June 20, 2008
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SANDERSON
– While about the only visible sign of progress from last year’s $14 million
school bond issue is new tennis courts behind the Sanderson High School
building, the design phase on some more substantial projects is nearing
completion. Board
President Ada Lee Robbins said she hopes to see construction get under way by
“mid August to the first of September” on the high school extension to the
junior high building. Plans
call for new classrooms to be in an extension to the back, or south, of the
junior high school building for high school classrooms. The
existing high school will be retained but not for classrooms. It
will be used for administrative functions but could be used for classrooms if
future expansion requires. A
lot more work has been done on “infrastructure” to get ready for the new
facilities but most of that is not visible to passersby. A
report by architect Monty Hunter said he is “approximately” 90 percent
completed with blue prints for the new high school edition. A
key element of the plan is to get all secondary classrooms “under one roof.” Other
projects will include a new vocational building, new field house at the
football field and improvements to the elementary school. SANDERSON
– Terrell County has two new Game Wardens. Saul Aguilar and Ken Stannard
reported for duty June 1. Aguilar
came from Corpus Christi, bringing wife Marcella and three children. Isaiah
is the oldest of the crew at five years old. Next is Gabby, who’s three, then
there’s one-year-old Adam Michael. Marcella,
or Marcie, will be taking on line courses from Sul Ross in the fall. She is
majoring in accounting hoping to become a CPA. She will minor in education. Both
of the Aguilars are active. Saul enjoys soccer and softball while Marcie
enjoys softball and other outdoor activities. Ken
Stannard, 24, is single. He hails from San Antonio where he grew up and
received a degree in criminal justice from the University of Texas at San
Antonio. After
seven and a half months in Austin at the academy, Stannard said he is glad to
be here. “I
like it,” he said. SANDERSON
– Vacation Bible School has come and gone for another year. Family Night last
week was “amazing,” said Pastor John Carnagey. The
pews were packed at the First Baptist Church as friends and family turned out
to see what the students have been doing all week. Co-director
Leila Cash reported an average of 50 students per day attended VBS. Co-director
Mary Roberts began the program by quoting Proverbs 22:6, which instructs
parents to “raise up a child in the way he should go.” After
a few songs by some youngsters, an offering was taken up for the missionary
group Texas Baptist Men, a group of men who travel around the US and
internationally at their own expense, fixing and helping those in need like
hurricane victims, tornado victims and the like. These
men volunteer their time and talents, whether it be plumbing, construction or
whatever their skill may be. They
even have a trailer designed to keep children occupied with games,
televisions and other activities so the parents can help with repairs or
whatever without worrying about the kids. Along
with fixing things, they also provide fresh water, clothing and food. Missions
director Jean Land-rum expressed what a privilege it is to come here and work
with the children of Sanderson. “They
are fantastic,” she said, “quick learners and very well behaved.” The
kids went “island hopping” this year with the “Outrigger” theme. They
learned about how missionary work differs in different countries. The
kids were taught that they are missionaries where they live and that
missionary work begins with developing a relationship with people through
common grounds such as sports or whatever they may have in common, Landrum
said. Cash
thanked everyone who was involved this week from parents to kids. David
Bugg led in closing prayer and invited everyone over to the fellowship hall
where the parents toured the classrooms and enjoyed dinner. To
learn more about Texas Baptist Men, go to texasbaptistmen.com. brings
memories SANDERSON
- Times have changed in the last 77 years. Mary
Nell Hinkle of Sanderson found an old sales receipt from the Sanderson Wool
Commission, dated· July 25, 1931, in which 50 bags of eightmonths wool sold
for 13 cents per pound. A
