Junior high schools prepare students for the academic rigors of high school and beyond. Doing so with panache is Manvel Junior High School.
The mission of Manvel Junior High School is to engage and empower students to become lifelong learners and problem solvers. Their 55 teachers average eight years of experience giving them the skillset to prepare students academically and emotionally for the future success.
Students need more than a strong academic program, and Manvel Junior High offers a number of sports and arts programs. Students can participate in football, volleyball, track, soccer, basketball, tennis and cross country. Students hoping to get a good grounding in football will be happy to hear that the eight-grade football team won back-to-back district championships in 2019 and 2020. The eight-grade girls volleyball team were the undefeated district champions in 2021.
Choir, band, theater, art and dance programs are also offered. Many students have gone on to participate in district show choirs, band ensembles and dance competitions. Students also have won awards in one-act play competitions.
Manvel Junior High benefits from being in the Alvin ISD. Niche ranked the district No. 145 out of 1018 school districts on its list of the Best School Districts in Texas. Nationally, the district ranks among the top 100 for Best School Districts for Athletes in America.
The district also is a finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards program.
Sierra Vista students are zoned to Manvel Junior High School ensuring they have a bright future.
Kitchens are one of the most used rooms in our homes yet when it comes to paint, they often get overlooked. Given that most kitchens are open to family rooms and dining areas, that’s a shame. Paint can set a mood, tie your kitchen to the family room and breakfast nook, make a small space feel larger or serve as the backdrop for elegant get-togethers. If you’re heading to your Sierra Vista builder’s design center, talk to the design representative about painting your walls and cabinets to harmonize with your countertops and backsplash. Not sure about the color? Here are the top colors for 2022.
Green
Green is “THE” color for 2022. From light mint to dark emerald, shades of green bring the outdoors inside. Choose a shade that contrasts with natural wood elements such as oak or walnut cabinets. Alternatively, paint your cabinets and island a dark hunter green as a sophisticated contrast to white walls and a tile backsplash.
Light Gray
Seen more and more in model homes, gray is the new beige. Dove gray cabinets pair nicely with black-veined marble countertops. Gray walls and white cabinets give the kitchen a modern look without the sterility of white on white.
Blue
Vibrant hues of blue are trending this year. Navy blue cabinets can make a kitchen feel cozy. Antique gold or brass hardware takes cabinets to the next level of elegance. Blue also provides depth to kitchens. If your kitchen is mostly white, paint the vent hood blue for a pop of rich color.
Yellow
Used correctly, shades of yellow can add warmth to cabinets and walls. Soft yellows contrasted with white cabinets make for a sunny kitchen. Use it to accent windowsills, door frames and islands. You can even mix it up a little with blues and greens. Remember too much yellow can be overwhelming.
Black
Monochrome kitchens may sound boring, but the look is crisp and elegant. Contrast it with a white subway tile backsplash and white counters for a modern look. Gray tile floors and black cabinets are elegant and perfect for homeowners that love throwing cocktail parties. Dark tones can make a small space feel even smaller so only try this combo on large kitchens.
‘Tis the season for savings, especially when it comes to things such as televisions. If it’s been a while since you’ve purchased a new TV or wandered through the rows of televisions at Best Buy, you may be surprised and a bit intimidated by the alphabet-soup descriptions of TV features.
The easy answer — look for an OLED HDR 4K TV with an HDMI 2.1 format. But if cost is a consideration — or if you’d like to know just what that means — read on for how to buy a TV for nearly every room in the house.
OLED vs QLED
OLED refers to “organic light-emitting diode.” These TVs produce light via millions of individual OLED subpixels that compose the image. This emissive nature of OLED TVs offers better contrast and black levels than its QLED counterparts. In addition, OLED televisions have uniform screens that can be well viewed from all but the most extreme angles. If you have a new phone, it’s likely you already have seen the benefits of an OLED screen
QLED refers to “quantum dot LED TV.” It is transmissive and relies on an LED backlight that travels through layers inside the TV — including an LCD layer — to create a picture. Picture quality can vary among QLED televisions, so make sure to see the televisions turned on before deciding. QLED televisions are also brighter, which can be an advantage in bright rooms such as family rooms. You also have more versatility in size when it comes to QLED televisions. They are typically priced less than an OLED TV.
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Types of HDR
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. With an HDR television, you’ll find that bright tones are brighter and dark tones darker without over- or under-exposing, respectively. Most televisions these days come with HDR, but there are different types. Dolby Vision (also known as Dynamic HDR) and HDR 10+ offer better image quality than HDR 10, but there is more content right now for HDR 10 than Dolby Vision and HDR 10+. The good news is that these televisions support HDR 10, so — if you don’t mind the more expensive price tag — you can buy a Dolby Vision or HDR 10+ television and wait for streaming services and video games to catch up, which is happening rapidly.
And HDR TV with Ultra HD Premium means the television has a 4K resolution, meaning the brighter and darker tones are coupled with the sharper image of a 4K television. If going for the 4K television, you’ll want to make sure all of your components offer true 4K resolution for the best visual experience — Blu-ray player, streaming device, home theater receivers and HDMI cable. When shopping, you’re likely to see 8K televisions — most TV reviewers say to wait those out for now.
TVs Aren’t Just for Family and Media Rooms
Armed with the above information, you’re ready to wade your way through reviews of highly recommended televisions for family rooms and media rooms. But many people might have a TV in their bedroom, kitchen, exercise room or even outdoors. The same logic can be applied as when buying for a family room or media room, but there are other considerations.
If you’re busy in the kitchen, screen resolution might not be your greatest consideration when buying a TV for the kitchen, so you can downgrade and save money in that respect. However, you might want to test the quality of the television’s speakers since there won’t be room for a sound bar. Also, see if you can mount your TV on the wall or under a kitchen cabinet. You’ll also want good viewing angles since you likely won’t be right in front of the television. A few kitchen TV recommendations can be found here.
