Category: Education

Henderson County Child Abuse Awareness poster contest

The April Child Abuse Awareness Poster Contest was open to all fourth graders in Henderson County. More than 350 posters were turned in with 11 school districts participating. The poster contest is sponsored by the Henderson County Child Advocacy Center, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson County Attorney and District Attorney’s Offices.The four schools that are pictured are Southside Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Cross Roads Elementary and Murchison. Each participant received a goody bag filled with candy and a gift card to McDonalds. The 1st thru 3rd place winners received Walmart gift cards in their goody bags.

CROSS ROADS ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Cross Roads with Sheriff Ray Nutt, Clint Davis, County Attorney, and Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO.
CROSS ROADS ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Cross Roads with Sheriff Ray Nutt, Clint Davis, County Attorney, and Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO.

 

 

LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Lakeview Elementary with Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO, Clint Davis, County Attorney, Scott McKee, District Attorney and Major Jessica Halbert, HCSO.
LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Lakeview Elementary with Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO, Clint Davis, County Attorney, Scott McKee, District Attorney and Major Jessica Halbert, HCSO.

 

MURCHISON ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Murchison Elementary with Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO, Scott McKee, District Attorney, Clint Davis, County Attorney, and Mrs. Schmidt, 4th grade teacher.
MURCHISON ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winners from Murchison Elementary with Deputy Jannell Dunnington, HCSO, Scott McKee, District Attorney, Clint Davis, County Attorney, and Mrs. Schmidt, 4th grade teacher.

 

SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winner from Southside Elementary with Major Jessica Halbert, HCSO and Clint Davis, County Attorney.
SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY: Pictured are winner from Southside Elementary with Major Jessica Halbert, HCSO and Clint Davis, County Attorney.

 

 

ACPA raises money with paintball

paintball

ACPA press release

Athens Christian Preparatory Academy recently completed its annual paintball fundraiser. Paintballing is a fun activity where players are put in teams and given paintball guns which, you guessed it, use balls of paint instead of bullets. Take a look at https://paintballgunguides.com/ to see what I mean. The idea behind the game is to avoid being shot (which is pretty easy to prove thanks to the huge paint splashes) and to shoot as many of the opposing team as possible.

ACPA faculty member Brian West, who organized the event, said, “We are very grateful to the businesses who helped us sponsor the event this year. Scuba Steve’s of Tyler donated all the compressed air tanks and inspections this year, and Wes Chaney of Athens helped with gear. Beverly Duke, Marsi and Morgan Jones, Kim Hardin, and Melissa Bush donated paint for the players.”

Teams played four rounds each. Players grabbed their paintball masks, kitted themselves up and entered the arena in their teams. There is a lot of variety in the quality of paintball gear which can make a big difference to the players using them. For example, better quality guns and lightweight paintball hoppers make it easier for players to shoot and move around the arena. For the fundraiser, all players had the same equipment so that things were fair. They were either sponsored by individuals or collected pledges that paid every time their player sent another player to the elimination tent. Parents organized concessions of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.

The event earned approximately $4,500 for the school. Proceeds will be used to help the school move to its new property this summer.

Getting outdoors at the Spring Rendezvous

Spring RendezvousBy Michael V. Hannigan

Fifth graders from around Henderson County got some hands-on experience with the outdoors this week thanks to the annual Spring Rendezvous at the Fairpark Complex.

Henderson County AgriLife Extension Agent Rick Hirsch said the event is nearly two decades old.

“The Rendezvous is a great opportunity for fifth graders in Henderson County to come out and learn from the professionals regarding conservation, stewardship, water safety, gun safety, and learn about the outdoors,” he said.

Subjects include: Game wardens talking about water safety, fishing, gardening, soil conservation, archery, snakes, and BB gun safety.

Wednesday, students from Athens ISD and Athens Christian Academy were on hand. Thursday (when I was taking photos) saw students from Murchison, Eustace, Cayuga, Malakoff and Cross Roads.

See more photos on our Facebook Page. 

Eustace to refinance bonds and save $1.9 million

BulldogBy Michael V. Hannigan

The Eustace ISD school board agreed to refinance the school district’s bonds during a special meeting Tuesday night. The action could potentially save the district $1.9 million in debt service, according to Superintendent Dr. Coy Holcombe. You also might want to research some if you’re wanting to refinance so you can try and save some money. Look at the different refinance mortgage rates offered.

The refinancing should not change the district’s tax rate.

In his blog “The Yard,” Holcombe wrote:

“In this scenario, the district would use $450,000 of its I & S fund balance as a cash contribution to pay down on the balance of the bonds and do an advance refund based on current interest rates. In this case, the potential savings to the district would be almost $1,900,000 in debt service. Further, the refunded bonds would be paid off three years earlier than the original maturity date. The overall bond payment for the district will not change dramatically from what it is paying now (about $1,070,000). Since the bond payment will not change much, the expected I & S rate will not be affected, either. The big difference is the fact that the bonds will be paid off early.”

District 13-2A track meet results

By Michael V. Hannigan

The District 13-2A track meet was held Thursday, April 11, in Malakoff. Local schools involved include Eustace, Malakoff and Kemp.

The Eustace girls varsity took first place, while the boys took second. The Malakoff girls finished sixth and the boys were fifth. The Kemp girls took fourth and the boys were seventh.

The top four finishers in each event will advance to the area track meet. Those advancing include:

Girls

  • Eustace: 4×400 relay team, Samantha Crocker, (3200 meter run, 1600 meter run), Noa Taylor (800 meter run), Jaci Aiken (110 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump), Caitlyn Culp (shot put), Casey Bramblitt (shot put), Grace Holcombe (discus), Chelse Oldham (discus), Mackenzie Abbott (discus), Alex Cravey (pole vault), Meagan Gunter (pole vault), Whitney Boerner (pole vault)
  • Malakoff: Erika Gilmore (110 meter hurdles), Brenda Cruz (1600 meter run)
  • Kemp: 4×100 relay team, 4×400 relay team, Kelsey Gage (800 meter run), Bree Weisinger (110 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles), Madison Allen (300 meter hurdles), Nicole Cox (200 meter dash), Madison Thompson (high jump), Madison Kerr (shot put)

Boys

  • Eustace: 4×400 relay team, Evan Arambula (3200 meter run, 1600 meter run), Mark Zimmerer (3200 meter run, 1600 meter run), Preston Schwartz (3200 meter run, 1600 meter run), Gavin Kirkhart (800 meter run), John Bradburn (300 meter hurdles, triple jump), Tyler Stokes (high jump), Thomas Hyde (shot put), Tyler Folsom (discus), Kyle Prselley (discus), Austin Givan (pole vault), Gavin Kirkhart (pole vault)
  • Malakoff: 4×100 relay team, 800 relay team, Rene Aguilar (800 meter run), Stephan Wolfe (110 meter hurdles), Demontes Dowell (100 meter dash), Jake Woolverton (300 meter hurdles, high jump), Garrian McCallister (200 meter dash), Carrington Manning (long jump)
  • Kemp: Jesus Perez (3200 meter run, 1600 meter run), Forrest Summerhill (110 meter hurdles), Morgan Webb (400 meter dash), Jordan Litts (high jump)