Archives for May 2013

Clarendon High School has named its top students for this year. Lydia Howard is this year’s valedictorian, and Maritta Brady is the salutatorian.

Howard, with a GPA of 98.7, is the daughter of Gwynne and Bruce Howard and the granddaughter of Jim and Sammie Howard and Ila Gale.

She has sought academic excellence throughout her high school career, receiving multiple Honor C awards in science, math, English, and social studies. She was recognized in the Amarillo Globe-News Academic Spotlight for science and English and received the United States Achievement Academy All-American Scholar Award as well as the Science Award. She has been actively involved in UIL, earning three consecutive trips to state in science and a state championship in chemistry and headline writing. She has also qualified for the Clarendon Science Hall of Fame.

Howard has been a dedicated athlete over the past four years, competing in basketball, cross country, track and tennis. She is president of the local chapter of National Honor Society and her senior class. She has been actively involved in various community service projects including reading to the elementary students, organizing bake sales, singing for the elderly, and hosting honor banquets for the community’s senior citizens, veterans, and school board members.

Howard hobbies outside of school include studying her Bible, singing, playing the piano, reading writing, cooking, making cards, playing with her nephews and niece, watching Korean dramas, jumping on the trampoline, and spending time with her wonderful family.

Howard has been accepted into the Amarillo College Presidential Honors Program where she plans to begin her studies in Elementary Education. Her goals in life are to share the truth of Christ with others, be a loving wife and mother, and help children grow up to be successful.

This year’s salutatorian is Maritta Brady with a GPA of 95.7. Maritta is the daughter of Kennith and Christina Brady, sister of Dominique Brady, John Brady, and Chris Brewer, and the granddaughter of Gloria Jaramillo and Ramon Sanchez.

Throughout her high school career, Brady has received many honors. She has received the Honor C in Pre-AP Algebra II and AP Economics. She is also a member of the local National Honor Society, inducted in her junior year. Brady has been a member of the Honor Roll for four years.

Brady has been involved in UIL academic competitions all four years of her high school career. In her freshman year, Brady participated in computer applications and spelling, and she helped her team advanced to the state competition. In her sophomore year, she also competed in spelling and computer applications. She placed 1st in district in spelling and second in regionals, advancing her to the state competition. As a junior, she advanced to the regional competition in spelling and computer applications. As a senior, she placed second at the district meet in spelling and computer applications. At the regional contest, she placed third in spelling and first in computer applications with a perfect score. She advanced to the state meet in both events.

Brady has been a member of the local Junior Historians Chapter for three years, earning the position of Vice-President in her senior year. In her sophomore year, she did a senior group exhibit board with her sister over Ping-Pong Diplomacy, where they advanced to the state meet. They ended up placing sixth in the state. In her junior year, she created a state-qualifying senior individual documentary over Dorothea Dix and, in her senior year, she also did a senior individual documentary regarding Richard Nixon’s foreign policy in China, placing fifth in the state.

As a National Honor Society service project, Brady has been reading to the first graders the first Tuesday of every month. She has also participated in the cleaning of the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Brady ‘s hobbies include graphic design, computers, video games of all kinds, reading, researching, shopping, hanging out with friends and family, and listening to music.

Beginning in the fall of 2013, Brady will be attending Texas Tech University Honors College, where she will begin the Communication Design program. She dreams of becoming a graphic designer after graduating from college.

By Fred Gray, Clarendon Enterprise

Last week, Marijke Tiddens, a Dutch foreign exchange student from Germany, became the first Hedley High School athlete to win a medal at the state tennis finals, held in College Station.

On her way to winning the bronze medal for division 1A, awarded for third place, Marijke defeated Hayley Hunter, of Harleton High School (Harleton lies deep in the Piney Woods, just north of Marshall and Longview) 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Marijke was defeated 0-6, 2-6, by eventual state champion Caitlin Rothe, of Knippa High School (Knippa is located 50 miles due west of San Antonio). Caitlin also won the bronze medal in tennis for 2A last year. Ms. Rothe defeated her rival in the finals by exactly the same score as she beat Marijke, 6-0, 6-2, so a case could be made that Marijke could just as easily won the silver medal if the draw had been a bit different.

The only other Hedley High School athletic to make it to state in tennis was Holly Davis in 2005.

The blonde 17-year-old native of Holland, who lives with her family in the eastern area of Germany, just north of the Czech Republic and a few miles east of Poland, considers tennis to be her favorite sport. Her aunt, back in Germany, is a tennis coach and taught her the game.

Marijke’s father, Peter is a dairy farmer and her mother, Corrie, teaches English. Marijke also has an older brother and sister, who, along with her parents, anxiously await her return to Germany early in July. She will then repeat her 11^th-12^th grade year. She received no extra credit for coming to Hedley and learning about America and Texas, which she really wanted to do. She came because she wanted to experience America.

She grew to love her exchange family and Hedley classmates and will remember them always. Marijke hopes to return to Donley County in a few years and bring her mother with her.

Marijke was coached by Garrett Bains. She smiled when she spoke of him and graciously acknowledged that he was smart enough to give her pointers on what it takes to win, and then getting out of her way. Coach Bains also deserves recognition for preparing her to win, and then allowing her the freedom to do so.

Clarendon ISD Trustees unanimously adopted a tax increase last Tuesday, April 30, and automatically triggered a June 1 election for voters to approve or deny the increase.

The new ad valorem rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation represents a 13-cent increase over the current rate of $1.04, which is the highest the state allows school districts to set without voter approval.

CISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger opened a public hearing prior to the trustees’ vote with an in-depth presentation explaining the school’s projected $434,960 budget deficit for the 2013-2014 school year, which he attributed to cuts in state funding and declining enrollment numbers. The school district has an ad on page eight of this week’s Enterprise explaining the need for the tax increase.

