February 17 2019 Issue
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
This Valentine’s, a Steiner Ranch wife and mother-of-two is more grateful than ever for her once lost diamond — which was used nearly a decade earlier to declare love with a wedding proposal to her as a graduate student in San Marcos.
January 11 was just another a typical day for Alyson Horak. She dropped off her daughter, Emma, at school, returned home with her son, Bryson, went to Cups & Cones to hear Mr. Rudy perform, went back home, washed laundry and dishes, let the dogs out, hosed off the dogs after they rolled in mud, then trimmed some shrubs growing near the back gate.
The big surprise came when, after all of that, “I was sitting on the back porch talking to my cousin (on the phone),” Horak recalls, “and I looked down… and I noticed there was no diamond,” in her engagement ring.
By CODI FARMER, Vandegrift Voice
The Vandegrift cheer team placed 4th out of 22 teams in the coed division at the 2019 state UIL competition in Fort Worth on Jan. 17. The Vipers also placed 1st overall in the fight song category.
The Vipers changed their strategy this year and competed in the coed division for the first time after adding four boys to their roster in November. The plan worked.
“We have been 6A for the past few years and, even though we had been doing really well, our results weren’t very reflective of the talent that we had, so we thought that changing our divisions would be able to showcase our skills better and have a higher probability of winning a state championship,” said Brianna Roughton, VHS head cheer coach.
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
The Viper Nation Education Foundation surpassed a milestone at the 9th annual gala on Saturday night — raising more than $1 million dollars over nine years for local education.
“I think it is a testament to our success that we have been able to raise over a million dollars since inception that was able to be put to work in our schools to enhance the educational experience and opportunity for our students,” said William Farrell, president of VNEF.
By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News
Surrounded by its local force of employees, CEO Mark McClain led SailPoint executives in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 4, celebrating the security company’s new $20 million headquarters located at 11120 Four Points Dr. The project was three years in the making.
Founded in 2006, SailPoint helps large enterprises determine who and how their employees access information and keep their databases secure, said Abby Payne, HR vice president. About half of the company’s 1,000 global staff members are based in Austin, she said.