Seguin Magazine - August 2023

Students cook, bake and learn to run their own business

faith in the saddle

Youth horse-mounted drill team nurtures confidence and spirituality

Welcome to texas

Guadalupe County family builds lifelong relationships with international students

FEATURES

10 A FOUNDATION FOR LEADERSHIP

Seguin High School ROTC program cultivates leadership and teamwork skills

16 FAITH IN THE SADDLE

Youth horse-mounted drill team nurtures confidence and spirituality

20 WELCOME TO TEXAS

Guadalupe County family builds lifelong relationships with international students

30 BULLDOG CAFE

High school kitchen teaches students to cook, bake and run their own business

34 ALPHABET GUMMIES

A deliciously chewy and fun homemade treat the whole family will enjoy

AROUND TOWN

on the cover

Photo by Felicia Frazar

Graphic

Rebecca Harrison

Writers

Felicia Frazar

Sarah Maskal

Bianca Rawlings

Danny Story

Photographers

Felicia Frazar

Victoria Gaytan

Megan Granzin

Gay Lynn Olsovsky

As the summer days start to wane, the back-to-school season looms ahead, bringing a mix of excitement and challenges for me as a single parent with teenagers. Juggling responsibilities and emotions, and trying to maintain a strong parent-child relationship is fairly overwhelming. One very important thing I am focusing on this year is encouraging my teenagers to take ownership of their education and personal responsibilities. I hope this will be both empowering for them and a bit of a relief for me. It will foster independence and accountability, allowing them to develop valuable life skills while giving me a chance to focus on other aspects of our lives.

In this month’s issue, we take a look at some of the incredible programs that help students and families learn, grow and prepare for the future.

Raising teenagers can be unpredictable, and the back-to-school season comes with ups and downs. Embracing patience and staying flexible in my parenting approach has been crucial. What works today may not be the same tomorrow, and that’s okay. Ultimately, with love, support and dedication, I can help my teenagers thrive academically and emotionally throughout the school year. And, as we embark on this new academic journey together, I’m excited to see how we’ll grow and learn from each other along the way.

a Foundation for Leadership

Seguin High School ROTC Program Cultivates Leadership and Teamwork Skills

Lauren Mandaville has led an incredible life following her high school graduation in 2013.

She attended Harvard University, where she graduated with a double major in philosophy and Middle Eastern studies. She joined the Navy and worked in communications in cyber and then became a nuclear engineering officer. After five years, Mandaville left the Navy as a lieutenant, and is now working toward her master’s to further a career in social impact investing.

It wasn’t easy getting to where she’s gone, but some of the skills she used to get there came from her time as a member of the Seguin High School Naval Junior ROTC program.

Mandaville, who graduated valedictorian, also served as the battalion commander for ROTC. Her signing up for the program as an eighth grader surprised everyone, but she powered through, found that she enjoyed it and continued down a path to leadership.

A drill team presentation piqued Mandaville’s interest in the high school program.

“I went to Briese and they had an event where the drill team from ROTC

came out and performed and I saw it and something in me just jumped,” she said. “I decided this is what I wanted to do. I was very quiet and at that point not very athletic and it very much surprised everyone. They didn’t think I would like it, but I did it the first year as an extra curricular, as a PE requirement. I made friends and I got to like it more and more and I just kept going and taking on more leadership and I ended up as squadron commander and unarmed drill team commander.”

During her time in the program she learned more about the military and decided that was a route she wanted to take, even though it wasn’t a thought prior, Mandaville admitted.

“I didn’t think about going into the military at all before ROTC, but after four years, I found I learned so much and grown so much and I really respected the instructors,” she said. “They had also brought in some guest speakers from the military, who I really respected and I started to see it as a real option and a really good option that I could learn and grow a lot from. So, I ended up joining the military.”

However, that’s not the case for all of the cadets who join the program.

Story AND PHOTOS by Felicia Frazar

Contrary to what some believe, ROTC is not a gateway program into the military, Mandaville said.

“You can do it and never have any intention of going into the military,” she said. “If you do want to join the military, ROTC is a great way to familiarize yourself with the military, but it is very much an extracurricular. It is a great chance to meet some friends, travel and get some great leadership experience.”

That’s a philosophy that hasn’t changed, Seguin High School Director of Naval Science Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Robertson said.

“We don’t force children into the military. We don’t push that. It is a total citizenship program,” he said. “What ROTC does, in a nutshell, is not different from any other elective like athletics or band or mariachi. We try to get children to determine how to become the best version of themselves.”

Robertson, who retired from the Navy 27 years ago, has headed up Seguin’s program for the past eight years.