spokesman for the Wool Growers in Ozona told the News Leader the same wool
would sell for 85 to 90 cents per pound today. The
plight of ranchers today was indicated by an increase,which is far below most
other products over nearly eight decades. The
653 percent increase, while large, compares with a 2,000 percent increase in
the price of gasoline at the pump, for example. The
receipt was signed by Secretary-Treasurer Joe Kerr. President was Alexander
Mitchell and Charles Downie was vice president. The
letterhead touted Sanderson as the" ideal section for goat and sheep
raising. It
said the climate was "unsurpassed" and there was "plentiful
pure water, firstclass banking" and the town was on the "main line
[of the] T&NORR [railroad for] passenger and freight." It
said Sanderson had "good schools, churches" and was "halfway
between San Antonio and El Paso on State Highway NO.3, the shortest and best
route for tourist travel." It
referred readers to the Terrell County Chamber of Commerce for further
information. Program
“Gears Up” area students By Jason Hennington Sul Ross News Writer ALPINE
– Although college remains a few years in the distance, 130 area high school
students continued to “Gear Up” for higher education at Sul Ross State
University last week. GEARUP,
for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a US
Department of Education grant program aimed at helping students get a jump on
the higher education process while still in junior high. Participating
students en-tered the program as seventh graders in the fall of 2005 and will
stay involved through a summer college bridge program after high school graduation
in 2011. “Our
main goal is help these students pursue their education after high school,”
GEARUP director Aster Trevino said. “We want them to go to college, not just
have a high school diploma.” The
130 students are from 14 schools involved in the program from nine Texas
counties bordering Mexico. Participating
schools include Alpine, Balmorhea, Fort Stockton, Grand Falls, Imperial,
Marfa, Pecos, Presidio, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Terlingua, Valentine and
Van Horn. Staff
members, teachers and mentors are from various locations as well. A
number of Sul Ross students and students from other universities serve as
mentors while teachers from each school district also participate. They
are housed in the Lobo Village residential complex during the program. GEARUP
has a Quantum Learning workshop for both students and teachers to help
schools get ready for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
test. Quantum
Learning teachers were brought in to conduct workshops that use games and fun
activities to teach effective techniques and study habits to the students. Quantum
Learning for teachers is a workshop on methods for building a strong
foundation, a positive atmosphere of rapport and respect and a supportive
environment. The
workshops also train teachers on improving presentation skills, designing
engaging lessons and identifying all types of learners. Teachers
learn strategies for effective classroom management, accelerating learning,
making content more meaningful and supporting standards based curriculum.
“GEARUP
provides everything from tutoring to tools for teaching,” GEARUP Coordinator
Lali Rivera said. It
has provided supplies for teachers and students including Texas Instrument
calculators, writing utensils and notebook paper throughout the participating
schools. Professional
Development Consultant Dr. Shirley Cook was brought to Sul Ross as a part of
the GEARUP Quantum Learning program. Cook
has designed, developed, written and edited course materials for the
classroom, correspondence study, teleconference, video productions and
professional seminars. Her
research has also produced specialized programs for alternative schools,
summer programs and tutorials. Along
with workshops and classes, GEARUP offers field trips to students. They are
split into groups and alternate field trips accordingly. “Fifty
went to Prude Ranch while 50 went to Fort Stockton to go bowling,” Trevino
said. “The rest stayed here for activities and then went to the Rangra
Theatre. There are so many we had to split them into groups.” With
only 130 students, GEARUP was only one week this summer compared to two weeks
in 2007 and three weeks in 2006. “The
older they get, the harder it is to keep them interested,” Trevino said.
