S-T Elementary Christmas Program Honors Jackie Smith

The fourth and fifth grade classes perform "A Penguin Christmas." Click here for more Christmas Program photos.

The Skidmore-Tynan Elementary presented its annual Christmas program titled "Christmas Fun" Thursday, December 20, 2007, at the schools cafetorium.

The program, directed by Mrs. Rita Burgess, began with the Kindergarten and First Grade classes' performance of Jingle Bells, He'll be Coming Down the Chimney Tonight, and The Christmas Sock Rock.

The 2nd and 3rd Grade classes performed the Frosty Hand Jive, The Big Red Guy – with speakers Mikayla Barnett, Fedrico Flores, Acelene Herzog, Cullen Hughes and Dylan Scott, and Dear Santa – with soloists Kennon Wishert, Sarah McFall, Randi Pace, Michelle Flores, Wyatt Daughtry, and Derek Rodriguez.

The grand finale, A Penguin Christmas, was performed by the 4th and 5th Grade classes, featuring Sal Soto as Santa, and Cassandra Soto as Mrs. Claus. Playing the role of elves were Melanie Martinez, Brandon Loya, Kati Stroman, and Cody Leonard. Santa's reindeer were played by Gabby Gonzalez, Alexis Gonzales, David Reyna, and Seth Martin. The penguins (costumed hilariously in black "Glad" bags) were Sydney Baker, Joshua Lopez, Courtney Cortez, Maribel Martinez, Destiny Gutierrez, Rebekah Colle, Skyelar Shanklin, Carmen Murillo, Amber Gutierrez, and Adriana Arredondo. Special performances included Michael Huerta as the director, Isabel Jimenez as his assistant, cameraman Nicholas Avila, and lights by Alex Rocha.

This year's program was dedicated to former S-T ISD employee Mrs. Jackie Smith. Mrs. Smith was born in West Texas and graduated from Alice High School. She married Butch Smith and settled in Skidmore, where she spent nearly 20 years working for Skidmore-Tynan ISD. During this time, she served the district as a bus driver, P.E. coach's assistant, classroom assistant, and librarian's assistant. The Smith's children, Tommy and Sammie, graduated from Skidmore-Tynan High School, so Jackie spent many years involved in football, band, 4-H and rodeo activities. Mrs. Smith retired in 2006 due to health reasons. S-T ISD staff and students are grateful for her many years of service to our district.

Bobcat Seniors Named to Caller-Times All South Texas Team

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times tagged S-T senior Cory Markham as their All South Texas Football First Team defensive linebacker. Clint Isaacks earned a spot on the All South Texas Offensive Second Team as a wide receiver. Bobcat QB Darby House and defensive lineman Noel Solis each claimed spots on the All South Texas Third Team. Read more: Caller-Times All-South Texas Football Team

Ladycats Beat Three Rivers, Improve to 3 - 0 in District

Courtney Vandever pressures a Lady Bulldog. Photo courtesy of Arthur Robinson. See more Ladycat basketball photos at Rob's Digital Photography.

S-T Ladycats 59 - Three Rivers 52 

Player             BLK RBD AST STL FGM-A FTM-A TPT  
Alexis Schmidt      2   8   2   1   5-12  8-11  19  
Rachel Mengers      1   7   2   1   6-13  4-6   16  
Ashley Scott        -   7   3   3   4-13  0-1   8  
Courtney Vandever   1   3   4   -   1-3   5-6   7  
Devon Wilder        -   4   3   4   2-8   1-6   6   
Sagan Gabbert       -   2   -   -   0-1   3-4   3  
Alex Gonzalez       -   3   -   -   0-3   0-1   -  
Totals              4   34  14  9  18-53 22-35  59 

Three Pointers: Alexis Schmidt 1
                                        
Scoring By Quarters     1   2   3   4   Final                    
Three Rivers            11  22   8  11  52                  
Skidmore-Tynan          14  13  15  17  59                   

Ladycat Season Record: 13 - 4, District 3 - 0

Stat Key: BLK (Block) RBD (Rebound) AST (Assist)
STL (Steal) FGM-A (Field Goal Made-Attempt)
FTM-A (Free Throw Made-Attempt) TPT (Total Points)

S-T Drama Department Performs Comic Murder Mystery

Cast members of "No Body to Murder" take a curtain call.

