Rotary Club’s 5th Annual Crawfish Boil Set for April 28 on Celebration Plaza
Carrie Nuckolls is a busy member of the Rotary Club of Sulphur Springs, helping spreading the word about the service organization’s most delicious fundraiser of the year! The “Claws for a Cause” Crawfish Boil will be held downtown on Celebration Plaza in Sulphur Springs starting at 4pm on Saturday April 28, 2018. The open-air event can seat crowds of people and there will be plenty of crawfish…tons, actually…for the masses. Tickets are $25 in advance and will be $30 on the day of the event. You can refill your tray of crawfish, potatoes and corn as often as you like, and Vince Vance and the Valiants will fill the plaza with music into the evening. VIP seating and tables are available, so plan to bring your family and invite your friends. Tickets are available from any Rotarian and through Facebook Rotary Claws for a Cause.
The Rotary “Claws for a Cause” event raises money for Rotary projects as well as raises awareness of services performed by the Rotary Club which benefit the local area. The club holds a noon meeting weekly with catered lunch and new members are being sought. 2018 Rotary President is Brandon Williams, and the Crawfish event is chaired by Logan Vaughn of Sulphur Springs Country Club.
SSISD Board Approves Lower Grade Campus Restructure
A restructure of lower grade campuses was approved by the Sulphur Springs School Board during a Monday, March 19, 2018, afternoon special session. The restructure will allow students to stay on the same campus longer. The restructure, which has been a desire of Superintendent Michael Lamb since his taking office (see video below), will ultimately place four classes of four grades on each of the four lower grade schools and will create a re-purposing of two buildings in the district. The changes will begin with the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
What is now Sulphur Springs Elementary School will now find its fourth life as home for fourth (4th) and fifth (5th) grade students. The current building began life as a high school, then junior high, and now as the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) grade elementary school. Holly Folmar will be principal at the Intermediate School which will also house a Dual Language and Behavior as well as Self Contained SPED 4th and 5th programs. The change will bring fifth grade students from the single grade campus at Douglas School.
The Douglas Campus will become the Early Childhood Learning Center with Principal Angela Edwards and Director Hillary Young leading all things Pre-Kindergarten and Early Childhood Learning.
The current Early Childhood Learning Center will be renamed and repurposed as an Elementary School for grades Kindergarten through third (3rd) grade. The building will house four classes for each grade as well as the Transitional first (1st) grade and Self Contained SPED K and 1st grade. There will also be rooms available for future growth. During the years of Lambs term as Superintendent, the district elementary program has grown by about 50 students per year. Ashanta Alexander will be the principal at the fourth elementary school. Board members have not chosen a name for the elementary school.
Lamar Primary School will contain four classes for each of the four grade levels K-3rd and Rowena Johnson will continue as principal there.
Bowie Primary School will contain four classes for each of the four grade levels K-3rd and also house the Special Program: Behavior. Amanda Fenton will be Principal at Bowie.
At Travis, Principal Michelle Wallace will oversee four classes of four grade levels K-3rd plus a Special Program: Dual Language 2 Way Program for K 2018-2019 and a Self Contained SPED 2nd and 3rd. The Dual Language Program will take Kindergarten students who only speak Spanish and Kindergarten students who only speak English providing a language study as well as typical classes for the grade. The Dual Language program will be limited to approximately 44 students. Travis will have six classes of the same grade until those students move on to the next grade level building.
Lamb said he “believes with all my heart” that the move will enable a better learning experience for students as they remain on the same campus for a longer period of time which will provide a greater stability for their experience. He also believes the move will assist in the increase in standardized test scores. He stated that the four districts that follow the current model used in Sulphur Springs consistently score lower than other schools that use the approved model. He noted that 40 school districts of similar size and socio-economic level are used for the comparison.
He noted that a team of district employees assisted in the studies that lead to the plan that will be implemented in the next school year.
Cumby’s Ashley Haygood Named ‘Community Hero’ by Chicken Express
Cumby Powerlifting team placed third in State for 2017. Shown are Ashley (far right) and her twin sister Samantha, along with team members Cheyenne Jones and Paige Seely
After Cumby High School Senior Ashley Haygood graduates this Spring, she plans to continue the momentum she has built with a goal to pursue and complete a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. With a stellar high school career in sports and in the classroom, Ashley was noticed for the impact she’s made on and off the field of play. In March 2018, Lone Star’s Nick Bolton and Cumby High School’s Ashley Hagood were selected as Chicken Express Community Heroes. Male and female student athletes who lead by example on the field of play and in the classroom can be honored as Community Heroes through Chicken Express and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and receive scholarship money to continue their education beyond high school. Athletes can be nominated at TexasFootball.com/ChickenExpress.
