Wildcats Baseball Game Day
The Wildcats’ baseball team will have Greenville week this week. The Wildcats travel to Greenville on this game day Tuesday (April 9). Friday night they will host the Lions at Wildcat Park. Tuesday in Greenville, there will be a JV game at 4 p.m. The varsity games begins at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are 2-7 in district play and they are tied with Greenville in fifth place. Royse City is 3-6 and they are in fourth place, the last playoff spot. Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack says the Wildcats have got to start winning district games. He says the team will continue to work to get better. Coach Hammack says he believes the team will again hit like they did early this season. He says it’s a matter of confidence acknowledging that some of the players don’t have a lot of confidence right now. Coach Hammack says that confidence has to be earned. In an earlier district game, the Wildcats defeated Greenville 9-2 at Wildcat Park back on March 15.
Dinner Bell Menu For April 10th, 2019
Menu:
Water Oak Elementary School is the Community Sponsor
Millionaire Spaghetti (it is oh so rich!)
Bacon Infused Italian Cut Green Beans
Super Special Salad
Garlic Buttered French Bread
Assorted Scratch Cookies
The students from Water Oak Elementary School will serve the cookies to the guests at Dinner Bell. Same time (11:45 a.m.). Same place (Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church). Please join us and allow the students to SERVE YOU!
Easter Community-Wide Bash at Como Will Offer Games, Food and Music
Como resident Darla Henry became Mayor of Como in 2017. Her first major project was to begin upgrading the Wastewater Treatment facility, which will be an ongoing project. Unopposed when her two-year term was nearing it’s end, she took the green light to continue her long-term plans and projects for improvements to the infrastructure, and add some fun to the community, too. The first annual Como Easter Community Bash will be held on Saturday April 13, on the grounds surrounding Como City Hall.
In organizing the event, Mayor Henry formed committees. Lisa Lutrick volunteered to locate vendors who would provide food options for the many visitors they hope to attract. Authentic Mexican food, sausage on a stick, turkey legs, tacos and hot dogs are already on the menu for Saturday, along with homemade baked goods. There will also be home decor, crafts, handmade jewelry, organic soaps and lotions, weight loss and makeup booths.
Other volunteers pitched in to organize and plan the Easter Egg Hunts which begin at 10:15am in two age groups ( 3 and under, also 4 and up) . Yet another committee brought together the games for the day, with 42 games inside the Como Domino Hall and softball games on the Como Ballfield.
Helping put together the musical entertainment was Shelby Glenn, a country musician whose family has been in the Como area for generations. Along with his friend Diamond Jack and the band Texas Thunder, Shelby plans to feature one of his students, Taylor Ford, a young singer/songwriter/ guitarist. At 11am, the music will start with the Bright Star Church Praise and Worship team followed by Miss Mattison Henry. The Pentecostal Praise Ensemble featuring Mayor Henry will entertain and inspire until 1pm. Then, Miss Bobbye Sapp will sing followed by Shelby Glenn, Texas Thunder and Friends until approximately 3pm.
Be sure and bring a lawn chair so you can stay for everything. The Saturday events will be held in the old downtown area on the grounds surrounding Como City Hall, just north of State Hwy. 11 east of Sulphur Springs. The event takes place during the Highway 11 Treasure Trails, April 11-13.
Over A Dozen Personnel Changes Approved For SSISD
More than a dozen personnel changes which will impact at least six campuses were approved Monday for Sulphur Springs Independent School District.
Overall, SSISD Board of Trustees, following an executive session at their regular meeting Monday, accepted administrators’ recommendations for eight new hires as well as five resignations, a employee swapping campuses, and professional employment contracts for teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses.
Resignations accepted were those of Douglas Early Childhood Learning Center per-kindergarten teacher Ashley Cannon; Barbara Bush Primary first grade special education teacher Carrie Cherney, kindergarten teacher Nicole Olson and campus secretary Johanna Vasquez; and Travis Primary bilingual special education teacher Maria Rivera.
