Cy Park High School Community Helps with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
By Promise Edwards, Cypress Park HS (A High School Journalism Network Collaboration)
Cypress Park High School was featured on an episode of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that was filmed back in August 2024 and aired Jan. 30. The episode featured a middle school student who is zoned to Cypress Park.
Regina and Maurice Elrod lost their Katy home to a fire in Aug. 2023. They lost their pet cat and Maurice’s mother. The home makeover brought the community together to welcome the Elrod family home with hundreds of volunteers, friends and family, as well as the Cypress Park band, cheerleaders, Flairs dance team, administration and the Houston Texans Cheerleaders. Citizens for Animal Protection also assisted the family in adopting a new pet.
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“Watching our high school students actively participate in the Extreme Makeover process filled me with pride, as they worked together to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” said Kyndal Gomez, Cypress Park finance secretary.
Home builder Taylor Morrison oversaw the build and recruited approximately 1,000 volunteers to help build a 2,600-square-foot home.
The Cypress Park High School cheerleaders and drill team helped welcome the “Before the reveal of the house, we were cheering the family on,” said Sharlynn Pedraza, Cypress Park senior cheerleader. “It was cool to see the behind the scenes of being a part of the show, too.”
ABC chooses from thousands of families who need a home. The show is available on streaming services like Hulu. The show also inspires viewers by highlighting acts of generosity and raising awareness of financial and health challenges faced by others.
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“Participating in Extreme Makeover was an unforgettable experience for our school community,” said Dr. Mike Contreras, Cypress Park principal. “It not only brought us together to support a family in need, but also reinforced the power of teamwork, compassion and the impact we can have on others’ lives.”
Editor's Note: This article was written by Promise Edwards, a student at Cypress Park High School in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, through a partnership between My Neighborhood News and the District as part of an established high school journalism network collaboration. My Neighborhood News is a proud supporter of local youth and warmly welcomes the opportunity to provide a platform for students to share their work.