Robertson joined the Navy in 1985 to better his life and circumstances.

“Everybody joins the service for different reasons. Some people want adventure, some people want to travel, some people want to serve their country,” he said. “For me, it was a need to escape an area and a situation that I knew was not conducive to me developing. I knew that if I stayed, I would perish.”

He enlisted and entered the Navy as a non-designated seaman where he was given odd jobs and tasks to complete. He eventually took an aptitude test and his high scores earned him the ability to get a job in navigation.

After 27 years, Robertson retired and worked various jobs. Prior to his retirement, he heard about opportunities as an ROTC instructor, but didn’t think it would be a possibility.

“I ran across a couple gentlemen in San Diego that were talking about ROTC and at the time I didn’t know they were retired, and they were saying how good a gig it was,” he said. “It has all these opportunities to help kids, you got a decent wage for doing it. It seemed like a seamless

transition from Navy into ROTC and I thought that sounds like a great gig. Like most small employment pockets like that, they’re mostly hook up pods, where you gotta know somebody to get in. I didn’t know anybody, so I didn’t really think I had a chance.”

Robertson didn’t pursue it as an option after retirement until eight years ago when he interviewed for a position and learned that Seguin ISD was in search of an instructor.

“I decided to give it a shot, and right place right time,” he said. “I was being interviewed for the position when they said the instructor was leaving Seguin, and they said get out to the school right now and go apply for the job. That’s how I got to Seguin. I just jumped on the phone and got out there.”

Becoming an instructor is both rewarding and tragic, Robertson said.

“I can identify with children on different levels,” he said. “One, a majority of the children in Seguin ISD are minorities, so we have that in common. A majority of students are lower income; I have that in common as well. Also, I knew how close we were to having nothing. I recognize that and know what kind of pressure that puts on kids. How less than you feel when you know you are barely getting by and you try to keep that stuff a secret, trying to make sure nobody knows how bad it is. I recognize that and I recognize that there is a path out of there if you get out of your own way.”

Robertson uses those experiences to reach his students.

“I try to teach them to get out of their own way so they can get to a more successful place,” he said. “They learn actions have consequences, both good and bad. We take all of the pieces, the good and the bad, and learn how to manage them, their strengths and their weaknesses and how to navigate a path they can achieve.”

ROTC is about helping children find and create the best versions of themselves, through leadership skills, goal setting and accountability, Robertson said.

“We teach them how to deal with the adversity of their surroundings, how to make decisions despite what they’re

facing, how to deal with people, how to communicate verbally and nonverbally, how important both of those things are and how to basically get through their high school years and become productive adults,” he said. “This is not a factory for military recruits.”

Mandaville got her first taste of leadership in ROTC and all of the responsibilities that come with it, she said.

“It was my first real leadership experience, my first real teamwork experience and it taught me so many things about servant leadership and responsibilities and getting along with different types of people,” she said.

Some of those lessons came at Mandaville hard as she was tasked with planning a summer trip for senior students and instructors. As the date drew near, she quickly realized that the work would not be done for her.

“That weekend before we were supposed to leave, I got a call from the instructor and he asked if everything was ready, ‘have you put it together?’ I was a deer in the headlights,” she said. “I just assumed that everything would somehow come together. It seems really basic now, but that was the first time that I realized if I didn’t do it and if I didn’t make sure all of the little things got done, it just wasn’t going to happen. I really had to take that responsibility and that initiative and make sure that I got the job done.”

Things didn’t always run smooth but it worked out in the end, Mandaville said.

“I have never forgotten that lesson, it has come in handy in college and beyond,” she said.

Robertson ensures his cadets give back to their community, participating in various events from trash pick up to school supply collections and patriotic events.

“We basically work to ensure they are involved in the community and be a better version of themselves,” Robertson said. “Our curriculum tells them about the military and about the government and different things like health, but it’s so much more than that. ROTC has served many children who have never spent or never plan to spend a day in the military. It is just a foundation.”

Faith in the Saddle

Youth Horse Mounted Drill Team Nurtures Confidence and Spirituality

Story by Felicia Frazar

Agroup of 10 area youths mount up on their horses and head into the Country Church arena.

Wearing riding helmets, they start making their way around the arena, practicing one maneuver after the next, mixing in games and having fun.

The young riders are members of the Country Church Buckaroos Drill Team. They use what they learn in the church arena and put on shows at rodeos, parades and other events.

The Buckaroos were started in January by True Women Drill Team members Kayla Day and Vanessa Netherlain.

“We are teaching the kids drills and horsemanship skills,” Netherlain said.

Vanessa and her husband Mark Netherlain — the Buckaroos’ team manager — brought the idea to their church — the Country Church in

Marion — and the leadership didn’t hesitate, Mark said.