New personnel will include Kristin McKinney as a kindergarten teacher at Barbara Bush Primary; Cindy Gallo as a kindergarten teacher at Travis Primary; Kay Garrett as a seventh grade science teacher, Terri McCoy a sixth grade science teacher , Janelsa Orozco a special education teacher and Amy Pinnell librarian, all at Middle School; and Carol Cowley as a counselor and Brenda Perez as a special education aide, at high school
Adrienne Lilley will be swapping campuses if not job. The library aide will be moving from Bowie Primary to SSMS.
New Laptops For High School, A Tax Overpayment Among Items Approved By SSISD Trustees Monday
Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees approved funding for lease of laptops to replace the aging units at high school, a tax overpayment refund, extension of the district’s depository contract, and English language arts and reading instructional materials.
Laptop lease
Approval was given for SSISD to enter into a three-year lease for 1,400 new laptops for Sulphur Springs High School. District technology staff have been evaluating options available and have narrowed the options to two different units, one that costs $495 per unit and another $405 per unit. They just learned of the second option and plan to evaluate the device to be sure it best meets the needs of SSHS students. Durability, functionality, amount of storage space, quality of unit and option to purchase accident protection are among the factors being used to determine which laptops to select, SSISD Superintendent Michael Lamb and Technology Coordinator Rodney White told trustees at their regular meeting Monday night.
Lamb asked trustees to approve the higher of the two rates to give the district staff time to fully evaluate the second option, which if it proves to meet the needs as well as the higher priced model would be the option staff would go with.
The first payment on the devices would have to come from this year’s budget, as the devices will need to be ordered in the next two weeks in order to get the order in and the laptops in and ready for student use by Sept. 1, the school staff explained.
Trustees approved the request for the laptop lease contract up $221,900, plus the addition of the accident protection, so that units the experience problems could simply be sent back for repairs or replacement. This should be helpful as broken screens seemed to be a more prevalent issue in the last few years, requiring funding for school officials to fix or replace.
Tax Overpayment
SSISD Tax Assessor/Collector Sandra Gibby presented for board approval, as required due to the amount, an overpayment of $136,257.68, the total refund owed on four separate accounts, to BEF Foods.
Essentially, Gibby explained, BEF Foods filed a rendition extension on March 23, 2018. The agent at Capital Appraisal Group Inc., the company the county appraisal district uses for all industrial appraisals,didn’t get it into the system. The local tax appraiser didn’t get it until November or December of 2018. The bill was sent and paid by BEF before the error was caught.
It’s not uncommon for the district or other taxing entities to issue tax refunds. For instance a property owner age 65 might pay a tax bill before a homestead exemption is factored in. That person might receive a refund. However, it is uncommon to have to issue a refund of that size. Thus, an action of the board is required. The amount to be paid to BEF is from four separate accounts.
Depository Contract
Trustees also gave approval to a resolution extending the depository contract for SSISD funds with City National Bank by another two years.
School districts are required to to solicit bids for bank contracts. Once approved, they then have the option of extending the contract by two years up to three times, for a potential of eight years continued service before the district is required to go through the selection process.
The district’s contract with City National Bank started on Sept. 1, 2013, and has been extended two times already. The school board Monday night voted to extend the contract for another two years, the last time the district is allowed to do so before new bids are solicited. The contact will extend the contract to Aug. 31, 2021.
Instructional materials
School officials approved purchase of instructional materials from Fountas & Pinnell Classroom-Fountas & Pinnell Library for fourth through sixth graders; as well as Teachers’ College Reading & Writing Project: Units of Study and Writing for sixth graders, and nits of Study, Reading and Writing for seventh and eighth graders. This will provide continuity in ELAR through sixth grade level and “put authentic literature in the classroom.” The purchases for middle school study, writing and reading will also serve as a means for SSMS ELAR classes to be structure more in line with elementary classes, for more individual and small group interventions where needed, SSISD Assistant Superintendent Kristin Monk and Director of Curriculum Lisa Robinson explained to trustees.
