In a lot of ways, Drew Karakourtis is a typical 17-year-old boy.
He loves his school. He can’t get enough of his iPod. He digs rock music and his favorite song is Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue.”
But in one way, he’s different.
Drew has a very rare genetic condition called Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA). The condition is so rare, that only about 6,000 people world-wide have the disease. Children and adults with the disease have a build-up of iron in the brain that causes neural degeneration, involuntary muscle movements, failing eyesight and difficulty with speech.
The disease is fatal.
“My hands, my eyes and my speech,” have changed in the six years since his diagnosis at age 11, Drew said, his mother Amy interpreting because his speech has been affected by his condition.
At a recent conference for families suffering with NBIA, Drew met other children with the condition and was struck by the need to find a cure, if not for himself, then for the younger children living with the condition.
Drew, his family and friends mobilized to turn Drew’s love of music into a fundraiser for a cure.
Band Together for a Cure will be held at 6:30 p.m. February 10 at Austin Ridge Bible Church. Audioroad, Penny and Sparrow and Friendly Savages will perform. Bountiful Café and Bakery is providing dinner and there will be a silent auction. Tickets are $25. Proceeds will go to the NBIA Disorders Association, an international non-profit that is working to find a cure.
“As a board on NBIA we’ve said that if we can raise $60 million we can cure this,” said Mark Karakourtis, Drew’s father. “For a lot of families, if we can just hang on, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of the day, it’s just a dollar figure and time that stands between this and a cure.”
Despite the challenges he has faced, Drew has not lost hope, his mother, Amy, said.
“The great thing about Drew is that as he’s lost abilities, his heart has not lost courage,” Amy said. “He’s a real example of perseverance. It’s taught us to enjoy each day and make the most of your time. It doesn’t take a whole lot to make something special if you have the perspective of ‘Today I can do this and I’m going to do it.’ He’s been a good teacher.”
For now, Drew has decided that organizing a concert fundraiser is what he can do.
For info box: Band Together for a cure will be held at 6:30 p.m. February 10 at Austin Ridge Bible Church, 9300 FM 2244. There will be live music, dinner and a silent auction. Tickets are $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, email amyinaustin@austin.rr.com.

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Photo by Esther Robards Forbes

Westlake Choir students will put on their makeup, strap on their dancing shoes and hit the stage of the Performing Arts Center Friday as they bring the two-time Tony award winning “Damn Yankees” to life.
“At first, I didn’t know what the musical was,” said Ryan Conant, a senior who plays Joe Boyd in the production. I had never heard of ‘Damn Yankees.’ I read a bit more about it and realized that it would be a really fun musical.”
“Damn Yankees,” first brought to Broadway in 1955 and revived in 1994, may be a bit obscure for most teens and is not on the usual list of high school musicals, said director Jenn Goodner.
“I’ve actually always really wanted to do this show because it has some really exciting numbers and lots of good dancing, but it’s a show that doesn’t get done all that much because high schools don’t usually have such a large pool of boys to choose from,” Goodner said. “And there are a lot of male parts because it’s a show about baseball. Because we have the luxury of having so many talented boys, we decided that we would go ahead and do this show.”
“Damn Yankees” is a modern twist on the tale of Faust, with the  main character, Joe Boyd, making a deal with the Devil to become a young ball player for the Washington Senators so they can finally beat those Yankees.
Set in the 1950s, the costume department has gone all-out with the classic clothes and the cast has been working non-stop since before Christmas. With only four and half weeks to rehearse, the time table can seem a little brutal, but cast members say they’ll be ready to go.
“It’s a lot of awesome singing and a lot of awesome dancing and it’s going to be just fantastic,” said Trey Slack, a senior who is playing Joe Hardy.
Many of the leads this year are seniors who have been dreaming of their moment in the spotlight since they were younger, watching casts of the past at Westlake High.
“I’ve just always loved doing choir and singing,” Conant said. “Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve watched the leads and wanted to be one of them.”
A few have been bitten by the performance bug and plan to continue their work in theater after graduation.
“I love to sing, and I love to dance, and musical theater is what I want to do in the future,” said Megan Kelly who is playing the iconic Lola in the production. “I plan to major in musical theater.”
But for tomorrow night, the cast will set aside their anxiety and their dreams of the future to put on the best show they can.

“The kids continually surprise you on how amazing they are and how much work they put into their characters,” Goodner said of her cast. “It means so much how hard they work and how much they care.”
Performances of “Damn Yankees” will be held Feb. 2-4 at 7:30 p.m. in Westlake High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15.
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Maggie Zidar takes a crack at repairing a broken heart during Bridge Point Elementary School Science Day Friday morning.

