MAY 29, 2008VOL. 35, No. 22

NEWSBRIEFS

The line between self-confidence andconceit is very narrow.

— Quips & Quotes

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1973

2008

35YEARS

Pools openEl Paso County swimming pools atAscarate and the O’Donell Park in Fabensare open for families to cool off. TheGallegos Park pool in Canutillo on theWest Side opens June 6. The pools will beopen from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday throughSunday. Admission fees for the pools are$2 at Ascarate and $1 for the O’Donnellpool in Fabens and the Gallegos pool.Family Fun Nights will be offered atAscarate Park on Tuesday, Wednesday,and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 10p.m. For more information call 772-5605during business hours.

In the NavyNavy Seaman Recruit Audrey H.Ybarra, daughter of Angela R. andRalphael Quezada of El Paso, Texas,recently completed U.S. Navy basictraining at Recruit Training Command,Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-weekprogram, Ybarra completed a variety oftraining which included classroomstudy and practical instruction on navalcustoms, first aid, firefighting, watersafety and survival, and shipboard andaircraft safety. An emphasis was alsoplaced on physical fitness. Ybarra is a2007 graduate of Del Valle High School.

Crime StoppersCrime Stoppers of El Paso is assistingthe El Paso Police Department in locat-ing the vehicle involved in a fatal hitand run, and its driver, making this the“Crime of the Week.” On Monday night,May 5, just before 9:00 P.M., police of-ficers responded to a hit and run colli-sion at 10100 Cross Street in northeastEl Paso. Unfortunately, it was a fatal hitand run. The preliminary investigationby officers from the Special Traffic In-vestigation unit revealed that 72-year-old Flavia Estrello was pushing hergranddaughter, 2-year-old AlianaGonzalez, in a stroller when they at-tempted to cross the street. A vehicleheaded north on Cross struck both pe-destrians, killing Estrello and seriouslyinjuring the child. The vehicle then fledthe scene, making a left turn from Crossonto Sun Valley Drive. Witnesses de-scribe the suspect vehicle as dark col-ored and possibly a late model FordMustang. This vehicle should showdamage to the windshield and to theright side of the front hood. If you haveany information at all about the loca-tion of this vehicle or the identity of itsdriver, please call Crime Stoppers of ElPaso at 566-TIPS (8477) or submit yourtip online atwww.crimestoppersofelpaso.org. Youwill remain anonymous and, if your tipleads to an arrest, you may earn a cashreward up to $1,000.

ANTHONY — The mayor has been busyin recent weeks wielding the ceremonialshovel in ground-breakings for new busi-nesses in Anthony. They are a new Walgreensdrug store, a KFC restaurant and Foxworth-

Galbraith whichm a n u f a c t u r e sbuilding supplies.

But thosearen’t the onlyones.

Franco alludesto another busi-ness about whichhe is “99 percentsure” of comingin. However, hecannot divulgethe name at thistime.

There is stillanother potential industry that might dwarfthe others in economic impact. It is a majorenterprise that would bring many jobs andmoney to the area. Again, he cannot men-tion the name at this point because of earlynegotiations under way with officials.

To accommodate its residential and com-mercial growth, Franco says Anthony is tak-ing preliminary steps to apply for a grant ofapproximately $263,000 to build an above-ground water storage tank. The town is ex-pecting approval in the first-quarter cyclefunding in 2009. As a quality of life waterissue, it has a high priority for state funding.

Work is expected to begin within a weekon a 38-acre expansion of the old AnthonyMunicipal Park. It would bring the town’stotal park size to approximately 50 acres. Thenew park, which is expected to be finishedin 2011, will have hiking trails, picnic areas,athletic fields and a skateboard park.

The new park, he says, will possibly becalled something like the Anthony, TX Parksand Recreational Complex. The old and newpark areas will be separated by RichardWhite Street and will be located near the newWalgreens.

Franco invites residents to donate land-scaping plants or trees in memory of a lovedone. Application forms are available at theTown Hall.

Speaking of the town hall, funding appli-cation plans are moving forward for con-struction of a new town hall at a cost of$750,000 to $1 million. It will incorporatenot only municipal and police functions, butit will also include a community center.

The mayor hopes work can begin by latethis year or early 2009.

He pointed out that a hotel/motel tax wasenacted May 1st. It is expected to bring in$30,000-$45,000 a year. Proceeds will go topromote the town through promotional lit-erature and billboards. The town is lookingto form its own, independent chamber ofcommerce, he says.

With the new residential and commercialgrowth, he is “very optimistic” about the fu-ture of Anthony.

Anthony’s mayoroptimistic aboutfuture of town

By Don WoodyardCourier Staff Writer

Art Franco

Clint ISD “Rolled out the Red Carpet” forthe 2008 Teachers of the Year during a ban-quet on May 8, 2008 at Sunland Park Race-track and Casino. Over 280 guests were presentat the event as Clint ISD announced the 2008Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Yearfor the District as well as the District RookieTeacher of the Year.

For the fifth year in a row, a C.T. WelchIntermediate teacher holds the honor of Dis-trict Elementary Teacher of the Year. AshleyBroadway, a reading teacher, was awardedthe honor for 2008. The District SecondaryTeacher of the Year honor was awarded toGilbert Molina, a science teacher at Hori-zon Middle School. Both Molina and Broad-

Clint ISD recognizes Broadway, Molina and othersway were presented with a plaque and acheck for $2,500 during the banquet co-sponsored by El Paso Area Teachers Fed-eral Credit Union and ARTchitecture. Broad-way and Molina will prepare over the nextfew months to represent Clint ISD in theRegional Teacher of the Year competitionin July.

