Serendipity Kids recently opened at 4102 Center St. (in the former location of Xilantro's restaurant). This new 1,625-square foot-store is a spin-off of Serendipity Gift Shop (in the same retail center) and features kid's clothing, accessories and gifts for newborns through teens. The original Serendipity store is now savoring the extra room and has expanded their trendy selection of home décor and women's accessories.

Sage Dental has recently opened at 9001 Spencer Hwy., Suite J in Deer Park (in the former location of Lehigh Outfitters). Sage has several other locations in the region, including one in Baytown. Their staff is dedicated to your comfort and prompt attention and their goal is to keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright. Sage will house 2 full-time dentists plus 10 additional employees. You may reach them at 281-479-4867.

Financial aid professionals will be on hand at each of the three San Jacinto College campuses to help students and their families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of College Goal Sunday Texas on Feb. 12.

The free one-day event is designed to help students and their families with any questions or concerns they have while filling out the application.

The FAFSA enables students to have access to federal and state-funded grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans to help pay for the cost of college. Last year, Texas students received $4 billion, with San Jacinto College students receiving more than $54 million in both state and federal financial aid.

Students and parents will need to bring their most recent tax information and a paystub from their 2011 employer(s). If this information is not available, FAFSA gives families the opportunity to retrieve IRS data at the time the application is completed. The San Jacinto College financial aid services department strongly recommends using the IRS Data Retrieval tool to eliminate potential delays with the application.

February's artist of the month, Marilyn Nabors enjoys painting subjects that people wouldn't necessarily notice.

"I enjoy painting buildings and animals," Nabors said. "I also do a little cartooning."

She has always enjoyed painting, especially art class in school, but she didn't become more serious about painting until she moved to Deer Park and joined the art league in 1998.

"I met one of the ladies from the art league at Hobby Lobby who told me about it," Nabors said. "I was interested in art and wasn't doing anything about it so I went up there. Now I have a lot of good friends."

She gets inspired by the people around her who encourage her to take workshops. Even though she has been painting for more than 10years, she is still mesmerized by the finished product.

Nabors, who also uses flowers as her subjects, paints using mostly water colors, because of the ease of the medium, but she also uses ink, by itself and with the water colors.

"I'm surprised when I finish a painting," Nabors said. "I think, 'wow, I actually did that.'"

Deer Park leaders are remembering Ed Watson as a man who put other’s needs in front of his own. Watson died Jan. 30 at the age of 91. He retired from Shell Oil after 38 years and represented Deer Park and surrounding communities as a Texas State Representative.

“I think he represented us well,” said Mayor Wayne Riddle. “Ed was very active and did a lot for our city. He was very involved with the labor movement here and was as driving force for the Wheelhouse. He was just a good guy.”

A staunch Democrat with a sense of humor, Watson was very active in politics at the local, state and national level, said Riddle. Watson’s house on Eighth Street was even known for having a sign that read “Parking for Democrats Only” in his driveway.

Watson was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1972 to 1988. He represented District 129, which is now held by John Davis and no longer includes Deer Park. While in office, Watson became a living social studies and government lesson, speaking at Deer Park schools about the Texas political process. He served on the Labor Committee, the Natural Resources Committee and others. He was also a delegate to the unsuccessful Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974.

“He was a political machine,” remembered Sharon McLean, former president of the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce. “But he was unassuming and always stood up for the little guy. He worked very hard to make things better for everybody. He and his wife Jerry were such good people.”

The bell rings, signaling the beginning of class, but instead of getting out textbooks and paper, the students put on aprons to prepare for class. Students in Deer Park High School South's culinary arts program are creating more than dishes. They are creating an opportunity for a life-long hobby or even a lucrative career.

"It's just a good opportunity for kids," said Reggie Vincent, culinary arts teacher. "Even for the ones who aren't going to go into the restaurant industry, it's a good place to learn good life skills."

Those skills include teamwork and attention to detail as well as what Vincent said is a good sense of self-pride.

"When they go out and do something that requires hands-on execution and they do it better than a hundred other kids, that's pretty cool," Vincent said.

Developed three years ago, the culinary arts program is divided into two levels of teaching. The first year of the program focuses on food science, safety and sanitation and cooking methods, as Vincent said, the basic kitchen skills. During the second year of the program, the students take those basic skills and apply them in a more practical application.

They cater events such as last year's Christmas Gala for the Deer Park Opportunity Center and for various organizations around Deer Park like the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and the press box for the football games. They also work with students from area elementary schools as well as charities.

Houston police have arrested a Deer Park man on charges of promotion and possession of child pornography. Jeffery Logan Childs, 23 was arrested on Jan. 26.

According to court documents, Childs was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of promotion. Court documents state that on or about Oct. 13 of last year, Childs knowingly possessed and transmitted an image of a female child under the age of 18. His bail was set at $20,000 each for the two counts of possession, a third degree felony and $30,000 for the promotion charge, a second degree felony. He posted bond on Jan. 27.

Childs was charged through Harris County District Court 263 and is slated to be arraigned on Feb. 23.

If convicted of possession, he faces two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each count. A conviction of promotion of child pornography is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

This school year, public school districts in Texas are implementing a new assessment test, replacing the TAKS with the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.

The Texas Education Agency collaborated with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop the STAAR test in response to requirements set by the Texas Legislature.

"The Legislature felt that the TAKS test had reached a ceiling in evaluating higher performing students and it did not accurately gage how strong those students were in comparison to their peers nationally," said Victor White, assistant superintendent for instruction at DPISD. "In order to deliver a test that will test students at the high end of the performance scale, the STAAR test will be a more difficult test."

Students graduating up until the spring of 2014 will continue to take the TAKS test and must pass the exit-level TAKS to graduate. Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, STAAR results will affect graduation.