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After 13 years, Mary Shields will be stepping down as the program director of the Donley County Senior Citizens Center this Friday, June 5.

The incoming director, Denise Bertrand, says a come and go reception for Shields will be held Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. for everyone who would like to come wish her well.

The senior citizens center has been very busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing two meals (in one container) per day to an average of 130 people in Clarendon and Howardwick since April 1 with most of those being delivered.

The center reopened its dining room Monday with a soft opening and a small crowd. Bertrand and Shields say the center is following state guidelines for social distancing. The center will open for a greater capacity as that becomes acceptable.

The Donley County Senior Citizens Center serves meals from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For a menu, see page four of each week’s Clarendon Enterprise.

Donley County high school graduates for 2020 received $373,414 to further their education, according to announcements made by Clarendon and Hedley high schools during commencement exercises last weekend.

Clarendon High School seniors are eligible for or have received $371,414, and the total for Hedley seniors is $3,000.

CHS held its commencement at the Sandell Drive-In Friday, May 22. Each graduate was recognized for their individual awards and scholarships as well as the number of dual credit hours they had earned through Clarendon College. Not all scholarships mentioned will be used due to the student’s choice of schools.
Regan Rene Allen earned six dual credit hours.

Joseph Matthew Boyd II earned six dual credit hours and received a PEAK Scholarship worth $750 per semester at Clarendon College.

Bryce Tanner Burch earned 19 dual credit hours and received a PEAK Scholarship of $750 per semester at Clarendon College, Bill Talley Memorial Scholarship for $1000, and the Homer Estlack Scholarship to Clarendon College for $250.

Nyjamal Tynerick Butler-Evans was honored with the Fighting Heart Award and a Wayland Baptist University Athletic Scholarship.

Victoria Grace Cranford earned six dual credit hours and received a PEAK Scholarship of $750 per semester.

Mattee Mae Johnson earned 45 dual credit hours, was named the Girl Athlete of the Year and received a $12,000 Oklahoma Baptist Trustees Academic Scholarship, a $6,500 WTAMU Academic Scholarship, a $16,000 HSU Presidents Scholarship, a $19,100 HSU Academic Scholarship, and a Lions Club Sweetheart Scholarship of $500.

Harmond Kaase Drenth earned 63 dual credit hours and Associate’s Degree from Clarendon College received a University Scholastic League Scholar Award, the Knorpp Valedictory Scholarship, the State of Texas Valedictorian Tuition Waiver, a $1500 Ron Hudson Memorial Scholarship of the Pioneer Gun Collectors Association, a Texas Valedictorian Scholarship which pays one year tuition, a Baylor University financial aid package which totals $198,264 over the next four years, and the Baylor ECS Scholar of $7,500 per year.

Trenton Andrew Smith graduated with 74 dual credit hours and an Associate’s Degree from Clarendon College and received a University Interscholastic League Scholar Award, the Knorpp Salutatorian Scholarship, the Knorpp Cup Award, a Herring Bank Scholarship for $300, a Jack Roach Scholarship for $2000, a Les Beaux Arts Club Scholarship of $500, a Kenady-Lee Scholarship to WTAMU for $2,000, a T Boone Pickens Academic Excellence Scholarship to WTAMU of $2000, a Smith Family Scholarship of $10,000, and $64,000 to Baylor University.

Schkiria Kameel Weatherton earned 39 dual credit hours and received a University Interscholastic League Scholar Award, a Lions Club Sweetheart Scholarship of $500, an FCA Scholarship worth an unknown amount at this time, a Wayland Baptist Pioneer Scholarship of $22,000, and a Wayland Baptist Cheerleading Scholarship of $2,000.

Henry Logan Dushay earned 12 dual credit hours.

Madisen Paige Gay earned 27 dual credit hours and received a PEAK Scholarship worth $750 per semester at Clarendon College, a Cross Roads Peanut Scholarship of $500, and a Clarendon College Athletic Scholarship.

Samara Ann Christine Johnson earned 18 dual credit hours.

Maritza Guadalupe Mercado-Vazquez earned eight dual credit hours.

Jaden Spence Monds earned 59 dual credit hours.

Kenneth William Overstreet earned eight dual credit hours.

Braylee Danielle Shields earned six dual credit hours.

Hedley High School held its graduation Saturday night at the Sandell after a threatening storm blew over town.
School officials recognized Collin Monroe, Perla Carreon, and Mica Alvey for achievements in service and academics and Monroe for having completed up to 20 hours of duel credit course with Clarendon College. Carreon and Alvey were also recognized for earning more than 20 hours of dual credit.

Erykah Martinez received the Hedley Lioness club scholarship for $300

Collin Monroe received the Roper T. Copelin Memorial Scholarship for $500 and the Lila Kate and Kylie Allison Monroe Scholarship for $300.

Mica Alvey received a Cross Road Peanut Company scholarship for $500, a Herring Bank graduate award for $300, a Herring Bank scholarship for Clarendon College for $500, and the Lila Kate and Kylie Allison Monroe Scholarship for $300.

Perla Carreon received the University Interscholastic League Scholar Award and the Donley County Retired School Personnel Scholarship for $300. Perla has been named as the 2020 Highest Ranking High School Graduate of Hedley ISD. This award will exempt Perla form tuition fees for her first year of college.

Both Clarendon and Hedley school officials expressed their thanks to John and Tammi Morrow for making the Sandell Drive-In available to hold graduation exercises during this time of social distancing.

AgriLife Extension Agent Leonard Haynes told Donley County Commissioners Monday that his office can serve as a liaison for information as local governments and businesses try to take advantage of the CARES Act.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, approved by the federal government in March, provides a wide range of relief measures, and Haynes said the state has tasked the AgriLife Extension Service to help implement those programs for local governments.

Speaking at the county’s regular meeting, Haynes said he has sent information to city and school officials in the county and said he would be contacting the hospital district as well.

According to Gov. Greg Abbott, the CARES Act provides $5.06 billion in funding available to local governments in Texas. The US Department of Treasury sent more than $3.2 billion of those funds to six cities and 12 counties with a population greater than 500,000. The balance of $1.85 billion will be available to other cities and counties throughout the state for reimbursement of direct expenses incurred by cities and counties due to COVID-19.

“It looks like most of this will go to emergency management, such as our sheriff’s office and EMS,” Haynes said.
The extension agent said he had already been through a training on an overview of the CARES Act and that now AgriLife was beginning to focus on the details of the act. Haynes was scheduled Monday to be trained on the parts of the act that would affect ag producers. He said the act is a something that won’t be understood overnight and that more trainings would be coming in the future.

“I want to you to feel comfortable, if you have questions, to contact me as a liaison,” Haynes told county officials. “We have a team at Texas A&M that will get us answers. I probably won’t know the answer, but our team will get answers within 72 hours.”

Haynes encouraged local officials to sign up for updates and online educational resources. He also said that in addition to help for local governments and ag producers, there are resources in the act that help small businesses as well.
For more information about the Extension service’s CARES Act resources, contact the extension office at 874-2141.

In other matters before the commissioners court Monday, the county approved purchasing a new motor grader for Precinct 3 at a cost of $307,318 to be financed over five years; took no action on purchasing a new lawnmower for the courthouse lawn; approved 14 tax deeds for properties at Howardwick; extended for 90 days the disaster declaration related to the COVID-19 outbreak; tour the former Hall Bookkeeping office and discussed possible renovations to use the building for the adult probation office; and directed the county attorney to draft a policy for landowners who want to work on county roads.