Yolanda Aceves was named the DistrictRookie Teacher of the Year. “Her attitude isincredible. She never complains and will doanything she is asked to do and then some,”says Michael Mackeben, Red Sands Elemen-tary Principal of Yolanda Aceves a first-year5th grade teacher at Red Sands Elementary.Aceves received a trophy and a check for $500during the banquet.

All Clint ISD Campus Teachers of the Year

By Laura CadeSpecial to the Courier

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

OUTSTANDING — Ashley Broadway, Yolanda Aceves and Gilbert Molina.

See CLINT ISD, Page 8

May 22 was a night of excitement and an-ticipation for the 15 teachers and employees

San Eli ISD ‘Stars’ honored at banquethonored at the San Elizario Independent SchoolDistrict’s 2008 Star Recognition Banquet. Thisselect group of individuals was chosen by theirpeers for their efforts, creativity and contribu-tions to their campuses. Out these exceptionalcandidates, three names were announced aswinners of the Employee of the Year, Elemen-tary Teacher of the Year, and SecondaryTeacher of the Year. Receiving district-widehonors were Sylvia Vasquez as Employee ofthe Year; Kathrin Salazar as ElementaryTeacher of the Year; and Melissa Nunn as Sec-ondary Teacher of the Year.

Sylvia Vasquez is a security guard at SanElizario High School who has been involvedwith the district for over 18 years both on avolunteer basis and as an employee. Vasquez,who has been serving in her current positionfor under a year stated, “I feel extremely for-tunate and happy because during such a shorttime of working at the high school I am beingrecognized.”

Kathrin Salazar has been the computer labteacher at Sambrano Elementary for two yearsteaching students in grades 1st through 5th howto make learning fun with technology. “I lovebeing a teacher, and it doesn’t feel like workwhen you love what you do,” Salazar stated.

Melissa Nunn teaches English classes at SanElizario High School to 9th grade students,

Special to the CourierBy Cynthia P. Marentes

Meiissa Nunn See SAN ELI ISD, Page 2

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER May 29, 2008

Reyes Reports By U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

PUBLISHED:Published each Thursday byHomesteader News, Inc. Appreciationto our many contributors. Office openMonday through Thursday.

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2008 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

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SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1973

2008

35YEARS

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Each yearon the lastMonday inMay, millionsof Americans

come together to remember andhonor those who have given theirlives in defense of the ideals of thiscountry. The debt we owe to our ac-tive duty servicemembers, our vet-erans, and all those who have gonebefore them is truly immeasurable.For more than a century, MemorialDay has served as a tribute to the sac-rifices our servicemembers havemade in serving our country. Thispast Memorial Day weekend, thou-sands of El Pasoans visited Fort BlissNational Cemetery to honor the menand women who served our countryin the Armed Forces.

This Memorial Day our nationcontinues to be embroiled in conflictsacross the globe — most notably inIraq and Afghanistan where morethan 4,500 service members havegiven their lives, and 32,000 havebeen wounded while serving our na-tion. Americans across the countryhonored the sacrifice of these coura-

geous men and women this past week-end by remembering those who con-tinue to fight for our country and whowill be our veterans of tomorrow.

In El Paso we take particular pridein honoring our veterans. With thou-sands of troops stationed at FortBliss, we are not strangers to the sor-row of losing loved ones in war. Morethan 50 El Paso service membershave courageously given their livesin the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.This Memorial Day, we mournedtheir loss; yet, in the midst of this sor-row, we celebrated their selflessnessand remembered that Memorial Dayis not simply a day for honor andmourning, it is also an opportunityto renew our efforts to keep ourpromises to the veterans who havemade this country great.

My Democratic colleagues and Iin the 110th Congress have beenfighting to pass a new GI Bill thatwould provide funding for a full,four-year college education to helpour returning veterans transition backto civilian life. Current benefits onlypay for 70 percent of a public col-lege education, and it is imperative

we provide full funding to ensure thatour veterans are set on path towardeconomic prosperity. Furthermore,this Congress has made unprec-edented investments in veterans’care. Last year, Congress approvedthe largest budget increase in the 77-year history of the Department ofVeterans Affairs. The budget pro-vided increased funding for veteran’shealthcare, particularly for those whoare suffering from mental health dis-orders such as Post-Traumatic StressDisorder (PTSD) and TraumaticBrain Injury (TBI) — the most com-mon ailments of the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan.

As a Vietnam combat veteran, Iknow what it’s like to fight for thiscountry far from the comforts ofhome and family. Our service mem-bers deserve our thanks, our respect,and most importantly, they deserveour commitment to care for them andreintegrate them into the fabric ofAmerican society. There is no bettertime than Memorial Day to renewthese commitments to our troops,without whom our nation would notlive so freely.

Veterans remembered

Hola, migente. It ishard to be-lieve that weare almost in

the month of June. This year is pass-ing so fast. It seems that each yearpasses much faster than the previousones.

I know that many of you who arereading this article may have had afamily member graduate from highschool. To you and to the graduate,congratulations. I wish every gradu-ate in El Paso county the best of suc-cess in the future whether they de-cide to enroll in higher education orpursue other careers.

However, it is important forgraduates here in El Paso to con-tinue their education. Once upon a

time, a high school diploma was aticket to some prosperity. That isno longer the case. Without a col-lege or university degree, an indi-vidual is cheating himself out of alot of money in the future. Thereare just no jobs that pay well forhigh school graduates.