Bridge Point Elementary School held its 15^th annual Science Day Friday, with 43 interactive science exhibits bolstered by more than 200 volunteers and professionals in cool scientific fields.

“Starting as a bunch of arm-twisted teachers and some willing parents in the fall of 1997, the first Science Day committee organized the event,” said Principal Brad Wirht. “Over the years Science Day has morphed from teacher-led sessions to the current expo, which includes experts, scientists, enthusiasts, teachers and middle school, high school and college students.  All demonstrate interesting and exciting applications of science.  The day is many parts demonstration, hands-on and participation for the students while also acting as an idea incubator for careers.”

It was hard to find an unengaged face Friday morning, as students prepared to set off to the first of three events they chose in which to participate. From a helicopter pilot complete with his helicopter to a heart surgeon who brought his own[deer] hearts to two young women from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department who came equipped with Madagascan hissing cockroaches, a giant orange snake and, for the less adventurous touchers, a turtle. There was a dentist, a pharmacist, gaming gurus, geologists, surgeons, electrical engineers, physicists, space scientists and a plethora of other science-oriented brainiacs eager to add to the fun.

The kids weren’t just having the time of their lives, they were learning.

Fifth-grader P.J. Myer took a break from his inspection of Blake Byram’s helicopter to offer a recap.

“You understand that the fuel in this helicopter doesn’t ignite,” P.J. said. “Even if it gets struck by lightning, nothing happens.”

“That’s because, like when it crashes, the fuel tank disengages,” added his friend, Will Janek.

Back in the building in a room filled with high-tech medical instruments and a half a dozen fresh deer hearts, Riley Schatz was sewing darned impressive stitches with steady concentration in her very real laboratory specimen. She was decidedly less green than the boy standing next to her.

“I liked seeing a real heart and being able to put a needle in it and fix it,” she said later.

Interventional cardiologist Dr. Frank  Zidar and vascular surgeon Dr. Stephen Settle teamed up to bring the working exhibit they titled “How to Fix a Broken Heart” to the school. This year makes Settle’s ninth showing Bridge Point students what a heart looks and feels like. He started when his oldest daughter was in third grade; now his youngest is a third grader at the school. Everyone reacts differently, but he has only had one fainter over the years, he said.

“This day is harder than a day in surgery,” he said. “When I’m operating, I’m in a room on my game. These guys take a lot of energy and ask a lot of questions. They’ll catch you snoozing.”

AP&R employees Debbie McElwaine and Cait McCann didn’t get many takers for petting their first exhibits, the giant Madagascan hissing cockroaches, but by the time the giant snake made its way around the group, courage was warming up. When the final exhibit, a turtle, made the rounds, it was hard to keep eager hands under control.

It was the first time Kate Roggi had ever had the opportunity to hold a turtle.

“It was, well, I can’t really describe it,” she said. “You have to touch it yourself. I’d like to hold one again for a lot longer.”

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“We heard presentations from [district Executive Director of Facilities and Planning] Les Reddin summarizing projects that will require board approval for expenditures that will likely come before the board at its [Jan. 25] meeting” said Kal Kallison, school board president.

The bond project review included special education renovations at Valley View Elementary, Forest Trail Elementary, and West Ridge Middle schools; renovation and repair of The Learning Center and Alternative Education Program modular buildings; changes to the Westlake High School family consumer science classroom and life skills kitchen; repairs to Valley View mechanical buildings; Hill Country roof replacement; Westlake High fire alarm replacement; and multiple HVAC   replacements and expansions.

Board members also took a closer look some of the district’s goals for the 2012-13 school year.

“We discussed [several goals] together because, collectively, they are goals that reflect the district’s curricular and instructional mission,” Kallison.

Those curriculum-oriented goals include helping students achieve higher levels of performance, providing differentiated learning opportunities that prepare them for the future and providing a technologically-rich education environment to enhance individual learning. Goals for next year may reflect more emphasis on lower grade levels, Kallison said. Discussion also centered on the relationship between goals that are measured through  state accountability tests and student enrichment activities, such as fine arts and sports.

“Many board members felt that student exposure to enrichment activities was extremely important for them to be able to graduate as well-rounded individuals,” Kallison said. “These skills should be considered as foundation skills along with the more traditional academic skills.”

The district may direct more attention to achieving enrichment goals in the future, he added.