Wildcat Baseball Coach Looks For Solution
WILDCATS BASEBALL SHOWS SOME IMPROVEMENT IN FRIDAY LOSS TO LINDALE
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said he shook up things a bit Friday at Lindale seeking different results. The Wildcats did show some signs of improvement. Still they lost to Lindale, 4-1. Coach Hammack moved catcher Kaden Argenbright to shortstop, Jace Burchfield took over at catcher. Jaxon Chaney also got his first district pitching start this season. Coach Hammack explained that Chaney had an injury in an early tournament that would not allow him to pitch until lately. He said he used Chaney in a non-district game against McKinney North on March 30 and he said Chaney threw well. So Coach Hammack brought Chaney back to the mound against Lindale Friday. Chaney pitched six innings Friday allowing only five hits and three earned runs while striking out five and walking one. The Wildcats played better defense but Coach Hammack said the one error the Wildcats had allowed a run to score. Wildcats problems continued at the plate. The Wildcats only managed a single run on four hits. Coach Hammack did find a ray of hope in the Wildcats top of the seventh inning at Lindale. Trailing 4-0, he said the Wildcats did not go down without a fight and scored a run. He said the team has still not pulled it all together yet. He said he hopes they do before they run out of time. The Wildcats currently sit 2-7 in district play and they are tied for fifth with Greenville. They are just one game behind Royse City, which holds the fourth and final playoff spot. Really the gap is like two games since the Bulldogs own the tiebreaker over the Wildcats having won the series between the two, three game to zero. The Wildcats just have six games to go. Coach Hammack figures his team will need to win at least four of the six to squeeze into the playoffs. This is Greenville week for the Wildcats in district play. The Wildcats play at Greenville Tuesday night and then host the Lions Friday night at Wildcat Park. The two teams have already played one district game. Back on March 15 at Wildcat Park, the Wildcats defeated the Lions, 9-2. Chaney hit a grand slam homer and a three run round tripper in that game.
Commissioners Court Designates April 26-27 As County Cleanup Days
Hopkins County Commissioners Court announced two days county residents can get rid of certain unwanted items from their residences.
The precinct barns will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 26, and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 27, for the annual County Cleanup Days.
There are a few items considered hazardous waste that will not be accepted, including tires, shingles, chemicals and liquid paint. Dried paint in cans will be accepted.
Appliances that contain Freon will not be accepted, unless the person can produce documentation that a certified person has removed all Freon from the appliance prior to it being accepted, Hopkins County Fire Chief Andy Endsley said.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley said he will, however, accept batteries at his barn.
The County Cleanup is only available for Hopkins County residents, not for commercial disposal. Residents are asked to present a driver’s license, ID card or other document such as a utility bill that contains the person’s name and physical address, proving residence within Hopkins County.
County residents may take their items to their precinct barn to dispose of them. Barns are located as follows:
- Precinct 1: 5516 State Highway 19 south — from Interstate 30, travel south on SH 19 approximately 5 to 6 miles (pass County Road 1174). The barn is located just north of County Road 1116.
- Precinct 2: 12080 State Highway 11 east –the county barn is located approximately ¼ mile east of Como.
- Precinct 3: 583 County Road 3564 — from FM 69 north turn left onto County Road 3564 for about ½ mile.
- Precinct 4: 97 County Road 4786 — from State Highway 11 west in Ridgeway, travel south onto FM 2653 approximately 2.5 miles.