If you (or someone you know) areintending to forgo higher educationimmediately, please plan to go even-tually. Sometimes it is important toexperience some of what life has tooffer outside of academia in order be-come a better student. The importantthing is to plan to eventually go backto school.

Another part that we must remem-ber at this time of the year is that ouryoungsters are out of school. Usuallyduring the school year, there are few

students out during school hours andin the evenings. Please be aware thatstudents will be everywhere duringany time period in the day or evening.Don’t let a careless moment create asituation that is regretful. Drive care-fully at all times.

I hope that all of you had a veryenjoyable Memorial Day Holidayand paid some homage to our veter-ans. The deserve it.

Most of all, I hope that the upcom-ing summer is a terrific one. For thestudents, enjoy the free time but re-member that school is not that faraway. It would be good to take partin some mental exercises to keep themind sharp.

Have a great summer! Gracias, migente, and I remain your friend andpublic servant, Chente por la gente.

Grads: Guard your future

including Pre-Advanced Placement(AP) andGifted andTa l e n t e d(GT) stu-d e n t s .E a c hn o m i n e ewas fea-tured in as p e c i a lvideo andreceived astar award.“It is be-cause ofmy stu-

dents that I am the teacher that I am,”Nunn reflected.

These three winners were honored

with a gleaming, silver star trophyand a check for $500. Salazar andNunn will now move on to representthe San Elizario Independent SchoolDistrict in the Region 19 Teacher ofthe Year competition this summer.

All the nominees received a staraward and were featured in a specialvideo at the banquet. The nomineesfor Employee of the Year were:

Adam Starke — Administration;Cecilia Santiesteban — Loya

Primary;Martha Ortega — Alarcon

Elementary;Guadalupe Moctezuma —

Borrego Elementary;Rebecca Morales — Sambrano El-

ementary;Alex Dominguez — Garcia-

Enriquez Middle School;Eloy Anaya — Excell Academy;

andSylvia Vasquez — San Elizario

High School.The nominees for Teacher of the

Year were:Ivonne Ballesteros-Kearbey —

Loya Primary;

San Eli ISDFrom Page 1______________________

Mike Quatrini

Chr is t ina Lara —Alarcon Elementary;

Rosa Lina Garc ia —Borrego Elementary;

Kathr in Sa lazar —Sambrano Elementary;

Soledad Gonzalez — Garcia-Enriquez Middle School;

Annette Hathaway — ExcellAcademy; and

Melissa Nunn — San ElizarioHigh School.

Approximately 150 teachers,district personnel, relatives andother guests were present to wit-ness the announcement of the2007-2008 Employee andTeacher of the Year nomineesand winners. San Elizario ISDBoard President Irene Jaquezand Superintendent Dr. MichaelQuatrini personally congratu-lated each of the winners and

thanked all the nominees for theirdedication to making both the stu-dents and the district shine. Also onhand to acknowledge the nominees

were campus administrators. Mean-while the San Elizario High SchoolJazz Band provided a spirited selec-tion of music.

Kathrin Salazar Sylvia Vasquez

May 29, 2008 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

EL PASO COUNTY — El Paso CountyCommissioners Court approved a proposal tojoin two lawsuits against the federal govern-ment due to the construction of the border fencesince, according to County Attorney JoséRodríguez, it violates the US Constitution.

In a special meeting held today at the CountyCourthouse, Commissioners Court approvedby a 4 to 1 vote to join the lawsuit initiated bythe El Paso County Water Improvement Dis-trict No. 1 and the Tigua Tribe, and also ap-proved to join an existing lawsuit filed on May16th by the Texas Border Coalition.

“I support this lawsuit because is about over-reaching the federal government and requiresit to set clear policy and procedure to build thefence, something they have not done,” saidCounty Judge, Anthony Cobos.

Commissioner Veronica Escobar, which alsovoted in favor of joining both legal actions, saidshe expects the rights of the citizens of the com-munities along the US-Mexico border to berespected and honored just as it would be inany part of the country.

“The 700 mile fence is incredibly costly, itdoesn’t stop undocumented immigration ordrug trafficking; it simply changes the migra-tion pattern.

We need to continue to send a message tothe federal government that we expect policysolutions that are meaningful and that enactreforms and change that get to the root causesof these problems,” Escobar said.

Commissioner Luis Sariñana also stated thatby joining both lawsuits, it did not intend tomake the construction of the wall the main is-sue, but to ensure the protection of the rightsof the citizens in the community.

Rodríguez advised the commissioners aboutthe serious repercussions county residentscould face if the border fence is built under thecurrent proposal by the Secretary of HomelandSecurity.

Rodríguez called “unprecedented and uncon-stitutional” to the act of waving all federal,state, and local laws imposed by the Secretaryof Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff.

El Paso County joins two border fence lawsuits“It deprives the county citizens of a normal

appellate review for any actions taken by thefederal agency that limits our ability to have afederal court determining if the Secretary ofHomeland Security is acting consistently withthe constitution or with other applicable fed-eral law,” Rodriguez stated.

Commissioner Daniel Haggerty votedagainst the proposal.

The joint lawsuit from El Paso County, ElPaso County Water Improvement District No.1 and the Tigua tribe, will be filed Friday, May30, 2008 by the law firm Mayer Brown LLPof Washington D.C.

The Texas Border Coalition is formed byCounties, Cities, Chambers of Commerce andEconomic Development Departments along theUS-Mexico border from the city of Brownsvilleto El Paso. Their class action lawsuit filed onMay 16 by the Texas Border Coalition (TBC)against the U.S. Departments of HomelandSecurity (DHS) and Customs and Border Pro-tection (CBP) over the construction of the $50billion U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Courtin Washington, D.C., and alleges that DHS andCBP have violated:

• Border landowners’ statutory right to ne-gotiation over a “reasonable” price prior to thetaking of property for the purpose of buildingsegments of fence along the 1,200-mile stretchof Texas-Mexico border.