The S-T Drama Department pulled in a full house Sunday, December 16th, as they presented the 2007 Skidmore-Tynan High School Fall Production, No Body to Murder. This was the second performance of the comic murder mystery by the S-T Drama Club in the last few years and we were happy to see Coleman Mengers reprise his roll as "Bernard," the not very good mime. Other notable performances included Stephanie Leal as the alleged murder victim, Robert Brown as the alleged police inspector, and Rachel Mengers and Lyndsi Pace as two flighty hotel maids.

The full cast of No Body to Murder included Miranda Bohac as Mrs. McGarragher, Cody Coker as Magee, Lyndsi Pace as Nina, Rachel Mengers as Nancy, Cody Chambers as Dirk, Will Stridde as Garth, John Arrisola as Dr. McCandlish, Adam Perez as Dr. McCracken, Travis Weaver as Dr. Carron, Liz Torres as Countess de Mir, Stephanie Leal as Billie Body, Bobby Henshall as Colonel Muckel, Robert Villafuerte as Mel Mook, Whitney Bohac as Miss Hibdon-Brown, Jamie Bomer as Miss Van Brune, Coleman Mengers as Bernard, Jessica Cochran as Cecily, Tyra Keener as Hilda the Hairdresser, and Robert Brown as Inspector Black.

Supporting the cast were Stage Manager Jessica Hall, Sound Technician Trevor Dragon, and Crew Member Beth Gonzalez. The play was directed by Ms. Pamela Keeton.

Click here to view photos from No Body to Murder at Shutterfly.com

Bobcat Athletes Recognized by Bay Area Sports

Cory Markham accepts the Defensive MVP award. Photo courtesy of Ora Shelton.

Congratulations to the following Bobcat football players who received special recognition at Saturday's All Bay Area awards dinner:

Cory Markham, All Bay Area Career Defensive MVP
Noel Solis, All Bay Area Defensive Tackle

Clint Isaacks, 2A All Bay Area Wide Receiver
Richard Torres, 2A All Bay Area Wide Receiver
Eric Boggess, 2A All Bay Area Defensive Back
Quint Butler, 2A All Bay Area Defensive End

Submitted by Adam Arroyo, Athletic Director/Head Football Coach, Skidmore-Tynan ISD

Markham Football MVP, Gonzales Newcomer of the Year

The following Skidmore-Tynan student athletes were chosen to the 31-AA All-District football team. The players, along with coach Adam Arroyo and staff, received special recognition at the December 10, School Board meeting.

Defensive MVP: Cory Markham
Newcomer of the Year: Alex Gonzales

All-District 1st Team

---

Cory Markham, Running Back
David Flores, Specialist
Clint Isaacks, Wide Receiver, Defensive Secondary
Quint Butler, Defensive End
Noel Solis, Defensive Line
Cody Chambers, Inside Linebacker
Eric Boggess, Defensive Secondary

All-District 2nd Team

---

Darby House, Quarterback, Secondary
Richard Torres, Wide Receiver
Jonathan Murphey, Center
Quint Butler, Offensive Line
Jacob Perez, Offensive Line
Jose Lopez, Defensive Line
Ricky Gutierrez, Outside Linebacker

All-District Honorable Mention

---

David Flores, Running Back
Richard Torres, Outside Linebacker
Coleman Mengers, Tight End, Defensive End
CJ Schindler, Offensive Line
Matt Hernandez, Offensive Line
Joe Rey Gonzales, Defensive Line
Mark Salinas, Defensive Line
Zach Hall, Defensive Secondary

Four Named to All-State Academic Football Team

Congratulations to the following Skidmore-Tynan student athletes named to the Class 2A Academic All-State Football team:

Cory Markham, Second Team
Joshua Petrus, Second Team
CJ Schindler, Second Team
Darby House, Honorable Mention

Elementary Students Excel in UIL Competition

3rd Grader, Grace Calvert, was one of many elementary UIL winners recognized at December's School Board meeting.

Congratulations to the following Skidmore-Tynan elementary students who placed in recent UIL competition.

