money...
2009 People's Choice Winner of the 22nd Annual Houston Art Car Parade with 140,000 text votes:
#180
"Jeffery's Oceanic Peace Extravaganza" from HEB ISD -see more photos from this entry For full list of winners, look here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/6418499.html |
; "ART CAR Trophies")
A few of the students took it upon themselves to commission a portrait artist on the scene to use a photo of Jeffrey to paint Jeff's likeness on a flat stone. They 
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(recap 5/9/2009) 7 am: The day started early with little sleep but it didn't seem to phase anyone as we had finally come to the much anticipated Parade Day! We started off with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, packed our "hippie" sacks full of sandwiches and snacks to eat later, loaded the bikes and boards, ice chest of water, shark hats, plastic blow-up guitars and bubble wands. 9 am: We arrived early to make sure we had plenty of time to get there and get set up before our judging time. Half of the group went down with the boat while the other half would come a little later and meet up on the parade route. 10 am: We hoisted the banners, took our positions on the boat while the two cyclists, skateboarder and scooter pusher chased us all the way to the judges' table. Unfortunately the electrical hook up to the boom-box had a malfunction and were not able to play Jeffrey's Fishing Song for the panel. In any case, the judges seem to really like the "boat" although we came to the conclusion later that they did not fully realize that it was actually a pickup-turned-boat. The students had done their job too well and had fooled most into thinking we merely took a boat frame and put it on wheels! I should note that the judging was limited to 37 seconds and we were not permitted to speak to the judges. 37 seconds after 10 am: We continued the pre-parade route following our skater valet to our designated holding spot, #180. From there we would wait about 3 hours until the parade actually started. The sun began to beat down upon us and the Houston humidity was characteristically high. Even Mina, a student from Egypt, said the 120 degree heat from his home country was nothing compared to this type of sweltering misery. The crowds began to build as patrons and other artists took the opportunity to get close ups of all of the art cars. As many online photos as we had seen, nothing could have prepared us for the wackiness and fantasy like experience of seeing so many art cars in one place all around us, not to mention their creatively-styled owners. We were able to get the music working again, which made for the perfect pre-parade rally. The students jumped aboard, danced and waved to the building crowds. Passersby couldn't help but be drawn in. "Vote for the Boat!" became the changed mantra for the day. By 11 am, all the food was gone and we were down on water. Fortunately the second group showed up to replenish our fluid supply, and none too soon! 1:15 pm: Whehewww, we're moving! Our maiden voyage was off to a rockin' start. Jeffrey's Oceanic Peace Extravaganza set sail down Allen Parkway towards downtown, adorned with students all wearing their "guitaricature" t-shirts, sketched by Jeffrey H. Morris, himself. I'm not sure who was yelling louder the crowds or the students! I've truly never experienced anything even close to the elation I felt as we coasted our way through the streets of Houston and crowd of 260,000 spectators. We were in our element and these people got it! After months of attempting to explain why were working so hard to make a truck look like a hippie boat and encouraging the students to keep going... that it would all be worth it.... to "trust me" (yikes!) ...... I can't even begin to express because there are no words to describe the satisfaction, the excitement, the pride we all felt this day (and I think I can speak for everyone who rode on the boat and even those who were sidelined watching). After two glorious sun-drenched miles, we had come to the end of the route. However, we accidentally made an incorrect u-turn which put us back on the starting route. We used the opportunity to continue our banter "Vote for the boat!" We were also saddened by seeing the art cars that never made it through the route because of some mechanical break down. 4 pm: Loaded boat on the trailer and returned to hotel... exhausted. 6 pm: The extended Morris family (about 20 of them) met with the students, staff and volunteers in the hotel dining room.. not to eat but to express their gratitude to the students. Staff, students, parents and volunteers all responded with their own heartfelt words of appreciation. There was hardly a dry eye in the room as we had all come to appreciate the underlying meaning and purpose this project had taken on for so many, in so many different ways. 8 pm: Off to a celebratory Tex-Mex feast! |