• The due process rights of property ownersby failing to issue and make public any rules,regulations, or directives on how negotiationsshould take place or how the government willdetermine a “reasonable” price for the prop-erty it wishes to seize.

• The equal protection guarantee of the FifthAmendment by giving certain politically well-connected property owners a pass on havingthe border fence built on their property.

• The 2008 DHS Appropriation law and thedue process rights of property owners by fail-ing to issue and make public any rules, regula-tions, or directives on how required “consulta-tion” with property owners will take place andhow the concerns of property owners will beconsidered.

The County will not be incurring any legalfees since the attorneys handling the litigationare not charging for their services.

By Aracely Lazcanoand Elhiu DominguezSpecial to the Courier

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER May 29, 2008

Raymond Eugene Elliott, age78, of Clovis, New Mexico, diedSaturday, May 17, 2008, at Cov-enant Medical Center, inLubbock, TX.

Elliott was born Sep-tember 10, 1929, inAmarillo, Texas, to Royand Maydine Elliott. Hemarried Diana BertrandMelton on November25, 1951, in Acala,Texas. He served in thearmy during the KoreanWar.

Elliott lived in Fabens and Clintthrough the mid 1970s and at-tended Clint High School. He andhis father operated Clint Motors.He raised his family in the valleybefore going to work for Interna-tional Harvester. He worked as aService Manager for International

Harvester Farm Equipment untilhis retirement. He enjoyed work-ing on motors and anything me-

chanical. He liked help-ing others.

Elliott is survived byhis wife, Diana, andthree sisters, BettyWiseman and FrancesThick of Fabens, Texasand Nell Williams ofRed Rock, Texas. TheElliotts’ four dughtersare: Vicki Herrington(Milt) of Yukon, Okla-

homa, Carol Coleman (Bill) ofAda, Oklahoma, Beth Franks(Tommy) of Portales, NewMexico and Bettiruth McKee(Tom), of Ft. McLeod, AlbertaCanada. They were blessed with10 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren.

Elliott, 78, dies in Lubbock

Anthony ISDMay 20

Band uniforms and TAKS test re-sults were discussed.

After some musical selections from

School board notes By Don Woodyard

band members, a lively discussionensued about the pros and cons of vari-ous combinations of colors of the pro-posed new uniforms which are about10 years old. The uniform sampleshowed by Mr. Porras, the band direc-

tor, was predominantly Navy blue withColumbia blue accent.

The darker uniform, one bandmember said, “makes us look tallerand thinner.” The band member wasreferring to appearance by judgesduring competition when the newuniforms would make the band lookmore professional. The lighter colorshows more wear, more quickly, it

was pointed out.Board members were concerned

that approval of the band uniformwould trigger a flood of requests foruniform changes by other school ath-letic teams.

After discussion, the board ap-proved the purchase of 60 new uni-forms at a cost of $30,000. Deliveryof the new uniforms would be in lateSeptember.

Without going into specifics, Su-perintendent Ron Haugen gave a pre-liminary report on TAKS testing.

Overall, he said the district did a“pretty good job” of bringing scoresup. The high school did “a great job.”There were 14 areas of increases and11 areas of decreases, he told boardmembers.

His report comes against the back-ground of April’s report in which hesaid that a summary report from theTexas Education Agency showsAISD ranks low in essential testing

areas statewide. He indicated at thattime that the district needs good mathand science teachers.

In canvassing the May election, theboard certified that Chrissy Singhand Michelle Hernandez had wonseats on the board. They were swornin. Singh was later elected vice presi-dent. Mr. Chavez was elected secre-tary. Election of a board presidentended in a tie. Election of the newpresident will be determined at a latertime.

The board discussed regulation thepossession and use of cell phonesduring the school day by students.

Haugen proposed to adopt a localpolicy which will specify uses of andsanctions for such equipment by stu-dents. He said controls would besimilar to policies in place by otherschool districts.

The board approved moving aheadwith the development of a localpolicy.

For two years, the InternationalBaccalaureate Program at El DoradoHigh School has been preparing stu-dents for a successful future. Thelong hours, the homework on top ofregular school activities have paid offfor four IB students. Not only havethey completed an intensive programand are the first to graduate from theIB program, each have been admit-ted to an Ivy League school. ElDorado seniors Daniel Bell, TheresaJuarez, Julio Reyes and JessicaWooten were accepted into Brown,Columbia, Cornell, and Dartmouth.They each credit the IB program andIB coordinator Lizett Shaw for help-ing them stand out to admission of-ficers.

“I had Ms. Shaw as an Englishteacher and I really liked the way sheworks with students. She gets per-sonal and helped me get where I am,”said Julio Reyes who will go toBrown University and plans to gointo the medical field.

“It made me go on beyond myabilities and do more work that Iwould have in the regularcoursework. I would recommend this

El Dorado program preparesstudents for bright future

program to anyone, you gain a lot andit’s a close community,” said Wooten,who was accepted into Dartmouth,MIT and Duke.

“It’s good to know that we cancompete with other students in thenation,” said Juarez who is a GatesMillennium and will be attending CalTech in the fall. “A lot of schools rec-ognize the IB program and know thatas an IB student I am able to handlethe curriculum along with regularschool.”