Storytelling - 2nd Grade
3rd Place Kennon Wishert
5th Place McKayla Rocha

Ready Writing - 3rd Grade
6th Place Jette Polasek

Storytelling - 3rd Grade
2nd Place Cullen Hughes
4th Place Cassie Reyna

Spelling - 3rd Grade
6th Place Grace Calvert

Music Memory - 3rd Grade
2nd Place Grace Calvert
6th Place Jette Polasek

Spelling - 4th Grade
4th Place Nicholas Wagner

Number Sense - 4th Grade
1st Place Melanie Martinez

Art Memory - 4th Grade
3rd Place Melanie Martinez
6th Place Juan Luna

Music Memory - 4th Grade
4th Place Katie Stroman

Listening - 5th Grade
1st Place Tony Olivares
5th Place Rebekah Colle

Spelling - 5th Grade
4th Place Simon Perez

Art - 5th Grade
1st Place Michael Huerta
2nd Place Alex Rocha
3rd Place (tie) David Reyna & Kyle Gabbert
5th Place Victoria Herrada

Dictionary Skills - 5th Grade
4th Place Tony Olivares

Map, Graphs, and Charts - 5th Grade
1st Place Sal Soto
4th Place David Reyna

Historical Society Enjoys Annual Christmas Dinner

Historical Society members; Keith Petrus, Alma Gonzales, Delia Arismendez, Carol Dubois, Edwin & Jessie May Wallek, and Barbara & Dick Segelkin.

The Skidmore Historical Society broke with tradition this year and held its annual Christmas party at Shorty's restaurant in Beeville. In previous years, Mrs. Betty Strong served as hostess for the event at Papa's Market. With Papa's undergoing extensive renovations, the group opted to play it safe and opt for a temporary change of venue.

Sign Up Now for S-T Alumni Basketball Game

The Skidmore-Tynan Athletic Department will be hosting the 2nd Annual Alumni Basketball Game on Friday January 4, 2008. All Alumni who played Varsity Basketball at Skidmore-Tynan High School are eligible to participate in this game.

If you are interested in playing, please call one of the coaches below.

For boys, call Coach Frank Barrera at 361 287-3426 ext 3018.
For girls, call Coach Joseph L Grimes III at 361 287-3426 ext 3017.
You can also call Coach Adam Arroyo at 361 287-3426 ext 3019.

The girls Alumni game will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the boys Alumni game at 8:00 p.m.

Mengers All-District in Cross Country

Congratulations to Rachel Mengers who was named to the All-District Cross Country running team. Rachel recently represented Skidmore-Tynan at the Regional Cross Country meet and is the daughter of Tryne and Senecia Mengers. - Photo courtesy of Raymond Chaney, S-T ISD.

S-T Students Contribute to "Share Your Christmas" Food Drive

Skidmore-Tynan High School participated in the “KIII Share Your Christmas Food Drive” winning the “Out of Town” division for the second year in a row. The Food Drive was kicked off Friday, November 2 with canned good donations being accepted for admittance into the Friday night Football game against Bloomington. Student Council members helped collect cans at the gate with almost a thousand pounds of food being collected.

Donations of canned goods and money continued throughout the month of November in each 2nd period class. A weekly competition was held to see which class could collect the most food and money.

According to the Food Drive rules each $1 is equal to 5 pounds of food. All classes participated with the top class bringing over 100 pounds of food per student. Students cleaned out their change from their cars, purses, backpacks and pockets donating all they could to a worthy cause. When all donations were totaled, Skidmore-Tynan High School donated 6322 pounds of food to the local Food Banks of South Texas.

Senior Student Council members: Cory Markham, Coleman Mengers, Liz Torres, and C.J. Schindler traveled to the Aransas Pass HEB last Friday for the “Share Your Christmas” live broadcast and were interviewed by Mr. Bill Vessey. Several student Council members will represent Skidmore-Tynan High School and be honored along with other winners on the Channel 3 newscast. Submitted by Mary Mengers, Student Council Sponsor

Ladycats 2 - 0 in District with Defeat of Refugio and Taft

S-T Ladycats 53 - Taft 38 

Player             BLK RBD AST STL FGM-A FTM-A TPT  
Alexis Schmidt      4   18  4   1   3-17  4-7   20 
Ashley Scott        -   3   2   3   4-7   4-8   13
Rachel Mengers      -   9   1   2   6-12  1-5   13  
Sagan Gabbert       1   2   -   -   2-3   ---   4  
Stacy Moreno        -   1   -   -   1-2   ---   2  
Courtney Vandever   -   3   1   3   0-1   1-2   1 
Devon Wilder        1   5   2   2   0-7   ---   -   
Alex Gonzalez       -   -   1   1   0-4   ---   -  
Totals              6   41  11  12 21-53 10-22  53 

Three Pointers: Ashley Scott 1 

JV Score: Refugio 34 - Skidmore-Tynan - 36

Coach Grimes: "In the 4th quarter everything worked great. We broke their press, had advantages at the basket and created easy shots. These girls wanted to end the night 2 – 0 in district and they proved it in the 4th."