The following is a bit about Ashley’s high school career.
When Tom Dracos took the job as athletic director at Cumby High School in 2013, things quickly changed for Ashley Hagood.
She was just an eighth grader at the time, but Dracos’ arrival sparked a new passion in sports for Hagood. Now, she has developed into an award-winning competitor in cross country, volleyball, basketball, powerlifting and track.
“Coach Dracos is the person who taught me to love sports and have a passion for them,” Hagood said. “Every time I thought I was not good enough or there was no reason for me to compete, he pushed me to keep going even though it was tough. He is the person who got me seriously involved in sports, and he is still the person who pushes me every day to be the best I can be.”
Hagood placed in the top 5 at the state powerlifting meet in each of the last two years and is in the process of making a run at a state title in her senior year. She was the volleyball Defensive MVP in District 9-2A and was a second team all-district basketball player. On the track team, Hagood has contributed to three straight district championships. She was also named to First Team in Academic All-State Cross Country.
Her prominence in athletics carries over to the classroom, where she has been on the ‘A’ Honor Roll for her entire high school career. Hagood is the FCA president, a member of the National Honor Society, delivers food to the community food pantry and works weekly with third and fourth graders needing help in class.
She was named a Chicken Express Community Hero for making an impact on and off the field in Cumby.
“Winning this award is important to me because it means I can represent my community by being able to contribute in a positive way,” Hagood said. “I believe it’s important for high school students to be involved in their community because it helps make a student become a better role model.”
After graduating this year, Hagood plans on getting her Associates degree before attending a Physical Therapy Assistant program. Eventually, she wants to go through the process of obtaining her Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
“High school was a big learning experience because I learned who I am and what I want to do with my life,” Hagood said. “I learned what my goals are and how I can achieve them, my likes and dislikes, and I learned many different lessons about life.”
Ashley Haygood, 305 lb squat lift
Lady Cats Host Texas High Tuesday
Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo said his team had a battle on their hands last Thursday as the Lady Cats scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to squeeze past Marshall 3-2 in Marshall. He said the Lady Cats are finding ways to win. They are off to a 4-0 start in district, matching the best start ever for a David Carrillo-coached Lady Cats Softball Team. The 2015 team also started district 4-0.
Coach Carrillo credited the Me over We approach of the team for their good start this year. He noted the Lady Cats have already picked up wins on their two longest district road trips on the 2018 schedule, at Hallsville and at Marshall. Bailey Haggerty continues to pitch well. Coach Carrillo said she struck out six straight Marshall batters at one point during Thursday’s game. He said he was confident his team would find a way to win Thursday.
Alyssa Abron hit a single that scored runners from third and second to put the Lady Cats out in front. They trailed the whole game until that point. Coach Carrillo said he could tell the team had a lot of fight in it Thursday night.
The Texas High Lady Tigers visit Lady Cat Park Tuesday evening.
Wildcats Host Texas High Tuesday
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack looked different Monday. On Friday he got a big monkey off his back as his Wildcats won at Marshall. The last Wildcats’ win there was in 2010 and the Wildcats had lost five straight times on the Mavericks’ field going into Friday’s game.
Coach Hammack said the win did not come easy and he added it never does. He said it usually ends up as a one-run game and Marshall always seem to find a way to come out on top. Coach Hammack said Friday it looked like that would be the case again.
After trailing for most of the game, Marshall scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-4 lead. Coach Hammack said the inning included a very reliable Wildcats’ outfielder slipping while chasing a fly ball and a Maverick swinging bunt down the third base line that went for a hit. Coach Hammack said he knew he had some good hitters coming up in the top of the seventh but he said he couldn’t help but thinking here we go again after the Mavs scored their sixth inning runs. The pattern seemed to be continuing as Ryan Humphries hit a bullet right at a fielder for an out to start the Wildcats’ seventh. Then things began to change. Triston McCormick got on and Jaxon Chaney hit a very high fly ball to center field that landed over the fence. Coach Hammack said pandemonium broke out on the Wildcats side. Chaney then mowed the Mavs down in the bottom of the seventh and the Wildcats had a big win.