“We asked the church and they said let’s do it,” he said. “Our church has an arena and we thought, what a great ministry that would be and to fill a need.”

An equine drill team participates in various events and performs synchronized maneuvers as a team, often to music, Vanessa said.

“It can be anywhere from basic trotting to full-blown gallops,” she said. “We do flag drills and presentation of the flag for the national anthem at different events.”

Having only started just a few months ago, the group’s leadership and the children’s parents have seen big changes in young riders from their confidence to their faith, Country Church

Photos courtesy of The Country Church Buckaroos

Buckaroos Drill Team secretary Caitlyn Netherlain said.

“The thing that stood out to me most is how much these kids have grown with the Lord since we are a faith-based organization,” she said. “We’re not all about religion, but we are sponsored by the Country Church in Marion and they have been a huge help to us.”

Before each practice, the group starts out with prayer and a lesson, member 13-year-old Tyndal Babel said.

“Mr. Mark always starts with a prayer and a Bible study,” she said. “It is super fun. Then we warm up, we learn amazing different drills.”

Babel has been an avid rider for about five years, but this is her first time joining a team.

“I’ve been going to different rodeos all my life and I’ve always seen a drill team in them,” she said. “I always thought it was really cool. I saw the teamwork in it and said, that’s something I want to learn. My trainer told me about the drill team that was starting at the country church and I talked to my parents about it and we decided it was a perfect fit.”

For 14-year-old Charlie Chennault, joining the team was about giving him the opportunity to meet, learn a different style of riding from and ride with new people.

“It is really fun. It is definitely a different type of riding I’ve never done before,” he said. “I’m riding with people as a team instead of alone. I’ve done trail riding, riding around home and a little bit of barrels.”

Both Bable and Chennault said they’ve gained riding experience as well as new friends.

“They’re all new to me, but they’re super fun, super sweet. I love them so much,” Babel said.

Chennault agreed.

“I’ve made friends with everybody on the team,” he said.

That was something big for both of their mothers.

“I get tears in my eyes sometimes, because it has always been her passion,” Tyra Babel said. “So to see her be able to

go out there, meet new friends and have these amazing coaches is wonderful. She’s learned to engage with the other girls, the team is really involved together. She finally got to bond with others that have common interests.”

More importantly, their children are gaining valuable horsemanship and other skills, Suzanne Chennault said.

“I love that he has incorporated making new friends with riding horses. It is always nice to watch your kid improve their skill,” she said. “They have improved a lot just learning the different maneuvers and they have to pay attention to spacing and they have to remember the entire performance, which is not easy for a five-minute performance.”

The young group of riders have really grown their confidence on horse back, Caitlyn said.

“At the start, you could tell that some of them were a little bit nervous,” she said. “Their confidence was real low, they were scared, didn’t want to really trot or move too quickly on the horses. Since, their confidence has grown so much, they’re willing to hop on a horse they’ve never been on before and they’re confident they can do the maneuvers and drill at a run when we first started at a walk.”

These are all skills that will carry them far in life, Caitlyn said.

“I think it is important for them to gain their confidence on the horse because they control everything that their horse does,” she said. “The horse reads off of them whether they are afraid or nervous. If they’re confident on the horse and they know they can do it, then they’re confident outside of drill. They know that if they put their mind to it, they’ll be able to have success in whatever they are doing.”

Suzanne and Tyra are grateful for The Country Church and the Buckaroo leadership team for their efforts in bringing out the best in the children.

“We are very grateful for Kayla, Vanessa, Mark and Caitlan for putting this all together,” Suzanne said. “They’ve been volunteering their time, so we’re super grateful for that. Without them, we never would have done it.”

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Welcome to Texas

Guadalupe county family builds lifelong relationships with international students

One ordinary Sunday in 2011, Bob Spalten sat at his local Seguin automotive shop waiting on his oil change. As he perused the ads on the bulletin board to pass the time, Spalten noticed a flier advertising a need for host parents for foreign exchange students. Since his daughter had just graduated college, he thought it would be a great idea to have around some new young people to water ski with and enjoy the outdoor attractions of their Lake McQueeny home. Little did he know that this idea would come to have an immeasurable impact on the rest of his life.

After a discussion with his wife Carla, during which she responded with a tentative yes, he emailed the company about

their interest in hosting. The next morning he receieved a reply with a list of students who would like to be part of the program. First on the list was Clemons, a 15-yearold Austrian boy who loved wakeboarding, barbecue and the cinema. Seeming like a perfect fit, Bob made his selection and quickly received an email that Clemons would be coming in late August, a shocking revelation to Carla who believed her husband was only joking about becoming host parents.

