News

The local Toastmasters Club NorthEast Texas ToastMasters (NETTM), has a record of winners. Teresa Wooten competed in the Eastern Division International Speech Contest in Longview on Saturday, April 16th and won first place. Next, Teresa will compete at the District 50 Spring Conference, being held in Dallas, May 13th and 14th. If she should win at the District Conference, Teresa will compete at the International level where the award of World Champion of Public Speaking is awarded. The annual Toastmasters International Convention will be held in Washington DC in August.

Registration for the May Intersession and Summer 2016 is now underway at Northeast Texas Community College. Fall registration begins Friday, April 15. Class schedules are available online at www.ntcc.edu/schedules.

Most current students should be able to register for classes online by logging into their myEagle Portal account. Prospective students should visit www.ntcc.edu/apply to begin the application process. Both new and returning students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov.

”We know it may seem early to be thinking about the fall semester, but it will be here before you know it. Students need to allow plenty of time to process admissions and financial aid applications,” Jeanni Pruitt, Director of College Connection, said.

J. Leslie Riseden

Special Contributor to The Steel Country Bee

 Imagine squatting down and draping a full-grown mustang stallion over your shoulders, then standing up. That’s about what Hughes Springs’ very own Mustang A.J. Garcia lifted. A.J. was recognized at the regular meeting of the Hughes Springs ISD School Board April 11 for his Region 3, Division 3 record-setting 805-pound squat.

Also acknowledged at the meeting were students representing the Hughes Springs band solo and ensemble participants. For the first time in eight years, the Band won sweepstakes – by earning the highest possible score in each of three competitions -- marching, concert and sight reading. Among band, choir and twirling, Hughes Springs will send 22 students to state competition in late May.

On Thursday, April 21, the UIL One-Act Play cast and crew will participate in the UIL Regional One- Act Play Contest. These students include: Levi Hawkins, Carson Moreland, John Willis, Shawn Pope, Jaren Jones, Gabe DuBose, Mattie Morehead, Shelby Shaddix, Kailey Farmer, Caleb Moseley, and Treston Taylor.

At the area contest, April 8, Shelby Shaddix received an outstanding tech award, Levi Hawkins received honorable-mention all-star cast, Shawn Pope received all-star cast, and Carson Moreland received the best actress award. Awards have been won at all levels of competition: John Willis received all-star cast at district. Shawn Pope received honorable-mention all-star cast at bi-district. Levi Hawkins received all-star cast at district and bi-district and Carson Moreland received honorable-mention all-star cast as district and all-star cast at bi-district.

Marie Skipper found a safe place to read her Steel Country Bee. She and her husband Joe recently were on their way to catch the Cruise Ship Regal Princess when she stopped by the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Police Department for a photo. They were celebrating their sixty-first wedding anniversary with the cruise that went to Saint Marrten, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas. Take The Bee on your next vacation and send us a photo of where you took “A Selfie with The Bee!”

By: Toni Walker

Editor

news@steelcountrybee.com

Word has been released that Sid and Eva Greer, sole owners of Greer Farm in Daingerfield and The Rocky Branch Ranch, have placed properties up for auction through Concierge Auctions.

In a recent newsletter from the Greer’s, they called this “The subject line of this email is The Sale of the Greer Farm: An End and a Beginning.” And truly, this change will be just that: an end, as well as a beginning.

Sid and Eva Greer have been owners of the farm for 37 of 40 years of married life. The farm was originally purchased by Eva’s father, and in 1994, Sid and Eva took sole possession. “We have nurtured it to what it is today, and shared our lives here with thousands,” Greer stated in the newsletter.

By: Toni Walker

Editor news@steelcountrybee.com

When the words “Daingerfield Tigers” is mentioned, many people automatically begin to think back to the football teams of the past, who have solidified the legacy of Daingerfield Football with multiple state championships. However, the first championship was brought to Daingerfield by the track team, under the coaching of Lewis E. “Mickey” Mayne. On April 7, a bit of history returned to Mickey Mayne Tiger Stadium, with the return of the Mickey Mayne Relays.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was reminiscent of Friday night’s during football season, as crowds filled the stands for the first relays in honor of Mayne since 2007. According to athletic secretary Janet Larsen, the relays were scheduled for 2008, but cancelled due to the weather.

By Michelle Cobern

Executive Director of CASA of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties

Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) has been in the news lately for failing to protect children in the state’s care. Many are just now learning about this tragic situation, but if we only focus on this issue when it is highly visible in the newspaper or on the morning news, it can be easy to miss the bigger picture.

This April, as we observe National Child Abuse Prevention Month and National Volunteer Week, it’s important we recommit ourselves to ending the vicious cycle of abuse and to standing up for every child too young to speak for themselves. This month, and throughout the year,

By: Toni Walker

Editor

news@steelcountrybee.com

“No child plays alone” is the reason for a new fixture to the Hughes Springs Elementary Playgrounds. The school has one “Buddy Bench” in house and ready to be installed, and another on the way.

Mrs. Kelly, a teacher at HS Elementary, approached Principal Scott Hanes in the fall after reading an article about a child who had implemented what he called “Buddy Benches” in his school playground. The idea came from the student seeing his classmates being alone on the playground. The purpose of the bench was to give lonely students a place to go where it was recognized by their peers that they needed a friend.

By: J. Leslie Riseden

Special Contributor to The Steel Country Bee

"I have been in love with art all my life." So says Johnnie Terry, sole proprietor of Johnnie's Studio and Art Gallery in Avinger. The Avinger Chamber of Commerce recognized Johnnie's as a "Featured Business" on April 7.

The walls of the gallery's high ceiling barely contain an empty space, adorned with much of Johnnie's 40+ years of works in watercolor and oil, as well as those of her students. Attached to some of Johnnie's paintings are ribbons awarded by the Marshall Art League, Marshall Regional Arts Council, and Wildflower Trails of Avinger. While the least expensive item in her gallery is $10, and the most expensive over $1000, most pieces are priced between $50 and $250.