Volume I, Issue 9 (October 2016)

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” —B.B. King

THE

Longview Voice Sharing the good news about LISD!

Vol. 1 No. 9 September / October 2016

A publication of Longview Independent School District

Complimentary Copy

It’s A Beautiful Day… Future Lobo star?

Photo by Simeon Whitten/MyView

Photo by Nick Patillo of Syfria Media Solutions & Consulting.

Another beautiful day draws to a close over Longview, Texas. Of course, when you're the best school district east of I-45, every day is a beautiful day. Longview ISD, believing in excellence for all!

Longview loves its Lobos, and maybe no one in Longview loves its Lobos as much as our youngest students. Sometimes we see these youngsters smiling while enjoying the game and wonder if the next great Lobo superstar isn’t getting his first taste of Friday night magic under the towering lights of Lobo Stadium.

Dual-language programs featured at LISD Dual-language education continues to make great strides at Longview ISD. Over the summer LISD Bilingual Supervisor Ada Ortiz led the BOLD (Bilingual Oral Language Development) Camp at South Ward, featuring the use of art and technology to teach children creative language acquisition, while reinforcing overal collaboration and communication skills.

“The BOLD Camp is just another way that we are taking a multifaceted approach to bilingual education,” Ortiz

said. “Whether it’s strengthening Spanish speakers’ abilities in English, or exposing English speakers to Spanish, we are

Campuses earn state distinction, recognition

Longview ISD schools earned 30 total distinctions on accountability ratings, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Foster Middle School earned all seven distinctions, and Principal John York expressed great pride in his students “earning seven out of seven academic distinction designations,” “Our school motto is ‘Success and Nothing Less,’ and our students and staff rose to this challenge. I also want to thank our wonderful parents and community for their support of our school.”

giving all of our students tremendous enrichment in language skills.”

See Dual on Page 3

Putting the ‘smackdown’ on bullying

G

ymnasiums at LISD elementary schools were transformed into “arenas” earlier this month, as professional wrestlers gave a special program to help put the smackdown on bullying.

Led by Byron “Big Daddy Yum Yum” Wilcott, Aaron Presley, “Action” Jackson and Matt Justyce of Main Event Pro Wrestling, the performers gave a dynamic presentation of not just the importance of standing

inside the

THE

Longview Voice

up to bullies, but finding constructive ways to work through disagreements.

Wilcott and his team taught students about the three main types of bullying: verbal, physical and cyber, explaining

Opinion Coming Events

See Campuses on Page 2

Foster middle students help flood victims Choir students at Foster Middle School are looking for pledges to help children whose schools were damaged or destroyed in the recent floods.

Louisiana Department of Education says that 24 school districts were affected by the floods.

Sept. 28 the school held a “Sing-A-Long” fundriaser to benefit the communities impacted by the weather. The Sing-A-Thon featured a medley of 18 songs sung in 20 minutes including “God Bless America”, “Jingle Bells”, “We Are The World” and more.

Their goal is to raise $800 that they will request be used for educational purposes.

For more information about how you can help please contact Foster Middle School at (903) 446-2710.

how all three types had the potential to hurt others, and that all three types should be reported to their teachers, parents or authority figures.

The program was part of Partners In Prevention’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the greater Longview community through education and understanding.

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Lobo University Internship

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Big Green Cotham Donates

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THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

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September / October 2016

OPINION

Anthem a testament to American sacrifice

Seek self-acceptance, not perfection

By Hannah Brown

By Mayor Andy Mack

Dear Lobos, What does the National Anthem mean? Frances Scott Key was an American lawyer who had gone on a mercy mission to the British to gain the release of an American doctor who had been captured, but had previously tended British soldiers. Key was on a truce ship in the Baltimore Harbour during a battle. When the morning dawned on the morning of September 14 and Key saw our country’s flag still flying over Fort McHenry, he wrote the words of “The Star Spangled Banner” on the back of a letter. It became the National Anthem in 1931.

Each and every word of this anthem has significance: “And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

All through the night the exploding British missles lit up the American flag. Every so often you could see it was still flying. That, young people is sacrifice. Earned, stamped, sealed and delivered. Be ever so glad you were not there.

But the next time you decide to disgrace those that were by not standing for a mere two and a half minutes in honoring those who have fallen, check yourself.

When you hear the National Anthem, what does it trigger within you? Anything? Just a song? Patriotism?

