J Blog

J Teen Art Scene’s 2018 Grand Opening Showcase welcomed art enthusiasts to enjoy a program of speakers, musicians and teen artists. Presented by the J's exceptional Teen and Arts &  Culture Department, this year’s teen exhibit for students ages 13-18, in its 9th year, seemed the most inspiring yet as its theme, CommUNITY, held special meaning for all, especially the teen artists who participated after the devastation of Harvey’s wrath.

While choosing new equipment for the Fitness Center at the J, Director Robin Fortenberry wanted to ensure we had a wide range of functional fitness equipment.  We want to keep members engaged and educated on all that we have to offer.  We held demonstrations on Sunday, March 25 on the new Escape equipment located in the far back corner of the fitness center floor.  Trainers Vince and Ulises showcased their training styles while incorporating the new pieces with functional exercises.  

Six months ago the painting/drawing and ceramic studios, located in our lower level, were washed away by Hurricane Harvey. Renovations to the studios are underway and expected to be completed by the end of May. However, students will not have to wait for the studios to re-open and can once again enjoy art classes this spring in temporary spaces at the J.

After Harvey, art students lost all of their tools and pieces they were working on before the flood. The ceramic studio lost six potting wheels and two kilns. Maxine Silberstein, program coordinator for adult visual arts, stated, “Having lost the studio due to Harvey, we were not sure when it would be possible to offer another ceramic class.”

We have a great team of working theatre professionals teaching our youth theatre classes. Erin Lamb started with us as a summer camp counselor for Performing Arts Camp last year and then took on the mammoth challenge of designing the costumes for the JCCS fall production of Cats.

She is now on board as one of our Assistant Directors for our JCCS production of Seussical. She sat down with us to share a little bit about her background and passion for the arts. 

Jen Glantz is the author of Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire): Stories on Growing Up, Looking for Love and Walking Down the Aisle for Complete Strangers, a professional bridesmaid and blogger.

Glantz will join us on Thursday, March 1 to kick off Celebrating Women Month. She recently shared her thoughts on being a bridesmaid, weddings and her nomadic lifestyle.

Happy Holidays,

On behalf of the J, I would like to extend the best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy 2018!

It was great to see many of you this past Sunday at the Jewish CultureFest at Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire. The weather cooperated so we could all enjoy the live music, great food and the many great activities. Special thanks to the City of Bellaire and Evelyn’s Park staff for assisting with the festival and to Rabbi Samantha Safran for coordinating the festival.  

With so many activities available for our kids, how do you know which are the right ones and when is the right time to get them started. All seem to have slick marketing that promotes what you'd think to be the "right" things, but how do you truly know?    

First, don't be fooled by the slick marketing. Do your own due diligence! To help, here are three fundamentals that I focused on when I chose gymnastics for my two sons. I will concede, there may be other criteria that might be worth looking at. However, as a Dad and a former high level competitive athlete, these were my top three, and I feel as you read you will see why.

Morgan Hoang’s gymnastics career started as a 3-year-old when her mom enrolled her in gymnastics classes because she was “too energetic.”

Today she is a senior at Dulles High school and a Level 10 gymnast at the Houston Gymnastics Center at the J. This month marks her 8th year competing with HGC.

“From a young age, I began to excel much quicker than my peers and my parents realized that gymnastics was my true talent,” said Morgan. “As I continued the sport, I battled many injuries and they regretted their decision. However, my passion for gymnastics had grown so much that they decided to let me continue gymnastics.”

Not only did she want to continue for the love of the sport but she wanted to compete collegiately and at the age of 13 had her heart set on Stanford University.

“I remember the first time I ever looked at a list of colleges that had gymnastics, I was about 13. I immediately pointed to Stanford University and told my coach that that was where I wanted to go. At the time, I had no idea how difficult it was to get into the prestigious school, but I learned how to become self-sufficient and and dedicated the majority of my time to gymnastics and academics.