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The Briarwood School (Houston, Texas)

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Coordinates: 29°44′50″N 95°35′45″W / 29.7472°N 95.5957°W / 29.7472; -95.5957
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This article is about the school in Houston, Texas. For the school in Birmingham, Alabama, see Briarwood Christian School.
Briarwood School
The Briarwood School front exterior
Address
Map
12207 Whittington Drive

Houston
,
Texas
77077-4999
Coordinates29°44′50″N 95°35′45″W / 29.7472°N 95.5957°W / 29.7472; -95.5957
Information
TypePrivate
Founded1967
FounderYvonne and Dave Streit[1]
NCES School IDBB912602
Head of schoolDavid Mendlewski
GradesK-12
Enrollment337 (2024[2])
Color(s)White, Blue, Gray
   
Athletics conferenceTAPPS
YearbookFocus
Websitewww.briarwoodschool.org
Last updated: December 14, 2024

The Briarwood School is a private school in Houston, Texas, in the Briar Forest community. Briarwood serves students with diagnosed learning disabilities, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and/or ADHD[a]. The school was founded by Yvonne Tuttle Streit in 1967. Streit also founded The Brookwood Community, a Christian-affiliated residential and work community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities located in Brookshire, Texas.[3]

History

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Yvonne Tuttle Streit started The Briarwood School out of necessity to educate her daughter, who developed intellectual disabilities and brain damage following complications from encephalitis and meningitis at fifteen months. She and her husband traveled across the country for doctors and resources.[3] Eventually, Streit and three other mothers founded Briarwood in 1967, originally located at Memorial Drive Baptist Church on Piney Point Road (now home to Ecclesia Church) next to St. Francis Episcopal School. The school later shared a space with a daycare center in the late 1960s.[4] As of 1969, Briarwood had moved to St. Philip Presbyterian Church, 4807 San Felipe. For the 1969–70 school year, the school had a full-time enrollment of 88, totaling around 130 students. Tuition ranged from $80 to $110 monthly.[5][6]

Briarwood, nationally-renowned by the 1970s, moved into its current building on Whittington Drive in April 1973, although the east wing was still under construction as late as 1978. The addition was to host Briarwood's technical programs, including a greenhouse, in a campus expansion project estimated to have cost $1.85 million.[7] By 1978, the campus building's expansion was complete, and school staff had assisted in implementing similar innovative curricula to that of Briarwood’s internationally in countries such as West Germany, Mexico, and England. This coincided with the first senior graduation exercise, which took place that May. Over 300 students were enrolled in 1977–78.[8] The two-story east wing currently houses the Middle and Upper Schools, grades 6–12.

In 1996, students at Briarwood adopted Flash, an American Bashkir Curly horse. Originating from Cheboygan, Michigan, Flash arrived in Texas that March and became the school's live mascot. Flash was the subject of a literary magazine, which included a short novel (see External links). Select academic courses included Flash and the subject of horses as part of their lesson plans, including biology, Spanish, and art. The arrival of Flash also jumpstarted Explore, an experimental learning program fostering responsibility, cooperation between different classes, self-confidence, and positive risk-taking. The “Flash Fund” was also established to create tuition scholarships.[9]

Briarwood celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2016–17 school year, a feat recognized by Houston news media. Renowned journalist Linda Ellerbee spoke at an event hosted by Briarwood at the Junior League of Houston on November 15, 2016.[10] During halftime at the annual alumni basketball game on January 6, 2017, former KKBQ (93Q) personality and 2005 alumnus Al Farb read a declaration from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner designating January 6 as Briarwood Day.[11]

Campus

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Briarwood is located on Whittington Drive in west Houston, Texas, next to Ashford Elementary School. The campus building, built in 1973,[7] is two stories tall and contains two gymnasiums, three lunch rooms, and three academic wings. An athletic field is also used for flag football, soccer, and physical education classes. Attached to the athletic field is a small tennis/pickleball complex.

