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By R.M. GLOVER
MNL Editor
MARATHON
– State-mandated “TAKS” testing is underway at Marathon Independent School
District as students and teachers put away everything else to abide by the
state law.
TAKS,
or Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and now in its fifth year, is the
latest version of standardize testing designed by the Texas Education Agency
and Pearson Publications, Inc., one of the largest textbook publishers in the
country.
The
intent of the test is to assess student’s attainment of reading, math,
science, writing and social studies.
“It’s
all about accountability with the state of Texas,” MISD Superintendent Conrad
Arriola said.
Prior
to TAKS there was TAAS and prior to TAAS there was CAT.
Universal
assessment came to Texas in the early 1980s when Ross Perot was placed on the
Board of Education by then Texas governor Mike White.
Perot
was concerned about the high Texas drop-out rate and the lack of statistics
to measure public school performance.
California
had already begun to assess public school performance by a standardized
testing and Texas subsequently borrowed the California Assessment Test – or
CAT -- under the urging of Perot.
Town
gets antique,
gift
shop on Main
MARATHON
– There is another new store here on Main Street, Highway 90.
Purple
Sage is a new antique store owned by Jacquelin Boyd along with not-so-silent
partner Miss Charlie.
Boyd
retired from 20 years of teaching kindergarten in Alpine. Her husband Don
stays busy running Shirley’s Burnt Biscuit.
The
shop offers antiques as well as some new things and gift items.
They
even offer dried flower arrangements upon request for that special occasion.
Coming
soon Boyd hopes to offer coffee in addition to lattes and espressos.
Boyd
also plans to open a western antique shop in expansion to Purple Sage with
her brother James Graham, who served 20 years in law enforcement before
recently retiring, the last four in Brewster County.
“The things I love are in here,” Boyd said.
“Come have a look. Chances are you’ll find something you love.”
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Mothers’
Day coming
MARATHON
– Next month brings Mother’s Day and St Mary’s Catholic Church will host a
Mother’s Day event on May 11 at the Post Park.
Brisket plates will be available from noon
to 3 for $6 per plate and Coney Vega will provide music from 1 to 6 p.m.
A
Bake Sale will help fund the church. Everybody is invited.
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Water
issues
aired
at hearing
By R.M. GLOVER
MNL Editor
MARATHON
– The Cavness family request to sell water to the oil industry will push the
Marathon Community towards learning more about their underground water
resources.
A
“Town Hall Meeting” at the Community Center Wednesday night offered a great
deal of information but perhaps uncovered even more questions.
With
about 50 people in attendance, Marci Roberts moderated the meeting explaining
she was only “one volunteer among a handful of concerned citizens” and that
they were “not a government body.”
However
at the end of the meeting, Ray Santos suggested that perhaps a political
action committee should be formed to protect Marathon’s water resources.
Rawls
Williams spoke of the mysterious entity known as the Marathon Aquifer, which may
not be an aquifer at all but only a series of small pockets of water known as
bolsons.
Travis
Roberts suggested the geology of the Marathon Basin was “like a bowl and so
shot up and rolled up” it would be hard to have a contiguous watershed.
The
last intensive study done on Marathon’s Watershed was written by a University
of Texas graduate student named Richard DeCook in 1961.
Williams
said there was an EPA 319 Grant closing in June and that, if applied for, it
could provide funds to study Marathon’s Watershed.
However
both he and Travis Roberts said it would likely take 18 to 24 months before
funds would be available if they were granted by the federal government.
The
recharge rate of the Marathon Watershed remains a question. Williams said the
igneous Sunny Glen Aquifer had a recharge rate of about five percent per year
during normal rainfall.
However
the Marathon Watershed was more limestone and is likely to have a slower
recharge rate.
“The
great percentage of our water is historic,” Williams said. “It’s like a bank
account that’s been there for 50 million years.”
Presently,
Marathon Water District is pumping about 33 million gallons a year.
Hal
Henthorne discussed the Texas Railroad Commission’s regulatory laws on the
Oil and Gas Industry.
Evidently,
in Texas, oil companies have a right to drill for water without permit within
1,200 feet of an oil well to supply water for their operation.
Most
oil field water is used to lubricate and cool the drill bit.
Rhonda
Garlick, who was unable to attend the meeting, provided a handout
highlighting her family’s experience with oil drilling in Fort Stockton.
Both
their home pond and well were poisoned by the drilling activity.
Buddy
Cavness has said he wants to sell water to a driller who will operate “east of
Marathon” in Brewster County.