“Next year, our students will be sophomores.” Students
who attended the camp were housed in the Lobo Villages and had access to
facilities on campus including the Graves Pierce Recreation Center and
swimming pool. Various departments lent assistance. Upward
Bound loaned its van for transportation. Melissa Harmon-Jeffs, former Campus
Activities coordinator, helped with icebreakers the first day of camp. John
Shore, assistant director of Residential Living, helped with housing and
getting students checked into their rooms. “We
would like to thank everyone on campus for making this camp go smoothly,”
Trevino said. “We have really enjoyed camp.” |
Hunter’s
report said he is also about 90 percent completed with blue prints for the
new field house. The
tennis courts are “substantially complete and being used by the district,” he
said. There
remains a “punch list” on the job, however. In
just about every construction project, there are some minor items that were
not done according to plan and have to be fixed, normally before a final
check is sent to the contractor. get
airing SANDERSON
– The parent-run Band Booster Club at Sanderson High School should be
re-organized and new by-laws adopted, members of the Terrell County School
Board agreed Monday night. Two
officers resigned last month in a dispute over the amount of the Booster
scholarship. Another was elected later but resigned over a lack of by-laws. “I’m
sorry there is no one here for this discussion,” Board President Ada Lee
Robbins said. “They should have been here.” Robbins
said the club’s finances are a serious question and a financial statement presented
to the board “is no financial statement at all.” Board
member Cheryl Seidel said the statement simply provided a balance with no indication
of what checks came in and what checks had cleared. “There
are no accounts payable or accounts receivable,” she said. Robbins
said the Boosters last year took some band members on a trip to San Antonio
and paid $1,116 for ten motel rooms with a check. But
shortly after returning home, the Boosters elected new officers and stopped
payment on the check. “They
tell me that it has been paid but it has not been paid,” Robbins said. “That
$1,000 check reflects on the school and it has been out there for a year.” The
check was issued June 14, 2007, she said. She
suggested the Boosters provide a cashier’s check to the school and the bill
be paid with a return-receipt letter so there will be a record of it having
been paid. Robbins
suggested the Booster Club reorganize and adopt new by-laws. It
should vote each year whether to provide a scholarship and agree on an amount
in the beginning. A
major point of contention within the Boosters was the annual scholarship. A
figure of $1,000 for the scholarship had been widely discussed, though
Secretary and Acting President Laura Galvan told the News Leader there
was nothing in the club’s minutes stating it would be that amount. The
Club voted last month to provide $500 to Davis Stumberg, prompting the
resignation of two officers. Robbins
suggested the new booster club work directly with a new band director if and
when one is hired. Superintendent
Gary Hamilton said he is “closer” to finding a replacement for Tom Torres who
resigned earlier this year. Business
Manager Blain Chriesman said University Interscholastic League rules say the
band director is “ultimately responsible” for a booster club. SANDERSON
– The Terrell County Summer Recreation program “kicked” off this week with
children learning the basics of soccer at the courthouse. The
kids will play soccer Monday through Thursday for two weeks. Several
children said they were glad the program started. Danielle
Fisher, daughter of Sara and Joe Gonzales, said she was glad it wasn’t hot
and was just glad to be outside. The
recreation program allows younger children to play sports that they would
otherwise have to wait until they were in junior high to participate in. Co-director
Sara Gonzales said she is excited about the new season and is looking forward
to it. “Kids
need something to do besides go to the pool and play video games,” she said. in
full swing SANDERSON
– Some technical problems plagued the evening softball games Tuesday as the
four teams gathered at the diamond to start the action with Los Coyotes playing
Lonestar. The
scoreboard went on the blink for the last four innings of the first game but
it was fixed for the second game. However,
there were two sets of lights in the outfield that refused to cooperate for
the first couple of innings of the second game. Each
team took turns scoring until the final inning and the ending score was 10 to
9, Los Coyotes winning. In
the second game Storm and Los Pistoleros battled it out. The
lead traded places inning-by-inning but, with five minutes of the allotted
hour left, Storm edged Pistoleros with a one-point lead, 15 to 14. The
action tied the two teams for first place in the league. A
couple of minor injuries occurred when one player got hit in the head with a
ball. Trainers said she will be fine but it left a nasty bump. Another
player pulled a muscle in her thigh, putting her out for the remainder of the
game. The
teams play every Tuesday and Thursday at the baseball field on Legion Street. The
concession stand has been offering a variety of homemade candied items and
homemade burritos with the money going to St. James king and queen
candidates. SANDERSON
– A signed and numbered photograph of a white jackrabbit by author Russell
Smith of San Angelo is being auctioned off here. Tickets
for the photo by the author of “The Gun That Wasn’t There” are available for
$1 each or six for $5 from any American Legion Auxiliary member. They
will also be available at the Silent Auction Saturday, July 5, on the Courthouse
Square as part of the county’s July 4 observance. Smith,
a retired police chief, wrote about Terrell County Sheriff Bill Cooksey, who
didn’t take his usual revolver in a holster on his right hip one day in 1965
and, instead, stuck a small semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. He
became involved in a shootout with illegal alien Alfredo Amador Hernandez who
had been burglarizing area ranches and, when Cooksey reached for his usual
revolver, it wasn’t there. Cooksey
was injured in the shootout but Hernandez was later captured. “The
white jackrabbit was one of the most
skittish critters that I ever tried to photograph,” Smith wrote in a
description of the photo. “The female
jack ran for great distances
every time I tried to capture its image.” He said the rabbit is not an albino. It has yellow eyes. “Angelo State University professor Terry Maxwell defined
it as ‘leucistic,’ meaning a lack of pigment,” Smith said. “The female was
regularly seen with a com-monly colored male.” New
Big Bend Travel Guide planned MARFA – The 2009-2010 edition of the Big Bend &
Texas Mountains Travel Guide is in production with an advertising deadline of
July 31. The new edition is scheduled for distribution in early
January but production is well underway. The guide has been the primary free resource for travelers
in Far West Texas for the past 25 years. “I’m really
proud to be part of this project,” Publisher and Editor Mercer Black said.