“The IB program prepares you forcollege and introduces you to a groupof unique teachers. It makes you feellike you are in college” said Bell,who will head to New York to studyat Columbia University. Bell is stilldeciding on his major but is consid-ering the engineering field.

El Dorado Head CounselorMarshall Ponce said in addition to theIvy League offers, students were alsoadmitted to Tier 1 schools such asStanford, Rice, Wellesley, Duke,M.I.T., Boston University, CarnegieMellon, California Institute for Tech-nology and Penn State.

“This program encourages ElDorado students along with studentsfrom across the world to become

By Irma FloresSpecial to the Courier

See LEARNING, Page 6

May 29, 2008 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Public NoticeCanutillo ISD Announces Summer Meal ProgramCanutillo Independent School District announces the sponsorship of the summer foodservice program. Meals will be provided at all campuses/locations as listed below.

Meals will be provided as follows: Breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Morning Snackfrom 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Afternoon Snackfrom 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Meals are free to all children ages one to eighteen years of age.Handicapped may be twenty-one. Adults may purchase meals ala carte.

CAMPUS ADDRESS/PHONE DATES

• Canutillo High School 6675 South Dessert / 877-7822 June 9- Aug. 14, 2008• Canutillo Middle School 7311 Bosque Road / 877-7922 June 9-July 3, 2008• Alderete Middle School 801 Talbot Road / 877-6622 June 9-July 3, 2008• Canutillo ES 651 Canutillo Avenue / 877-7622 June 9-July 3, 2008• Deanna Davenport ES 8401 Remington Road / 886-6422 June 9-July 3, 2008• Gonzalo & Sofia Garcia ES 6550 Westside Road / 877-1222 June 9-July 3, 2008• CISD Test Kitchen 7965 Artcraft Road / 877-7443 June 9-Aug. 14, 2008

Canutillo Independent School District Food Service Meal Programs do not discriminateon the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. Anyone who believes thatthey have been discriminated against should write immediately to: USDA, Director, Officeof Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or call(800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY) USDA is an equal opportunity provider andemployer.WTCC: 05/29/08

School nurses go beyond the cutsand scrapes that come from the play-ground. They are child health care ad-vocates and promoters of overall wellbeing for students and staff. As thenation celebrates School Nurses Dayon May 7, Vista del Sol School NurseRamona Garcia will have an addi-tional recognition as Region 19School Nurse of the Year. Garcia whohas been with the District since 2001works with a student body of 650plus students ranging from 4 to 12years old. In addition to her dutieswith children, Ramona also workswith staff and faculty promotinghealthy lifestyles. She has coordi-nated first aid and CPR classes at herschool and provides classes for Dis-trict personnel such as coaches, andphysical education and fine art teach-ers. Garcia was recognized at theTexas School Nurses Conferenceheld on April 26.

“It’s always an honor to be con-sidered and when I was told, I wasshocked,” said Garcia who has beenin the nursing field for 27 years. “Itmeans a lot to me to representSocorro ISD. “

“Ramona is an exceptional asset toVista Del Sol, and Socorro ISDHealth Services. She is totally dedi-cated to the health and well-being ofthe children and her fellow workers,”said Sandra Beckford, RN, BSN,CSN, Socorro ISD School NurseCoordinator. “She is always willingto listen to any child, parent teacheror co-worker. Many seek her out formedical and moral support. Ramonais the first Socorro ISD School Nurseto receive this honor.”

In addition to setting up health fairsand blood drives at Vista del Sol El-ementary for the past four years,Ramona, as a member of the LowerValley School Nurses Association,assists in organizing and promotingthe Family Fun Walk. She is also apart of the Vista Del Sol SpecialOlympics Booster Club where sheprovides first aid for the District’sSpecial Needs students. Her commit-ment to health goes beyond theschool campus.

“”The students get a feel for thereward of helping others,” saidGarcia who also participates in theschool’s literacy night. “

“The multiple roles of schoolnurses and the many services theyprovide makes them a valuableschool and community resource. Ev-ery day school nurses like Ramonasupport the physical, mental, emo-

tional and social health of our stu-dents. We are proud of her work withstudents and faculty at Vista Del Soland for her impact in this commu-nity,” said SISD Superintendent Dr.Sylvia P. Atkinson.

“As a school nurse, Ramona im-pacts the lives of students by helpingthem to meet their health care needsand helps create an optimal learningenvironment,” said SISD BoardPresident Charles E. Garcia.

National School Nurse Day is atime to celebrate the nursing profes-sion and the specialty of school nurs-ing. On May 7, 2008, the NationalAssociation of School Nurses(NASN) will recognize the contribu-tions that school nurses have madeover the past year. NASN improvesthe health and educational success ofchildren and youth by developing andproviding leadership to advanceschool nursing practice. School nurs-ing is recognized as a specializedpractice that advances the well-being,academic success, and life-longachievement of students. NationalSchool Nurse Day falls on theWednesday during National NursesWeek, May 6 through 12, ending onthe birthday of Florence Nightingale,the founder of nursing. School nurseshelp identify and remove or minimizehealth related barriers to student suc-cess. To this end, over 50,000 schoolnurses across the country promotehealth and safety; intervene with ac-tual and potential health problems;provide case management services;and actively collaborate with othersto build student/family capacity foradaptation, self management, self ad-vocacy, and learning.

Vista Del Sol nurse named as Region 19 School Nurse of the YearBy Irma Flores

Special to the Courier

— Photo by Stacy Kendrick / SISD

WEIGHING IN — Nurse Ramona Garcia puts Vista de Sol student Austin Bjorgo on the scale.

