Two South Belt PISD principals honored
Frazier Elementary School’s Rhonda Parmer and Beverly Hills Intermediate School’s Alyta Harrell have been named the Pasadena Independent School District’s Region 4 Principals of the Year.
Region 4 began the Principal of the Year program in 2001, allowing each district in the area to select an elementary and secondary principal of the year.
Parmer and Harrell were nominated because of their focusing on high expectations for all students and establishing a culture of support for students and staff on their campuses.
“Rhonda and Alyta have created a culture of high expectations for every student on their campuses and they make sure that each student knows they are valued,” said Kirk Lewis, PISD superintendent. “Both of them have 
continually demonstrated their innovative leadership qualities and make outstanding contributions not only within their campus but throughout the community they serve.”
Parmer has served as Frazier’s principal since 2004. Under her leadership, the campus has been rated “Exemplary” by the Texas Education Agency. The school was most recently named one of the state’s distinguished Title I campuses.
Before her appointment at Frazier, Parmer was the assistant principal at Matthys Elementary. She also served as the peer facilitator at Mae Smythe Elementary. Parmer began her career in PISD as a fifth-grade teacher in 1994.
After serving as an assistant principal at Beverly Hills Intermediate since 1999, Harrell was promoted to principal in 2006. Harrell and her team of teachers and staff have been credited with helping students make major strides in their transition to high school through the district’s Expectation Graduation initiative.
Harrell started her career as a life science teacher at Park View Intermediate in 1995. She is only the fourth principal at Beverly Hills in 45 years.
In recognition of their efforts, Parmer and Harrell will be honored as the district’s Region 4 Elementary and Secondary Principals of the Year at a special ceremony in May.
Longtime South Belt resident Bob Mitchell will join Houston Mayor Annise Parker this week on a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to discuss President Barack Obama’s proposed 2011 budget.
Mitchell, who currently serves as president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, has a long history of dealing with the aerospace industry.
He joined BAHEP in 2000 to oversee the statewide implementation of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, and last year was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee. The committee assists in the state’s economic development efforts to recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investments.
Obama’s proposed budget calls for the phasing out of NASA’s space shuttle program, as well as its Constellation project, which was to return man to the moon by 2020.
According to Mitchell, this would entail a loss of a minimum of 4,000 direct local jobs and perhaps as many as 7,000 direct local jobs. Mitchell further said that a loss of 4,000 direct jobs would contribute to the loss of an additional 2,500 secondary jobs, while the loss of 7,000 direct jobs could lead to the loss of an additional 4,500 secondary jobs, totaling as many as 11,500 potential lost jobs in the area.
“Locally, it would create a vacuum,” Mitchell said, noting that many businesses surrounding the Johnson Space Center depend on it for their own survival.
BAHEP estimates lost business volume could total between $560 million and $1 billion annually.
Also joining Parker and Mitchell will be Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, among others.
A second trip, set to take place later this month, will target congressional members of both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees’ Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice and Science.
Another staunch opponent of the proposed budget is U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, whose district includes much of the South Belt.
Olson, the ranking member of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, met with John Holdren, assistant to the president for science and technology, last month in Washington, D.C., to discuss the issue.
“The administration has some explaining to do with respect to its commitment to human space flight,” Olson said. “America has been the global leader on space exploration for 50 years and must remain the leader going forward. This isn’t a partisan issue.”
It has been proposed that commercial firms such as SpaceX or Orbital could be subsidized to continue further human space exploration.
Olson sees this as problematic.
“Commercial entities have an important role, but they cannot replace the institutional knowledge, experience and safety record of NASA,” Olson said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure America retains a strong human space flight program.”
Mitchell suggests that concerned residents contact their congressional representatives. For more information and links to elected officials, visit www.GoBoldlyNASA.org.
Come March 20, a beloved protector of the South Belt community will be leaving his post.
Sgt. Gregory Gillespie of the Houston Police Department is retiring.
Gillespie began his term protecting the city, and eventually the community, on Nov 10, 1975, when he joined Houston Police Academy Class No. 72.
Graduating in February of 1976, Gillespie took his first post in the traffic and accident division. After that, he moved around the patrol, helicopter, tactical and community service divisions.
In 1985, Gillespie was transferred to work out of the Clear Lake office as sergeant during the evening shift, while working on community service and crime analysis.
“The most fun that I had was working on the helicopter division, but the most rewarding position was with community service,” Gillespie said. “Officers don’t realize the impact we have on civilians. In my career, people have come back and thanked me for something I did years ago that I hardly remember.”
Gillespie recalled one particular story he was fond of.
“There was this resident who called and complained about some barking dogs next door to him,” Gillespie said. “I went over to the house; the resident explained that he had heart trouble and could not go over there and ask them to control the animal himself. I got the neighbors to control their dog, and I swear, that man sent me Christmas cards for the next three or four years.”
Gillespie has served the City of Houston for 34 and a half years on the police force and has spent the past 25 serving in the South Belt area.
“He has been my supervisor for the last 16 years, and I have known him for the last 25 (years),” said HPD senior police officer Randy Derr, assigned to the Clear Lake division. “He is really a great guy; I don’t know anyone who does not like him. It has been great working with him. He has definitely been an asset to the HPD and Clear Lake division. He is a super guy.”
Over the years, Gillespie has been a very visible part of the Houston Police Department within the community.
“I have been really lucky out here,” Gillespie said. “I have definitely hung closer to South Belt; it has kind of been my baby. There are some really great workers and officers out here, really high quality people.”
Why is he retiring now? What is next for the South Belt sergeant?
“I wanted to retire young enough to enjoy what I have,” Gillespie said. “For the first year or so I want to travel, but I want to settle down after that and get involved again in the community. My wife and I are retiring around the same time, so we are doing this together.”
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