Before you and I were born, there were men (and women) who interrupted their lives and paused their education so that we would have the ability to experience life as we know it. To get an education, worship however we wish, play sports and just enjoy life. I believe the least we can do is honor these great Americans who gave of themselves so freely by standing up with a hand over our hearts for two and a half minutes. Is that too long to stand in reverence?

And when we stand, we should stand at attention. With our right hands over our hearts, left hands behind our backs, facing the flag, reciting the words and hopefully singing along with them. Because those words mean something. It doesn’t matter if our pitch is perfect. What matters is the fact that we are paying tribute to people who sacrificed for us without even knowing we you are.

Do I believe in freedom of speech? Absolutely.

Do I believe in freedom of expression? Absolutely.

But we have freedom of speech and freedom of expression because of those that are oftentimes being disrespected with a lack of attention. There is a time and a place for everything. And it is a purely selfish act to use someone else’s sacrifice to further your own platform.

If you want to express yourself, feel free. But do it on your own accomplishments - not the merits of someone else.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, yes, it really bothers me to think that we as a culture allow/tolerate such disrespect in such inappropriate circumstances. So I, will respond in the only way I know to these athletes that have brought this to the forefront.

I will show my disrespect by no longer watching them, cheering for them, buying their products, or attending their games. If enough of us voted with our dollar, who knows what in the world we could change.

I am so proud to say I have attended multiple high school football games this year and have yet to see disrespect in East Texas during our anthem. Thank you, Longview, for placing respect where it is due and not acting selfishly.

Study hard, have some fun and say your prayers,

‘Pastors for Texas children’ supports LISD staff, students Started in 2013, Pastors for Texas Children now has a network of 1800 pastors and congregational leaders all over the state of Texas.

We were birthed out of the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which has always strongly supported public education for all children. Indeed, our conviction is that education is a gift from Almighty God accorded to every child regardless of background, race, and condition.

Our mission is to mobilize the faith community for public education support and advocacy. This means that we do two basic things: we help our neighborhood and community schools in the assistance and encouragement that they need, and we urge our state legislators to provide adequate funding for those schools.

God has blessed our mission to connect every church to every school. We have held approximately 300 meetings across the state in the past three years.

But, we have a long way to go. There are almost 1100 school districts in Texas, and 8500 public schools.

So, there is a lot of ground to cover! We are grateful to have the opportunity to get our message out to the wonderful community of Longview!

Clearly, churches are seeing their God-given charge to serve and help our schools. It is simply not true that God has been taken out of our schools. In fact, dedicated teachers take the love of God with them into their classrooms each and every day. We honor and pray for those teachers – and want to encourage them in any way we can.

They do an incredible job with limited resources in teaching and instructing our children. It is our privilege to be their champions!

Then, we contact our local State Representative and State Senator and urge them to provide adequate funding for our schools--and to oppose diverting those funds to underwrite private school education. This so-called “school choice” not only will drain our public schools of much-needed resources, but it will also expand and intrude government into our private church schools. This policy to privatize our public school system must be stopped.

Please know that we are holding all the teachers and employees of the Longview Independent School District in our prayers! God bless you in all you do to shape the lives of our children!

— Charles Foster Johnson is the Executive Director of Pastors for Texas Children. He is also the founder and copastor of “Bread,” in Fort Worth, as well as Spiritual Director of New Horizons Treatment Center for Children..

Andy

It starts as a small goal: to get in shape, to earn the highest grade on a test, to get organized, to make more friends, etc. For some, a taste of success in anything can escalate to an all-consuming desire to be even better. For others, being mediocre in anything simply is not up to par. For many, the pursuit of perfection is never-ending, draining, and unhealthy.

However, the pursuit of perfection does not have to be as obvious. Although a few may claim to be selfless saints, the desire to have more or to be better is part of human nature. No one likes to appear weak or flawed, so we seek improvement and present the best versions of ourselves.

We carefully cultivate a lot of what we do in order to create the most appealing image through a variety of medium: what we say, what we wear, where we go, who we associate ourselves with, and especially what we post on social media. If your life were exactly like what your Instagram shows, you would always wear the most flattering clothing, go to cool places, hang out with numerous friends, eat awesome food, and do fun things.

Yet, that is not reality. In fact, that is not anyone’s reality. In the gallery “Your Story Matters” photographer Erika Forney displays flattering photos of beautiful people accompanied by a caption of with what they were struggling. Everyone has some dark experience or part of their lives. The beautiful model you envy may suffer from depression (like Cara Delevingne). The guy who seems to be loved by everyone may be dealing with a learning disability (like Tim Tebow). The actress you look up to may be experiencing social anxiety (like Jennifer Lawrence).