Before they knew it, Clemons arrived. After a little miscommunication at the airport due to the language barrier, they managed to get him home and found themselves rapidly falling in love with their new house guest.

Story by Sarah Maskal

Photos courtesy Bob Spalten

“We taught him how to waterski, pulled him wakeboarding, and he quickly adapted to Texas life,” Bob said.

Against incredible odds, there just happened to be an Austrian girl staying with another host family on Lake McQueeny. Bob arranged a meeting and the two ended up spending a lot of time together. The Spaltens planned a vacation while Clemons was with them as well.

“In December, we booked a Christmas cruise and took Clemons with the rest of our family,” Bob said. “He loved it.”

After Clemons left, the Spaltens decided not to continue hosting.

“It was extremely rewarding, but we didn’t want the responsibility of taking care of a high school kid,” Bob said.

However, it seems as though fate had other plans for the family. Just before the start of the 2012-2013 school year, the organization Bob used to host Clemons called him frantically trying to place another exchange student whose intended host family had experienced a house fire and could no longer accept him. The Spaltens reluctantly agreed and their second exchange student, Rene Pelak — a 16-year-old boy from Kosice, Slovakia — arrived soon after.

“He was upset about leaving his girlfriend and most days he stayed on the phone all night talking to her. He pretty much kept to himself and was no trouble,” Bob said.

Rene went along on several trips and had a great time with the Spaltens, even at one point inviting his mom, who instantly became great friends with Carla. As he was leaving, Rene confessed that he wished he had spent more time enjoying the experience instead of being homesick.

“We all cried and said our goodbyes,” Bob said. “Several months later, I received an email from Rene stating that his father said he would pay for him and a friend to come back for two months in the summer if he got accepted to the University in Prague.”

Bob and Carla had no idea at the time that this was just the beginning.

Rene ended up getting accepted and his friend, Richard Cop, along with Richard’s sister, Kamilla Copova, essentially

became part of the Spalten family. The siblings both loved the Spaltens and have returned several times through the years to stay with the American hosts. Rene and Richard were at the Spalten home when the next foreign exchange student arrived for the school year.

“It was interesting having three kids from foreign countries all living with us at the same time,” Bob said.

Since then, the Spaltens frequently have had multiple exchange students staying with them at once.

Bob, who is now a youth exchange officer for the Rotary Club, decided to help streamline the process of acclimating new exchange students in the program.

“I said let’s have every exchange student come live with me for the first week or two. I’ll get them enrolled in school. I’ll open their bank accounts. I’ll orient them towards living here,” he said. “And because I’ve done it so many times, they’ll know what to expect instead of going to a fresh host family and nobody knows what to do. It’s worked out very well.”

Bob says the process of becoming a host parent is actually fairly easy.

“The first thing they would need to do is contact me and tell me that they’re interested in hosting and we would send them a form they’d fill out so we have to do a background check on them and a reference check,” he said.

The Rotary Club makes sure new host parents are suitable and capable of caring for the students.

“It’s not a hard process where we’re going to throw everybody out. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown anybody out,” Bob said. “So once you’re vetted, it’s just which slot do you want.”

Through the Rotary Club, host parents can sign up for one of three slots lasting three months throughout the school year.

“Then, once a month, we do a review with the exchange student and with the host family to make sure everything’s going good,” Bob said.

The greatest point Bob likes people to take away from this is that these rewarding experiences and lifelong relationships gained from hosting an exchange student

are far greater than the effort put into it.

“It’s just been unbelievably life changing and on my birthday, on Carla’s birthday, we get calls from all over the world wishing us happy birthday, and at Christmas time,” Bob said. “Kamilla calls us her American mom and dad and Jimena, who just left, calls us her American mom and dad. We have so many people around the world that we know that we could call them up and stay at their house and they’ll take us to different places. It’s incredibly rewarding.”

The Spaltens now have an extended family that spans the globe. In fact, years after her first visit, they attended Kamilla’s wedding in Slovakia.

“When we arrived at the church, Richard informed us that their family had hired an interpreter for us and gave us headsets to wear,” Bob said. “It was just an incredible wedding. I had tears in my eyes.”

They went places that American tourists typically don’t get to experience and immersed themselves in the rich culture. Another exchange student, Wiktor, and his dad took them on a very eye-opening tour of Poland. Recently, Kamilla invited the Spaltens back for her brother’s wedding. She is pregnant

and wants them to get to hold her new baby at the wedding. The Spaltens now have hosted at least 17 or 18 exchange students including Valentine Matthieu from Belgium, Lukas Vindt from Slovakia, Zuzzanna, who they affectionately nicknamed Suzi Spaltenova, Marianne Laidan from France, Wiktor from Poland, and Jimena Crespo from Spain. Many of them have returned for multiple visits.

