Polk County News - Breakout

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Members of the Red Hat Ladies Friendship Group recently sang Christmas carols to residents of The Bradford at Brookside Rehabilitation Center in Livingston, accompanied by Pastor Allen Bramlett of Onalaska First Baptist Church and his wife. The Red Hat Ladies visit the residents annually to deliver handmade Christmas cards and individually wrapped Christmas ornaments. The group, which meets monthly, is made up of ladies from Livingston, Onalaska and Trinity. The Red Hat Society is an international social organization that was founded by Sue Ellen Cooper in 1998 for women 50 and beyond. Photo by Emily Banks Wooten

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From Enterprise Staff

“A Texas Christmas Carol” will be presented Dec. 16-18 at First Methodist Church of Livingston and everyone is invited to come see Scrooge, Tiny Tim and all the beloved characters from Charles Dickens’ perennial Christmas classic live on stage in a brand-new theatrical adaptation set in late 19th century Houston.

The production is being put on by The Performing Arts Society of East Texas which is an extension of the music and performing arts ministry of First Methodist Church of Livingston under the direction of Jonathan Kupper, the church’s director of music and performing arts ministries. Community-wide auditions were held in the fall.

The performances on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the performance on Dec. 18 will begin at 3 p.m. The performances will be at First Methodist Church of Livingston located at 2801 U.S. Hwy. 190 West in Livingston.

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Angelina Rodriguez placed first and Lilly Kate Haynes placed second in a poster contest offered to Livingston High School students in dual credit courses to learn about and celebrate Native American History Month during November. Both students are students in Debra Jenke’s federal government class at Angelina College Polk County Center. (l-r) Rodriguez, Jenke and Haynes. Courtesy photo

From Enterprise Staff

Livingston High School students in dual credit classes learned about Native American Heritage Month during November. The students were able to participate in a poster contest in history, government, English, sociology, Spanish and education classes. Posters were to contain at least five facts about Native American Heritage and at least one graphic.

Faculty within the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Angelina College in Lufkin narrowed the field to six finalists. The Lufkin campus faculty team was facilitated by history instructor Michael Smith (whose mother was one-quarter Choctaw and one-quarter Cherokee), history/government instructor Duane Choate, psychology instructor Benetha Jackson and sociology instructor Sandra Johnson.

Final winners were chosen by Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Council Chairman Ricky Sylestine and his son Joshua Sylestine.

Both winners were students in Social and Behavioral Sciences Department Chair Debra Jenke’s federal government class at Angelina College Polk County Center. First place was awarded to Angelina Rodriguez and second place was awarded to Lilly Kate Haynes.

Rodriguez’ poster was titled “The Vanishing Indian.” She opened her poster with “Native American Heritage month is an opportunity to educate the general public about the unique challenges that native people have faced historically and in the present. The Myth of the Vanishing Indian was a national prophecy pursued by the federal government throughout the nineteenth century. It was aligned with the belief that American territorial expansion by white settlers was inevitable and preordained by God.”

Haynes focused her poster on the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas; she gave a history on tribe origins and presented a timeline of history from the 1780’s to 1987 (the 1987 Restoration Act giving federal recognition.)

Angelina College faculty and Tribal Council Chair Rick Sylestine and son Joshua Sylestine all remarked that they were very impressed with the works submitted. It was obvious that the students put much time and effort into their study of history and their submitted work.

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By Albert Trevino
Enterprise Staff

The Onalaska Independent School District Board of Trustees set its January meeting date and continued action for the state’s teacher salary-incentive program during the last regular meeting.

The Onalaska School Board cut the meeting for December and set an official date for their next regular meeting on Jan. 23, also in honor of January Board Appreciation Month. The board also approved and submitted and moved its application process to the Texas Incentive Allotment program (TIA), created by the Texas Legislature as part of House Bill 3 to help recruit, retain, and reward effective educators in the classroom at high-needs campuses.

Required documents that were approved included the district’s spending plan, compensation statement and the O.I.S.D. Handbook.

Also during action items, the board approved a property tax bid on Lot 20, Block 6 in the Kickapoo Forest area by 1507 California, LLC. The bid of $900 met the established threshold amount for the district to approve.

During informational reports, the district reportedly received an A-rating with Superior Achievement in the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). The state’s school financial accountability rating system ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices.