News

Voters will head to the polls Saturday to decide three sales tax proposals and a Clarendon school bond issue, as well as determine who will serve on the Clarendon CISD board and the Hedley City Council.

Clarendon CISD voters will be deciding the fate of $11.7 million in bonds, which will be on the ballot in three questions. Proposition A will seek $1.8 million for safety and security upgrades and the school as well as two new buses. Proposition B would fund $6.9 million in improvements at Bronco Stadium including accessibility improvements, new home and visitor bleachers, a new press box, and $3.3 to 3.5 million for a new field house and to renovate restrooms and the concession stand. Proposition C would provide $3 million for a new vocational ag building.

Approval of all three bond propositions would raise the CCISD ad valorem tax rate by an estimated 32 cents per $100 valuation, and the term of the bonds would be 30 years. The current tax rate is about 83 cents per $100.

Clarendon CISD voters also have three people running for two positions on the Board of Trustees. Incumbent Wayne Hardin and challengers Ken McIntosh and Taylor Shelton.

CCISD Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Donley County Courthouse Annex and at Howardwick City Hall for residents of that city.

Three ballots will be taken on the proposed creation of County Assistance Districts in the City of Howardwick, the City of Hedley, and in the unincorporated areas of the county for the purpose of raising funds to support the Donely County Sheriff’s Office.

If approved, the districts covering the cities of Howardwick and Hedley would raise sales taxes there by one cent, and the district covering rural Donley County would levy a two-cent sales tax. The new districts would be governed by the Commissioners Court.

County Assistance Districts Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for rural residents at the Donley County Courthouse Annex, for Hedley residents at the First Baptist Church in Hedley, and for Howardwick residents at Howardwick City Hall.

Hedley city voters will also choose between incumbent Trisha Chambless and challenger Calvin Holland for mayor and will choose two of three candidates running for city council – incumbent Aaron Hanes and challengers Joe Pafume and John Pierce.

City of Hedley Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Hedley.
For election results Saturday night, follow Facebook.com/TheEnterprise or check ClarendonLive.com,

Hedley ISD has announced the salutatorians and valedictorians for the Classes of 2024 and 2028 and set plans for high school and eighth grade graduations.

Eighth grade graduation will be at 10:00 a.m. in the HHS library on May 16 with the high school graduation being at 7:00 p.m. in the HHS library on May 16.

The Valedictorian for the Class of 2024 is Liam Branigan. Liam is the son of Shayne and Angela Branigan. He is graduating with a GPA of 97.28 or a 3.975 on a four-point GPA.

Liam has been an active member of Hedley’s extra-curricular programs while participating in football, UIL academics, track, and One Act Play.

Liam has received many honors during his four years as a Hedley Owl. He has been named to both A and A/B honor rolls and is a current member of National Honor Society. While in One Act Play, he received awards for Best Lighting and Sound Crew. He holds state records in the United State Powerlifting Association in the 13-18-year-old division.

Liam has been named to the Dean’s List at Clarendon College for his dual credit scores. Liam has also been chosen as a member of the Collegiate National Honor Society and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

His hobbies include enjoying time with friends, weight training, and running. Liam plans on attending WTAMU as an engineer major working toward a mechanical, civil, or electrical engineer degree. His future goals include becoming an engineer and discovering his purpose as a man as he makes progress toward becoming stable and self-sufficient.

The Salutatorian for the Class of 2024 is Ashlee Holmes. Ashlee is the granddaughter of Christie Carter. She has a GPA of 92.77 and an average of 3.781 on a four-point scale.

Ashlee has been active in extra-curricular activities while attending HHS. She has participated in basketball, track, cross country, cheerleading, UIL academics, and OAP.

Ashlee has been honored with being on the homecoming court and is a member of the A/B Honor roll.
Her hobbies include hanging out with friends. Liam plans on going to Clarendon College and then transferring to WTAMU where she plans on getting her Elementary Education degree.

The Valedictorian for the Class of 2028 is Sebastian Garcia. Sebastian is the son of Monecia Villarreal and holds a 94.88 GPA. Sebastian has participated in football, basketball, tennis, track, cross country, UIL academics, and OAP.

His hobbies include playing sports, spending time with family, and helping his grandfather on the ranch. Sebastian’s goals are becoming the high school valedictorian, striving to do better in sports, and gaining a sport scholarship to attend college.

The Salutatorian for the Class of 2028 is Cristina Ros Silvestre. She is the daughter of Basilio Ros and Manuela Silvestre. She has a GPA of 94.34.

Her school activities include FFA contests, OAP, UIL academics, tennis, basketball, and track. Cristina’s hobbies include drawing, photography, and baking. She plans on attending college to become an anesthesiologist and going to culinary school.