“It truly is the most comprehensive travel guide in the area and it’s been
noted to me by people in the know, including those who work in and manage our
area chambers of commerce, that it is the first piece of literature picked up
by the majority of travelers. “My goal is to increase the guide’s effectiveness for
both advertisers and readers,” she said. “Expect to see the paper quality
upgraded and a more durable cover. “The overall design, while remaining true to the theme
of the area, will undergo a revival to evoke the sense of ruggedness and
adventure we love about West Texas, while remaining readable and clean,”
Black said. The magazine highlights 11 communities in the region
including Sanderson and Marathon. The chambers of commerce are working with the
publication for information on their communities. Other featured towns include Alpine, Balmorhea/
Toyahvale, Del Rio, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, Marathon, Marfa, Presidio,
Terlingua/Study Butte and Van Horn as well as the feeder cities of Midland/Odessa
and El Paso. There are features on Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe
Mountains National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Fort Davis
National Historic Park and the sixteen area state parks. There also is a comprehensive directory that includes
lodging, outdoor activities, a dining guide, RV/camping information, shopping
and services, various attractions and a calendar of events. “I encourage people to submit information for inclusion
in the editorial portions of the magazine,” Black said. “In particular, I’m
on the hunt for some truly inspirational photography.” While the magazine will easily be noticed by area
travelers, it is also has intense market penetration. Two hundred thousand copies of the 2009-2010 Big Bend
& Texas Mountains Travel Guide will be produced later this year and
distributed at over 30 destinations across the State of Texas, including the
Chambers in major cities such as San Antonio and the State Fair of Texas. Black said the magazine is free to the public and
produced solely through the revenue generated from advertisers. “It’s
important that this guide stay free,” she said. “That’s what gets it into as
many hands as possible. “While
we produce 200,000 copies of the guide, I project that the readership is
closer to one million,” Black said. “People are anxious to share and pass
along the magazine. It's beautiful, it’s informative and it’s a bit of a
souvenir, really.” The deadline for advertising is July 31 and the deadline
for editorial submissions is August 29. Those interested in advertising and those wishing to
send editorial submissions are encouraged to contact Black at 432/294-2138 or
BigBendTraveI@Gmail.com. |
The
board sold $9.5 million of the issue in September and most of that remains
uncommitted. Business
Manager Blain Chriesman said the remaining $4.5 million in bonds will likely
not be sold “at least until about this time next year.” in
Region Fire
continues to threaten the Big Bend region as dry, hot weather coupled with
plenty of plant fuel from last year’s big rains abound. At
press time, four fires were burning in the region. In Brewster County, the
1,500-acre West Fire and the 100-acre East Fire were both about 90 percent contained.