If approved by voters, the $1.17 rate is expected to generate $165,570 in local revenues, triggering an additional $145,228 in state funds, and ultimately bringing in a total of $310,798 in new money.

Fifteen citizens attended the public hearing, and several individuals questioned board members and school administrators on a wide range of issues that focused on both financial concerns and a perceived lack of communication between the school and parents.

Alice Cobb asked about tax rate comparisons between CISD and nearby school districts, called attention to communication issues, and said many people perceive that the school hasn’t made cuts or hasn’t suffered financially.

School board candidate Linda Rowland asked how the district would deal with the deficit if the election fails, and Trustee Jim Shelton replied that the board had not looked at specific areas to cut in that case. Board president Wayne Hardin said the worst case scenario would be cuts to popular programs.

Roger Estlack suggested that the school be very specific about what the cuts would have to be, and parents also discussed the costs of the C-SCOPE curriculum, the Accelerated Reader program, and the number of athletic programs offered by the school.

Tex Buckhaults said he thought passing the tax increase was necessary, and high school teacher Diane Skelton pointed to the number of successful graduates that have come out of CHS as reasons to favor passage of the tax rate to maintain the school’s level of success.

All present said they wanted what was best for the school’s kids even if that means raising taxes, but several said they wanted to be sure the school was doing everything possible to be financially responsible.

Voters head to the polls this Saturday, May 11, to decide who will lead four local governments in Donley County.

Early balloting for the City of Clarendon, Clarendon ISD, the City of Howardwick, and Hedley ISD closed Tuesday with very high turnouts being reported. As of Tuesday morning, officials reported the following early turnout: City of Howardwick 42, Hedley ISD 36, Clarendon ISD 309, and City of Clarendon 284.

Saturday’s elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and balloting for the City of Clarendon and Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees will be held at the Donley County Courthouse Annex, the Howardwick city election will be held at Howardwick City Hall, and Hedley ISD voters will cast their ballots at the Hedley Lions Club.

In all 24 candidates are seeking elected offices around Donley County this spring.

Clarendon Mayor Larry Hicks is being challenged for his job by Alderman Tommy Hill, and four people are running for two positions available on the Board of Aldermen. Alderman Debbie Roberts, who was appointed in December, is seeking a full term in office, and she is joined on the ballot by former alderman Janice Knorpp, Sandy Skelton, and Trevor Leeper.

Clarendon ISD has four candidates running for three positions on the Board of Trustees. Current school board members Robin Ellis and Jim Shelton are seeking re-election and challengers Linda Rowland and Chuck Robertson are also running.

Six candidates are running for two positions on the Hedley School Board. Incumbents Bonnie Walsh Brown and James E. Potts are being challenged by Michele McCann, Kevin Smith, Aaron Harper, and Lana Ritchie.

The City of Howardwick leads the candidate count at eight with David P. Cafferata and former alderman Mike Rowland running for mayor; William R. Jordan, Gail Leathers, and Jim Cockerham running for two vacant full terms on the Board of Aldermen; and Alderman Gene Rogers, Cory Longan, former mayor H.L. “Buster” Baird, and Sandy Sanders vying for two unexpired terms.

A survey of the Donley and Collingsworth appraisal districts conducted Tuesday by the Enterprise found that the households of all candidates running for office except one have paid their property taxes. McCann’s husband Tye still owes for 2012, but local officials say they don’t consider 2012 taxes delinquent until July.

Election results will be posted on www.ClarendonLive.com as soon as they become available Saturday evening and will be printed in next week’s Enterprise.

The Quanah Parker Trail will officially come through Clarendon next Friday when an arrow sculpture is installed at the Saints’ Roost Museum.

The local marker is one of three coming to the Panhandle next week, courtesy of sculptor and artist Charles A. Smith of New Home, Texas. The Tri-County Tourism Gathering hosted by the Texas Panhandle Tourism Marketing Council (PTMC).

The first arrow will be installed in Panhandle on US Highway 60 at the east end of the Carson County Law Enforcement Center at approximately 9:30 a.m. The second arrow will be installed in Clarendon at the Saint’s Roost Museum at 11:30 a.m., and the third arrow will be installed in Goodnight at the Charles Goodnight House and Visitor’s Center at 2:00 p.m.

Smith, assisted by local volunteers, will install the outdoor sculptures to highlight the history and legacy of Comanche presence during the Red River Indian Wars of 1874-1875.

Saints’ Roost Museum officials welcome the arrow marker placement to highlight the historic relationship between Quanah Parker and Col. Charles Goodnight, and the Native American artifacts and Red River Wars exhibits in the Museum as well as memorializing the presence of native people in this area.

The Quanah Parker Trail honors historical landmarks, sites, events and artifacts in museums that link this region to the Native Americans who last roamed the Texas Panhandle Plains. It is named after Quanah Parker to recognize his role as the chief of the Comanche people, who were the most powerful Native American presence in the region.

A metal plate with an arrow number on the tip of the arrow will signify the order of placement in the 52-county Texas Plains Trail Region. The 340-pound arrows stand 22 feet tall; and ¼ inch in diameter steel rods, resembling the fletching of feathers, vibrate in the wind. Each arrow is painted in the Comanche colors of red, blue, and gold.

With the blessing of the great grandchildren of Quanah Parker, on May 17 the arrows will rise grandly and sing in the wind in Armstrong, Carson and Donley counties.

For more information, contact Holle Humphries, facilitator for the Quanah Parker Trail project, or Barbara Brannon, executive director, Texas Plains Trail Region, at 806.252.6554 or info@TexasPlainsTrail.com.