OurCelina - August 2020

AUGUST 2020 | ourcelina.com

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Letter From The Publishers

CELINA'S FIRST AND ONLY DANCE STUDIO!

August is Back to School month for our Celina Bobcats. School this year may look a little differently; some will be back on campus and some may be starting the year learning virtually. But we are ALL Bobcats, nonetheless. We look forward to getting back on the field and court and watching these next rounds of Bobcats perform the way only Bobcats know how. We are so blessed to be able to share in the lives of our community members and tell the stories through OurCelina. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it all!

Jimmy, Renee, Chase, Colby & Camden

www.OurCelina.com 695 N. PRESTON RD, SUITE #180

P: (469) 989-8415 W: SOFD.DANCE

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Make sure to folllow us on social media to stay up-to-date on all the happenings in Celina

We are proud to be members of the Celina Chamber of Commerce, Preston Trail Rotary Club, Celina Ladies of Influence (CLOI), Celina PTA, Celina Project Graduation and to serve on the Celina Main Street Advisory Board and Celina Parks and Recreation Board.

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AUGUST 2020 VOL 3, Issue 7

CONTENTS

CELINA ISD Letter from Dr. Tom Maglisceau

4

Meet the Publishers

8

City of Celina Information

9

Historic Celina Main Street

12-13

Celina ISD School Zone

Back To School Supply Lists

15

Celina QB Club Golf Tournament

16

Celina FOP Lodge Recognizes Chief Griggs

CELINA FOP LODGE:

17

August Support of Celina PD

Chief Griggs recognized by members of the Celina FOP Lodge.

20

Celina's Young Activists Inspire Peaceful

Protest in Celina

Published By 4CMEDIAGROUP, LLC Editorial & Design Renee Marler Renee@4cMediaGroup.com Production Jimmy Marler James@4cMediaGroup.com Contributing Writers Renee Marler | Ava Miller | Celina FOP

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Contributing Art & Photography 4CMEDIAGROUP Renee Marler | Jimmy Marler Editorial Submissions Please send editorial considerations to Renee@4CMEDIAGROUP.com Advertising Information Contact us at 214.592.7512 or email us at Renee@4CMEDIAGROUP.com

12 CELINA QB CLUB:

15

We share a few photos from the Celina Quarterback Club's Annual Golf Tournament

16 OurCelina 114 N. Ohio, Suite 100, Celina, TX 75009 214.592.7512 | www.OurCelina.com A 4CMEDIAGROUP, LLC Publication Visit our website at www.4CMEDIAGROUP.com

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Join us in congratulating Zachery Loiselle our Chief Building Inspector for achieving the ICC Master The City of Celina applauds Zachery Loiselle for earning the International Code Council’s Master Code Professional (MCP) designation, the highest level of Code Council certification and the "gold standard" for demonstrating proficiency in the building code profession. Zac joins the elite group of Master Code Professionals worldwide whose achievements continue to benefit both the construction profession, as well their communities.

To earn the Code Council MCP designation, a candidate must first pass 10 core ICC exams plus a number of elective Code Council exams. Typical Master Code Professionals hold 17 or more Code Council certifications. The Master Code Professional designation requires certified individuals to complete an additional 60 hours of Continuing Education Units every three years to maintain active status.

“Zac’s achievement of the esteemed Master Code Professional designation will not only accelerate his career, but it will also help the City of Celina advance our Core Values of providing excellent service,” said City of Celina, City Manager, Jason Laumer.

"Our distinguished staff makes us a better city. The city and our Development Services Department will benefit greatly from the expertise, commitment and leadership of Zac." "The Master Code Professional certification is the pinnacle of all ICC certifications, representing a level of effort, knowledge, and dedication that elevates not only the individual achieving it, but the code official profession as a whole," said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO.

On January 16, 2020, City and Collin College Officials broke ground on the new Collin College Campus located in Celina.

Located at 901 Choate Parkway (County Road 88) approximately a half-mile east of Preston Road (SH 289) the campus sits on approximately 75 acres and will provide higher education for northwest Collin County. The campus is expected to serve about 15,000 students when fully constructed.

The first phase of the campus will serve approximately 2,500 students and includes computer and science laboratories, additional classrooms, a library, and a student service center. This phase is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in Fall 2021.

The City of Celina and Collin County are working on multiple infrastructure projects to accommodate the opening of Collin College Celina Campus. Two new roadways and a new sewer line are being constructed to service the Collin College Campus.

Local Celina artist, Bristen Phillips, has been commissioned for a series of murals!

