Archives for February 2016

On the way to last Friday’s filing deadline, an election broke out at the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District.

Two incumbents and two newcomers will now square off for three positions up this year on the Board of Trustees. Trustees Robin Ellis and Chuck Robertson will be joined on the ballot by former Clarendon alderman Will Thompson and Clarendon College math instructor Linda Rowland.

Longtime school trustee Jim Shelton did not file for re-election and will step down in May when his term ends.

Early voting for the Clarendon school board will be from April 25 to May 3, and Election Day will be Saturday, May 7, 2016.

Six other local governments did not develop any contested races and are expected to cancel their spring elections. Two of those entities did not even draw enough candidates to fill all their available positions and will have to make appointments for those seats.

At the City of Hedley, Mayor Leon Ward and Alderman Dusty Wilkinson are not seeking re-election. Alderman Lonnie Roby, whose seat on the board is expiring, has filed for mayor, and Diana Postma has filed for alderman. That will leave one alderman’s position vacant for the board to make an appointment.

The Hedley Consolidated Independent School District will also have one seat to fill this May. Trustees Michael Metcalf and Billy Hall have filed for two full terms on the board, and Cindy Lambert filed for one of two unexpired, one-year terms. Trustee Aaron Harper is not seeking re-election, and Trustee Lana Richie recently resigned from the board.

The City of Clarendon reported that all three incumbents – Aldermen Beverly Burrow, Larry Jeffers, and John Lockhart – filed for re-election.

Clarendon College also has a full slate of candidates with Regents Ruth Robinson, Susie Shields, and Lon Adams all seeking re-election to their full terms. Darlene Spier has also filed to run for the remainder of the partial term she was appointed to.

Howardwick City Hall had incumbent Aldermen Mac Miller, Robert Brewster, and Sam Grider file for re-election.

The Donley County Hospital District also had its incumbents – Jan Farris, Jennie Owens, Lori Howard, and Mark C. White – file for re-election without opposition.

 

Clarendon College currently has its fourth highest spring enrollment in the school’s history according to information presented at the February 18 meeting of the Board of Regents.

Total headcount after the 12th class day was at 1,229, Executive Vice President Tex Buckhaults reported, an increase of 14.86 percent over the spring 2015 semester.

Contact hours, which is part of what the state uses to determine CC’s funding, was also up 4.09 percent.

Enrollment at the Pampa and Childress campuses grew this semester settling at 235 and 72 respectively while numbers in Clarendon and Amarillo dipped with 276 and 43 students at those locations.

The biggest growth came in dual credit numbers with area high school students taking classes for college credit. That enrollment grew more than 50 percent from 318 to 479, with much of that growth coming from Carson County, where 86 students in Panhandle and White Deer are taking classes from CC for the first time.

Without considering the figures from those new schools, dual credit students grew more than 23 percent.

In other college business, regents met in closed session for President Robert Riza’s annual evaluation. Following the closed session, the board approved a salary increase for the president. Board Chairman Jerry Woodard told the Enterprise later that regents are very happy with Dr. Riza.

“The board is very pleased with our college president and the direction that he taking the college,” Woodard said. “We are seeing improvements in all programs and aspects of the college for our general students and for our workforce programs, and we believe we can continue to broaden and capitalize those improvements under this president. He is genuinely interested in our community and the communities the college serves.”

Also last Thursday, Trane representative Leland Dixon addressed the board about upcoming mechanical improvements to the college facilities and discussed an initiative called NC3 – the National Coalition of Certification Centers, which is an industry-led curriculum of industry-specific certifications in the areas of aviation, energy, and transportation.

Dickson said there are currently 35 community colleges participating in the NC3 program nationwide with plans to add ten more in Texas.

The Riza administration is pursuing an association with the NC3, but a final determination on that designation won’t come for another 18 to 24 months.

“This would tie into our new industrial maintenance program and make that even stronger,” Riza said. “It would allow industry folks to meet our students before they are graduated into the field.”