In looking at the district’s goal of providing a safe learning environment, board members broadened their scope to include psychological safety, the prevention of physical and cyber bullying and educating students to make healthy decisions to steer clear of the abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
The board gave the district the nod to go ahead with the purchase of a $324,288 replacement video board for Chaparral Stadium using bond money approved for that purpose. An additional $45,712 was recently donated by the Westlake High parent teacher organization the Chap Club to use in replacing the scoreboard itself.

“The current video board in Chaparral Stadium is 10 years old and utilizes outdated technology,” said Claudia McWhorter, district communications director. “Many of the parts are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The new video board will give students in the graphic arts and technical theater departments an appropriate canvas on which to display their work.”

McWhorter said the new video board would give the district an opportunity to increase advertising revenue by allowing expansion into digital ad design.

The next school board meeting will be held on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the administration building at 601 Camp Craft Road. That open meeting will be preceded by a closed session meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m.

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Westlake United Methodist

Dec. 24

Nativity pageant and worship service at 4 and 5:30 p.m. Traditional worship service at 7 p.m. Shepherd’s Journey worship service at 11 p.m.

Dec. 25

Worship service at 10 a.m. Children in pajamas are welcome, and breakfast will be served in the gym.

Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church

Dec. 18

Special holiday activities from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Christmas carol sing-a-long and family buffet dinner. Story read by Peter Barnes. Christmas craft time for children. Family photos will be taken by Leska McCall. Please bring a plate of cookies to share. Cost is $5 per person or $15 per family at the door. Please RSVP to Barbara Phillips at 327-1116.

Dec. 24

Family worship at 3 p.m. Traditional candlelight service at 5:30 p.m. Contemporary candlelight service at 7 p.m. Candlelight communion service at 11 p.m. Parking shuttles will run from 2-9 p.m. from the lots on Barton Creek Boulevard and Bee Cave Road.

Dec. 25 and Jan. 1

Worship service at 11 a.m.

St. John Neumann Catholic Church

Dec. 24

Christmas mass midnight-1 a.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 8 p.m.

Dec. 25

Midnight-1 a.m., 10 a.m.

Riverbend Church

Dec. 24

Candlelight services at 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Dec. 25 and Jan. 1

Services at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

PromiseLand West

Dec. 24

Services at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Westlake High School Performing Arts Center

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church

Dec. 24

Children’s service at 5 p.m. Contemporary service at 7 p.m. Chorale Prelude and carols at 10:30 p.m. and Midnight service is at 11 p.m.

Dec. 25

Service at 10 a.m.

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

Dec. 18

Christmas pageant at 4 p.m. Potluck Christmas party to follow, please bring a dessert or finger food to share.

Dec. 24

Christmas story in word and song at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Christmas Eve communion at 9 p.m.

Dec. 25

Christmas Day communion and brunch at 10:30 a.m.

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Westlake High School sophomore Samantha Brocklehurst, performing as the Snow Queen  in last year’s Nutcracker Spectacular, will again dance in the featured role in shows Friday and Saturday at the Performing Arts Center.

By Monica Tan
Contributing Writer

The Westlake High School Technical Entertainment Crew, orchestra and Alisa’s Dance Academy will come together Friday and Saturday to perform their seventh annual Nutcracker Spectacular.

Multiple new additions to the performance and light show are sure to make the show unlike any other in the past, TEC crew president Adam Hilton said.

“This year, we decided to scratch the lightshow we had been using since we first opened the Nutcracker and go for an entirely different concept,” Hilton said. “There will be four professional musicians along with four students on stage during the entire lightshow playing the music live along with 50 more orchestra students in the pit.”

The orchestra and band that will perform in the pit for the show have been working hard to make the performance the best one yet.

“Our first rehearsal was back in September,” violin player Ankita Ghoshal said. “The music is definitely well-practiced.”

The entire production is produced and run by students, and the finale and light show of Carol of the Bells is arranged by students.

Hilton said the music for the finale a take on a piece from the world-famous Trans-Siberiberian Orchestra called “Christma /Sarajevo 12/24.”

“We had a TEC student arrange the music for the finale for the full orchestra and band,” he said. “It’s essentially a rock ’n’ roll version of the old classic ‘Carol of the Bells.’ ”

He pointed out that the light show is entirely produced by students.

“Students are at every light board, sound board, management position, and musical instrument, just to name a few.” Hilton said. “The few adults involved in this production are there just for support.”

Students have invested a lot of time and work into the production and have rehearsed it to perfection.

