Images

As the moon partially extinguished the sun’s glow Monday afternoon, a mock accident staged by Clarendon High School “snuffed out” the lives of two students.

The solar eclipse captured the attention of millions across the country, but as the sky darkened, it gave an exceptionally eerie feeling to the scene setup behind the Clarendon CISD D-wing.

The Shattered Dreams program illustrated the dangers of drinking and driving by staging a crash and the resulting efforts of first responders in full view of the student body, who had been given glasses were released from class to see the eclipse.

The drama that unfolded was fully explained Tuesday morning during a “memorial” service at the First Baptist Church, where friends and families mourned a real sense of loss for seniors Harrison Howard and Jared Musick, who had been pronounced “dead” Monday afternoon.

The situation had Kinzie Harred and Elyza Rodriguez portray two students who had been drinking during their lunch hour. Harred was driving and Rodriquez was her passenger when their speeding vehicle ran into a pickup driven by Harrison. He was thrown through the windshield and killed instantly while his three passengers were injured. Musick, thrown to the parking lot, was airlifted but later died.

Heston Seay and Jaxan McAnear were extricated from the backseat of the pickup and lived through the accident.

Rodriguez was hysterical after regaining consciousness, and Harred was given a mock field sobriety test, arrested, and booked into the Donley County Jail. She later commented that it was crazy how one decision could cause all of this. In the simulation, she was charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and two counts of vehicular assault and sentenced to prison for her felonies.

Shattered Dreams is designed to educate students, parents, and the community about the serious issue of underage drinking and driving. The program provides realistic experiences, encouraging students to make positive choices. The program is typically held prior to a school’s prom, when teenagers are most likely to consume alcoholic beverages. TxDOT partners with local law enforcement and first responders to provide the program. TxDOT’s Traffic Safety Specialists work with schools who are interested in presenting the program to their students.

In addition to the six students with active rolls in the accident, eight other students were removed from their classes throughout the day to represent the fact that an average of eight teens a day die in the US from alcohol related accidents.

CHS Student Council President Courtlyn Conkin, who helped lead this year’s Shattered Dreams program, dressed up as the Grim Reaper and removed selected students from class each period as a heartbeat flatlined on the PA system. Those students were Dalton Coles, Tristan Richie, Gracie Clark, Colton Benson, Kennedy Hays, Tandie Cummins, Morgan Johnston, and Levi Gates.

Also participating in the program were a film crew comprised of Jacob Murillo, Avery Halsey, Ben Estlack, Cutter Seay, and Waite Dushay.

All students involved in the program were secluded from Monday morning through the memorial service, driving home a sense of loss between the kids and their friends and families.

Student testimonials at the memorial service demonstrated the emotional impact that the two-day program had on the teens.

The program included assistance from the Associated Ambulance Authority, the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department, the Department of Public Safety, Robertson Funeral Directors, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Judges Pat White and Sarah Hatley, and Northwest Texas Hospital’s LifeStar helicopter, which landed near the scene.

Texas leads the nation in alcohol-related deaths among 15- to 20-year-olds, and one person was killed in 2022 in an alcohol-related accident every seven hours and one minute.

Clarendon High School claimed the District 2-2A Championship during UIL academic competitions held last Wednesday, April 3, at Clarendon College. CHS competed against Memphis, Shamrock, Quanah, Wellington, and Wheeler and came away with 460 points.

Lincoln Douglas Debate started the competition on Tuesday, April 3, with Hunter Caison earning first, Zak Roberts second, and Rowdy Bebout fourth. Caison and Roberts will advance as regional qualifiers.
Ben Estlack, Ronan Howard, Parker Haynes, and Cutter Seay earned first Place Team in Number Sense. B. Estlack got third, Howard received fourth, and Haynes placed sixth. This team is a regional qualifier.

The Mathematics team received first Place Team and will be regional qualifiers. B. Estlack won first, Toby Leeper obtained sixth while Howard and Mason Allred are the other two team members advancing.

Wes Shaw and Millie McAnear participated in Poetry and Prose Interpretation respectively. Shaw earned first while McAnear placed fourth. Seay got first in Informative Speaking and Hayden Moore was fifth. In Persuasive Speaking Caison earned third and Zane Cruse won fifth place. Caison, Seay, and W. Shaw will advance as a regional qualifier. Sp eaking events earned first place team.

Riley Jantz secured a second place finish in Current Issues and Events and will advance as a regional qualifier. Jasmyn Bordonaro placed second and Seay won third in Social Studies. The Social Studies Team earned first place with Ella Estlack and Emma Roys joining the other two as regional qualifiers.
Accounting placed first as a team and will advance to regionals. Jacob Murillo, Koltyn Shields, Kaleb Mays, and Bryce Williams placed first, second, third, and fourth respectively.

Journalism won first place Team. In Copy Editing, Avery Halsey earned first, Maloree Wann earned third, and Kate Shaw received fourth. W. Shaw and E. Estlack placed first and second in Feature Writing while Halsey acquired first in Editorial Writing. Murillo earned first, Berkley Moore got fourth, and Kenidee Hayes took fifth in Headline Writing. Halsey, E. Estlack, Murillo, W. Shaw, and Wann are regional qualifiers.

Leeper, Roberts, Gracie Clark, and B. Estlack make up the Science team advancing to regionals. Leeper earned first, as well as Top Biology individual. Roberts placed second, and Clark earned fourth.

CHS had 36 students compete at the district meet with 20 advancing in 14 events. Regionals are on April 26 on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon.

Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the management and operating contractor of the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has joined with its parent companies to raise money to support wildfire relief efforts in the Texas Panhandle. A series of fundraising initiatives are underway.

The Bechtel Group Foundation, the charitable arm of CNS parent company Bechtel, has already donated $25,000 to Hutchinson County United Way (Texas) and will match up to $25,000 in additional funds donated by its employees around the world and at an upcoming Pantex fundraiser. Leidos, a CNS parent company, has also donated $10,000 to the United Way of Hutchinson County.

CNS also hosted a fundraiser at Pantex on Thursday, April 4. Proceeds from the sales of t-shirts as well a portion of sales from Pantex’s cafeteria and more than a dozen food trucks at the event will go toward the wildfire relief efforts through contributions to the United Way of Hutchinson County and the Amarillo Area Foundation. CNS will match up to $10,000 raised during the Pantex event.

There was no damage to Pantex property, and no Pantex employees were injured at the plant as the wildfires abated about three miles from the plant’s boundary. However, the Pantex Fire Department built firebreaks, prepared the plant for the fires, and responded to communities near the plant. Several Pantexans suffered property losses and minor injuries as a result of the fires.

“For those of us at CNS, the story hit close to home as we watched while the fires burned close to the Pantex Plant near Amarillo,” CNS President and CEO Rich Tighe said. “We are pleased to support the upcoming Pantex event to help raise funds for Panhandle residents affected by the wildfires.”

“There has been an outpouring of Panhandle pride and spirit through donations, volunteer efforts, and assistance coming in from all over the area and across the state,” CNS Pantex Site Manager Colby Yeary said. “We wanted to show our own support to our communities in need through our own fundraising efforts. Wildfires will always be a part of Texas Panhandle life, but it’s comforting to know that when disaster strikes, we rise united.”