Lady Cat Softball Looks Ahead
LADY CATS SOFTBALL HAS BIG WEEK OFFENSIVELY LAST WEEK
On KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show last Saturday, Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo talked about his team’s two ten-run-rule wins last week after an offensive power outage the Friday before. Back on March 29, the Lady Cats suffered their only district loss of this season losing 3-1 at Mount Pleasant. The Lady Cats got only three hits. Coach Carrillo said after that game, he felt his team had to refocus. Soon a scapegoat was found. Every one blamed an old pitching machine. It was put aside and Coach Carrillo said he went back to old fashion front tossing for batting practice. The results speak for themselves. Last Tuesday the Lady Cats collected 18 hits and defeated Texas High 15-5. Last Friday, the Lady Cats had 11 more hits in a 12-2 romp over Royse City. Coach Carrillo said the Lady Cats may bury the old pitching machine now that they all have found their hitting shoes. The win last Friday boosted the Lady Cats district record to 5-1. They clinched a playoff spot for the twelfth straight year. They also moved into a first place tie with Mount Pleasant after the Lady Tigers lost to Lindale. The Lady Eagles are one game behind at 4-2. This week the Lady Cats travel to Greenville Tuesday and then return home to face Lindale. Coach Carrillo knows Greenville is a pesky team and they have a pitcher that has given the Lady Cats some trouble in the past. Coach Carrillo pointed out two unsung heroes from last week: Sierra Smith who drove in six runs and made circus catches in the field against Texas High and Abbi Baier, who Coach Carrillo called a weapon as a pinch runner or courtesy runner. Coach Carrillo said he has ten seniors on this years team and he called them a special group. He said he liked the job Brinklee Driver is doing as catcher. He called her smart and said she works well with the pitchers
SSHS Tennis Has Bright Future
WILDCATS TENNIS PROGRAM HAS BRIGHT FUTURE
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez was on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show last Saturday. Martinez is completing his fifth season here. He said he thought he could begin to turn the program around in three years. He said it began to happen in year five. Numbers used to be a problem for Coach Martinez. Now he said he’ll have 16 or 17 boys next year contending for varsity spots along with an equal number of girls. Coach Martinez said he’ll have seven senior boys next year. Most began playing as sophomores. Players like singles play Jonah Kirkpatrick and doubles players Aaron Lucas, Logan Schumacher, Jordan Gonzales and Michael McCord. On the girls side, four fabulous freshman girls players were a big part of the team this season. The group includes Jeauxleigh Cantu, Paige Miesse, Savannah Lilley and Emily Dick. Coach Martinez said several of the players plan to play a lot of tennis this summer. He said the players are getting closer in ability to strong players at Texas High and Lindale. The Wildcats will lose only one senior, Zoe Wilson. Coach Martinez said she’ll be a hard one to say goodbye to since she’s been a part of the tennis scene for him since the eighth grade. Coach Martinez said now that the varsity and JV schedules are done, he will concentrate on Middle School competition. A tournament is planned here on May 4 with others coming up at Pine Tree and Van. The Wildcats are also a big part of the benefit CANHelp Tennis Tournament coming up this Saturday at the Wildcats Tennis Complex.
SSHS FCCLA Students Attend State
FIFTEEN SSHS FCCLA STUDENTS ATTEND STATE MEETING
Fifteen Sulphur Springs High School FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) students attended the FCCLA State Meeting last week in Dallas. SSHS FCCLA Sponsor Debbie Stribling said the state meeting got under way Wednesday and wrapped up Saturday. She said senior Zoe Wilson placed fifth in state in Career Investigation. Sophomore Jayla Glenn took the Family Career Sciences Assessment and earned a bronze medal. Ms. Stribling said the other students also represented Sulphur Springs High School well. She said the State Meeting competition is tough. Ms. Stribling said Texas is a large state and there are a lot of FCCLA competitors. She said SSHS FCCLA students were involved in varied subjects including culinary, advocacy projects, culinary math and one where the object is to build a toy that teaches something. FCCLA will be doing an Easter Egg Hunt at Douglass on April 18. Ms. Stribling said on June 18, she would be taking five or ten of her students to a summer summit at the Region 8 Service Center to get students at area schools involved in FCCLA