Bob’s advice for anyone considering becoming a host parent is to just be flexible and to not go into it with too many rigid expectations.

“You have to treat them like your daughter or your son, but with a little bit more leeway,” he said. “To be a host parent, you have to understand where they’re coming from and what their beliefs are and what they’ve been exposed to.”

Exchange students sometimes come from a world away and to really get the most out of the experience, host families have to be able to let them be themselves Bob said. The students and their host families need to get familiar with and accustomed to each other’s ways, because selecting an exchange student to host is just luck of the draw as far as what they will be like.

“You have to be able to roll with the punches,” Bob said. “You may have someone who’s shy and soft-spoken and never does anything, or you might have someone like Jimena, our last foreign exchange student who probably knew more people at Seguin High School than people who went there for four years.”

The bottom line in Bob’s opinion is that a prospective host should set aside any worries, finances, time or thoughts that their own children are too young and just try it. The rewards are innumerable.

“It’s a life-changing experience,” Bob said. “There’s a safety net there. If, for some reason, it’s really not working out, Rotary Club will come to the rescue.”

So, Bob suggests getting out of one’s comfort zone and opening oneself up to a world of possibilities. There is much more to gain than to lose. For the Spaltens, it has been an extraordinarily enriching experience that will forever shape their lives.

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Empowering S eguin S t uden t s

Communities in Schools organization Making a Difference in Mental Health Services

as someone is going through this challenging part of their life, and it’s a pretty amazing thing to be able to be a part of,” said Susan Wetz, the CEO for Community in Schools of South Central Texas, who has been with the organization for nearly 30 years. “What we learned about suicide prevention and mental health initiatives in general is that there was a lot of barriers to access from not enough providers in the area, or parents couldn’t take off of work to take their child to a counselor, and the children would miss a lot of time away from school if they were taken to an appointment. So, we approached the school district with a model where we would bring in contracted counselors and/or our own clinicians to be able to provide intensive counseling services.”

Wetz is thankful for her team as well as for the community support the organization has received over the years. She burst with excitement after receiving some good news about a recent funding award.

Story

Some small towns in Texas have an undeniable sense of charm and community. Seguin is experiencing a boom in growth but in many ways it is still a small town full of compassionate citizens and organizations. Small towns like Seguin have a way of rallying around those in need, especially when it is its youngest citizens.

Communities in Schools (CIS) of South Central Texas is an organization that provides essential, sometimes life-saving resources. The local chapter of Communities in Schools has made a profound impact on the lives of students

for the past three decades.

The organization aims to help students from kindergarten to 12th grade excel academically, graduate and achieve lasting success. Communities in Schools is unique in that it remains the sole campus-based nonprofit program in the school districts where it operates. Through a comprehensive range of services, the organization is especially committed to providing vital mental health support, including offering suicide prevention services for youth, within the Seguin community.

“CIS staff is there the whole time

“Through grants that we’ve obtained, the most recent from Baptist Health Foundation, we’ve been able to provide intensive counseling to 47 students last year,” she said. “So, basically what this means is we have licensed clinicians that are going into the school and being able to provide therapeutic sessions free of charge to the student and their families. And so by doing this at the school, because of our partnership and collaboration with the school, the kids are missing less time away from school, the parents don’t have to miss work and the students are receiving the services that they need.”

Holley Digby, a licensed marriage and family therapist, serves as one of the clinicians and as director of mental health and wellness for Communities in Schools. As the director of an essential department, Digby wears many hats, but, she still finds time to work directly with students and their families.

“I’m part clinician, so part of my job is going into schools and providing the therapy based on the referrals, [but] I’m also part admin, so overseeing,” she said. “We have three contract counselors

by Bianca Rawlings

Photos courtesy Susan Wetz

and one full-time clinician that goes to the Seguin schools. We want to reach as many students as possible because it is such a high need.”

The nonprofit seeks to create systemic and multi-generational change and has an unwavering dedication to equip the most vulnerable students with lifelong coping skills. Communities In Schools staff members are able to accomplish this by creating meaningful relationships with campus staff, students and families in the communities they serve. Oftentimes, the organization’s staff creates a baseline of support and helps to remove stigma, stress and shame around sensitive topics like suicide.

“We provide eight to 10 counseling sessions and we can add on if needed,” Digby said. “But our team works really hard to be very intentional and deliberate with therapy, so, really focused on those therapy goals. We call it skillbased counseling.”