Henthorne
said the Texas Railroad Commission website says no drilling permits have been
issued in eastern Brewster County for several years.
A
letter from the Susan Combs family and the A.S. Gage Ranches that was addressed
to the Brewster County Water Conservation District was passed out at the meeting.
The
letter urged the board to consider the ramifications to ranchers and the
Marathon Community if the Cavness operating permit were to be approved.
Toward
the end of the 90-minute meeting Travis Roberts said the west was settled by
European immigrants because water was available and that “many a gunfight had
occurred over it. Let’s hope we don’t have a gunfight here.”
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Lady
Mustangs
place
in track
WINK
– Two Lady Mustangs from Marathon competed at the Area track meet here last
week, both placing eighth.
Junior,
Celestine Garcia ran the 200-meter dash in 30.22.
Sophomore
Crystal Ybarra ran the 400-meter dash in 1:09.61.
The
Mustangs are done for this year. They will rest until the fall when they’ll
start all over with football.
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“If
the kids aren’t successful, the parents complain to the politicians,” Arriola
said.
But
now teachers are complaining as much as everybody else.
“It
(TAKS) takes away from a teacher’s autonomy,” MISD Science Teacher Travis
Jarrell, said.
“There
is so much emphasis on the testing and the test only covers certain areas,”
Arriola said. “Teachers have to prepare the student for TAKS and they have to
put away what they teach regularly.
“TAKS
puts a lot of pressure on everybody, students, teachers, parents, superintendents
and school boards,” he said.
“There
are 60 superintendent vacancies right now in Texas,” Arriola said. “A lot of
them are retiring and saying ‘the heck with this stuff.’
JH
track team
‘in
the blue’ at meet
By THE PAPER BRIGADE
Audrey
Galindo and Capri Garlick
MARATHON
– The Marathon Junior High School track team is in the blue – blue as in blue
ribbons for almost all first places brought in by the JH team at district.
At
the track meet in Rankin last week, great work, Junior High.
Christopher
Stephens placed first in the long jump, the triple jump, the 200- and
400-yard dash and a fifth place in the 400-yard dash.
Zach
Gonzales brought in two first places, in the 100- and 200-yard dash.
The
girls, not to be out be outnumbered, brought in a number of firsts on their
own.
Krystal
Aguilar took home top honors in the long jump, the 100-yard dash and second
place in the 200-yard dash.
Libby
Hernandez placed third in the 800-meter run and fifth in the long jump.
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Townsend
completes
training
MARATHON
– Carol Townsend, branch manager of the Marathon Public Library, has joined
the ranks of some 450 librarians statewide who have graduated from the Small
Library Management Training Program.
The
two-and-a-half year program, administrated by the Texas State Library and
Archives Commission, included the completion of five core courses covering administration
and planning, collection and development, reference services and technology.
“The
small Library Management Training Program enhances the management skills of
library staff members in smaller communities who have not had formal library
school coursework,” Alpine Library Director Anitra Clausen said.
Library
Management Consultant Dawn Vogler, coordinator of the program, said the
training sessions are “intensive, stimulating and exhaustive.
“It’s
quite an accomplishment to successfully complete the program,” she said. “The
participants leave the program with a greater confidence and with some very
practical skills they can apply within their libraries right away.”
Participants
are encouraged to apply the theories and practices learned to their own
unique situation and to network with other librarians in their region.
“Carol’s
active involvement in the state library training program represents an
substantial commitment of time, energy and personal expense,” Clausen said.
“She received over 50 hours of continuing education credits for her participation.”
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Lister
to be honored
ALPINE
-- After 42 years in higher education, Dr. Paul Lister is finally
getting out of class – and starting a new career.
Lister,
Sul Ross State University professor of English and a 37-year faculty member,
retires at the end of the spring semester.
On
May 10, he will participate in spring commencement exercises as his final
official university duties.
There
will be a retirement reception from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, April 21, in the
University Center’s second floor foyer.
On
May 31, he will be ordained as a deacon in the El Paso Catholic Diocese.
Soon
after, he will serve the Diocese in Alpine, Fort Davis and Marathon.
Duties
will include performing baptisms, witnessing marriage ceremonies, presiding
at funerals and “many and varied duties,” Lister said.
“It
will be a full-time job,” he said, and one outside the classroom.
In
addition to his 37 years at Sul Ross, Lister taught for five years as a
graduate assistant while earning his Ph.D at Kansas State University.