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(recap 5/8/09) Well we were off to a smashing start until we reached Grand Prairie (about 15 minutes from Bedford) when we discovered a problem with one of the vans. Ultimately we were set back about 2 1/2 hours and had to trade in the van for the only thing left, a small Kia. Fortunately we were able to accommodate everyone with a little shifting. We finally reached Houston just in time to check in our hotel and head down to the Sneak Peek Event at Discovery Green Park. The Morris family had already parked the "boat" along the strip with other art cars and were eagerly met with passersby who couldn't wait to meet the student artists. Once we arrived on the scene the students hung the banners and began mingling with the crowd. We all had an opportunity to explore and catch our first glimpse into the wonderful world of art cars and meet other artists. Live music, sky-high bursts of fire, art car movies, and the ultimate in art car creations scattered the park for an intensely creative vibe. The students hung their heads high as they began to realize the scope of what they had worked so hard for. This was it. Jeffrey's Oceanic Peace Extravaganza had finally arrived! Photo upper right: students talking with Art Car artist from Mexico who entered in the "Lowrider" category. |
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Mina and Robert from Mr. Stevens Collision I class tested their public speaking and sales skills yesterday at the Central Administration building. The pair went office to office to rouse awareness about the project and personally invite folks out to the EAT-4-ART fundraiser on May 22. The event is free and will showcase the completed parade entry, but the public is encouraged to purchase a pre-sold lunchbox ticket for which they can redeem a box lunch at the EAT-4-ART event. The lunchbox includes a signature chicken wrap from Boomer Jack's, chips and a cookie all for only $7. All proceeds will benefit the project and offset expenses for the student trip to Houston where they will participate in the 22nd Annual Art Car Parade. Mina and Robert did an excellent job and sold quite a few tickets to those who did not already have tickets, including Superintendent Dr. Buinger! The HEB ISD Administration has shown tremendous support for the art car project. The students were very excited to personally witness the intrigue and interest from so many administrators. Dr. Deborah Tribble (secondary admin) is shown with Linda Storer talking with the students about their exciting project. |
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Entering the final stretch... This week was a crazy one as we scrambled to complete perhaps what will initially make the most impact, the paint job. It's getting hard to recognize the truck anymore and I find myself referring to it as "the boat" now. Only until one really starts to analyse the structure do you start to comprehend the massive metal transformation that has occurred because at first take, all you see is a boat. The art students, along with myself, the teachers and a few other volunteers worked into the night every night this week to experience the weirdness of painting with automotive paint. I can only describe it as trying to paint with fingernail polish on a piece of wet plastic. If your paint isn't just the right mixture of hardener, thinner and paint, it will pull up the undercoat and mix in with the dried paint beneath it. It took some adjusting but after awhile I think we got a pretty good feel for it. It also smelled quite a bit like nail polish, only a million times stronger. We've also had quite a few visitors this week including Dr. Buinger, Superintendent. I wasn't there for the visit, but apparently he was ecstatic when he saw it. He has requested that we do a presentation to the school board in June! Overall, words can't describe the emotion and excitement I feel inside. It is overwhelming the effort that everyone has put into this. The Morris family is simply blown away with delight... and for all those who knew Jeff, this thing is right in line... can't wait for the parade! |
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Went down to Houston for the Art Car Kickoff event to pick-up our official entry package. We are entry number #180 of 280 entries! It appears that people will be able to text to vote for our entry by texting "ART 180" to 84444, but I'm trying to find out more info on times and if the voting is official. Otherwise I met some other interesting artists, including the "Blues Brothers", and caught a glimpse of a few of the cars that we will be riding along with in the parade. Excitement is definitely starting to build as the time draws closer to this amazing event. |
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While away to Houston to pick up our official entry package at the kickoff event, students and teachers were back in HEB flowing and going all day Saturday! Primer and a base coat were applied earlier in the week by the collision students via several rounds in the paint booth to prepare for Saturday's meetup. Art teachers and students then worked together with the collision students to begin the final phase of the process of giving the boat that peace love and phycadellic "wow" factor! A flower for the hood, tie-dye all around and more to come! |
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Something to ponder: how often do students actually get to apply their math skills in the classroom? Sure in class they analyze word problems to no end, work complex equations, but here is a situation where these students actually have to figure out how to turn a car into a boat! In addition to this project requiring an enormous about of creativity, think about technical aspect involved. All the components that must fit together, the exact measurements required, the multitude of various angles involved... |