To learn more about the mural project visit www.celina-tx.gov/publicart

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Enjoy a free movie at the Park on August 15th! Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the back-to-school themed night. The new dance studio in Celina, Steps of Faith, will be there to perform some grease inspired numbers at 8:10pm and the fan-favorite, Grease (PG) will begin at 8:30pm. Pick up your dinner to-go from a downtown restaurant and bring it with you! **Movie NIght is temporarily located at the Old Celina Park during an improvement project on the square, future movies will be back in Downtown on the newly installed turf!**

Thanks for the kind welcome, Celina.

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Celina Independent School District

SCHOOL ZONE From The Desk of Dr. Tom Maglisceau Dear Bobcat Parents, The fall of every school year is a time of new beginnings, new friendships, new growth, and new opportunities. This year, though, it feels even more special to say, “Welcome back!” We have missed our kids, we have missed our families, and we are eager to get back to learning.

The City of Celina’s motto is, “Life Connected,” which serves to celebrate the personal connections and infrastructures that have established the identity of our community. Strong schools and strong communities are often mutually inclusive, and it is with a nod to our great partnership with the city that Celina ISD has adopted “Celina Connected” for this year’s theme. We are eager to enhance the connections that are so important to the success of our kids. True connection is about genuine human interaction and a commitment to mutual understanding, empathetic relationships, and protecting our common interests. In short, true connection is about taking care of one another. Perhaps like no other year in our lifetimes, we need this genuine human connection to ensure that a health crisis does not become a generational education crisis.

As we partner with our families for the success of our kids, we’re also celebrating a connection with Celina ISD’s storied successes of the past.

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Celina Bobcat name. Stepping forward into the next centennial of Bobcat lore, new opportunities and new beginnings allow us to continue “Paving The Way For Our Future” while honoring and enhancing the traditions and genuine relationships that make Celina ISD great.

To you, our partners for our kids’ success, please remember throughout this year, our teachers are faced with an enormous task. Student safety has been and will always be a priority. In addition to maintaining this priority, our teachers will be monitoring the health of their students and colleagues while also providing highly engaging and rigorous learning for both virtual and in-person learners. I know I speak for our entire school district when I say thank you for your patience and support. Again, true connection is about taking care of one another, and we all need that—perhaps now, more than ever.

Sincerely, Tom Maglisceau Superintendent, Celina ISD

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Celina Independent School District

SCHOOL ZONE

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Celina QB Club Golf Tournament

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The Men and Women of the Celina Police Association FOP Lodge #123 Recognize Chief Tony Griggs for Outstanding Leadership The Celina Police Department has the vision to achieve a safer community by providing dedicated service and forming partnerships with you, the community. The man at the head of the agency, responsible to see that vision through, is Chief Tony Griggs. He has gained the strong respect and support of the men and women he leads, and we would like you to know the man we do.

Chief Griggs came to the Celina Police Department with over 20 years of municipal law enforcement experience. He started his law enforcement career as a Public Service Officer at the Irving Police Department. His dedication and work ethic allowed him to promote through the ranks to become Sergeant over the Communications Section and Criminal Investigations Division, and ultimately to Lieutenant, serving as Watch Commander. Prior to his service with the Irving Police Department, he served as a Sergeant in the United States Air Force as a Security Police Officer and Instructor. Chief Griggs served two years at Osan Air Base, South Korea, where he provided security to sensitive sites and was assigned to the Training section.

While stationed at Osan, Chief Griggs received the Air Force Commendation Medal and was selected as Security Police Airman of the Year for the Pacific Air Force.

Chief Griggs joined the Celina Police Department in 2010 and progressed through the ranks by showing that same dedication and work ethic . He was ultimately appointed as Chief of Police in October of 2016. While balancing his work and family life, he pursued higher education. He earned a Bachelors of Applied Arts and Sciences degree with a concentration in Criminal Justice, graduating summa cum laude from Midwestern State University. He continued his education at Sam Houston State University and earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management with further graduate-level course work in Public Finance and Budgeting, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Emergency Management. As though that wasn’t already enough, he graduated from the Southeastern Law Enforcement Institute School of Police Supervision and the 27th Command and Management School.

As Chief, Chief Griggs has implemented a number of initiatives that have made Celina the safe city we have all come to know and love. He has used his wealth of knowledge and experience to develop and implement strategic goals and plans to meet the needs of a small-town police department through the transition to a large sprawling city. He continually emphasizes Community Policing, Procedural Justice, and Servant Leadership in every interaction with the community and inside the agency he leads.

“Chief Griggs is exactly the kind of Chief of Police that every city in the country needs, especially with everything that is going on in the country right now. He is forward-thinking and realizes how instrumental it is to have a bond with the community that we work for.

