The staff and patrons of Ramsey’s Roadhouse have been hard at work in recent weeks, putting together a fundraising effort to help the residents of Fruitvale take a step back to normalcy following the devastating storms of April 29.
Efforts put together by Ramsey’s will come together June 4 with a large-scale event that will include great food, vendors, live music, a bounce house, games and an auction from 2-8 p.m. at 505 N. Fourth St.
Blessings Boxes, which houses a variety of non-perishable food items, toiletries, and other essentials for those in need, are appearing in cities across America. Wills Point is now home to its own located by the west entrance of the Deen Building of Russell Memorial United Methodist Church on the corner of 4th Street and Orville. In March of this year, members of the church discussed the need for a Blessings Box in Wills Point to supplement local food agencies. Local Boy Scout Aiden Nychka, learned of this need and designed one for his Eagle Scout project.
The Wills Point High School Class of 2017 officially turned the page, ending one chapter and beginning another with commencement exercises held at Sunnyvale First Baptist Church May 27.
Led by valedictorian Shelby Nichole Robinson and salutatorian Anna Maria Paredes, the 146-member Class of 2017 marched out to a waiting room filled with family, friends and school faculty members to commemorate the occasion.
Remembering one’s roots and embracing the opportunities of the future were common themes throughout the event as highlighted by speeches from both district faculty and student speakers.
The 150-member WPHS Class of 2017, led by valedictorian Shelby Nichole Robinson and salutatorian Anna Maria Paredes, will make the transition from high school seniors to high school graduates during commencement exercises to be held at Sunnyvale First Baptist Church beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 27.
The ceremony is set to include recognition of all graduates, speeches by both the valedictorian and salutatorian, as well as the recipient of this year's Spade Award – Claire Hiler. The Spade Award is annually presented to the highest-ranking junior.
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Theodore Quintana Navy Office of Community Outreach
A 2015 Wills Point High School graduate and Wills Point, Texas native is serving with a U.S. Navy squadron that flies one of the Navy’s most advanced aircraft, one with an important mission: keeping watch over the skies and oceans of the world.
Airman Ryan Batchelor serves with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, also known as the “Bluetails,” which operates out of Norfolk.
Batchelor works as an aircraft survival equipmentman, which is responsible for keeping parachutes, life rafts, personal flight gear, and other aviation gear in proper working condition.
“I like the pressure of my job and its importance towards our mission,” Batchelor said.
The Wills Point ISD capped a months-long process at its May board meeting, finalizing changes to the way the district will calculate GPA and subsequently class rankings moving forward.
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Accountability Barbie McMath initially introduced the item to the public at the March board of trustees meeting, explaining that discussions with administrators at the high school, including the principal and counselors, had led to a series of proposed changes that included simple clarifications to policies already on the books as well as another change limiting the number of weighted classes future graduates could take.
McMath explained that any proposed changes would not affect current seniors (the WPHS Class of 2017) or current juniors.
At the beginning of the May 9 session of the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court, VZC Judge Don Kirkpatrick addressed rumors about the county being bankrupt.
“The rumor started in Smith County that our county is bankrupt,” said Kirkpatrick. “Let me assure you that the county is not bankrupt. The county did not have much money before the recent tornadoes. Anytime you have a disaster, the cost of the cleanup and the appraisal costs are high. The appraisal district will be coming to a commissioners’ court meeting soon and request that we allow them to go out and re-appraise all of the homes that were damaged or destroyed. I can assure you that we are all still working together.”
The Los Angeles Chargers saw their profile climb considerably among Wills Point area football fans last week with news that Dontre Wilson, a former DeSoto High School and Ohio State standout, had signed a contract with the organization May 1.
The son of Don Wilson and Robin Summerfield, a standout athlete in her own right, Wilson grew up in Wills Point before moving to the DeSoto area prior around fifth grade.
“I grew up here. I started here. I lived her until about fifth grade,” explained Wilson. “This is where I first played football for the Wills Point Tigers. My whole family is from here.”
Wilson had to adapt quickly, jumping from a community of less than 4000 people to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Russell Hiler was sworn into office for his first full three-year term during Tuesday night’s WPISD Board of Trustees meeting. Hiler also took the oath of office in 2016, finishing out an unexpired one-year term.
By David Kapitan Staff Writer
The Wills Point ISD Board of Trustees had a busy night May 9, hearing a series of reports on preliminary STAAR results and flooring issues at the high school, making a change to the way the district calculates GPA and class rankings while also welcoming in a familiar face as a new board member.
Following the School Health Advisory Committees annual report, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Accountability Barbie McMath regarding preliminary 5th and 8th grade STAAR reading and math test scores.
McMath explained that fifth grade math and reading scores had increased by 5 percent over last year, and eighth grade math scores had climbed 10 percent while reading scores for the grade went down by 5 percent.
The Wills Point Rotary Club, always among the most active local civic organizations, has announced that it will be hosting a community fish fry event today (May 12) at the Wills Point Community Center with proceeds received going towards East Texas tornado relief efforts.
The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. and include fried catfish, hush puppies, salad, French fries and a drink at a cost of $15 for adults and $10 for kids under 12-years old.
The Wills Point chapter of Rotary Club has served the local community for 76 years with a primary focus of “improving the lives of those in our community. Specifically, we focus on making the lives of the children in our community better.”