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For some reason, I was extremely excited to receive this in the mail today...it's official! |
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Tye-dye Magic & Woodwork Galore! The deck work continues as you can see - Ashanty and Robert from the Collision II classes take a moment to pose proudly. The seats are also done and they look absolutely hip-fabulous! They have been covered in canvas that was custom tye-dyed with an embroidered peace sign... now that is cool. Victor and Susie from Susie's Custom Embroidery/Victor's Upholstery did an amazing job! Again, I can't say enough how amazing and wonderful our sponsors are! |
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When: May 22, 2009 What time: Lunchbox pickup 11am - 2pm (Art Car on display 11-5)
Where: Pennington Field Parking Lot: 1849 Central Drive Bedford, TX 76022
What: Welcome home celebration and HEB ISD Art Car showcase! (We are also looking into inviting other local art car artists or folks from other car clubs to showcase their cars -so let me know if you are interested or know of someone who might be!)
Tickets: $7 or $8 with drink Lunchbox: Boomer Jack's signature chicken wrap, chips and a cookie!
Who's invited? This event is open to the community! Tickets must be purchased ahead of time for lunchboxes! All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards funding the trip to Houston for the students. HEB ISD staff may send representatives to pick up the boxes to take back to campuses. Raffle will be drawn, but you need not be present to win. |
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We are very excited to welcome Boomer Jacks as an HEB ISD Art Car sponsor! I met with Windy Hudson today from Boomer Jacks, a local restaurant and one of our favorite district adopters. We are officially planning a fundraiser/welcome home after-parade event on Friday, May 22. We will soon be pre-selling tickets for box lunches with proceeds to go towards sponsorhip of the Houston trip. Ultimately the delicious chicken wrap specialty box lunches will be distributed at the event from 11-2 pm in the Pat May Center parking lot. We will have the completed project on hand for the community to see up-close for themselves! More information to come, but tickets will be on sale as soon as we get them printed! Check back for details. Contact Carolyn Marcantel (marcantc@hebisd.edu) or call 817.399.2161 for more information. |
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Making Headlines! Well we are back from Spring Break and we have officially made an agreement with a Houston Hotel for our stay. Now we just need to raise enough money to stay both nights and feed everyone. We have faced some setbacks because of the weak economy, but I have no doubt that everything will come together in time. We will just have to work a little more diligently and creatively. We have our first night covered, so we are half way there! In better news, two more publications have picked up our story! The Northeast Times and the Council of PTAs Newsletter, thanks to Faith Waligora! Thanks Faith!! See "in the news" at left to see the stories. Currenlty we are trying to put together a couple of fundraisers to occur in the very near future, so stay tuned! |
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Ok if there was any question - just take a look now and you can really see the boat taking shape, literally! Charlie Cooper, Mr. Stevens and a few students worked late into the night last night to hang the sheet metal. All I can say is WOW!! - these guys (and gal) are really talented and very driven for sure. I'm starting to really see the pride in the students' faces as this whole thing is actually coming together as planned. We are off for a week for Spring Break but things will still be working behind the scenes as we are still working hard to secure sponsorship for the trip, book hotels, etc.. |
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Another exciting and productive evening unfolded as students from both collision classes, graduates of the program, and other volunteers gathered for a multi-tasked evening! Groups worked simultaneously around the garage, some on the main body of the truck, hollowing out the center while others prepared the sheet metal for hanging. Still others welded sections that would be attached to the frame, cleaned tires, and worked on the dash board component. Instructor, Mr. Stevens, funded pizza and drinks to nourish the troupes as they worked into the evening. The Morris family and friends also showed up with a plywood donation to be used for the deck. They were excited to see the actual shape of a boat really becoming apparent! Also special thanks to Johnathan and Ronnie Hicks for the flag pole donation that will be used for the mast. See more photos from this entry |
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Today we are featured on Art Car Central at artcar.blogspot.com thanks to Costas Schuler who took an interest in our project. If you want to learn more about what is going on in the world (literally) of Art Cars, this is the site to go to. Art cars from all over are featured and even categorized by type and medium used to make the the art car. It is a reassuring sign that our hard work is starting to receive some validation in the Art Car World! |
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What a difference a day can make (or night!)
