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A retirement ceremony was held Wednesday for three Trinity Valley Community College instructors who are calling it a career – (from left) Ella Faye Carlile, Bill Enger and Sue Lynn Trent. Carlile taught English, reading and biology, Enger taught history, accounting and psychology and Trent served as an art instructor. The trio has nearly 80 years of service time combined at TVCC.
Trinity Valley Community College held its annual sports banquet Tuesday night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go, but my HCN partner Jeff Weinstein did and he said it was an excellent event.
Like sports banquets everywhere there were all sorts of well-deserved awards given out, but there were three standouts.
1. Male Athlete of the Year: Ryan Polite … Polite was the quarterback for a Cardinal offense that often lit up the scoreboard like a pinball machine, and was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference’s Most Valuable Player.
Polite set three conference records last year:
Most Passing Touchdowns, season: 35 (2013)
Most Passing Completions, season: 299 (2013)
Most Passing Attempts, season: 454 (2013)
2. Female Athlete of the Year: Adut Bulgak … A two-time national champion, Bulgak has earned all the accolades she has received, and there have been many. The best may be Junior/Community College Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
“Adut is a special one,” said Lady Cardinal head coach Elena Lovato. “She exemplifies a strong commitment to core values both on and off the court.
“As a two-time national champion and All-American, she naturally established herself as a leader and was named co-captain of the team this year. Her passion for success and diligent work ethic come second to none. She acts with purpose, desire, tenacity and perseverance.”
3. The Cardinal Cup: TVCC Football … Let’s let TVCC Sports Information Officer Benny Rogers explain this one:
“Tuesday night at the fourth annual TVCC Athletic Banquet, the Cardinals were awarded the Cardinal Cup — the prize for a fall/spring semester-long competition in which the college’s athletic department teams/groups are awarded points for supporting each other and for community service.”
“The Cardinals edged out the volleyball team by 56 points, 650-594. Last year, the volleyball team topped the football team by the closest margin in the three-year history of the competition, scoring 606 points for a 34-point winning margin. The softball team was a distant third this year with 238 points.”
“The Cardinal Cup, which began in the 2010 fall semester, is designed as a competition to help encourage student-athletes and other organizations at the college to become more involved and the events that take place on campus, not just athletic events. The program was implemented to create a supportive and active fan base of TVCC students to visibly and vocally support performing groups.”
You can check out more photos from the TVCC Sports banquet here.
By Jayson Larson/TVCC Public Information
Trinity Valley Community College sophomore Justus Whitcher punched his ticket to the College National Finals Rodeo with an impressive performance at the Wharton Junior College Rodeo this past weekend.
Whitcher needed a strong showing in the steer wrestling event at Wharton – the last regional rodeo of the season. That’s just what he did, splitting second and third with a time of 5.8 to put himself 12 points ahead of the fourth-place finisher in the Southern Region.
The top three finishers in each event at the end of the season qualify for the CNFR – which is considered the “Rose Bowl” of college rodeo. The 66th annual event is scheduled for June 15-21 in Casper, Wyo., where more than 400 competitors from 100 colleges and universities will participate.
“Justus made a smart run and did the best he possibly could with the steer he drew,” Bratton said. “In situations like he was in, it takes maturity to see the big picture instead of breaking speed records each run.”
TVCC nearly qualified a second competitor for the CNFR. Kasey Kirby, who had been in third place in barrel racing for much of the year, was not able to maintain her position and ended up fourth in the region.
“We are in store for a great experience having the chance to run for a national title,” TVCC Rodeo Coach Brent Bratton said. “This is such a great opportunity that has been provided by our school administrators, the college and the local community that give us the support needed to be involved in this great sport.”
TVCC press release
TENNESSEE COLONY – Trinity Valley Community College’s Trinity Prison Project graduated 109 students during spring commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Eleven men graduated with “highest honors” – meaning they have achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. According to Dr. Sam Hurley, TVCC’s Associate Vice President of Correctional Education, 40 percent of this year’s graduates were honor graduates – graduating with honors (3.5 GPA or better), high honors (3.8 GPA or better) or highest honors.