In
Jeff Davis County, the 125- acre Carpenter Mountain Fire was 90 percent
contained and the 40-acre Sullivan Ranch Fire was 75 percent contained. The
Big Bend area continues to be the most active part of the state for wildfires
this year and the Texas Forestry Service said we can expect more of the same
as they predict a very active fire season. The
Forestry Service has placed several full-time fire-fighting crews in the
area. Dry
lightning has been the ignition source for many of the fires in the region
but cigarettes and non-spark arrested machinery also prove to be consistent
fire starters when not handled carefully. The
dry lightning strikes are most common when high anvil cumulonimbus clouds are
in the area. Widely-scattered
rain has helped in some cases. Cooler temperatures would also help the fire
fighters get some rest. A
burn ban remains in effect throughout the Big Bend region. The
Forest Service said Wednesday that low humidity and windy conditions would continue
across much of the area for the next few days creating elevated fire danger
conditions. Isolated
storms were possible over the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains and dry lightning
will accompany some of these storms. The
Fort Davis, Fort Stockton and Midland area was expected to experience very
active fire behavior from new starts. TCISD
board frowns on ‘energy’ drinks SANDERSON
– A new student handbook for Sanderson schools will likely contain wording that
the district “highly discourages” the use of “energy” drinks by students
hoping to boost athletic prowess or alertness for tests. School
Board members discussed the issue as Superintendent Gary Hamilton works to
prepare student handbooks for the next school year. He
said he would have the books prepared for adoption at the July 21 meeting. Citing press reports of harmful effects of the popular drinks,
board members discussed banning them on campus. But an outright ban might cause some to try the drinks under a
kind of “forbidden fruit” syndrome. The drinks, which can contain two to three times the caffeine of
a regular soft drink and nearly as much sugar, have been known to cause
tremors, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, agitation, increased heart rate or high
blood pressure. Some of the energy drinks also contain alcohol. While many energy drink labels say that they are not recommended
for children, selling the non-alcoholic brands to them is not illegal. “We hope to educate the parents about the dangers of the
drinks,” Board President Ada Lee Robbins said. The
board also discussed increasing the charge for “adults” to eat in the
school’s cafeterias. Students
pay 80 cents for breakfast and $1.50 for lunch. Adults
cannot just come in off the street and eat at the cafeteria but parents
frequently do. The
current charge for them is $1.25 for breakfast and $2.25 for lunch. “They
certainly should pay $5 for that,” Robbins said. She
suggested $3 for breakfast and $5 for lunch be included in the handbook. There
was no consensus on the cafeteria charge for students. on
TAKS, TPRI SANDERSON
– Students in Sanderson schools generally did well in Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills and Texas Primary Reading Inventory tests. School
Counselor Isidoro Calzada, Jr., told the school board that the 11th grade
TAKS tests indicated a weakness in math and science. Otherwise, students in grades three through ten scored well in all areas and many students were “commended” for their scores. All
students met the standard in all areas in third, fifth and sixth grades on
the TAKS test. The
11th grade test is also the school’s exit exam. Students did well in English
and social studies but only six of 11 passed math and science. “That
has been one of our goals, to bring up math and science scores,” Board
President Ada Lee Robbins said. Calzada
said TAKS classes will be offered next year so this year’s juniors will be
able to catch up in these areas by graduation. In
the TPRI tests for kindergarten through second grade, all seven kindergartners
showed “developed” in phonics awareness and “grapho-phonemic knowledge, which
measures spelling, letter name identification and letter-to-sound linking. Six
of the seven were “developed” in listening comprehension with one “still
developing.” All
seven first graders passed the first two tests and five of seven were
“developed” in reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension. Of
14 students in second grade, 10 were “developed” in grapho-phonemic knowledge
but Calzada said two of the four rated “still developing” transferred to Sanderson
from other schools in the middle of the year. Brush management seminar offered SANDERSON
– The Terrell County Extension Office will host a brush management seminar at
9 a.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Terrell County Community Building. Specialists
from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will discuss a variety of brush
management topics including forage inventory, stocking rates, livestock
supplements, livestock nutrition, brush sculpting and chemical and mechanical
brush control. The
seminar will also include a field demonstration and an update on the current
farm bill. There
is no charge and local residents are encouraged to attend. A catered lunch
will be provided, also at no charge. The
seminar, sponsored by the Rio Grande/Pecos River Soil and Water Conservation
District and Pecos County State Bank, will conclude at approximately 2:15 pm.
To
register for the seminar, call the extension office at 432/345-2291. |