By offering informative sessions, prevention services and counseling on-campus, Communities in Schools is able to provide essential resources in conjunction with existing schoolbased services. Seguin ISD staff and the district’s families welcome the organization’s on-campus presence and love having the support and resources it offers. This mental health support is particularly impactful and needed after the recent stress all students faced during the pandemic.

“I have to give props to the Seguin administration because when we first came in, they saw the level of need at their high school level and just the sheer number of students that they had at the school, and they opted to have two full-time staff there instead of just one,” Digby said. “At the time, that was a novel idea for our high schools, and so now most of our high schools have two site coordinators on them. [Seguin ISD] kind of blazed the trail there.”

Over the years, Communities in Schools has experienced remarkable growth, currently employing 75 staff members who tirelessly work to provide services to nearly 40,000 students across

55 schools in six school districts. It operates in several schools within the Seguin ISD, including Jefferson Elementary, Patlan Elementary, Briesemeister and Barnes middle schools and Seguin High School. The organization offers a plethora of targeted interventions within the schools such as supportive guidance and counseling; mental health intervention; access to health and human services for basic life necessities like shelter, food and clothing; tutoring and assistance with college preparation.

“A big piece of our program is providing that psycho education to the parents on what to do and how to have those conversations,” Digby said.

Communities in Schools seeks to empower students and parents with valuable resources should they need them like the 988 hotline, which is like 911 for mental health, and the 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 800-841-1255.

“I make sure parents know those numbers,” Digby said.

At the heart of the organization’s success are the professional site coordinators who are present in schools throughout the day, every day. Recognizing that children spend most of their time at school, Communities in Schools strategically positions its staff to ensure that critical services are readily available and works in close collaboration with schools and communities, especially in prevention services.

“Part of prevention is identifying warning signs of potential mental health issues,” Digby said.

“Isolating is a really big one. I tell parents change in behaviors — quitting a sport, for example — without adding another interest, so all of a sudden not being interested in activities that they used to be. Now, I do tell parents if they quit soccer, for example, but it’s because they’re spending more time in band, that’s a little bit different,” Digby said.

It’s not just parents, family members or teachers who should keep an eye out, Wetz said.

“We also teach the kids how to be aware and what to do if you notice a change in your friend, because it’s going

to be the kids who notice the changes in each other first,” she said. “They are vigilant and aware of what their friends are going through and see those behavioral changes first. And so how do you reach out to one of your friends? You don’t have to have all the answers, but how do you go about reaching out to one of your friends that you’re concerned about? What does that look like? And then, what do you do? So we teach them ACT, which is acknowledge, care and tell.”

Mental health professionals like Digby also work hard to remove stigmas and barriers to services by being frank and factual with research pertaining to suicide prevention.

For instance, instead of looking the other way and not talking about suicide, having the conversations can actually help, Digby said.

“Research actually tells us that talking about suicide and asking a student that is depressed or has had those thoughts, ‘are you having thoughts of wanting to kill yourself’ or ‘are you having thoughts of suicide,’ it actually gives that client a sense of relief,” Digby said. “So, research tells us they’re reporting relief and they’re reporting that they feel supported. I think so many times, it’s hidden and so many of my clients have that thought of, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m feeling this way, there must be something wrong with me.’ And so they have a tendency to just exacerbate the symptoms to isolate and to hide it more. So, I make sure parents know it’s okay to talk about.”

The impact Communities in Schools has is noticeable on the faces of students and heard through the stories of those who have benefited from the organization’s support over the past three decades. Communities in Schools of South Central Texas stands as a beacon of hope for students and families in Seguin, Guadalupe County and the surrounding areas. Through its staff members’ tireless efforts, the organization is both transforming and saving lives by granting students and families the gift of coping skills and mental health care tactics that they can carry with them for life.

BULLDOG C afe

High School Kitchen Teaches Students to Cook, Bake, and Run Their Own Business

Teresa Reeves runs the Bulldog Cafe like Gordon Ramsay manages Hell’s Kitchen.

She barks orders at her young sous and pastry chefs, but it’s not abrasive or degrading and it’s certainly without the inappropriate language. That’s because the Bulldog Cafe is the Marion High School culinary arts classroom and Reeves is teaching her young students the finer points of cooking, baking and managing a business.

Reeves was hired five years ago to teach culinary arts to the students. She spends the school day with students

in her classroom teaching them the basics of cooking, reading recipes and kitchen safety. Then they head in the kitchen to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom.

“I’m not easy by any means,” she said. “I teach them hands-on, trial by fire. I tell them how it’s done and they have to find the way. I answer 1,000 questions a day, but I make them figure it out. That is how you remember, that is how you learn.”