School culture

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Theatre

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The Briarwood School has a full theatre and arts program highlighted by one professionally directed theatre production every semester. Previous plays have included classics, such as Welcome to Four Way: The Town That Time Forgot,[12] and original performances, including Broadway Comes to Briarwood, performed in November 2014.[13]

Briarwood had a one-semester elective class revolving around William Shakespeare that was started by teacher Bob Ives in 1993. The class was a combination of traditional academics and theatre production, which prompted Ives to offer the class to all students rather than only those with more advanced language skills. Bob Ives recruited several of his past colleagues from Rice University, Alley Theatre, and Houston Community College to volunteer and help produce a full Shakespearean play in 1995. The production of the first play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented challenges. Ives' management included a "multi-sensory approach" taking into account the different learning styles of LD students, including flash cards and videos for visual learners and repetitive practice of scenes for kinesthetic learners. The students were fully involved in the play production process, including costume and set design, making and selling tickets, and cooking food as part of a dinner theatre. One student brought her reading scores up by four grades as a result of the class.[14] Bob Ives is currently an associate professor of special education at the University of Nevada, Reno as of 2025.[15]

Alumni basketball game

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Briarwood holds the distinction of hosting its famous alumni basketball game every January. The annual event takes place between the JV and varsity boys basketball teams and a makeshift alumni team. The highly anticipated event and often close scoring outcomes create vast camaraderie for both Briarwood students and alumni.[16][11]

Student ambassadors

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Briarwood selects students to visit Houston-area colleges and universities, such as the University of St. Thomas and Houston Christian University, to discuss their perspectives on dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.[17][18] The school has also hosted dyslexia panels on campus, which have included former students, staff members, and school alumni.[19] In January 2017, select students spoke at the Dyslexia Summit, an event sponsored by the Harris County Department of Education. Both the 2015 and 2017 cohorts of student ambassadors and administrators presented the documentary Rethinking Dyslexia: The Big Picture, which focuses on a dyslexic individual seeking to attend Marietta College.[17][18]

Annual Benefit

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Briarwood hosts an annual fundraising gala during the spring referred to as the Annual Benefit. The Benefit typically includes a sit-down dinner, speakers, musical entertainment, and a silent and live auction. From the late-1970s until the early-2000s, the Annual Benefit was traditionally held at large Houston-area theaters, including Jones Hall and the Wortham Theater Center, and was headlined by celebrity singers or entertainers. Some celebrities who have performed for the Annual Benefit include Henry Mancini (1979), John Denver (1987), Gladys Knight (1992), and The Pointer Sisters (1999).[20][21][22][23] Special patron ticket buyers were occasionally treated to an afterparty, including the 1988 Benefit with Johnny Mathis, which Ninfa Laurenzo notably attended.[24] The Annual Benefit regularly raises six figures in donations; for example, the 2001 Benefit featuring Lou Rawls raised $600,000.[25]

Athletics

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Briarwood provides an all-inclusive selection of sports for Middle and Upper Schools. The Mustangs are associated with TAPPS, competing as a 2A member, along with the Texas Christian Flag League (TCFL) for flag football. Flag football has won back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. Boys tennis was a small-school powerhouse in the 1990s, winning five straight state championships from 1991–1995.

Boys sports Girls sports Coed sports
Basketball Basketball Winter Soccer
Cross Country (9–12) Cross Country (9–12)
Flag Football Golf (9–12)
Golf (9–12) Swimming
Swimming Tennis
Tennis Track & Field
Track & Field Volleyball

Athletic championships

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Championship was a TAPPS championship unless otherwise stated.

Briarwood High School Athletic Championships
Sport Year Source(s)
Boys Cross Country 1991 (1A), 1992 (1A) [26]
Boys Flag Football 2023 (TCFL), 2024 (TCFL) [27][28]
Boys Tennis 1991 (1A), 1992 (1A), 1993 (1A), 1994 (1A), 1995 (1A), 2000 (1A/2A), 2024 (1A) [29][30]
Boys Track and Field 1989 (Class A), 1990 (Class A) [31][32]

Former students

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Notes

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  1. ^ While students with ADHD are served at Briarwood, a prospective student must also have a separate primary diagnosis of a specific learning disability as ADHD is not legally considered a learning disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