“For the average production group, this show would probably take months to put on. We essentially do it in two weeks,” Hilton said. “We build the set for the show for a week, rehearse for a week, and that is followed by the three performances.”

Hilton said the part that takes quite a bit longer is the advertising and logistical planning, which began back in June.

“We have really refined the process of running this show down to a science so we can get the most done in the shortest amount of time,” he said.

The show will also feature Westlake staff for the role of Mother Ginger, the character who has all the children run out of her dress for each of the three shows. Westlake High School principal Linda Rawlings will appear on Friday at 7:30 p.m., electronic media and studio art teacher Dale Baker will appear on Saturday at 3 p.m., and junior varsity head baseball coach Jeff Montgomery will appear on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The show will be $15.

“I’m excited to see Mrs. Rawlings play Mother Ginger,” Ghoshal said. “It will be cool to see the whole show come together after all of this practice.”

A professional rock band consisting of a drummer, two guitarists and a bassist has been hired to perform during the light show finale with four orchestra students.

“We designed the show with inspiration from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra,” said violinist Irene Kuang, who is one of the four students who will play with the band. “I had to sign a waiver to play on the stage during the lightshow because of the new pyro elements implemented into the production. It really is going to be spectacular.”

This year, the TEC department has decided to include an element never before seen at a Westlake production of the Nutcracker.

“There are approximately 44 hits of pyrotechnics in the last 15 seconds of the show. It’s going to be truly incredible to see,” Hilton said. “Due to the licensing, we had to hire a professional company to come in and oversee this element of the show. This will be the third time we have used pyro in a production, with the other two being ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ The pryo is approved by the chief administrators of the district and the local fire department as well. We take every precaution to make sure these effects are extremely safe and incredibly enjoyable.”

The show will set the bar even higher for future Westlake productions.

“An audience member will think that they are at some kind of professional touring group’s concert with everything that’s going on,” Adam said. “There are a few more surprises that people will just have to see in person. This is something no one will want to miss”

Tickets for the Nutcracker Spectacular can be purchased at whstec.com or at the PAC box office one hour before each show.

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Photo by Dane Anderson

Braving cold temperatures and wet weather, from left, Carson and Caitlin Bragg and Krista Erskine twirled under the Zilker Park tree Sunday after Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell gave the signal to flip the switch for the well-loved holiday tree lighting.

At times during this busy holiday season, a trip around town should involve packing a hefty snack and some good tunes. Traffic can make it hard to keep up the holiday spirit.

Good thing there are plenty of options for holiday fun right at your doorstep to celebrate the season. For starters, there is the not-to-be-missed tradition of visiting the 155-foot Zilker Park holiday tree at 2100 Barton Springs Road. The tree was first lit in the winter of 1965, and it will be up lighting the city, enticing twirling kids and mesmerizing adults through Dec. 31.

If you visit now through Sunday, you can also take in Holiday Fest, sponsored by H-E-B, from 6-10 p.m. every evening. Drop by Santa’s workshop, food and novelty vendors, and enjoy face painting along with performances by local community groups. Spirit 105.9-FM Radio will be at the party on Saturday and Sunday to participate in festivities with promotions and giveaways.

More of a vicarious holiday lights aficionado? Pack up the family and take a car trip through the Lost Creek neighborhood for the resident-hosted 28th annual trail of lights. A tradition started during the early days of the community development by icons Harlan and June Cooper, many houses in the neighborhood showcase 6- to 7-foot Douglas fir holiday trees decorated with old fashioned electric lights. Take along a thermos of hot cocoa and a Bing Crosby CD and lose yourself in the magic.

Just can’t kick the attraction to portly, elderly, jolly old elves with loud taste in clothing? Visit Santa in Barton Creek Square Mall in the Elevator Court or visit him at the Hill Country Galleria Mall and take your own photos for free from now until Christmas Eve. Now through Christmas Eve.

On Saturday from 1-4 p.m., join the fun in Davenport Village at the 13th annual Christmas tree lighting, sponsored by the Westlake Chamber and the Westlake Picayune. Eanes school district students will perform holiday music, and Santa will be there along with fun holiday activities for kids, carolers and activities sponsored by local businesses. Entry fee is one gently worn coat, blanket or sleeping bag or a cash donation. Donations will be given to Mobile Loaves & Fishes.