As a military spouse, Reeves found her niche in creating a small business that she could carry with her as new

Story AND PHOTOS by Felicia Frazar

orders came down the line.

“As a military spouse, I have always re-created myself every where we go,” she said. “I learned how to do cakes maybe 20 years ago and I’ve done cakes and cupcakes for friends.”

Reeves uses her life experiences to teach her students and give them valuable skills.

Much like real life, things don’t always go as planned and Reeves teaches her students how to handle it, even if that means starting over.

“Do you learn from mistakes? Yeah, sometimes. Do I let them burn stuff? Absolutely, because then they won’t do it again,” She said. For me, it is just so important. It is not just this, it is everything we do in the classroom. If they’re learning it and remembering it and taking that tool into life.”

The skills the students learn in Reeves’ classes will carry them through life whether cooking a meal or baking and decorating a cake.

“This is the one thing everybody has to do, they have to learn to cook,” she said. “You have to be able to feed yourself. The goal is — everyone may not be a pasty chef, but they can make a cake and they can make a birthday cake look nice. They learn both sides. They learn everything from what is fruit and what are vegetables and how we (make) cakes, pastries, candy, the whole nine yards.”

In addition to learning how to cook, Reeves’ students run a small business cooking lunches for staff and baking special-order cakes. Reeves has her students figure out a list of items needed to fill the request and how much the ingredients cost. Then they make a plan. She also sets the bar high for quality products.

“I don’t let any go out if they don’t look like bakery quality. We redo it,” she said. “They eat a lot of cake. That is just the way it works.”

For the daily lunches, things are a little different.

“They have 45 minutes to get about 10 orders out and they get it done. Sometimes, I’m like Gordon

Ramsay without the cussing,” she said. “My voice will be hoarse because I’m yelling at them so much to move. But, I’ll tell you, they knock it out of the park. I’d say they surprise me, but at this point it’s an expectation and they know it and they rise up to the challenge every single day.”

Marion High School senior Isabella Vargo smiled as a customer danced and cheered watching the Bulldog Cafe students put the finishing touches on her special-order graduation cake.

“It makes me very happy that we made the cake that our client wanted, that she loves and it is just a nice feeling to see,” she said.

Vargo signed up for the class to learn how to cook and bake, but she didn’t realize the doors it would open for her.

“I am turning it into a career,” she said. “I’m going to Escoffier this summer to get my associate’s in pastry arts. I really like the art aspect. I really love doing fondant work and the painting.”

The students do all this in a former home economics kitchen turned semi-commercial kitchen.

“This is a re-made home economics kitchen,” Reeves said. “It was all upper cabinetry from vintage 1980s. The shelves and counters were made of particle board and we worked with it until we got all steel, which is cleaner and easier to work with.”

In the coming years, her students will get a full-fledged commercial kitchen to bake up new creations thanks to the recently passed bond. Until then, Reeves said they continue to make do with they have, and they don’t let it hold them back.

When they’re not cooking special orders or filling daily lunch requests, Reeves seniors are practicing their skills for competition or learning a new food technique.

“In my senior class, we cook every single day and we practice every single day,” she said. “If we don’t have an order that has to go out, then we figure out what they don’t know how to do and we figure out how to do it. It is just a constant expanding their skills,

trying something different, something new so they’re ready to do those things to go to competition to send out stuff like this.”

Vargo uses social media to drum up inspiration and then begins crafting from there.

“If we have to do something colorful, I mess around with color to see what works together, to see what doesn’t,” she said. “I practice a little bit before I put anything on the cake and making sure everything that looks perfect. I just work on it until I find something that the customer likes and that I like and am able to do.”

The students participated in their first cupcake war this year, with one student earning Best Frosting. Reeves is looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the SkillsUSA competitions this coming school year and watching her students earn more awards and gain more confidence.

“We’ll start doing Skills USA next year and from what I saw from the pictures of this year’s stuff, I expect us to do very well,” she said. “I will say in all of the custom orders that we have sent out, we have not had a complaint. I take those as customers being a whole lot pickier than a judge at a competition.”

For Vargo, what she’s learned and plans to continue learning is more than just cooking, baking and cake decorating.

“It is nice and calming for me and is a coping mechanism for me,” she said. “It helps me calm down, because it is all steps, easy steps, and it is easy to focus on. It helps with my mental health. I’ve also learned how to be very quick on my feet. It has helped me here and at my job. I’m able to get things done quickly and on time with time management.”

While it’s a lot of work with an abundance of learning, Vargo said Reeves makes the culinary classes fun.

