Morgan Wheatly

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Adrian Superintendent Mike Norrell was named as the lone finalist to lead the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District during the regular meeting of the local school trustees last Thursday, January 15.

The met behind closed doors for more than an hour before selecting Norrell, who has held the top job in Adrian for four and a half years and was attracted by Clarendon’s reputation.

“People are drawn to good schools,” he told the Enterprise, “and Clarendon is a good school with a good history and potential.”

Under Texas law, Clarendon ISD must now wait 21 days before formally hiring Norrell. He and CISD Interim Superintendent John Lemons were scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the timeline for the transition.

At this writing it is not certain when Norrell will start in Clarendon. Local officials had previously said they wanted a new superintendent to start by April 1.

Norrell is a Sunray native who received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Texas Tech University before earning counselor and administrative certifications from Sul Ross State University and Lubbock Christian University respectively.

The incoming superintending began his career in 1985 coaching and teaching social studies in Crosbyton. He then moved to Amherst and later Klondike before spending 13 years at Patton Springs, where he started as a coach, teacher, and counselor before becoming principal. He then the top job in Adrian.

Norrell has two kids, a 23-year-old daughter, who recently graduated from Texas Tech, and a 21-year-old son, who is currently studying at Tech. Norrell’s wife is employed by Friona ISD as their federal programs director and migrant coordinator.

While in Adrian, Norrell says he has enjoyed be active in the Lions Club and with church activities, and he is looking forward to getting involved in Clarendon.

“I plan to look, listen, and ask questions,” Norrell said. “I want to get to know the administration, staff, board, and students. It will be a change having more than 400 students, coming from a school with 120 students.

“I want to embrace Clarendon and find out what the community is all about,” he said.

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The City of Clarendon will interview five men for the position of City Administrator during a called meeting this Saturday, January 24, at the Burton Memorial Library.

The Board of Aldermen reviewed the applications of six men and one woman at their regular meeting last Tuesday, January 13, and selected the finalists to be interviewed.

The candidates are G.A. “Buster” Poling, Jr., former city manager of Bovina; Peter D. Kampfer, Alamosa, Colo., county administrator; Jeff Poindexter, a wastewater treatment plant operator in Amarillo; Gary Campbell, self-employed online marketing businessman and Clarendon’s representative on the Greenbelt Water Authority board; and David Dockery, public works director in Johnson City.

Dockery was a finalist for Clarendon’s administrator position in 2010 but withdrew his name from consideration before he was interviewed. City Hall said this week that it has no record of why Dockery withdrew five years ago.

Kyle Ingham of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission led the board discussion of the applicants Tuesday and pointed out what he saw as strengths and weaknesses of each application without mentioning candidates by name.

Ingham said he was disappointed by the number of candidates interested in the job, but he said two factors were working against the city. Currently five Panhandle cities are looking to fill this position, and the fact that Clarendon’s position is a city administrator instead of a city manager also makes it less attractive to applicants.

A city manager is considered a more prominent position, and the difference between that title and a city administrator largely comes down to a manager having the authority to hire and fire whereas an administrator has that authority through the mayor, Ingham said.

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon College is back in session this week with late registration continuing through Friday.

Students began their spring classes on Tuesday, but college faculty and staff were back in force last Thursday during All College Day for orientation.

President Robert Riza addressed his employees that day and gave them a positive outlook on a college that he said is headed in the right direction.

“We are changing the culture of this college,” Riza said. “That’s a positive thing, and we’re making strides.”

Fully one year into the Riza administration, the president said morale, communications, and employee pay have been improved and that a new survey of employee views will be conducted soon.

Riza discussed the expected implications for community colleges with the 84th Texas Legislature getting underway, where he said transportation, water, and education are expected to be the biggest issues for state lawmakers.

For the first time, all associations representing community colleges and the colleges themselves are all speaking with one voice before the Legislature, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is recommending funding two-year schools with a total of more than $2 billion.

Here at home, Riza said Clarendon continues to prepare for its upcoming reaccreditation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools as well as working to improve student services and strengthen the cohesion between CC and the communities it serves.

CC also continues to work toward identifying programs for expansion. A new Technical/Industrial Maintenance certification program going before the Board of Regents this week is expected to have broad appeal in the college service area, CC online dual credit classes are poised for expansion beyond the service area, and the administration continues fostering partnerships with business and industry.

College faculty have also led the way in redesigning how CC approaches developmental education. The fall was the first semester for a program, which immerses students who would otherwise be placed in developmental classes straight in to regular college classes but with additional tutoring. Riza announced a 77 percent pass rate for college algebra and said redesigning developmental classes for English would be next.

Riza bragged on his employees when discussing the upcoming development of a district-wide master plan, noting that college has the right team in place and that it just needs to prioritize its resources.

“I appreciate the job you are doing,” Riza concluded. “It impacts a lot of lives.”

Dr. Don Newbury will be the headline entertainment when the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, February 12, at the Bairfield Activity Center.

Nominations for the Chamber Awards are due to the Visitor Center inside the Mulkey Theatre by next Wednesday, January 28, at 5 p.m. Forms are available – but not required – for nominations and may be picked up at the Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The awards to be given will be the Saints’ Roost Award for a lifetime of service to the community and the Man and Woman of the Year for the man and woman who have made significant contributions to the community during 2014.

Award nominations can be mailed to the Chamber of Commerce at PO Box 986, Clarendon, TX 79226.

Newbury is a retired college president, having led Western Texas College in Snyder for five years and Howard Payne University in Brownwood for nine years. He is now a fulltime speaker and writer with his column, The Idle American, appearing in about 150 Texas newspapers, including the Enterprise.

He has addressed more than 250 annual Chamber of Commerce banquets across the United States. Newbury has long believed in the importance of the Chamber of Commerce, calling the organization “the heartbeat of the community.”

This year’s Chamber event with the Valentine’s theme of “Clarendon – Sweetheart of the Panhandle” will begin at 6 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction followed by the banquet, entertainment, and awards at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 per person and must be purchased in advance at the Visitor Center.

Businesses are also invited to purchase blocks of tickets by sponsoring tables at the event. Table sponsors will get to decorate their tables to reflect their business and the theme of the banquet with a prize given for the best table decoration.

For more information, contact the Clarendon Visitor Center at 874-2421.