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER May 29, 2008

Classified Ads

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

CLASSIFIED AD FORM15 words - $5 per week; 35 words - $10 per week

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Please print.Send form andpayment (no cash) to:

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Deadline: Mondays

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Name: ________________________

Phone: ________________________

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

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2008

35YEARS

Now be honest, did any of you really be-lieve Stefon Jackson would be playing in theNBA next season?

To the relief of the UTEP coaching staff,teammates and Miners fans everywhere, Jack-son announced last week that he was givingup his quest to be selected in the NBA draftand was returning for his senior season in ElPaso.

DJ, as he is called by almost everyone, has

put the NBA and a few other highly-publicizedlegal problems behind him. Now his focus canbe put squarely on the kind of season the Min-ers can have in 2008-09.

First of all, there is no question that Jacksonmade the right decision. As coach Tony Barbeetold me at the end of the season that there wereway too many quality underclassmen declar-ing for the draft.

Stefon was an itty bitty fish in a Don HaskinsCenter-sized pond. But now the 6-5 senior willstick out like never before.

Jackson will be on all the preseason watchlists. The only person in the country returningnext season who scored more points thanStefon Jackson is Davidson’s Stephen Curry.

This is a chance for Jackson to improvethe facets of his game that must get better ifhe is going to get a serious shot at the nextlevel.

Jackson has to work on his ball handling,his outside shooting and his defense. Now he’sgot a whole season to prove his worth.

That is better for Stefon Jackson and that isbetter for the UTEP Miners.

Another thing that will make the Miners bet-ter is the recent trip to China by Claude Brittenand Julyan Stone.

The chance for those two players to makethat trip can only help mature them, both onthe basketball court and as human beings.

One of the things Jackson always said he’dlook forward to if he came back for his seniorseason was to lead the very talented group ofplayers Barbee was assembling at UTEP.

Along with Britten and Stone, returning play-ers like Randy Culpepper, Tavaris Watts,Gabriel McCulley and Wayne Portalatin, givethe Miners some veterans they’ve sorelymissed in recent years.

But just like prior to last season, UTEP fanscan’t wait to see how good the new playersare, like Arnett Moultrie (6’11"), Jason Jones(6’6"), Blaise French (6’1") and Kareem Coo-per (6’11").

The Miners won 19 games last season. Notbad, but it looks like Barbee has the chance toposition his team for a run at the NCAA Tour-nament next year.

No — I’m not kidding.Think of it, UTEP didn’t have very many

offensive weapons last season and still wentout and won 19 games. Stefon Jackson shouldaverage 20-25 points a game and you knowCulpepper will average at least 15.

The biggest improvement for this team willbe at point guard and big guys under the basket.

Barbee is starting to create his program inthe image of John Calipari and the MemphisTigers, and from what I’ve seen the last fewyears — that’s not a bad thing.

Look for the Miners to give Memphis a se-rious run for the C-USA title next season. Whilethe Miners keep adding quality players, Mem-phis keeps losing them.

And the biggest addition for next season’sMiners basketball team is a player they’revery familiar and comfortable with —Stefon Jackson.

MLB goes JapaneseOver the years, a whole bunch of American

products, attitude and culture have beenshipped overseas.

There’s no doubt that American culture hasmade its way around the world, some of it good,some of it not so good.

One of the not-so-good aspects of Americanlife has now found its way to Japan. The base-ball drug culture has reared its ugly head inthe Far East.

Former major leaguer Luis Gonzalez wassuspended for one year by Japanese baseballfor failing a drug test.

And for the record, this is not former starLuis “Gonzo” Gonzalez, this is a watered-downversion.

Gonzalez, who is an infielder with theYomiuri Giants, once played with the Colo-rado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants. Hetested positive for amphetamines.

Shockingly, when first questioned about thepossibility of drug use, Gonzalez denied he’dever used anything illegal. That sounds awfullyfamiliar.

This is a very sad commentary on the gameof baseball.

And it’s embarrassing that America’s nega-tive influence has to be exported to Japan.

Why couldn’t we export something else —like gangster rap, soy burgers or RosieO’Donnell?

Jackson decides to finish basketball career at UTEP

LEGALS

SOCORROINDEPENDENT

SCHOOLDISTRICT

Invitation toBid/Respond:

Sealed bids/pro-posals/CSP to fur-nish the District withthe following prod-ucts and/or ser-vices will be ac-cepted at the fol-lowing times:

THURSDAYJUNE 5,

2008

BULLYINGPREVENTION

PROGRAMRFP NO.

199-0605-8081ACCEPTED

UNTIL2:30 P.M.

UNDERWRITERSERVICESRFQ NO.

199-0605-8082ACCEPTED

UNTIL3:00 P.M.

Proposals will bereceived at Busi-ness ServicesDept., 12440 RojasDrive, El Paso,Texas 79928 untilthe specified times.Detailed specifica-tions are availablefrom the above of-fice between 8 a.m.and 4 p.m. Mon-days through Fri-days.

Proposals are alsoavailable at theDistrict’s website:www.sisd.netWTCC-05/22/08________________________

EDUCATION

JUMP START yourchild’s education.C E R T I F I E DTEACHERS for tu-toring. Call Eddie,526-1739, orMaribel, 525-9656.________________________

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Out of school? Outof money? Needwork? P/T, F/T andsummer positionsavailable. Call us!Ages 16 and up.