His overarching philosophy for the Police Department is Procedural Justice, which ultimately comes down to treating people with dignity and respect, regardless of the circumstances that led to a police encounter. Through research, he found that, oftentimes, fair treatment in the process is considered more important than the final result, even if the final result is a negative outcome. Chief Griggs spends his time planning for the needs of the City and for the Police Department in the next year, 5 years, 10 years, and as many as 20 years from right now. That includes planning to accommodate a police force of maybe 50 officers by the time a new police department is built, and for the build-out for approximately 150 officers, and all phases in between. Chief Griggs commonly speaks with officers and shares his excitement in current and future plans.” – Sergeant Tim Hale “Chief Griggs continues to show the Celina Police Department that he has the best vision for our future. His knowledge and skills in police work are very valuable to the police department and the City of Celina. He is always willing to stop what he is doing to help anyone in the police department. He has an open-door policy that allows officers to communicate with him directly for any reason. He makes time to interact with officers.” – Sergeant Cortnie Webb “Chief Tony Griggs is the most professional and organized Chief of Police tha I have worked for in my 10-year career. I have enjoyed my 3 years with the Celina Police Department and plan to retire from the agency because of the leadership like Chief Tony Griggs.” – Officer Colten Raper “I wish every citizen in our community had an opportunity to sit and speak with Chief Griggs for 5 minutes. His intellect rivals that of any scholar. He makes you feel like your speaking with your loving parent. Without a doubt, that 5-minute conversation would make you understand how much he cares about this community.” – Officer Shane Digeorge

We at the Celina Police Association would like to thank Mayor Sean Terry and the Celina City Council for their continued support of the Celina Police Department and for recognizing the professionalism and leadership Chief Griggs provides and selecting him to lead the men and women who keep Celina safe. Thank you supporting and believing in Chief Griggs leadership. We look forward to seeing how Chief Griggs continues to lead all of us by implementing strategies and plans to keep Celina safe in the years to come.

Now that we have covered the “resume” and qualifications, let’s hear from those who follow this leader.

“In my almost 30 years of being a police officer, I was honored to have the opportunity to retire from the Celina Police Department under his leadership. In my career, I have had the opportunity to work for 6 different police chiefs in two different cities (Grand Prairie and Celina) and I am proud to say he is absolutely one of the best.” – Officer Chris Bardwell (Retired) “Chief Griggs focuses on the importance of the relationship between the public and the officer who serve them. He continues to embrace and encourage the community policing model.” – Officer Chase Guidera “I’ve been asked to characterize Chief Tony Griggs. President John F Kennedy once said ‘ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country’. Chief Griggs must have heard this speech somewhere along in his lifespan because he has done much for our country in his service to the men and women of this nation. He’s a man that values people and willing to see them experience the best life possible. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote a book Where Do We Go from Here and he asked the question ‘chaos or confusion?’. If Chief Griggs has not already read this book, he must have been looking over Dr. King’s shoulder when he wrote it because he will not settle for confusion. I found him to be a man of vision, energy, enthusiasm, and well-versed in his craft. Whether he knows it or not, he is a blessing to the Celina community. I am just a volunteer chaplain for the police department here in Celina, but I served under a lot of good leaders and I know what leadership is about. God bless you, Chief Tony Griggs. Keep up the good work, you’ve got my vote and my service.” – Isaiah Moore Jr, Senior Pastor St. Phillip Baptist Church, Volunteer Chaplain Celina Police Department 16 OurCelina.com | August 2020

To the citizens we serve, We can’t even begin to express our sincere appreciation of the “Back the Blue” month in August throughout the city. Many officers throughout our great nation are feeling demoralized in the current climate. By something as simple as wrapping a blue ribbon around your tree or flying the blue line flag, you continue to show our members that you appreciate us and you see the difficulties we face in our profession. When our officers patrol your neighborhood and see the blue ribbons, it lifts our hearts and reminds us why we have followed this calling. Thank you for your support!

During the month of August, we are encouraging the community to show support of our local Celina Police Department, and all the PD’s around the country by tying a blue ribbon on your tree.ocommunity.

If you would like to join, there is also a Facebook group called “We Support Celina P.D.”. We are working together to plan some other things to show support as well. All the details will be posted on both the OurCelina facebook page as well as the "We Support Celina P.D." page.

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Celina’s Young Activists Inspire Peaceful Protest

by Ava Miller

Terrorist. Monkey. These are just some of the racist names that Deepali Advani was called on an almost daily basis when she first came to Celina at the young age of 13. This bullying made her feel isolated and sheltered, angry that people were allowed to say such hurtful things. Despite her anger, she still hesitated to report these comments to adults, fearing that she would get her bullies in trouble. It was these experiences that led to Advani coming to the conclusion that the world truly does remain unequal and she could start the change here in Celina; change in the form of a protest.

Deepali Advani and Juan Torres co-organized Celina’s Black Lives Matter protest which occurred at 5 p.m. on June 7th. The march started at Old Celina Park and protestors walked for roughly 2 miles to Celina Square and then back to Old Celina Park.

Previously, Advani attended a similar protest in Frisco that inspired her to create one here in Celina.