TVCC has partnered with TDCJ to offer college classes since 1969, offering vocational training and academic education to help prepare offenders for success outside of prison and to enhance the rehabilitative aspects of correctional education. Studies have shown recidivism rates in Texas drop to 10 percent among inmates who have received college degrees.
In his remarks to the students and their families, TVCC President Dr. Glendon Forgey offered words of congratulation and encouragement, reminding students that their success “didn’t just happen.”
“You’ve had huge support along the way,” Forgey said, “but it was you who studied, you who passed the tests, you who prepared the reports and learned the material. … I’m confident you’re well prepared for what the future holds.”
Texas Parole Commissioner James “Paul” Kiel Jr., who served as the guest speaker, reminded graduates about the choices they had made in their lives. While some choices had negative consequences, he said others – such as the decision to pursue a college degree – can have a far-reaching impact on their lives if they continue taking positive steps forward.
“Every day we make choices whether we know it or not, or we don’t make a choice and life just happens,” Kiel said. “My challenge to you is to keep making choices. Live life purposefully, intentionally. Life is a series of choices. Make them well.”
Kiel, who began his career as a correctional officer and was appointed to the Parole Board by then-Texas Governor George W. Bush in 1999, closed his remarks by encouraging graduates to continue to plan for the future, live intentionally and learn to be flexible on their journeys.
“You can’t wipe (your past) out,” he said. “You’ve got to take what you’ve done and use it for the future.”
TVCC Vice President of Instruction Dr. Jerry King made a special presentation to those on hand graduating with highest honors. Students who graduated with that distinction were: Christopher D. Aleman; James Fabrizio; Herman H. Falkenberg Jr.; Jonathan B. Kersh; Ernest Lynn Naquin; Thomas Eugene Norris Jr.; Richard Oliverez; Branden Pennington; Angel Eduardo Rojas; William Sponsler; and Jeremy Watson.
By Jayson Larson/TVCC Public Information
PALESTINE – Carlos Hunt knew he had to get to class last Thursday, but he didn’t have his vehicle. So he decided to use a little horsepower, instead.
Hunt, an 18-year-old student in the GED program at Trinity Valley Community College’s Palestine campus, caught the attention of his classmates and instructors last week when he showed up to class on his horse. What resulted were a few chuckles and a reminder that some students will do whatever it takes to get an education.
It started last Thursday, when GED instructor Mike Murray learned from his wife, Deb (an ESL instructor at the Palestine campus) that Hunt had called about 30 minutes before the start of class. She couldn’t quite hear what Hunt was saying over the phone, but heard enough to inform her husband, “It was something about a horse.”
The purpose of the call became a little more clear as Mr. Murray drove to class a few minutes later and saw Hunt headed toward the Palestine campus on horseback. Hunt, wearing his backpack, waved to Mr. Murray as he drove by. A few minutes (and a 1 ½-mile horse ride later), Hunt arrived on campus and tethered his horse to a pole near the Calhoun Building.
As the class began, an Anderson County deputy sheriff walked into the room to politely inquire if the horse tied up outside belonged to anyone in the class. Sure enough, Hunt spoke up and explained the horse was his and that he had to ride it to get to school because a family member had borrowed his vehicle.
“Now that’s dedication,” the deputy said, laughing.
Mr. Murray, always one to take advantage of a teachable moment, took the class outside to look at the horse. Inevitably, talk turned to the dedication Hunt had shown to get to class – which meets four hours, four nights a week for four weeks. “You don’t want to miss Mr. Murray’s class,” one student said.
Reflecting on that comment later, Mr. Murray said, “I like that. It shows a lot of commitment and determination just to get there and be a part of class. A lot of these students, sometimes they get a bad rap for whatever reason – they just don’t get the credit they deserve. I work them pretty hard, so I thought this was a pretty neat deal.”
Hunt – who said his entire family owns and rides horses – said he didn’t think twice about hoofing it to class. He dropped out of school two years ago, ran into a few road bumps in life and soon decided – with the help of his stepmother – to turn things around. That road began with education and earning his GED.
“I want to have a better job and a better life,” Hunt said. “And this class is going to better my life.”