He
also earned a Master’s degree in theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
During
the five-year process and for half of his courses, Lister spent six weeks
taking classes on the St. Mary’s campus for three consecutive summers.
In
addition, he estimates he drove at least 19,000 miles between Alpine and El
Paso to take monthly classes and complete internships for his diaconate work
over the past four years.
Online
and interactive classes also occupied his spare time.
“If
I count the graduate assistant teaching time [at Kansas State], I’ve taught
English in college for 42 years,” Lister said. “I’m ready to try something
else.”
He
said he enjoyed his Sul Ross career.
“One
of my greatest satisfactions has been teaching first-generation college students
from little towns along Highway 90 and Highway 67,” he said. “I was helping
them progress in life.
“Education
is always a vocation filled with hope,” he said. “There is always potential
there for something good.”
Variety
was the spice of his educational career as he taught more than 20 courses at
all levels, from freshman composition to graduate.
“I
enjoyed teaching the Bible as literature [for 23 years],” he said. “The good
thing about that class was that I had students from varying backgrounds of
all faiths, some with no religious faith, just a cultural interest in the
Bible, some who read the Bible extensively, some who had read it very little.
“It
was certainly not a homogenous class,” he said. “It was not a required class
but it always had a good enrollment. It was one of those classes where the
people in it had an active interest.”
A
native of San Antonio, Lister graduated from Central Catholic High School,
then earned a BA in 1964 and MA in 1966 from St. Mary’s University.
He
received his Ph.D. in English from Kansas State in 1974.
He
came to Sul Ross in 1971 and served as chair of the Department of Languages
and Literature for five years.
He
and his wife, JoAnn, a certified nurse practitioner, have four children and
four grandchildren with another on the way.
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Christmas
Mountain now ‘open for business’
AUSTIN
— Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has announced the Christmas Mountains are
for the first time open to hikers and campers visiting Big Bend National
Park.
Patterson
sent Big Bend National Park Superintendent Bill Wellman a copy of the permanent
easement he has granted, allowing public access via the mile-long contiguous
boundary with the park.
“With
our easement, the Christmas Mountains are open to Big Bend National Park visitors,”
Patterson said. “It’s exactly the same access that would be allowed if the National
Park Service owned the tract.”
State
ownership has one major difference, Guns are allowed in the Christmas Mountains.
“Imagine
that – accessible through Big Bend yet it protects Texans’ Second Amendment
rights,” Patterson said. “As long as I am Land Commissioner, the Christmas
Mountains will be open to the public.”
Still,
Patterson noted, the rugged terrain would likely prevent visitors from taking
in the spectacular vista of Big Bend National Park from the tallest peak of
the Christmas Mountains.
The
peak can only be reached via an old jeep road that cuts through private property.
Patterson
has directed his staff to work with members of Congress and National Park
Service officials to eliminate the barriers to transferring the tract to
federal hands.
He
reiterated that the property needs a long-term federal funding commitment for
care and maintenance and a designation that will respect the Second Amendment
and allow public hunting.
Patterson
stressed that his aim in selling the land was to accomplish the goals of the
original gift, to preserve and protect the Christmas Mountains and open them
up for appropriate public access.
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“And
politicians feel the pressure from the parents as well as the teacher organizations,”
Arriola said.
“Its
all likely to change again, when the lawmakers meet next Spring,” he said.
“Every time they convene a session, they go about changing the system.”
There
is no TAKS requirement for private schools or home schools.
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BBORR
picks Norris
FORT
STOCKTON – Terrell County Commissioner Kenn Norris has agreed to serve as the
third member of the Big Bend Open Road Race Board of Directors.
The
vacancy occurred earlier this year when County Judge Leo Smith resigned.
The
board had just gone back to three members with the appointment of Jim Ivy of
the Fort Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau to replace former City
Manager Danny Valenzuela who no longer lives here.
“We
are very honored to accept Kenn as the third board member,” board member and
former Mayor Tony Villarreal said. “We look forward to another successful
race.”
Race
Coordinator Kenda Furman said there were about 150 cars signed up at press
time this week, the same number as raced last year.
She
said she did not know if the goal of 160 cars would be reached after a
confusing two weeks in February when the race was canceled, reinstated,
canceled and finally reinstated.
Furman
said everything was in place for the April 26 race from here to Sanderson and
back.
US
Highway 285 will be closed at 6 a.m. that day for the race.