The Collision I students continued progress with the main frame work for the boat and they also began to put together the framework for the shark, which will tail behind the boat. |
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Not only will the outside be transformed, the inside will be too... Thanks to Victor with Kidwell's Upholstery and Susie from Susiescustomembroidery.com!!! Victor and Susie came by the shop today to find out more about the project and left with the seats! This project is right up Victor & Susie's alley. They told me about an artistic mural they had painted on their fence in Hurst which has received quite a lot of attention. I plan to go by there and take a photo to see it for myself. They also restore old cars, such as 57 Chevys. Susie is also a cancer surviovor and knows all too well about fighting cancer. I can tell by talking to them that they qre quite creative and very special people. I can't wait to see what they come up with for the seats! (On a side note: you may have noticed the top has been chopped!) |
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Great week so far in the "Purple Fish" corporate sponsorship arena! After work Monday I went to visit with Don Clampitt, CEO of Clampitt Paper. Mr. Clampitt is a huge supporter of worthy causes such as the Dream Fund (www.dreamfundsouthwest.com). He is also big supporter of local graphic designers and artists of all types, regularly showcasing their work in The Creative Center at the Dallas location. Did I mention he was big into education as well? So much so that he conducts a free "paper school", a one day workshop for anyone interested in learning more about paper. (I've been to it. It's pretty amazing. I never realized there was so much to know about paper! A must for any graphic designer.) At the end of our meeting (actually probably somewhere in the middle of our meeting) Mr. Clampitt whipped out his check book and wrote a check for $500, to earn a Purple Fish Sponsorhip! Feeling good vibes, that evening, I decided to contact Mary Necessary, CEO for Sentari Technologies , an Information Technology Solutions and Staffing Provider. She matched Clampitt Paper's sponsorhip for $500 at the corporate level without hesitation! Not surprising if you know Ms. Necessary. Her dedication and enthusiasm has helped earn her company top honors such as the 2008 SMU COX Caruth Institute Dallas 100 Award, 2008 Top 75 Largest Women-Owned Business in the DFW Metroplex, and top 100 Businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (2008). The donations from Clampitt Paper and Sentari Technologies combined will sponsor the trip for at least 8 students! A fantastic start, but we still have a ways to go to reach our goal of taking all the students to Houston. |
; "Purple Fish Sponsor, Don Clampitt")
Mr. Stevens set up a "recruitment" table for art students today to come by and sign up to work on the project. It was a testing/early release day so we were hoping to get a few that would stop by. International Baccalaureate students can gain valuable CAS hours for the long term creative assignment. We were somewhat disappointed to only have one student show up. But the one that did will be great. She and her father restore WW II Army Jeeps for fun! We also found out that there was a dance that evening and it was a beautiful day. I'm confident that more art students will become involved. |
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Front fenders, doors, hood and windshield removed The morning Collision I class got busy today, removing the front panels, doors, and windshield... |
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The Morris Family Makes an Appearance (and they bare gifts!) Well it's not hard to see the apple did not fall far from the tree... Just before the weekend, I had put out an APB in search of metal support rods. I was truly hoping that we might be able to find someone to donate them, however we had reached a critical moment in that the art car could not proceed any further without the necessary support rods needed to make up the framework. Jeff Morris Sr. contacted us as he had located a supplier for the rods and offered to purchase them and bring them to the TEC shop. It was quite a moment as he and wife Sue (Jeffrey's mom), pulled up with 20 foot rods tied to the top of their minivan! Besides bringing the much anticipated metal support rods, the main intention for their visit, along with Wade Morris (Jeffrey's brother), was to meet and personally connect with the students to express their gratitude. The emotional visit was heart-felt on all counts. Jeff Sr. spoke to the class about his son's creative nature and his devout battle against the cancer that ultimately took his eldest son's life. In return the students each personally introduced themselves as they once again