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PERSONAL

Devotion toSaint Jude

May the SacredHeart of Jesus bepraised, adored,loved and pre-served and glorifiedthroughout theworld now and for-ever. Sacred Heartof Jesus, pray forus. St. Jude,worker of miraclespray for us. St.Jude Helper of theHopeless, pray forus. Praise to youLord, Jesus Christfor the help of yourservant, St. Jude inlistening to myprayers. Thank youSt. Jude for prayersansered.

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• Electric rooterservice for sewers

and drains• Applianceinstallation

• Many otherplumbing servicesLicensed, bonded

and insured foryour protection.

West Texas County Courier852-3235

— Photo by Stacy Kendrick / SISD

GETTING AHEAD — El Dorado seniors, from left, Daniel Bell, Jessica Wooten, with IBcoordinator Lizett Shaw, Theresa Juarez and Julio Reyes participate in an acceleratedlearning program that helps them go to top tier colleges.

active, compassionate and lifelong learners,” said SISD Su-perintendent Dr. Sylvia P. Atkinson.

The Diploma Program, which is widely recognized by theworld’s leading universities and geared for students aged 16to 19, is a demanding two-year curriculum leading to final

examinations and a qualification that is welcomed by leading universities around the world.The IB offers a continuum of high-quality education that encourages international-mindednessand a positive attitude to learning. The curriculum represents the best from many differentcountries rather than the exported national system of any one.

Through the IB program students develop a community awareness and concern as well asdevelop a sense of responsibility. At El Dorado along with a rigorous course work, studentsare encouraged to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work.

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caringyoung people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through interculturalunderstanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governmentsand international organizations to develop challenging programs of international educationand rigorous assessment.

LearningFrom Page 4______________________

May 29, 2008 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

By Don FloodSpeaking for baby boomers —

which I am entitled to do as the Of-ficial Generational Spokesperson— I think we can all admit we’re alittle disappointed the 21st centurydidn’t turn out to be like “TheJetsons.”

I don’t need a jet pack, but it surewould be nice to have the Jetsons’robotic maid.

Instead, we get robotic squirrels.No thanks, I can hide my own nutsfor the winter.

According to a CNN.com ar-ticle, the professors at HempshireCollege in Massachusetts have cre-ated a robotic squirrel, which is setup near real squirrels and made tomove and emit squirrel noises byway of what I’m sure is a verynatural-looking cord attached tothe researchers’ laptop computer.

The scientists are hoping the ro-botic squirrel will help them, as thearticle says, “decode squirrels’communications techniques, socialcues and survival instincts.”

Researchers, let me save yousome time here: the survival in-stinct of squirrels is not good.

Either that or they are seriouslydepressed. Yes, I know they lookhappy, but I’m afraid it’s anothertragic example of the “tears of therodent clown.”

In my neighborhood, they sit bythe side of the road, patiently wait-ing for a car so they can launch adesperate kamikaze attack. I’vebagged more than a few myself.

So hopefully the robotic ver-sions will be able to shed morelight on the inner life of real

Spare the robotsquirrels — passme a hazel

squirrels.Here’s one tantalizing tidbit. A

squirrel, thinking it was talkingto a new-found friend, opened upto the robotic squirrel about itsfeelings:

“They always talk about the ‘ratrace’ like they’re the only ones thatget anxious and depressed abouttheir career paths. But the job out-look for all rodents is pretty muchthe same. And that’s basically whatwe are — rats with furry tails.Some days I get so tired I — wait,how come you’ve got that longcord coming out your butt that’shooked up to that laptop overthere…”

(At this point, it’s believed thesquirrel figured out his “friend”was actually a robot and scam-pered away, hopefully not towarda major highway.)

If nothing else, perhaps we canuse robotic squirrels to educate realsquirrels about pedestrian safety.

These lessons, of course, mustbe adapted for squirrels, which aregenerally not considered for theAdvanced Placement classes of theanimal world. For humans — well,most humans anyway — it’senough to say, “Look both waysbefore crossing the street.”

Not so with squirrels. Squirrelsusually do look both ways, but theydon’t take the next step in logic:“Oh, I see a car coming. I betternot cross.”

Instead your average squirrelsays, “Here comes a car. I bettercross now! But maybe not thewhole way. I’ll just stop here in themiddle! Or maybe I should goback! Or maybe not! If only I couldremember what Mom told me justbefore she was run over!”

Splat!And when that happens, there’s

no robotic maid to clean up themess.______________________________________________________(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

dflood287@comcast.net

HOG WASHACROSS

1 Off-the-wall 6 Ukrainian city 11 Peepers, to Pope 15 Arrange type 18 Repeated 20 French spa 21 Rain heavily 22 Gob 23 Start of a remark 25 Earmark 27 Asian holiday 28 Annual award? 29 Shake _ (hurry) 30 Hurries 31 Depraved 33 Pile up 36 Squirrel’s stash 38 Snake-charmer’screw 41 Outcast 43 Globule 44 Riyadh religion 45 Damone or Dana 46 Part 2 of remark 51 Neighbor of Fla. 52 Rice dish 55 Waikiki wing-ding 56 Salute for Caesar 57 Unaware 59 Wee serving 61 Poe crow 63 Ain’t right? 64 Type of cabbage 66 Part of NB 67 High-rise building? 69 Part 3 of remark

70 Know-it-all 73 Semester 74 Prickly plant 75 Hellman’s “TheLittle _” 76 Marsh sight 78 It should besquare 79 Put an end to 83 Carnival site 84 Dentist’s directive 86 “The _ Kid” (’84film) 87 Meyers of “Kate &Allie” 89 Part 4 of remark 94 Corn portion 95 Broadcast in July 97 Bates or Rickman 98 Cheerless100 One of theWaughs101 Elegant104 _ terrier105 Salchow kin106 Sludge107 Bloomsbury buggy109 Bookstore section112 Actress Cassidy115 Managers117 End of remark121 Be human122 MD’s area123 Riser’s relative124 Home on therange?125 “So there!”126 Man, for one