Sanderson
Volunteer Coordinator Dale Lascano said she has lined up ten food booths,
four for gifts and jewelry, four for games and two for information at the
Terrell County Courthouse Lawn for Saturday, the day of the race.
“We
want it to be fun for the whole family on courthouse lawn,” said. “We want
everyone to feel extremely welcome.”
The
race begins at US 285 and Mockingbird Lane in far south Fort Stockton on the
morning of April 26.
The
cars go one at a time in a timed race, ending the first lap at Downie Arena
north of Sanderson.
There,
drivers line up around the courthouse for lunch and to let citizens inspect
the cars and visit with the crews.
After
lunch, the racers retrace their steps from Sanderson back to Fort Stockton.
Lascano
said there are a few “gates” left that need volunteers for the day of the
race and for preliminaries and practice runs on Wednesday and Thursday, April
23 and 24.
Volunteering
for a “gate” is the only way to actually see the race being run.
People
are stationed at ranch roads and other entrances to the highway to make sure
no one strays into the path of the high-speed race cars.
Leading
up to the race on Saturday are two days of registration, practice laps,
qualification and rookie school, all in Sanderson.
Practice
and qualifying laps Wednesday and Thursday will be from Lomita Terrace in
west Sanderson 10 miles west to the roadside park and back.
“Gate
keepers” are also needed for the practice runs, Lascano said.
The
Sanderson Chamber of Commerce will host its annual reception for race crews,
citizens and “anyone else,” Chamber President Jim Street said. “The more, the
merrier, as they say.”
The
party will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Pavilion in
Bicentennial Park.
Several
members of the Fort Stockton Chamber also plan to attend.
The
Chamber will provide chili dogs and other food items as well as beer, wine,
soda and water.
On
Friday, the attention turns to Fort Stockton for the lineup of cars at Rooney
Park in the afternoon and the parade down Dickinson Street that evening.
After
the race Saturday, there will be another public event, a post-race party at
Rooney Park, and the awards banquet at the Pecos County Civic Center.
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Tavarez,
Mitchell
Man,
Woman Of Year
ALPINE
-- Alcee Tavarez of Presidio and Janice Mitchell of Round Rock were
named Sul Ross State University’s 2008 Man and Woman of the Year during the
annual Honors Convocation Monday.
Tavarez,
who interrupted his Sul Ross career to serve with distinction in the US Army,
will graduate in August with a general studies degree.
Mitchell,
active as a student-athlete since enrolling in 2004, will graduate in May
with a degree in business administration.
The
son of Alcee and Justina Tavarez, Tavarez first enrolled at Sul Ross in 2000
after graduating from Presidio High School.
He
attended through 2002, then enlisted in the Army where he served from 2002 to
2005, including one year in Iraq.
He
received six decorations and medals, including the Army Commendation Medal.
Upon
returning to Sul Ross in the summer of 2005, he has been on the Dean’s List
four times and currently maintains a 3.1 grade point average.
During
his first enrollment, Tavarez was active in the Freshman Leadership Program.
Currently,
he is part of the first group of Sul Ross students selected for the Ronald
McNair Scholars Program to encourage continuation to graduate school for an advanced
degree.
“I
was surprised,” he said of his selection. “I’m not used to getting rewarded
for a daily duty.
“I
just try to live my life to the best of my ability for my friends and family
that have passed away,” Tavarez said.
His
future plans include pursuing pharmacy studies and perhaps a return to the
military.
The
daughter of Calvin Mitchell of Taylor and Gasalea Mitchell of Round Rock, Mitchell
graduated from Round Rock Stony Point High School in 2004.
She
was a four-year member of the Lady Lobos basketball team, serving as captain
for three seasons.
In
addition, she earned American Southwest Conference All-Academic honors for
the past three years and has an overall 3.04 grade point average.
Mitchell
has also been an active presence on campus and in the community.
She
received a Freshman Leadership Scholarship and Student Ambassador
Scholarship, has been a Student Government Association Senator since the fall
of 2006 and was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities
and Colleges in 2007.
She
has been selected to the Dean’s List three times.
She
worked with the Sul Ross Quality Enhancement Plan, has volunteered at the
West Texas Food Bank and has been a Relay for Life participant during the
past three years.
After
graduation, Mitchell plans to attend the University of North Texas to pursue
a Master’s of Business Administration in finance.
“This
was overwhelming,” she said of her selection. “I was surprised. I knew I was
nominated but there are a lot of good candidates out there.”
The
Man and Woman of the Year award is the top honor a Sul Ross senior can
receive.
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