showed compassion for a family they had never met and interest in a young man they will never have the pleasure of personally knowing. Having said this, I cannot acurately describe the moment as heavy as laughter was exchanged the more the conversation continued about Jeffrey's life. Everybody called Jeffrey "Hippie" because of his long hair and loving personality...but I'm beginning to wonder if a more suitable nick-name would have been "Happy". Whereever Jeffrey was, there was laughter. I came across this quote from Leonardo da Vinci... "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death". Although, Jeffrey's life was cut incredibly too short for any of us to truly accept, there is comfort in knowing that the life he lead was to the fullest and truly inspirational to all who knew him and that at any given moment, he brought out the best out in people. And amazingly, he is still doing just that. |
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We've got METAL! Remember the previous post when I said we would somehow get the metal? Well, no sooner did I get back to my office that day, when I received an email from Wade Morris, Jeffrey's brother. As it turns out Jeff, was also an amazing electrician. He often offered his services to friends and family for free. Despite being offered money for his valuable services, he typically never took it. That is just the way Jeff was. Luck continuing to be on our side, or perhaps a higher power at hand, it just so happens that Jeff had rewired the home for some friends of the family. Those friends just happen to own A & L Sheet Metal Heating & Air in Irving. Jacobe Daniels from A & L Sheet Metal was able to secure 10 very large sheets of thin metal to use for the body. It was important that the metal be thin to try and keep the weight down. It was absolutely exactly what we needed. Wade delivered the metal on a day that the collision students were on a field trip. A nice surprise upon their return. A big thanks to Mr. Whiteman's Computer Technology Class for helping to unload each of the 66 lb sheets! Now the truck is in mechanical working condition and we have metal! It seems the dots are literally connecting one after the other. Full force ahead! I can't help but imagine that Jeffrey is somewhere around orchestrating... HEB ISD Art Car, Sponsor number 2: A & L Sheet Metal Heating & Air in Irving |
; "Metal in the house!")
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Kinney's Automotive to the Rescue! As our luck would have it, Judy Ramos, Director of Communications, had recently been contacted by local community and school adopter, Joe Jurosek, from Kinney's Automotive in Hurst. Mr. Jurosek was interested in sponsoring another school! Mr. Jurosek made the initial trip to the TEC to further confirm, along side the students, that the truck had a few safety issues that needed to be addressed. The truck was towed to Kinney's for a more in-depth anaylisis. It had to be towed because much of the truck had already been taken apart and was no longer "street" legal. Kinney's kept the truck for about a week making the necessary repairs to make the vehicle safe to drive in the parade. Joe Jurosek also suprised us by officially "adopting" the TEC Auto Collision program! In addition to offering discounted services to HEB ISD employees, 5% of proceeds from those repairs will be allocated for the art car project! |
; "Joe Jurosek inspects the truck with a student")
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Meeting of the Creative Minds At the suggestion of the collision teacher, Eric Stevens, we call an after school meeting and request the presence of art teachers from both HEB High Schools. Edgar Miller from Bell and Carolyn Allen jump at the opportunity to become involved.The meeting was quite productive as the initial blue prints were revised from a shark pulling a boat to a boat pulling a shark! |
; "Bell & Trinity Art Teachers Unite!")
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Discovery & Deconstruction
The truck was ready for the classes Monday morning. The buzz was already stirring amongst the students as they had already spotted the vehicle in the parking lot on their way in. There was excitement in the air as the project was starting to materialize. We knew from the trip over that a few mechanical problems would have to be addressed, such as the tie rods... the steering wheel had to turn about 1/4 around, before the wheels would actually move! There was also some suspicious black liquid dripping from the exhaust.
The Collision I students (morning) inspected the engine and the rest of the mechanics to determine potential problems while the Collision II (afternoon) began the deconstruction. There was no going back now! |
; "Inspection & Decomposition")
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