References

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  1. ^ Joe, Shelby; Hayes, Stephen (2013). Houston Private and Select Public Schools. Lulu.com. p. 107. ISBN 9781304302076.
  2. ^ Brinkmeyer, Beverly; et al. (June 10, 2024). "The Mustang Review, Spring 2024". issuu.com. pp. 13–14 (referred to as 8–9 on the Issuu website).
  3. ^ a b Hazen, Rebecca (December 28, 2016). "The Briarwood School Celebrates 50 Years". Memorial Examiner (Houston Chronicle). pp. 356, 361 – via Genealogy Bank.
  4. ^ Streit, Yvonne T.; Mullins, Jana (2016). Everybody's Got a Seed to Sow: The Brookwood Story. Bright Sky Press. pp. 57–59. ISBN 9781939055781.
  5. ^ Spencer, Carol (November 14, 1969). "A Circuit Out". The Houston Post. pp. 25, 27 – via Genealogy Bank.
  6. ^ Brown, Jerome A. (September 7, 1969). "Hope, Hard Work Generate Progress at Briarwood". The Houston Post. p. 7 – via Genealogy Bank.
  7. ^ a b Nash, Joel (February 23, 1977). "Briarwood—a School Expanding to Meet the Needs of Tomorrow". Houston Chronicle. p. 109. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via genealogybank.com.
  8. ^ "Briarwood School Observes Dedication of Facilities". Houston Chronicle. February 1, 1978. p. 103. Retrieved December 14, 2024 – via Genealogy Bank.
  9. ^ McClelland, Micki (May 11, 1996). "New Briarwood Mascot Not Just a Flash in the Pan". Houston Chronicle. pp. 145, 151 – via Genealogy Bank.
  10. ^ Hazen, Rebecca (November 21, 2016). "Journalist Ellerbee Speaks as Part of The Briarwood School's Milestone". chron.com.
  11. ^ a b McAnear, Mackenzie (February 1, 2017). "Alumni Game at The Briarwood School". thebuzzmagazines.com.
  12. ^ Gillece, Bernadette (April 27, 1994). "Lasater Leads Students in Briarwood Production". Houston Chronicle. p. 268 – via Genealogy Bank.
  13. ^ "Broadway Comes to Briarwood (Playbill)". playbill.com. 2014.
  14. ^ Johnson, Kathryn King (March 1998). "Teaching Shakespeare to Learning Disabled Students". The English Journal. 87 (3): 45–49. doi:10.2307/822383. ISSN 0013-8274. JSTOR 822383.
  15. ^ "Robert Ives, Ph.D." unr.edu.
  16. ^ Hallmark, Emily (January 30, 2015). "Briarwood's Alumni Game". thebuzzmagazines.com.
  17. ^ a b Gregg, Matt (March 11, 2015). "Rethinking Dyslexia". thebuzzmagazines.com.
  18. ^ a b Seay, Abbie (February 9, 2017). "Briarwood Students Speak at Dyslexia Summit". thebuzzmagazines.com.
  19. ^ Seay, Abbie (November 18, 2016). "Beautifully Different: A Night to Learn". thebuzzmagazines.com.
  20. ^ Ewing, Betty (March 8, 1979). "A Man and His Music: The Days of Wine and Roses Never Stop for Henry Mancini". Houston Chronicle. p. 120 – via Genealogy Bank.
  21. ^ Claypool, Bob (May 6, 1987). "Week's Shows Set Many Musical Moods". The Houston Post. p. 57 – via Genealogy Bank.
  22. ^ Falik, Frenchy (May 6, 1992). "Gladys Knight Brings Soul to Briarwood School's Gala". The Houston Post. p. 44 – via Genealogy Bank.
  23. ^ Hodge, Shelby (April 19, 1999). "Benefit Boosts Briarwood School Scholarship Fund". Houston Chronicle. p. 40 – via Genealogy Bank.
  24. ^ Falik, Frenchy (May 9, 1988). "Johnny Mathis Concert Benefit Brings Back Memories". The Houston Post. p. 20 – via Genealogy Bank.
  25. ^ "Briarwood Benefits at Auction". Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2001. p. 53.
  26. ^ Walk, Jon. "Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) State Cross Country Meet Top Three Finishers – Complete from 1991 to 1998". Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  27. ^ The Briarwood School Facebook Page October 20, 2023. via facebook.com
  28. ^ "Lone Star Christian Sports Network (LSCSN) Facebook Capture (2024 Flag Football Championship)". facebook.com. October 19, 2024.
  29. ^ Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (2003). "TAPPS State Tennis Results" (PDF). Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
    Note: John Cooper won the 1991 1A Girls Championship, whereas the source lists Briarwood as the winner.
  30. ^ "1A State 23–24". tapps.biz. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  31. ^ "TAPS Class 1A (Boys)". Waco Tribune-Herald. April 30, 1989. p. 46. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "High School Track". Waco Tribune-Herald. May 1, 1990. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Cartwright, Gary (November 1994). "The Sins of the Father" – via texasmonthly.com.

Further reading

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