We are all broken. We have all failed. We have all done things we regret. We have all gone through difficult life situations.

What do we do then? We own up to it. We take both the good and the bad aspects of our lives and acknowledge that all of these pieces are what make us unique.

Instead of idolizing the ones that hide their imperfections, admire the confidence of the ones that own them and wear them with pride. Disregard those who tell you need to be someone other than who you really are and those who only present the best version of themselves.

Look up to heroes such as Malala Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban on her way to school and overcame this tragedy, owning her story to improve the lives of others, and Amy Schumer, a comedian who acknowledges her flaws and is unafraid to be purely herself. Work to love yourself and be the best version of yourself, not of someone else.

Remember: perfection is not possible. However, don’t let the inevitably of imperfection cast a shadow over your dream. As Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can achieve excellence.” Know your limits, embrace your flaws, and work to be the happiest, healthiest, and most balanced version of you.

— Dr. Andy Mack is a 1978 graduate of Longview High School. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon for more than 25 years, he is currently owner-operator of East Texas Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Longview.

— Hannah Brown was the 2015 LHS valedictorian and is currently a sophomore at Brandeis University where she is majoring in Economics and International & Global Studies with an emphasis on international affairs, media, and social issues.

Chef’s Corner

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sauce The weather is finally starting to cool off but Chef Chardée has a delectable recipe that will warm you right up.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast Season with garlic powder, onion powder, tony chaceres, cumin, and lemon pepper. No specific measurements, as much as you desire of each. Tony C. is spicy.

• 1 can chicken stock • 3 cups of juice from boiled chicken • 1 can whole kernel corn • 1 can cream of chicken • 8 oz sour cream • 1 can diced green chillies • 3 cups 4 cheese mexican blend cheese, or Colby and Monterrey jack blend • 1 package of flour tortillas

Instructions: Chardee Snoddy Dice and season the chicken, and boil it in the chicken stock. If it’s not enough stock to cover the chicken, add water until the chicken is covered, or add another can of stock.

Once the chicken is done boiling, remove it from the liquid and set it to the side along with 3 cups of the liquid separately.

In a bowl mix together cream of chicken, sour cream, and green chillies. Add in enough of the juice from the boiled chicken so that it is thin enough to pour. (To intensify the chicken flavor of the sauce, you can purchase chicken base and add it in. It can be purchase at your local grocery store on the same aisle as the canned soup. It is very high in sodium so very little of it will be needed.)

Inside each tortilla place 2 oz of meat, 2 oz of shredded cheese, and 1 tbsp of sauce, and roll Place in a baking dish seam side down Top with remaining sauce, and cheese Bake in the oven uncovered at 350 for 20-25 min or until cheese is nice and melty.

— Chardee Snoddy, a Longview High School graduate, is the Childhood Nutrition Chef for LISD.

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THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

Report: LISD ‘superior’ on state finance ratings L

ongview ISD earned the state’s highest grade of “superior” in preliminary finance ratings released Sept. 8.

“We did receive the superior rating on the FIRST report; however, the highest rating level is the standard we set for ourselves,” said Lynn Marshall, Longview ISD’s assistant superintendent of business, finance and facilities. “We expect to earn the superior rating every year. This rating is a reflection of our Longview ISD philosophy to be accountable not only for student learning but to do so with cost-effective measures to make the most of our taxpayers’ dollars.”

The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas was created by the Legislature in 2001 and was designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes, according to the Texas Education Agency.

The rating system scores school districts on 15 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures, the accuracy of a district’s financial information submitted to the Texas Education Agency and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.

School districts are given a numeric grade for the indicators. The numeric grades, when totaled, correspond to a letter grade of A, B, C or F. The letter grades correspond to the ratings “superior,” “above standard achievement,” “meets standard” or

“substandard achievement.”

Ratings for 2015-16 are based on data from 2014-15. The ratings that have been released are preliminary; final ratings will be released in October.

Board saves taxpayers millions

Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said the recent action by trustees Sept. 28 is another sign that the district is committed to fiscal responsibility and “conservative stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

Board members unanimously approved refinancing bonds to save taxpayers more than $5.5 million over the lifetime of the loan, the third such time trustees have approved refinancing the 2007 bond measure.