For bedrooms, you’ll want to play close attention to where you’ll place the television and how far it will be from the bed. This will help you determine what size television to purchase. Mounted televisions allow for a good viewing angle when lying in bed. A tilt or full-motion mount allows for the greatest versatility when buying a TV for the bedroom. It can be hard to not find a smart TV these days, but they are certainly recommended for televisions in the bedroom where voice control is especially convenient.
Many of these same considerations apply to televisions for exercise rooms, which is a great idea for those who want to stream exercise classes. A television can also be a motivator if you designate shows that you only watch while you’re exercising. And while you might opt for a TV stand or placement on a piece of furniture in the bedroom, a wall-mount TV is universally recommended for an exercise room. You can find other recommendations here.
Why You Want an Outdoor Television
No, we’re not talking about thoughts on why you should place a television outdoors — you can probably think of lots of reasons why. But once you do decide to have a patio TV, you want to make sure it’s made to be placed outside. Outdoor TVs are made with waterproof housings that can protect against extremely hot and cold temperatures to varying degrees. Also, look for IP (ingress protection) ratings for resistance not only to water but also to dust. If your television is going to be in direct sunlight, you’ll want a television offering maximum brightness. If it’s shaded, it doesn’t need to be so bright. You will want a brightness display panel with anti-reflective coating for reliability. Other considerations and recommendations for outdoor TVs can be found here.
The Very Best Viewing Experience
For the very best viewing experience, install your new television in your new home in Sierra Vista! Our builders have a number of available homes, as well as many more floor plans to choose from.
Is it possible to watch too many holiday movies this year? Nah. Who doesn’t want to snuggle with loved ones in front of the television to watch old classics and new offerings? We’ve put together a list of holiday movies currently streaming on Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Disney + and others. Whether you want something heartwarming or a little unconventional, there’s something on this list you’re sure to love.
Tradition!
No matter how many holiday movies are produced, most of us can’t help but watch at least one classic (and we don’t mean Die Hard). As comforting as a mug of hot chocolate, It’s a Wonderful Life is rightfully considered a masterpiece. Netflix is the home of holiday musical movie extraordinaire White Christmas. You can also watch it on Amazon Prime. It would be a miracle if you don’t watch Miracle on 34nd Street on HBO MAX at least once this year.
Are You Sure It Counts as a Classic?
Not to make any child of the 80s or 90s feel old, but some of our favorite holiday films are also considered classics. Yikes! The Amazon Prime line-up includes National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story. Disney + has a line-up your family will love (you might have a few flashbacks to your fashion faux pas). Check out Home Alone, all three The Santa Clause movies and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Animation Magic
Animated holiday movies are a staple of every studio. Who doesn’t love The Nightmare Before Christmas, now streaming on Amazon Prime and Disney +? Hulu is streaming favorites such as The Polar Express, Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. Love a good alternate history story? Klaus on Netflix is worth a look.
We Just Love Them
There are just some holiday movies you can’t help but love. Elf — streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu and HBO Max — is a perfect example. If you don’t cry at least once, you aren’t paying attention. A Christmas Prince was one of the most streamed movies on Netflix when it came out. The Christmas Chronicles, also on Netflix, posits a hot Kurt Russell who serves as father figure to a couple of orphan kids. Every Who down in Whoville will want to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Peacock.
Christmas Adjacent
Not everyone wants to watch a movie about reindeer and Santa Claus. Some of us crave action and adventure. Where to find these Christmas adjacent movies? Iron Man 3 on Disney + is worth a look just for Robert Downey, Jr.’s jingle bell dance alone. Moving from the Marvel Universe over to DC, we have Batman Returns over on HBO Max. Okay, it’s a stretch but it stars Danny DeVito as the Penguin. Need we say more? The most wonderful time of the year isn’t complete without a sleepover and the movie Gremlins on Amazon Prime. It’s controversial, but if you aren’t watching Die Hard (also on Disney +) are you really celebrating?
Where do you go for holiday events, holiday celebrations and to get the perfect gift for everyone on your list? Pearland Town Center.
Sierra Vista residents love to hang out at the 100,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle center because there is so much to do.
Pearland Town Center boasts nearly 60 retail stores ranging from Dillard’s and Macy’s to Buc-ees and Bath & Body Works. Boutique shops like Buff City Soap and Beau Bazar share space with Chico’s and Rack Room Shoes.
Salons, barbershops, dentists and optometrists have hung out their shingles here. Neighbor’s provides emergency medical services. Pet parents can board their furry friends in style at Pet Suites. Got a gamer? Belong is a gaming arena offering the latest games, consoles and accessories as well as tournaments and viewing areas.
Shopping works up an appetite, of course. When you’re ready for a snack you can stop by Krispy Kreme, Dairy Queen or Kung Fu Tea. For sit-down meals, you can grab a burger at Red Robin, a beer at BJ’s or seafood at Fish City Grill. International dining includes Mongo, Shogun and Pei Wei. You can even pick up your holiday dinner at The Honey Baked Ham Company.
When it comes to the holidays, Pearland Town Center really knows how to deck the halls. The tree lighting ceremony from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27, is an extravaganza featuring fireworks, a LED dance floor, LED swings and seesaws, reindeer and a visit from Santa. On Sunday, Nov. 28, from noon to 6 p.m., shoppers will be able to find unique gifts from local merchants at a fun-filled Holiday Market.
In addition to shops and restaurants, the mall boasts a Courtyard by Marriott, office space, a 25-acre lake and adjacent walking paths and parks.
There’s always something at Pearland Town Center, and if you make your home in Sierra Vista, you can shop there every day.