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

For the first time in school history, the Clarendon College women’s rodeo program is taking a full team to the College National Finals Rodeo.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the 10-event Southwest Region season this past weekend at the Tarleton State University rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, by finishing second in the standings and earning the right to have four ladies compete at Casper, Wyoming, in June.

“It was a pretty exciting weekend to see us be able to pull through and get it done,” said Wyatt Smith, coach of the Clarendon’s women’s rodeo team. “We were 65 points behind going into Tarleton (State University), and Brenna Ellis made the short round in breakaway roping. She finished second in the short round and split second, third and fourth in the average, and that was enough to get us the points to secure second in the region.

“Brenna came in clutch for us.”

She did, and much of that had to do with handling the pressure of the moment.

“I tried not to feel any pressure,” said Ellis, a freshman from Clarendon. “I definitely knew it was up to me, but it didn’t feel any different from any other run. I knew to just go rope your calf and do your job, and the rest is up to chance.”

The Bulldogs shot past Cisco College to earn the right to compete as a team at the college finals, set for June 9-15. Smith will fill the team with three other breakaway ropers, Falyn Thomson of Clinton, British Columbia; Josie Draper of Fairfield, Texas; and Shaylee Warner of Rigby, Idaho, the last of whom was automatically in the field because she finished second in the individual standings.

In college rodeo, only the top two teams and the top three individuals in each event from each region advance to the championship event; all will compete in three rounds. The top 12 from there will advance to the final go-round, where the titlists will be crowned.

“I still can’t believe it happened,” Warner said of her qualification. “It was a really good year. I didn’t make a short go in the fall until the last rodeo; I had little gimmers of hope, then finally I made the short-go in Lubbock.

“It’s surprising, because I came into college rodeo with zero expectations. I came from a little town in Idaho, but I guess overall, it helped me. There was no target on my back; I was just seeing how it would all play out.”

Ellis was just hoping to feel this type of emotion.

“It’s amazing, and it’s a feeling I was thinking about all year,” she said. “Now that we get to do it, I hope we can make Clarendon proud.”

She had other options to further her education, but she knew something special has been brewing at her hometown college.

“I did not want to stay in Clarendon at first, but I looked at a few other schools,” Ellis said. “I thought that it would be stupid to not take advantage of the program right across the road. It’s one of the best programs in the state and in the country.”

The Clarendon men’s rodeo team is a two-time national champion. Both programs are coached by men who played the game at a high level. Smith, a steer wrestler and all-around cowboy, qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2014. Men’s coach Bret Franks is a three-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding. In addition to the two Clarendon team titles, he coached his alma mater, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, to two team championships. Franks has also coached four national titlists in saddle bronc riders Wyatt Casper and Riggin Smith and bareback riders Weston Timberman and Cole Franks, who also won the all-around title in 2021.

“I’ve known Wyatt and his family for as long as I can remember,” Warner said of Smith, who also is from a small town in eastern Idaho.

“It was a no-brainer for me when he started talking about coming to school in Texas. I’m very lucky that he did.

“Wyatt helps me with my mindset. He’s helped me rope when the pressure’s on, where there are 200 girls roping just as good as me. In our daily meetings, he’s just there for us and makes sure we’re thinking like a winner. Horsemanship is also another big thing for Wyatt. He’s a competitor in every aspect.”

Hedley ISD School Board of Trustees approved the hiring of a new principal for the 2024-2025 school year during their meeting on April 15.

Brandi Moffett of Clarendon will be joining Hedley ISD as the principal.

Moffett was raised in Amarillo and has been married for ten years to her husband, John, who is the Clarendon High School principal. Together they share six kids and two daughters-in-law.

After an 18-year career in accounting and finance, Moffett started her education career in 2018 teaching third grade at Claude. She has taught in Claude, Amarillo and Clarendon.

Runners and walkers will gather in Clarendon this Saturday, April 27 to raise awareness about child abuse during the 12th annual Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K.

More than 70 people have registered for the event, which is hosted by the Clarendon Lions Club and coincides with Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Sign-ins start at 8 a.m. in front of the Donley County Courthouse. The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. Race packets will be available for pick-up all day this Friday, April 26, at the Clarendon Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the charitable community activities of the Clarendon Lions Club. The race honors the life of four-year-old Chance Mark Jones, who died from abuse in 2011.
CASA of the High Plains reports in 2023 there were 17 cases of child abuse or neglect reported in Donley County.

For more information about this weekend’s Chance Mark Jones Memorial 5K, contact Lion Ashlee Estlack at 806-662-4687 or Lion Roger Estlack at 874-2259.