Earlier this year, trustees refinanced $57.5 million of bond money for a lower interest rate that is saving taxpayers $9.3 million over the life of the loan.

Before that, trustees refinanced about $8.75 million for a lower interest rate that is saving taxpayers $1.2 million.

Ted Beard re-elected to state board

“The refunding of these bonds will save the district money just as the previous bond refunding did during the previous fiscal year,” Assistant Superintendent Lynn Marshall said. “Bond interest rates are less now than they were at the time we originally sold these bonds.

By refunding a portion of the bonds at today’s rates, the district will save the margin between current rates and the interest rate currently attached to these bonds.”

The 2007 bond measure paid to build new campuses at Bramlette, Hudson PEP, J.L. Everhart, Ned E. Williams and Ware elementary schools and Forest Park and Foster middle schools. The bonds also paid for renovations and additions to JohnstonMcQueen and South Ward elementary schools, Judson Middle School and Longview High School.

Money from the 2007 bond measure is expected to be paid off at the end of 2036.

A new look on The web Have you seen our new website? Check out www. lisd.org and tell us what you think of our new look! Our goal is to provide an easy to navigate online repository of all the information most important to our community.

Campuses seeing strong support for PTA The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) has reelected Longview ISD Trustee Ted Beard to a three-year term on the TASB Board of Directors, representing TASB Region VII. “I am humbled and honored to continue to represent Region VII as one of TASBs board of directors,” he said.

“I will continue to strongly advocate for all students and districts a quality, equitable and properly funded public education system.”

First elected to the LISD Board of Trustees in 1998, Beard has served the district in various capacities, including assistant secretary, vicepresident, and president.

“Ted Beard epitomizes what it means to serve one’s community,” said LISD Superintendent Dr. James WIlcox. “Whether serving his country as a soldier, coming home to work in helping veterans with job opportunities, to working tirelessly on his local school board. Ted Beard is a tremendous asset to Longview, and we appreciate all he does and will continue to do.”

Beard earned a bachelor’s degree in human services from Letourneau University and now works as a claims representative and an equal employment opportunity counselor for the Social Security Administration. He is a retired sergeant major from the United States Army and a

combat veteran of Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

Appointed to the TASB Risk Management Fund Board in November 2007, Beard currently serves as chair.

He also is a member of the Texas Caucus of Black School Board Members.

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local public school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 5.3 million students.

With the school year underway, LISD campuses have started hosting PTA nights for parents to learn more about the organization in supporting their schools.

Johnston-McQueen’s PTA meeting

on Sept. 12 had a strong turnout, according to event organizers.

For more information about how you can be a part of your PTA, please contact your school’s main office.

Longview, Let’s Talk!

If you’ve got questions, comments, compliments, or suggestions for Longview ISD, we want to hear them!

Click the Let’s Talk! tab at www.lisd.org to start a conversation about whatever’s on your mind.

With this innovative, online communication solution, we're always listening 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

‘Lobo University’ currently underway I

t’s never too early for high school students to start preparing for college and the LHS College and Career Center is encouraging students to consider their options now that the school year is underway.

LHS seniors (and their parents) are invited to attend a series of programs on financial aid options for college-bound students and college admission testing.

Kay Ray, scholarship coordinator, said the FAFSA has changed its application date from Jan. 1, 2017 to Oct. 1, 2016, and her concern is that not enough parents are aware that the deadline has been bumped up.

“We’ve also discovered another way to communicate with students: the Longview High School College

and Career Center Remind Group,” she added.

Ray said students just need to text @ lhscolleg (this is not a typo) to 81010.

“By joining, parents and students will get text messages about the latest news about scholarships, financial aid, college admission exams, parents/ student information presentations throughout the year, college recruiters visiting on campus, ways students can

be involved in the community, and anything else that crosses my desk that is of interest to our customers,” she said.

The College and Career Center posts all opportunities for students on its school website, on its Facebook page, and on the daily announcements that appear on the LHS website.

“It’s just another way we hope to communicate so that students and parents know about all they could take advantage of,” Ray said. “I have already sent out several reminds to parents with good response from those who are registered.”

A complete schedule of the Lobo University program is available at the LHS College and Career Center.

For more information please contact Longview High School at (903) 663-1301.