“It was an 8 mile [walk] and it took 3 hours, but I saw so many people come together to show their support,” Advani recalled. “If communities around us could do it, then [I realized] we could organize one in Celina.”

Many other students in Celina have attended comparable protests in other cities, one being Junior Aaron Ford.

“I attended the Downtown Dallas BLM protest because I have personally seen the things people of color have to go through on a daily basis,” Ford said. “I think it is important in any community because it is very important to stand up for things that need to be seen and heard.”

One difference between protests in other cities and Celina’s protest was the fact that it was student-led and with more and more protests being created across North Texas, it’s becoming increasingly obvious how important these advocates for change are to the community.

“I believe that it’s more to do with our generation being the first one to say ‘this isn’t right, something needs to be done’ and to have the attitude and drive to do it,” Sophomore Gray Sauceada commented. “I do believe that we are an important factor in our community right now.”

Being only 17 years old, there were a lot of challenges for Advani while creating the protest.

“I think, personally, because I’m still 17, ... I was a little nervous because I’ve just graduated highschool and I’m about to leave [for college],” Advani said. “But I think someone had to take the initiative to get it started, whether that be a 17 year old or a 70 year old.”

Fortunately for Advani, she had the aid of Juan Torres throughout the whole process and there’s no doubt that the two put a lot of work into ensuring the safety and security for all attendees.

“The most crucial things were: one, to communicate with the mayor and the Celina Police Department (CPD) about what was happening so we didn’t just completely blindside them, two, get the word out, and three, just make sure it was peaceful,” Advani said. “That was our goal.”

Torres took charge in setting up a chain of communication between Mayor Sean Terry, CPD, and the coordinators while Advani was responsible for getting the word out.

“I really advertised it on social media. I made the flyers [and] I posted them around Celina Square with some friends,” Advani said. “I made a Facebook page and there I attended to a whole bunch of people on the page, [including] a lot of parents and students.”

Social media definitely played a big role in connecting members of the community to the protest.

“They were all reaching out to me, like, ‘Hey, we can’t march but how can we help?’ and I had a lot of texts and calls like that throughout the entire week leading up to the protest,” Advani recalled. “So I really just think that everybody came together as one.”

While the majority of people were supportive and positive about the creation of the protest in Celina, Advani did hear a few negative comments leading up to the event that worried her.

“When I was at work [I would hear] people saying negative things about it like ‘I’m going to sit on the porch with my gun, so they better not come by my house,’ or ‘they better stay on the sidewalks if they know what’s good for them,’” Advani explained. “So obviously there was a part of me who was nervous about the entire thing going bad, but, as soon as we heard things like that we told the police department and the Mayor just in case.”

Despite these comments, it was clear that Torres and Advani’s goal had always been to keep their protest peaceful.

“We didn’t want violence to occur, we didn’t want to riot,” Advani said. “We just wanted to peacefully protest to show our support.”

Undeterred by the occasional negative opinion, the BLM protest that Advani and Torres created proved to be an ideal example of how a community can come together to support each other. Even throughout the protest there were people handing out water, lemonade, and popsicles to the marching citizens. In the end, Advani was grateful and surprised for the positive outcome of the protest.

“A lot of people came up to [Juan and I] and were like, ‘we’re really grateful that you did this and that you took initiative,’ Advani said. “That was really nice [to hear] because I had heard some hateful things about it and to hear so many positive things just brought me a lot of warmth and positivity because I wasn’t really expecting that.”

With as large a congregation of people as the protest was, there were concerns about public safety regarding the current pandemic that has been sweeping the world for the past few months. Though it wouldn’t have been impossible forƒ the young protestors to limit their attentiveness to safety guidelines under the pretext of support for the BLM movement, it’s important to note that they cut no corners in ensuring each other’s safety. “[Masks] were highly encouraged … [I saw] some people wearing gloves and some people stood farther away from other people to not be exposed,” Advani explained. “Others who couldn’t attend the protest because they were ill or they had an illness that would risk them getting exposed to Covid-19 were the people who reached out to me and [found other ways to support].”

The students who did end up attending the protest also followed these safety precautions.

“With Covid-19 I did wear a mask and tried to distance as much as possible.” Ford said. Sauceada also “made sure to wear a mask during the protest.”

In the end, Torres and Advani’s protest accomplished their goal of bringing awareness to racial inequality and supporting the BLM movement, all while keeping their community safe and unified.

“There’s definitely racism in Celina,” Advani said. “I was bullied when I first got here because I’m Indian, [and] Juan has also been called racist things because he’s Mexican and it’s just not right.”

It was Advani’s hope that fighting alongside each other for a common objective could help bring her community together. Ford shared a common sentiment of the BLM movement and what Advani created the protest in support for: “Black lives matter,“ Ford said. “They always will.”

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