Friday Graduation Features PJC Top Student Award
While not quite at the record of over 600 graduates at Paris Junior College a few years ago, more than 440 students have applied to graduate from Paris Junior College this semester. Over half plan to walk in the Friday commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. in Noyes Stadium.
Part of the ceremony will be the announcement of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest student honor given at PJC. Five outstanding sophomores have been nominated for the Distinguished Service Award this year, including John Altman of College Station, Giselle Benitez of Paris, Maddie Ellsworth of Clarksville, Jayla Oldfield of Detroit, and Breanne Smallwood of Mount Pleasant.
Producers Sell Over 5,000 Head Of Cattle At NETBIO Sale
Livestock producers converged on the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission Wednesday to market their cattle in the May Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization pre-conditioned stocker and feeder calf sale.
A total of 241 producer/members of NETBIO shipped nearly 5,500 head of calves and yearlings to the sale. Those cattle were purchased by 36 buyers who paid an average of $795.17 per head.
Sellers, buyers and visitors from throughout the region — and some from neighboring states — attended the sale that featured a lot of excellent quality cattle.
“We had a lot of good cattle consigned to the sale and there was a lot of interest from the buyers — both those at the sale and some buying over the Internet,” said David Fowler, co-owner of the livestock commission. Buyers bidding over the Internet purchased 1,042 head of cattle.
Fowler said feedlot buyers were well represented, along with many buyers from throughout the region. “It was a very good offering of cattle and buyers recognized the excellent quality,” Fowler said.
Most of the cattle purchased were going to feed yards in the Panhandle. However, Fowler added that quite a few were purchased to go back to grass out west and to local pastures.
Cattle prices held up well under “not so good world marketing conditions,” primarily because producers shipped in quality pre-conditioned cattle and the demand for all weights was good.
The NETBIO Pre-Conditioned Stocker and Feeder Calf Sale gives producers a market to offer their pre-conditioned calves and yearlings in load lot quantities. NETBIO holds eight pre-conditioned calf sales per year, which is the marketing arm for members of the organization.
The next sale will be held at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission on Wednesday, July 17. The weaning deadline for calves consigned to that sale is June 2. The last date for booster shots is June 17.
That sale will be followed by sales on Sept. 18, followed by a sale on Oct. 16 and the anniversary sale on Nov. 20.
Owens Says Spring Football Has Been Good for His Young Team
Wildcats Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Greg Owens said spring football workouts were good for his team and coaching staff this year. This is the fourth year for the Wildcats to have spring football. He described his current team as youthful after 32-seniors graduated off of this past season’s team. Coach Owens said his current bunch brings energy and excitement. He added they don’t always know where they are going sometime. Coach Owens said during spring practice coaches put the players under pressure to see how they react. He said the main goal of spring ball is to develop the offensive line and the defensive front seven and safeties. Because of the youth of the team, Coach Owens said the Wildcats are participating in more 7 on 7 football than usual right now for the reps it provides for players throwing, catching and covering. He said spring football has featured teaching, teaching and teaching of fundamentals. Coach Owens said there have been lots of bright spots and he said it has been very productive. He added it has also shown there is still a lot to be done and things to work on this summer. Spring practice ended Thursday in the athletic period during the school day. All that’s left now is the Spring Game coming up Friday at 6 p.m. at Gerald Prim Stadium.
Hearts of Life Presents Sophie For Adoption
Sophie is still searching for her forever home! Sophie is a mature yet high energy girl! She can be a complete goofball but also loves to be at your side. She walks well on the leash and would make an excellent running partner! Her adoption fee is $100.00. If you’re interested in this sweet girl, please call or text us at 903-439-5019, email [email protected], find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heartsoflife or on Petfinder.com.
Local Author Don Brown’s “Experiences of a Lifetime” Book Signings This Week
After retirement as Vice President of Ben-Tex Pharmaceuticals in Houston, Don Brown and his wife Nora moved to Sulphur Springs in the early 1990’s. This move followed a lifetime of ministry and world travels and put them closer to their two children and grandchildren. Then in 2017, following the passing of his wife and 68-year prayer partner, Don decided to put their many interesting experiences into book form. His self-published work “Experiences of a Lifetime” was released in 2019 and will be offered locally this week in two book-signing events at Good News Christian Bookstore in Sulphur Springs.
“Experiences of a Lifetime” has 199 brief chapters, most only one page long. Each fascinating, well-written recollection offers a vignette of an enriching experience and a lesson learned. Readers will follow Don from his youthful years in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas as a minister’s son to earning money and life skills through farm and ranch work. His teen years included high school Varsity sports from which he earned three college scholarships as well as a ministerial scholarship. Later, broad opportunities to preach God’s word came as he and Nora followed God’s direction to new places. He credits God’s direction and protection in all his experiences, from his frequent hitchhiking across the 4-States region during college years, to witnessing a secret and sacred Ute “Sun Dance”, to a life-threatening encounter at the Great Pyramid when visiting the Holy Lands. Within the chapters, Don subtly uses each story as a faith-building teaching tool.
You can meet Donald Brown on Thursday May 16 and on Saturday May 18, 2019 at Good News Christian Bookstore inside the VF Outlet along I-30’s Industrial Drive East in Sulphur Springs. The two book signings will be held from 10 am til 2 pm, Don will gladly autograph the books purchased. He is a retired pastor, an active member of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs and Director of an Adult Department at the church. You can find out more at donaldbrownauthor.net.
