Sunday's Internet Edition, July 20, 2008.
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| U.I.L. students did well.... Van Horn High School U.I.L. students did very well in their outing at Sul Ross this past weekend. Shown with the students are their sponsors. (Photo by Roger McCoy, CCAISD) |
- Van Horn High School’s University Interscholastic League (U.I.L.) students traveled to Sul Ross last Saturday and came home with a boat load of honors.
According to B.O. Buchhorn, a sponsor, “the kids did extremely well, finishing as teams in either 1st or 2nd place.”
Shown below is how our students did at Sul Ross:
Social Studies: Niray Bhakta, 1st Place.
Current Events: Jon Mitchell, 1st Place.
Spelling: Jackie Babb, 2nd Place; Jesus Corrales, 5th Place. Spelling Team: 2nd Place.
Science: Jon Mitchell, 1st Place; Niray Bhakta, 4th Place.
Chemistry: Niray Bhakta, 1st Place; Jon Mitchell, 3rd Place.
Physics: Jon Mitchell, 1st Place. Science Team (comprised of Chemistry & Physics): 2nd Place.
Math: Brandon Brewster, 1st Place; Shari Balcazar, tied for 2nd Place; Sharon Hinojos, tied for 4th Place. Math Team: 1st Place.
Number Sense: Brandon Brewster, 3rd Place; Sharon Hinojos, 4th Place; Niray Bhakta, 5th Place. Number Sense Team: 1st Place.
Calculator: Shari Balcazar, 2nd Place; Sharon Hinojos, 3rd Place; Rebecca Mendias, 6th Place. Calculator Team: 1st Place.
Congratulations to these U.I.L. students.
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
I enjoy all the activities surrounding the Christmas holiday like church programs, parties, parades, not to mention the decorating and gift shopping. We’ll be doing as much buying locally as is possible, and we’ve tried out the new method of on-line shopping this year. Both the above are far better than the El Paso scene. We tried a little of that last Friday and my goodness it was not a happy experience. Larry’s blood pressure went up in no time and we returned home to our peaceful little town with very little on our list checked off.
But much of the busy schedule will be behind us after this weekend. Then comes the publishing of our big Christmas issue of the Advocate next week. After that we can slow down, spend a little more time in the warmth of our home with its smells of Christmas (hopefully Larry will do a little baking!) and truly enjoy the peacefulness of the season and reflect on it’s meaning.
If businesses or individuals would like a Christmas Greeting ad in next week’s paper, please give us a call by Tuesday. We look forward to putting together our 31st Christmas issue. My, my how time flies when you are having fun! I wish I were one of those who wrote down the year’s events in the form of a Christmas letter. I’d have a whole book of precious memories written on paper, instead of just in my head. If I were young and just starting my family I would definitely do that, even if I didn’t send it out as a letter.
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A friend brought in the following. I must admit it has pricked my conscience since reading it. I share it with you - not to prick your conscience necessarily but to make us think a little outside the usual Christmas giving ideas.
A SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE
It’s just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas - oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it - the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma - the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. J As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. I was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended walloping them. We took every weight class. And, as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse.
That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition - one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching astheir take down the envelope.
Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
December 14th - The Clark Hotel Historical Museum Board is slated to meet this evening at 6 p.m. at the Clark Hotel Historical Museum. Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the firehouse.
December 15th - The Van Horn Eagles boys and girls varsity basketball teams compete in the Balmorhea Invitational Tournament today.
December 16th - The Van Horn Eagle boys and girls varsity basketball teams continue play in the Balmorhea Invitational today.
December 17th - Attend the church of your choice.
December 18th - The Van Horn Rotary Club will meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant. The Van Horn Junior High Basketball teams play in Fort Hancock this evening beginning at 5 p.m. The Culberson County-Allamoore ISD board of trustees is scheduled to meet this evening at 6 p.m. at the District Administration Building.
December 19th - The Van Horn Eagle boys varsity basketball team is slated to play Dell City here today. The Van Horn City Council is slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
December 20th - Nothing scheduled at press time.