127 At daybreak128 Gushes

DOWN 1 “MissLonelyhearts” writer 2 Dull pain 3 Atkins or Huntley 4 Holyfield stats 5 “Definitely!” 6 He’s abominable 7 Rara _ 8 One-dimensional 9 Label 10 Whichever 11 Iridescent stones 12 Hamlet or HermanMunster 13 Where to spendleva 14 Smash letters 15 Flight segment 16 Consumed 17 Lock 19 Name of a Day 24 “My Gal _” (1905tune) 26 Butcher-shopdisplay 29 ’75 Wimbledonwinner 31 Age 32 Garlic hater 34 Bad start 35 Contented sigh 37 _ d’Alene, ID 38 Spy org. 39 ’52 Winter

Olympics site 40 Spill the beans 41 Navigate 42 Bill of Rights grp. 43 _ major 45 Like some leaves 47 Chew out 48 Sheltered spot 49 Happening 50 Russo of “GetShorty” 53 Maintain 54 Beset 58 Delibes opera 59 “Rusalka”composer 60 Ely or Darling 62 Disconcert 65 “Stroker _” (’83film) 67 Get cracking 68 It’s kept in a quiver 69 Bikini part 70 Opposite 71 Way out 72 Merit 73 Hatcher of “Lois &Clark” 74 Crooked 75 Raid 77 Adz and awl 78 Chow _ 80 Actor Parley 81 Viscount’s better 82 Cart 85 Nursery items 88 Hotel 90 Desert refuges

91 Dutch town 92 _ Lanka 93 “_ the fields wego…” 96 Smoked delicacy 99 Response100 Be101 Sheep sheds102 “M” man103 Blue hue104 Social group105 Sternward108 TV’s “_ People”110 Barbecue fuel111 The _ 500112 Mature113 From the top114 Gets by (with“out”)116 Mai _117 Ideologue’s suffix118 Singer’s syllable119 Cock and bull120 Dem.’s opponent

Answer Page 6

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER May 29, 2008

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

Answer Page 6

To Advertise Call 852-3235

were recognized during the banquetceremonies. Ricardo Estrada, Super-intendent, presented each with plaqueand a check for $1,000. The CampusTeachers of the Year are: Chris Gee,Clint High School; Hilda Ulloa,Mountain View High School; RosieRodriguez, Clint Junior High School;

Barbara Fourzan, East MontanaMiddle School; Juan Amador, Ho-rizon High School; Gilbert Molina,Horizon Middle School; AshleyBroadway, C. T. Welch Intermedi-ate; Beatriz Darancou, W.D.Surratt Elementary; LorenaSublasky, Montana Vista Elemen-tary; Brenda Valles, Desert HillsElementary; Maria Sanchez, RedSands Elementary; Lucy Delacruz,Frank Macias Elementary; andEfren Tarango, DAEP.

Clint ISDFrom Page 1______________________

Q: I’ve been getting Social Securitydisability benefits for a few yearsnow. I’m scheduled for a medical re-view next month. What should I ex-pect?

A: As a part of your medical review,you will be asked to provide infor-mation about your medical treatmentand any changes in your medical con-dition, as well as information on anywork you may have done. Then ateam consisting of a disability exam-iner and a doctor will review your fileand request your medical reports.You might be asked to have a specialexamination, which Social Securitywill pay for. When the review is com-plete, Social Security will send youa letter telling you whether you stillqualify to continue receiving disabil-ity benefits. If the decision is madeto discontinue benefits, you have theright to appeal that decision. Formore information, visitwww.socialsecurity.gov or call ustoll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Q: I’m 43 years old, unemployed anddisabled. I’d like to apply for Supple-mental Security Income (SSI). Whatdocuments or other things do I needto apply for SSI?

A: Each case is different, so what youneed may depend on your situation.Generally, you will need to provideyour:• Social Security number;• Birth certificate or other proof ofage;• Housing information, such as a rentreceipt or lease and landlord’s name;• Names, addresses and phone num-bers of doctors, hospitals and clinicsthat treated you; and• Proof of U.S. citizenship or non-citizen status.

These items will help us process yourcase faster and more efficiently. We’llalso need information on your medi-cal condition and treatment, past andcurrent work, income and financialresources. For more information,visit www.socialsecurity.gov or callus toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY1-800-325-0778).

Q: I’ll turn 65 years old later thisyear. When should I apply for myMedicare card?

A: Generally, we advise people to filefor Medicare benefits 3 months be-fore age 65. If you are already receiv-ing Social Security, you will auto-matically be enrolled in MedicareParts A and B without an additionalapplication. However, because youmust pay a premium for Part B cov-erage, you have the option of turn-ing it down. You will receive a Medi-care card about two months beforeage 65.If you would like to file for Medi-care only, you can apply by calling1-800-772-1213. Our representativesthere can make an appointment foryou at any convenient Social Secu-rity office and advise you what tobring with you. To learn more aboutthe Medicare program, read our elec-tronic publication atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10043.html or call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).______________________________________________________For more information on any of thequestions listed above, visit ourwebsite at www.socialsecurity.gov orcall us at 1-800-772-1213. If youhave any questions that you wouldlike to have answered, please mailthem to the Social Security Office,11111 Gateway West, Attn: Ray Vigil,El Paso, Texas 79935.