Sam Rayburn High grads pose for a photo after the conclusion of their start-up meeting last week. Sam Rayburn Principal Robert Stock is in the top row, fourth from the left.
Sam Rayburn High’s new alumni association hit the ground running last week with the selection of an executive council and a meeting with Principal Robert Stock, who offered proposals for partnership projects with the group.
In addition to rounding up support for two projects aimed at raising funds for the school’s 50th anniversary celebration next April, Stock announced the creation of a Sam Rayburn Hall of Honor to recognize outstanding alumni, teachers and benefactors.
D’Lesa Oxford Brooks, Class of 1974, took the reins as president of the new Sam Rayburn High School Alumni Association and presided over a start-up meeting attended by about 40 alumni.
Rounding out the slate of officers are Sonja Britt Fuqua, Class of 1992, first vice president; Shayla Ivey Northcutt, Class of 1996, second vice president; Debi Quinney-Stewart, Class of 1972, secretary; and Michelle Key, Class of 1983, treasurer. Twelve other alumni stepped forward to serve as members of the association’s initial executive council.
The slate of officers will remain in place through all of 2014 as Sam Rayburn celebrates its 50th anniversary in April and its 2014 homecoming game.
“This has always been my vision, to give back to the school through an alumni association,” Brooks said.
The association, thought to be Sam Rayburn’s first in over 40 years, is patterned after alumni start-ups at Pasadena High and South Houston High over the past two years. The alumni associations are independent groups that work in partnership with the Pasadena ISD and their respective high schools to promote alumni activities, such as homecoming, and alumni support for various events and projects.
An alumni association launch for Dobie High School is planned in the near future.
Stock announced the formation of a campus committee assigned to establish a Hall of Honor for alumni and teachers. The inaugural class, he said, will be made up of between five and 12 inductees, to be honored during the school’s 50th anniversary observance in April.
Stock said the campus committee will rely heavily from Sam Rayburn alumni for input on deserving candidates for the Hall of Honor. A deadline for nominations for the inaugural induction group has been set for Dec. 16, 2013.
To be eligible for the Hall of Honor, a candidate must have graduated at least 15 years prior to selection. Eligible teachers and staff members are those who taught at Sam Rayburn for at least 15 years and are now retired from public education, or teachers who taught less than 15 years at Sam Rayburn, but are at least five years removed from a full-time education career.
School volunteers or benefactors – those having rewarded the school with considerable “time, talent or treasure” -- are also eligible.
Sandra Henry, counselor at Sam Rayburn, will chair the Hall of Honor committee. All nominations should be submitted to the school or to Henry at [email protected].
Sam Rayburn anniversary organizers also announced two sales projects to raise money for the event. The school is selling bright blue Christmas ornaments with the Sam Rayburn High School logo for $10 each, cash only. To order, contact Johnna Mikolajcak at 713-740-0330.
An order form can also be found on the Sam Rayburn High School Alumni Association's new Facebook page.
The school is also selling commemorative bricks for a paving project on a grass plaza in the parking lot. Bricks come in two sizes:
- An 8x8-inch brick that includes six lines of engraving and costs $75.
- A 4x4-inch brick that includes three lines of engraving and costs $40.
Forms are available at the school and payments can be made at the school. For additional information, contact Assistant Principal Allison Lewallen at [email protected], or Joy Brown-Johnson at [email protected].
Brooks said much of her interest in forming an alumni association stems from the work she did establishing a group for former members of the Sam Rayburn drill team 10 years ago.
“We worked hard to make money to give back in the form of scholarships,” she said. "In forming a group like this, we have an excellent opportunity to see that bigger vision come to fruition. This is an opportunity to give back to our school -- a school we love so much.”
She said the timing of a new alumni association, launched during the school’s golden anniversary year, couldn’t be more perfect.
“That’s the cherry on top of the cake,” she said. “This gives us a very valid reason to get everyone involved.”
DOWNLOAD FORMS
BUY A BRICK Order Form.pdf
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT Order Form.pdf
HALL OF HONOR GUIDELINES.pdf