Raffle to Fund Ms. Hopkins County Senior Trip to State Pageant this Summer! Tickets at Seniors Center
from: Karon Weatherman, Director of Sulphur Springs Sr Citizens Center
We have a project going to raise money for the 2019 Ms Hopkins County Senior Pageant Winner to help pay for her expenses at the State Pageant. We are selling 50/50 Raffle Tickets for $ 1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. You can purchase your Raffle Tickets at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center or from any of the 10 Contestants. I will list them on the bottom of this post. 50 % of the funds raised will go to the 2019 Pageant Queen and the other 50% will be split between 2 Lucky Winners that will have their tickets drawn from a basket during the pageant. You do not have to be present to win.
You just need to make sure your Name and Phone number
are on the Ticket Stub for the drawing on June 1st. The drawing will be held during the evening of the Ms. Hopkins County Senior Classic Pageant, scheduled for the Civic Center Banquet Hall on Saturday June 1, 2019 at 6pm. Admission to the Pageant is free. The evening will be filled with talent by contestants and former Ms. Hopkins County Senior title-holders.
Contestants are: Vender Wright, Marjean Allen, Nancy Bassham Bolton,Pam Gibson George, Jan Gray, Majel Redick, Elizabeth Wilburn, Valerie Tuttle Ross, Jan Massey and Linda Hawk Pickle-Hill. The current reigning Ms. Hopkins County is Mary Ivey.
SSISD Trustees Recognize 2 Community Supporters, Top Students; Approve Copier, Region 8 ESC Contracts
A budget calendar, recognition of two community supporters, a copier contract, contract with Region VIII Education Service Center and Spanish language arts and reading instructional materials for kindergarten through fifth grades are among the items addressed at the Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting this week.
Community Supporters
Superintendent Michael Lamb presented Texas Association of School Boards Recognition Program certificates to Ryan McKenzie and Paul Harvey for Grocery Supply Company and CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital’s support of SSISD and the community.
Lamb explained that SSISD issued its first certificates at a previous board meeting to businesses that entered and helped with the district’s summer golf tournament.
That same week, GSC and the hospital came through in big ways for the boys basketball team that competed for the state title.
“Ryan and Grocery Supply called. They helped some of the families get to San Antonio that might not be able to do that otherwise. And, the hospital called and wanted to pay for the bus that the boys took. We are very appreciative for both of those,” Lamb said.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs CEO Paul Harvey accepted the certificate for the hospital and Grocery Supply Company COO Ryan McKenzie accepted for GSC.
Top Students
SSISD Board of Trustees President Robbin Vaughn presented plaques recognizing Carissa Carter as the valedictorian and Maddie Millsap as salutatorian of Sulphur Springs High School Senior Class of 2019.
Budget Calendar
Business Manager Sherry McGraw presented the school board with dates for budget workshops this summer in readiness for adoption of a district budget.
The first budget workshop is planned during the regular June 11 school board meeting. A preliminary budget will be presented with revenue based on new template, estimated tax values and estimated student counts. Expenditures will include campus requests and estimated payroll increases, but employee turnover will not be entered in budget at this point. Any new expenditures will be added.
A second budget workshop will be held during the next regular school board meeting on July 8. Revenue in this preliminary budget will be based on the new template, estimated tax values and 2018-19 student counts. Expenditures will include campus budget requests, payroll increases, employee turnover and any new expenditures.
The district will not have certified tax values until July 25. Those numbers will be used to create a final draft of the budget, which McGraw anticipates presenting along with the tax rate to trustees for adoption at their Aug. 12 board meeting.
Trustees would then be asked at a special noon board meeting on Aug. 23 to approve an amended 2018-19 budget to reflect all changes made over the last year.
Contracts
SSISD’s contract with Advantage Copy Systems expires on May 31, so bids were sought for the service. Only two bids were received. Advantage Copy Systems bid was for $10,389 per month, for three years, with an overage fee of $0.005 per black and white copy and $0.047 per color copy that exceeds the 8 million per year copies allowed. CPI Imaging’s bid was for $9,998.07 per month with no additional charges for overages.
Trustees approved the lower bid submitted by CPI Imaging, as recommended by District Technology Coordinator Rodney White. Trustee Kerry Wright abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest.
Trustees also approved contracted service agreements with Region VIII Education Service Center, as recommended by Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams.
“Each of these packages provide training and resources in different areas we practice here at the school and take advantage of,” Williams said.
The overall cost increased by a just over $4,000. That includes about $2,400 for DBA Services, which schools are required to buy for use in the business office. The Safe Schools and Healthy Students package went up by about $2,000, Williams said.
Williams said he send the list to every pertinent director to look at and see if there are things that could be beneficial, then consideration is given to adding those options to the package the district purchases annually.
The board approved a Region VIII ESC contract for $111,821, to be paid in two semi-annual payments.
Instructional Materials
Also approved as recommended by the Instructional Materials Adoption Committee and SSISD Director of Curriculum and Instruction Lisa Robinson were the Benchmark Taller/ Benchmark Workshop materials for Spanish language arts and reading classes for dual language students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Robinson said the materials adopted for reading in English do not have a direct Spanish correlation. Benchmark Workshop, however, is structured in the same way.
“This puts hundreds of authentic Spanish books in each classroom and the lessons are tied with those for the teachers to let them use to teach. It’s very similar to what we purchased on the English side.
In kindergarten and first the literacy does take place in the native language, the Spanish-speaking students will be taught to read with the SLAR materials and the English-speakers in English.
In second through fifth grades students receive instruction in both languages.