Play in the snow at Hill Country Galleria on Dec. 17 from noon-4 p.m. outside the Bee Cave Library. On Friday, the Hill Country Galleria hosts holiday music by the Forest Trail Elementary Show Choir from 6-6:30 p.m. and Barton Creek Elementary School 6:30-7 p.m. Check the jolly old elf’s hours on the HC Galleria website at www.hillcountrygalleria.com/go/mallEvents.cfm.

While you are out scooping up the fun, don’t forget the free and inexpensive experiences offered during holiday celebrations at local Schools:

• No holiday season would be complete without taking in at least one performance of the annual Nutcracker Spectacular at Westlake High School in the Performing Arts Center Friday and Saturday. Enjoy the fruits of the labors of talents of the Westlake High School Technical Entertainment Crew, orchestra and local students of Alisa’s Dance Academy in the seventh-annual performance. Multiple new additions to the performance and light show promise to make the show unlike any in the past. Tickets are $15 and available online at www.whschaps.com.

• The Hill Country Middle School All-Orchestra Winter Concert is Tuesday at the WHS PAC from 7:30-8:30 p.m.; the Holiday Symphonic/Concert Band performance is Wednesday at a time to be announced; and the All-Choir Winter Concert will be at the WHS PAC on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.

• The West Ridge Middle School Orchestra Winter Concert is Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m.; the Concert, Honor and Sinfonia Winter Concert is set for Dec. 13 at WHS, the exact location and time TBA; the Choir Capital Rotunda performance at the Capital is Dec. 13 at noon; the Symphonic and Concert Bands Winter Concert is Wednesday at WHS PAC from 6-7:15 p.m.; and the Winter Choir concert is at WRMS on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

• Want to get on Santa’s good list? Be a good little boy or girl to your community and give close to home. Saturday and Sunday, CE-BAR Volunteer Fire Department will collect cash and check contributions for Brown Santa at the intersections of Cuernavaca Drive and Bee Cave Road and Creeks Edge Parkway and Bee Cave Road from approximately 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. The firefighters will use their boots as collection boxes. Contributions will be used to purchase turkeys as part of a complete dinner for approximately 2,000 families in Travis County this holiday season. Checks should be made out to “Travis County Brown Santa.”

• Help make a child’s dream come true this holiday season by adopting an angel on one of the Salvation Army’s Angel Trees at Barton Creek Square Mall in Nordstrom’s Department Store and at the Hill Country Galleria at Guest Services in Suite T-100.

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Good thing there are plenty of options for holiday fun right at your own doorstep to celebrate the season. For starters, there is the much-loved and not-to-be-missed tradition of visiting the 155-foot Zilker Park holiday tree at 2100 Barton Springs Road. The tree was first lit in the winter of 1965, and it will be up lighting the city, enticing twirling kids and mesmerizing adults through Dec. 31.

If you visit now through Sunday [Dec. 11], you can also take in Holiday Fest, sponsored by H-E-B from 6-10 p.m. every evening. Drop by Santa’s workshop, food and novelty vendors, and enjoy face painting along with performances by local community groups. Spirit 105.9-Fm Radio will be at the party on Saturday and Sunday to participate in festivities with promotions and giveaways.

More of a vicarious holiday lights aficionado? Pack up the family and take a car trip through the Lost Creek neighborhood for the resident-hosted 28^th annual trail of lights. A tradition started during the early days of the community development by icons Harlan and June Cooper, many houses in the neighborhood showcase 6- to 7-foof Douglas fir holiday trees decorated with old fashioned electric lights. Take along a thermos of hot cocoa and a Bing Crosby CD and lose yourself in the magic.

Just can’t kick the attraction to portly, elderly, jolly old elves with loud taste in clothing? Visit Santa in Barton Creek Square Mall in the Elevator Court or visit him at the Hill Country Galleria Mall and take your own photos for free from now until Christmas Eve. Now through Christmas Eve.

On Wednesday [Dec. 7] , pack a blanket and a dry sit-upon for Zilker Hillside Theater where you can enjoy  live music by Vallejo, Sahara Smith, Mike Cross and John Gaar.

Catch the Westlake High School Choir Capital Rotunda performance downtown at the Texas Capital at noon on Tuesday [Dec. 6].

Family Night at the Hill Country Middle School Book Fair is tomorrow [Dec 6] from 4-6:30 p.m. Carol with the HCMS choir and join “The Orphan of Awkward Falls” author Keith Graves from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Shop, drink hot chocolate and be merry.

The West Ridge Middle School Beginning Band Winter Concert is tomorrow [Dec. 6] at 5:30 p.m. at the middle school campus.