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Students, faculty, and staff from all Clarendon College campuses participated in the second annual “Bulldogs in Service” day to benefit their local communities last Wednesday, March 22.

A total of 288 CC students, faculty, and staff participated in several community service efforts. The community service effort began last March but was limited only to the Clarendon area. This year, the effort was expanded to include Amarillo, Childress, Pampa, and Clarendon.

In Clarendon, participants partook in the following efforts: Adopt-a-Highway along the north portion of State Highway 70; Campus cleanup; Cleanup along the railroad tracks; Made blankets to donate to multiple organizations; Assisted with the Donley County Senior Citizens Center; Prepared old and worn American flags for proper retirement at the Clarendon Lions Hall; Landscaping and cleaning at the Saints’ Roost Museum; and Sidewalk chalk art at Clarendon ISD.

In Amarillo, cosmetology students and faculty volunteered at Sharing Hope Ministry. In Childress, participants helped clean up around the Childress Center and in the downtown area. In Pampa, participants helped clean up around the Pampa Center, clean up at the Fairview Cemetery, and also assisted at the White Deer Land Museum.

“We appreciate all the communities we service,” CC President Tex Buckhaults said. “The communities in Clarendon, Amarillo, Childress, and Pampa consistently support Clarendon College and its students, and it’s only right that we give something in return. My hope is that students will take what they learned here about community service and join community service efforts in their hometowns as well.”

Parker Haynes placed 4th with his Heavy Lightweight Black Cross when members of the Donley County 4-H Club competed at the Houston Livestock Show last week.

Levi Gates placed 6th with his Lightweight Charolais Cross, and Laney Gates placed 8th in the Senior Reasons Horse Judging and was the 18th place overall individual.

Last month, the 4-H Archery team also competed at the Houston show. Kutter O’Keefe was 5th place NASP Jr Male; Emma Howard was 6th place NASP Jr. Female; and Ronan Howard was 14th place NASP Sr. Male.

Clarendon first graders in Mrs. Wann’s class have been learning the basics of financial literacy through a game called “The Game of Life.”

Through this process, the kids have learned about income. They receive a paycheck for coming to school (it is their job). For expenses, they pay rent, cleaning charges, and other bills weekly. They also practiced savings; they tell the bank how much money they want to put into savings each week.

Students have seen an inflation of prices, unexpected expenses arise, and on Fridays they shop in the classroom store with the money they have left. If they do not have money, they have learned how to barter for their needs.

Learning the difference between needs and wants, as seven-year-olds, they have learned that wants are the fun things, but their needs are the most important.

To top off the game Mrs. Zonkger’s high school accounting class came a couple of days and played Jr. Monopoly with the students.

“This has been such a fun game and eye-opening experience for these littles,” Mrs. Wann said.

Asher Cruze Jaramillo will have a story to tell when he grows up after he came into this world in a most unusual way.

In the early morning hours of February 25, Asher was born in Clarendon… at home… in the bathtub.

“I should have known he would be a little firecracker and make a grand appearance,” his mother, Jessica Jaramillo, said. “I found out that I was expecting him on the 4th of July after all.”

The last recorded birth in Donley County was in 2010, and that event was believed to have been the first in about 20 years before that.

Most folks try to get to medical facilities in Amarillo or Childress to deliver their bundles of joy these days. And truthfully, Jessica also planned to deliver her third child in Amarillo. But things don’t always go according to plan.

“I woke up about 3:30 in the morning thinking I needed to go to the bathroom,” she recalled. “Then I felt one big contraction and thought the baby would come later that afternoon.”

Having had two other children, Jessica felt like she had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Her babies had always been early – 35 weeks each time before – but deliveries had not been quick.

Asher had already been different though. He tried to arrive much earlier, which gave the family a scare.

“My contractions had to be stopped, and I had to get steroid shots for his lungs and was guaranteed over and over that he would not make it past 33 weeks gestation,” Jessica recalled. “We asked for prayers on social media and received such an outpouring of love from the community and our church (the First Assembly of God).

“Each time I made it to another week, my doctor was in utter disbelief. She just couldn’t understand how it was possible. I can attest that it was because of God and all the prayers from the wonderful people in this town.”

God also was there to protect Jessica and Asher that early morning as she gradually realized after that first contraction that this baby wasn’t going to wait for long.

She and her husband Nathan tried to go to the car, but she decided instead to get in a bath to relieve some of her discomfort. Soon she told her husband to leave her alone in the bathroom and says her body just took over.

At 4:59, Asher entered the world, and his mother pulled him from the water, cooing and looking at her but not crying.

Associated Ambulance Authority arrived to help after the baby was born and took mother and child to BSA Hospital in Amarillo where they were released after a couple of days.

“It was the scariest time of my life, but it was also pretty neat,” Jessica said.
Asher was 20 inches long and weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces.

“I am so proud that my sweet boy will get to tell people that he was born here,” she said.