S-T Ladycats 52 - Refugio 48 

Player             BLK RBD AST STL FGM-A FTM-A TPT  
Rachel Mengers      1   3   1   2   7-11  0-3   14 
Courtney Vandever   -   2   1   1   4-13  1-1   12 
Devon Wilder        -   6   4   9   4-13  2-5   11  
Alexis Schmidt      2   9   1   -   3-11  4-8   10  
Ashley Scott        -   1   9   2   2-7   1-2   5  
Sagan Gabbert       2   3   -   1   0-2   ---   -  
Alex Gonzalez       -   -   -   -   0-2   ---   -  
Totals              5   24  16  15 20-58  8-19  52 

Three Pointers: Courtney Vandever 3, Devon Wilder 1 

Coach Grimes: "This was a great way to start off the district season. The game was a very tough battle. We created a lot of turnovers in the 4th quarter that resulted in some easy baskets that helped out in this win."

S-T Ladycats 49 - Ingleside 47 

Player             BLK RBD AST STL FGM-A FTM-A TPT  
Alexis Schmidt      2   9   2   -   6-12  4-5   16  
Alex Gonzalez       -   1   1   -   3-6   3-4   9  
Ashley Scott        -   4   2   -   3-7   3-4   9  
Rachel Mengers      -   4   1   -   4-6   ---   8  
Devon Wilder        -   5   -   2   1-6   1-2   4   
Courtney Vandever   -   5   4   1   1-4   0-1   3  
Stacy Moreno        -   2   1   -   ---   ---   -  
Totals              2   30  11  3  18-41 11-16  49 

Three Pointers: Courtney Vandever 1, Devon Wilder 1 

Coach Grimes: "It was great for the girls to come out on top of a tough game. We jumped out on top in the first half and did an awesome job of hanging on at the end."

Stat Key: BLK (Block) RBD (Rebound) AST (Assist)
STL (Steal) FGM-A (Field Goal Made-Attempt)
FTM-A (Free Throw Made-Attempt) TPT (Total Points)

Ladycats Make Top 20 State Poll

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports the Skidmore-Tynan Ladycats are ranked 20th in State according to the TABC high school basketball polls.

S-T ISD Trustees Approve Expansion of School Campus

All-District Football Team members were recognized at Monday's meeting

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of Skidmore-Tynan ISD was held December 10, 2007, in the S-T ISD Event Center Board Room. The meeting opened to a packed house as Trustees recognized students named to the 2007 31-AA All-District Football team. Also recognized were Elementary UIL winners, Lions Club Peace Poster Contest winners, ATSSB Region Honor Band members, and graduating seniors Jesus Salinas and Carlos Ramirez.

Items included on the meeting agenda were:

Consideration and Possible Approval of a Resolution to Finalize the Purchase of Real Estate Described as Lot 1-6, 11 and 12, Block One, College Addition, City of Skidmore, Bee County, Texas, known as Main Street, Skidmore, Texas For Use as School Facilities. Trustees approved the purchase of lots located across main street immediately South of the high school baseball field.

Discussion Concerning Information Provided by the Superintendent Pertaining to Confidential Information and Acknowledgement Form as per Board Update of November 30, 2007(Mr. Salinas). This item was resolved prior to the meeting.

Discussion and Possible Action to Pay Legal Counsel Fees Up to Date (Mr. Olivares). This item was approved.

Consideration and Possible Approval of Board Policy BDD (Local)(Mr. Olivares). Trustees approved revisions to current policy by a 5-1 vote with Trustee Keith Petrus dissenting.

Consideration and Possible Action to Accept the 2006-2007 Fiscal Year Financial Audit. District financial auditors, Lovvorn & Kieschnick, LLP, presented highlights of the annual audit for board approval.

Conduct and/or Review Board Self-Evaluation. Trustees agreed to submit self-evaluation paperwork by Friday, December 14.

Consideration and Possible Action to Amend the Budget to Designate Unreserved Fund Balance for Deferred Items. This item was approved.

Consideration and Possible Action to Approve the Purchase of Dell Computer(s) and a Server for the District through the ESC-2 Multi-Regional Purchasing Cooperative. Trustees approved the purchase of 40 new computers to replace aging machines utilized by the reading/language arts program.

Consideration and Possible Action to Authorize Transfer of Electronic Debits and/or Credits Agreement. Trustees approved this item, allowing the District to electronically transfer funds for the payroll and operating bank accounts.

The next Regular Meeting of the S-T ISD Board of Trustees is scheduled Monday, January 14, 2008, at 6:00 p.m.