Sloane Samberson, BubbleLife Intern 

Since the initiative of remodeling Old Town Coppell started back in 2007, Main Street has never looked better.
Some would say this facelift given to the quaint street makes it look quite similar to Downtown Grapevine.

As of now, Main Street consists of three establishments such as Simmer, an independently owned new American gastropub, the Local Diner, a 50s inspired breakfast and lunch diner, and Hard Eight BBQ, a rustic smokehouse that serves an array of barbequed meats.

Greg Yancey, head of Retail, Restaurant and Office Inquiries, expressed that Main Street is currenly in the midst of working on a number of prospects.

"There will be a mix of full-service and quick-service restaurants, each with a unique building," Yancey said. "Our primary focus is restaurants to serve the residents and the 40,000 workers within three miles of our site."

Frost Cupcakery, a full-service dessert bakery, ice cream and coffee shop, shall open this month. It will be adjacent to the cottages owned by Professional Wealth Managment. Frost will have a private party space for children's birthday parties. They are currently catering to corporate meetings and social events in Coppell.

"The building for Frost looks amazing. I drove by the other day and thought its old-timey disposition really suited the soon to be cupcakery," Coppell High School sophomore, Andrea Morlett said.

Twisted Root Burger Company, an urban burger joint, will be opening in the Fall of 2014 at the corner of Main Street and Houston Street. Their menu consist of 12 creative combinitations one of which is the Frito Bandito, a burger smothered with chili, guacamole, cheddar and Fritos.

"I went to the Twisted Root located at the Shops at Legacy and it was delicious. I'm so excited that one is coming to Coppell. My favorite burger is 'The Kevin Bacon'," Coppell High School junior, Jake Shumate said.

The burger meat at Twisted Root comes in beef along with a few very unique options such as elk, ostrich, emu, boar, alligator and lamb, all of course subject to avaliability. They also serve house made custard shakes, hot dogs, black bean burgers and various fried items. There is even a pickle bar.

Due to Main Streets not so central location some fear that these establishments will not prosper as hoped, but because of the new homes being built it may not be such a big problem.

"We are having to generate our own traffic since this area had so little before we started, so the construction of 108 homes, office cottages and the city park are critical to drawing interest to the old downtown area," Yancey said.

Other than Twisted Root and Frost there are no other restaurants currently being built. There are plenty of spaces for restaurants and retail so expect more establishments to come in the near future.

By Sloane Samberson, BubbleLife Intern

Every new year Boy Scouts across Texas head Scouting for Cans, in order to help families who may not have the financial privileges of buying food for their family. 

Last Saturday, Local Boy Scouts along with the help of 134 volunteers, met at GracePoint's campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to start and finish the process of boxing cans.

"GracePoint is now the only drop off location in Coppell for scouting for food. The food is sorted, boxed and stored in the food pantry at GracePoint. There is no paperwork, just food provided when asked for," GracePoint Church member, Karen Cook said.

This year, GracePoint received 8760 cans and completed 305 boxes of food. Two boxes can feed a family of four for a week.

“My family and I have participated in the boxing portion of Scouting for Cans for as long as I can remember. It is actually a lot of fun and does not feel like labor at all,” New Tech High@Coppell sophomore Joseph Tanner said.

In North Texas, approximately 30,000 Boy Scouts participate in Scouting for Food. The process is very simple yet effective.
Boy Scouts put a flier and a bag out on doors a week before pick up. Then they meet on the morning of the event and pick up the bags and bring it to GracePoint.

Volunteers then look at the foods expiration dates to make sure it will not expire in the next year. Some of the food may sit in the box for up to a year.

Volunteers then sort it by type. These types include meat, veggie, bean and fruit. They make sure each box has the same quantity of product in it, though they may have a few different miscellaneous products like pasta or dessert mixes.

Any products that are still good, but expire within the year, are donated to other food pantries that will use them before those dates. In the past years, the food has been donated to CCA and Services of Hope.

“Both CCA and Service of Hope are outstanding ministries that reach out to those in need in the community,” GracePoint’s director of PEACE (Missions) and communications, Tina Brown said.

All finished boxes are stored in GracePoint's food pantry, ready to help families out in a time of crisis.

Scouting for Cans is not only a great way to bond with the people in your community but more importantly a great way to help those in need.

By participating in the great organization of Boy Scouts, you learn what honor and dedication is. You also have the ability to make a difference in the world, even by the slightest heroic action.

"I've been a lifelong scout, from Tiger Scout to Eagle Scout. I had a period of time where I wasn't a scout and I worked as a Peace Court Volunteer in Nicaragua, helping out with education and prevention of AIDS."

"Working for the local council I am pretty new, I've only been here for about a month, but I can feel that I will be here a long time,"  District Executive for Five Trails District, Michael Patterson said.

GracePoint, the Boy Scouts and the families receiving these boxes are more than gracious with the donations of canned food you brought this scouting season.

By Sloane Samberson
BubbleLife Intern

For girls, prom is one of the biggest affairs in their life. It is their final and biggest dance of being a high schooler so everything must go perfectly.

They have to find the perfect dress, the perfect date and perfect restaurant for dinner. Sadly prom does not come cheaply, thus why Project Prom was created.

Initiated by Academy students, Project Prom’s purpose is to provide prom appearal for girls who are in need of a little financial spotting, this way every girl has the opportunity to attend their senior prom.

"Freshman year was my first oppurtunity in joining the Academy. I wanted to work with kids, but was not positive as to what field I wanted to work in, which is why the Academy is so great."

"It gives you so many oppurtunities to provide services for the community all while you discover what you want to be when you grow up," said senior Academy student, Sarah Robinson.

Coppell High School’s AP Physics teacher, Amy Snyder, and Home Economics teacher, Becky Richards, took leadership in heading Project Prom this year. They both take part in working with the Academies, which made them perfect candiates for the job.

"Ms. Brinlea Taylor Cunuff actually started Project Prom when she taught here, but she's in Frisco now. She was a creative, frugal fashionista who wanted everyone to be able to go to prom and look good doing it," said Snyder.

According to a new survey from Visa, it was discovered that on average, families will spend $1,139 on prom this year. Prom is a huge sacrifice financially, making Project Prom a great way to put the cost of prom at a minimum.

"A few years ago, Ms. Barbra Corey, a teacher who no longer works at CHS, had two exchange students from China. They were not going to be in America for long so they got a dress from Projcet Prom. They got to go to prom without the expense of a dress, while getting the American experience," said Ms. Richards.

Coppell Cares, an organization run by the First Methodist Church of Coppell, helps families in the midst of financial challenges. They donate dresses to Project Prom in order to help the collection of prom dresses expand, giving girls more options to choose from.

"Coppell Cares has about 50 to 60 dresses waiting to arrive at Ms. Richards room. They are such a huge help in providing girls with various dress options," said senior Academy student, Megan Alberse.

The type of dresses they will accept are ones that do not have any holes or stains and meet dress code. They will also allow strapless dresses. You must have all dresses washed before donating them. If you want to donate shoes or handbags they must also be gently used.

If you are interested in donating prom appearal to Project Prom, you can contact Mrs. Snyder at asnyder@coppellisd.com or Mrs. Richards at brichards@coppellisd.com. You can also stop by their classrooms, C104 and A104, to drop off donated dresses, shoes and evening bags.

The acceptance of prom appearal began Feb. 3. Girls who would like to try on dresses can begin setting up fitting appointments Feb. 18 until April 11 by contacting Mrs. Snyder or Mrs. Richards.

"We really hope that ladies who weren't planning on going to prom, can now go, and we hope other ladies learn the benefits and joy of giving and providing to the community," said Snyder.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Clothes racks are needed, so if you would like to donate or let Project Prom borrow a clothes rack, just contact Ms. Richards or Ms. Snyder via their emails previously mentioned.