The Wildcats are at the top of the district standings with a 2-0 record. The Wildcats will play host to Texas High, 1-0 in district play, at new Wildcat Park Tuesday night.
Lady Cats Defeat Greenville; Face Hallsville
The Lady Cats’ soccer team, revved up on Senior Night and frustrated by a recent loss to Mount Pleasant, seemed to take it all out on the Greenville Lady Lions Friday night at Prim Stadium. The Lady Cats scored early and often in a 7-1 one-sided match.
Six Lady Cats seniors were recognized. Four of them have plans to play in college. Three of them scored goals against Greenville. Mileena Zirretta had a three goal hat trick. Gracie Boyer scored a goal as did Makenna Kagar on a penalty kick. Also honored were Taylor Robinson, injured four-year letterman Jo McMillan and Erika Lara, who was away on a college trip. Bailey Arrington and Keeley Hudgins also scored goals.
Lady Cats Soccer Coach Joel Bailey, on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show, said he would never forget the six special seniors in the class of 2018.
The Lady Cats have a tough closing assignment in district play Tuesday night. They travel to first place Hallsville. The Lady Bobcats have yet to surrender a goal in district play and they have only 3 losses this season. The Lady Cats seemed destined for third place in the district standings. They are expected to meet Wylie East in a bi-district match.
Senior Night Game a Must Win for Wildcats to Enter Playoffs
The playoff outlook for the Wildcats’ soccer team is very simple as they close district play by hosting Hallsville on Senior Night Tuesday night at The Prim: the winner is in the playoffs as the district’s fourth seed and the losing team is done for the season. Both teams have 5-6 district records and 15 points.
The Wildcats got a boost recently when Marshall defeated Hallsville. This will be the third year in a row where it comes down to the Wildcats and Hallsville for a playoff spot. The past two years the games has been at Hallsville. The Wildcats won both of those. Hallsville defeated the Wildcats, 2-1 in Hallsville earlier this season.
The Wildcats are coming off of a tough week where they lost to the district’s top two teams, Mount Pleasant and Greenville. The Lions defeated the Wildcats in Greenville, 4-1 Friday night. The Lions scored in the first minute of the contest. To the Wildcats’ credit, they fought right back and tied the match at 1-1. Wildcats Coach Nicky Wiggins, on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show, said the Wildcats’ goal was a well executed play. It started with midfielder Isaac Gutierrez who passed to D.J. Abron. Abron crossed the ball perfectly so that Eduardo Ramirez could put the ball in the net. Another Wildcat highlight in the game was a keeper save on a penalty kick. Goalkeeper Jonathan Lopez made the save on a penalty kick by a Lions’ player. Eventually Greenville scored a second goal before halftime and added two more in the second half. Coach Wiggins said all the goal occurred after turnovers in bad places on the field that Greenville took advantage of.
Coach Wiggins said he hopes his players learn from the mistakes made in a loss. He said he is looking forward to facing Hallsville on Senior Night at Prim Stadium with everything on the line. Lovejoy is the probably bi-district opponent for the winner. The Wildcats will recognize 14 seniors Tuesday night.
Saltillo Lost to Campbell 15-5
The Saltillo Lions’ baseball team lost to Campbell, 15-5 on Friday (March 16).
The Lions actually jumped out on top scoring 2 runs in the top of the first and holding the Indians to just one run in the first inning. Saltillo increased their lead to 3-1 with a run in the top of the second.
Campbell then scored six runs in the bottom of the second to move into the lead at 7-3. The Indians added five third inning runs to increase their lead to 12-3. The Lions scored two runs of the own in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to 12-5. The Indians scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game at 15-5. The Lions season record is now 0-3.
For the Lions, Ben Moore, Matthew Gurley and Seth Patriquin were all 1 for 2 with a single and a walk. Stephen Marroquin was 1 for 2 with a single. Edi Olayo was hit by a pitch. On the mound for the Lions, Gurley struck out 4 and Michael Clover struck out 1.
The Lions play next against Sulphur Bluff Friday at 4:30 p.m.
PJC-Sulphur Springs Registration for Summer and Fall Classes Underway
NEW STUDENT Belinda Calvin of Sulphur Springs, right, works out her schedule of courses with Academic Advisor Carey Gable as she registers for classes at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center. Calvin is seeking her degree in business entrepreneurship. For registration information about summer and fall classes at the campus, call 903-885-1232 or go to the campus located at 1137 Loop 301 East in Sulphur Springs.