“Mrs. Reeves makes this class like home,” she said. “She makes it a safe space for you to be in. You get food as well. When you come in here, you’re going to be able to try new things. It is a fun class to be in a great place to be.”

Hello friends, readers and all of those going back to school soon. It’s been a long, hot summer, hasn’t it? The sun’s been beating down and it almost seems like every day is getting hotter with no end in sight. The good news is fall is right around the corner. With it comes football, slightly cooler days, and all the kids (a few adults too) going back to school.

I’ve recently had the honor of being brought into a family and given the opportunity to be a male role model to three great kids. While

this is something that has offered unique challenges, it has also been so incredibly rewarding. Having kiddos around all the time has also given me the chance to spread my culinary skills into more kid-friendly things. That brings us to today’s recipe.

Who here packs lunch for their kids? I’m a big fan. I can make sure that they’re getting all the food that they need, plus I can add in little notes or treats for them to enjoy, and snacks are one of the most important parts. So, this month I wanted to make a homemade version of a stan-

dard child’s treat that will, hopefully, bring back fun memories of your own, gummies!

The best part about making gummies is how customizable they are. There are so many flavor combinations, colors and shapes to choose from. It’s also a fun thing to do with the kids too. It feels a little like old-school kitchen science. While I use my handy dandy measuring cup to mix up my candy, it could be just as much fun to break out the beakers and test tubes to have fun with the little ones in your home.

A Deliciously Chewy and Fun homemade treat the whole family will enjoy

Story AND PHOTOS by Danny Story

- INGREDIENTS -

2oz granulated sugar

2 packets of unflavored gelatin

(I use Knox)

4 tablespoons of cold water or fruit juice (pear or apple works best)

2oz of light corn syrup

Food coloring

Fruit extracts

Cooking spray, unflavored

Candy molds

1tsp of granulated citric acid

(additional at the end for sour gummies)

- INSTRUCTIONS -

1: In a microwave safe dish, mix the granulated sugar, gelatin and water or juice gently. It doesn’t have to be super well mixed, just combined. Let it sit for five minutes to rest, then pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Once out, give it a good stir. The vast majority of the mix should be well incorporated by now, but I like to give it another 10 seconds in the microwave at this point to make sure the mixture is hot and easier to work with.

2: Now you add the citric acid, corn syrup, food coloring and flavorings. Have fun with this part as there are so many different things you can do here. Once you have done that, pour into your candy molds that have been sprayed with cooking spray. I want to say here that, while the spray is unnecessary, it makes your life so much easier. Put the filled molds into the fridge for at least one hour.

3: Now for the patient part. Put down a sheet of parchment paper and take all of the gummies out of the molds. The gummies are solid at this point but need a day or two to cure. If you want sour gummies like me and mine enjoy, then tossing in granulated acid once or twice during the curing process does the trick beautifully.

And that’s it! Simple, fun and colorful. Could anyone ask for more? Until next time, friends!

EVENT CALENDAR

Veterans Outreach Center - Grand Opening: Ninth – 10 am - 12 pm

Guadalupe County Commissioners Court invites the community to join in the launch of the county’s new facility for Veteran Services. Facility tours and refreshments will be provided. For questions, call Veterans Services Office 830-303-8870. Location: 205 E. Weinert St.

Coffee and Friends - Old Republic title: tenth – 9 - 10 am

Open to any and all business professionals looking for a way to connect with other professionals.

Location: Pecantown Books & Brews, 212 S. Camp St.

Seguin’s 185th Birthday Party: eleventh – 5:30 pm

Beginning with a pomp and circumstance proclamation from the mayor that the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse will bring in on horseback and ending the evening with a dinner and live music from the porch of the historic Log Cabin, this night of celebration and education is not to be missed! New board members are announced and a showcase of the preservation work from the past year is featured throughout the evening.

Location: 200 Block E. Live Oak St.

KID FEST-NIGHT MARKET-DANCE PARTY: Twelfth – 6 - 10 pm

Join us for a family dance party and night market! Let’s get ready with back to school fun!

Location: The Backyard, 225 N. Saunders St. Suite B.

Third Thursday - Back to school: seventeenth – 4 - 8 PM

Come out to see what Downtown Seguin has to offer! Late-night shopping, food trucks and live music. Location: Central Park, 201 S. Austin St.

Movie in the Park: Twenty-fifth – 8:45 - 11 pm

Join us for a Movie in the Park! The show begins at dusk (8:45 pm) on a big screen located in Max Starcke Park East near the Patricia K. Irvine-King Pavilion. The movie is free. For questions or more information, please contact the Seguin Parks and Recreation Department at 830-401-2480. Location: Max Starcke Park East-Amphitheater, 1412 River Drive E.