Regents approved as presented a facilities master plan for the college through 2018, and the board learned that CC has made the second cut in a program that would allow state prisoners in Pampa and Childress to access Second Chance PELL Grants. More paperwork is due to be submitted for that in March with hopes of being approved by the fall semester.

The Board of Regents also approved bids on tax delinquent properties at Howardwick as presented by the Donley County Appraisal District.

Dr. Riza complimented Marketing Coordinator Ashlee Estlack for her presentation on branding at the Texas Municipal League conference in Amarillo and reported that she has been invited to address the state TML meeting this fall.

The president also gave attention to financial aid assistant Amanda Smith who received an appointment to help the Texas Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors in planning their annual conference.

Riza also told regents that with the downturn in the oil and gas industries across Texas, there is the possibility of reduced funding from the state, but he said Clarendon is taking steps to prepare for that possibility.

 

By Ted Harbin

Many would love the opportunity to win $1 million.

Wyatt Casper has that opportunity.

The Clarendon College sophomore will ride at The AMERICAN, a one-day rodeo that will take place Sunday, February 28, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The event offers a purse of more than $2 million, with $1 million being paid to the winner or winners who earned their way via a series of qualifiers. That’s where Casper’s opportunity lies.

“I don’t know if it’s set in on how big of a deal it is,” said Casper, a member of the Clarendon College rodeo team from Balko, Okla. “I’m confident in my bronc riding, and I think I can compete with all the best guys there. I’m sure that riding in front of that big of a crowd it will be real nerve-racking.”

It’s all a bit of a whirlwind for the young cowboy, who grew up roping at his Oklahoma Panhandle home. He has competed in team roping and tie-down roping all his life and actually just started riding bucking horses three years ago as a way to increase his opportunities for all-around championships.

“It was a pretty goofy deal,” he said. “They had two bronc riders (in his high school rodeo region) in the first semester, and the pot filled up to about $700. That’s what motivated me to start riding. I’ve roped my whole life, ever since I could walk.

“Rodeo is all I wanted to do when I was little bitty. My parents didn’t start roping until they met each other, and my dad and grandpa picked it up as a hobby. I’m almost a first-generation rodeo cowboy.”

He’s taken to it well. For the Clarendon College rodeo team, he sits third in the Southwest Region saddle bronc riding standings and is eighth in heading. His primary focus before advancing to The AMERICAN was to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. Now his eyes are set firmly on the top prize available.

“It’s a chance at a million dollars,” Casper said. “It’s what everybody hopes to do, and it could really set you up for the rest of your life.”

In The AMERICAN’s inaugural run in 2014, bareback rider Richmond Champion became the first cowboy to win the $1 million prize. Most of the field is made up of invited contestants, and none of the seeded cowboys and cowgirls is eligible for the $1 million. Champion was the only non-seeded winner in 2014.

A year ago, there were two, bareback rider Taylor Price and tie-down roper Reese Reimer. They split the top prize. They, along with the other event winners, also won $100,000. That kind of money great incentive for any rodeo competitor.

While the saddle bronc riding field at The AMERICAN will feature many of the top cowboys in the game, Casper has had some tremendous lessons, especially from Clarendon rodeo coach Bret Franks, a three-time qualifier in saddle bronc riding to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

“He’s been a great role model to me and taught me everything I know about bronc riding,” Casper said of his coach.

For his part, the longtime cowboy-turned-coach realizes there’s something special in Casper, who is a big part of the school’s rodeo team.

“He’s got a natural talent, and he approaches things very mental,” Franks said. “He was a high school quarterback, so he’s always been a leader. He’s definitely our leader.”

That mentality can go a long way in rodeo. Not only does it take tremendous athleticism to compete in the sport, it takes a strong mind and a willingness to overcome any challenge that comes a cowboy’s way.

“There’s nothing better than getting tapped off on a bronc,” Casper said of matching the rhythm of the horse’s bucking action with a strong spur stroke. “Everybody else tries to stay away from bucking horses, and I try to ride them.”

In just a few days, he will try to ride a couple for his chance at a million dollars.