Foundation to offer new staff scholarship The Longview ISD Foundation proudly announces it has established the Employee Scholarship Award to assist district staff who are pursuing classes and/or certifications related to classroom education in English, math, science, social studies, bilingual education, special education, STEM, or counseling with the intent of improving classroom instruction and direct services to students in LISD. The scholarship will not be awarded to employees seeking administrative certification with the intent of leaving the classroom.

The Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. will award two scholarships, one at the elementary level and one at the secondary level.

Rules and Regulations

Employee Scholarship $500 The employee must have completed one (1) year of employment with the district and must be continuing his/ her employment with the Longview Independent School District.

The employee must have demonstrated the following: Outstanding work ethic and teaching ability Participation in school and community organizations and activities Leadership ability Application Requirements The employee must complete the scholarship application and include two letters of reference from individuals who represent different sources and who are not related to the applicant (example: principal,

LHS cafeteria serving up flavor, variety

Lunchtime at Longview High School is not the same.

It looks different and it tastes different.

The Lobo cafeteria was remodeled over the summer, now it resembles a college campus cafeteria. Their menus changed too.

Principal James Brewer said students have reached out to him countless times, wanting meals to be better.

“I’d say, ‘Hey, things are gonna get better,’” he said. “Just hang in there with me and we’ll show you better than we can tell you.”

Students have more options to choose what they want for lunch, such as pizza, Mexican food or “Pam’s Diner.”

Chef Chardée Snoddy is the culinary trainer for the child nutrition department of Longview ISD, She said she used to see students skip lunch. They would have a bag of chips and leave the cafeteria.

Snoddy taught the people who work in the cafeteria how to prepare more fresh meals. She strayed away from salty ingredients and pushed for more options to be made from scratch.

“We make our pizzas from scratch now.” Snoddy said.

Brewer said, with a laugh, that his students are college-ready in the classroom “as well as when it’s time to eat.”

instructional supervisor/coordinator, pastor, member of a community organization). Reference letters do not need to be in a sealed envelope. Applications and other information submitted with the application become the property of the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. Completed application and letters of reference must be submitted to the Foundation by, Monday, November 7, 2016.

Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. Attn: Kay Ray, Director P. O. Box 2807 Longview, Texas 75606 Questions? Contact Kay Ray at 903-452-7015 or 903-663-7129 at Longview High School on Monday or Wednesday only or at gray@lisd.org.

Scholarships will be announced by December 12, 2016.

Coming Events October 1 SAT testing at LHS

October 3 Rosh Hashana Start of 2nd Six Weeks 5 p.m. Forest Park football at Hogg 5 p.m. Foster football at Dogan 5 p.m. Judson football at Boulter 6 p.m. Boys Soccer Booster Club meeting (Lobo Cafeteria)

October 4 4 p.m. Lobo tennis hosts Mesquite 5 p.m. Foster football hosts Dogan (at Judson) 5 p.m. Forest Park football hosts Hogg (at Judson) 5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball at Mesquite 6:30 p.m. Judson football hosts Boulter 6:30 p.m. Lobo fall baseball at Tyler

October 5 Report Cards sent home 8 a.m. Lobo golf at Pine Tree Invitational

October 6 7:30 a.m. Lobo cross country at Lindale Invitational 4 p.m. Lobo tennis hosts Hallsville 5 p.m. Foster volleyball at Forest Park 5 p.m. Judson volleyball at Hubbard

October 7 8 a.m. LISD Parent-Teacher Conference Day.

Campuses|Continued from Front Distinctions are awarded to schools based on achievement in performance indicators relative to a group of 40 campuses of similar type, size and student demographics.

Longview High School earned six distinctions, receiving designations in each of the seven categories except English language arts/reading.

Judson Middle School also earned six distinctions, receiving designations in each of the seven categories except social studies.

At the elementary level, Hudson PEP received four, Ned E. Williams earned five, and J.L. Everhart and JohnstonMcQueen each earned one.

“I am pleased, but not surprised,” said Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox. “We have made great strides as a dsitrict, and we will continue to do so. While we celebrate the hard work of our teachers, students and parents, we also resolve to continue to get better from top to bottom.”

The state accountability rating system was implemented in 2013 to assess districts, campuses and charter schools. Schools receive one of three ratings - met standard, met alternate standard or improvement required.

Schools must meet the target for areas such as student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps across all ethnic populations and income levels and postsecondary readiness.

Campuses listed as met standard are those that met criteria for either student achievement or

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student progress, as well as meeting criteria for closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness.

Student achievement is a snapshot of performance across all subjects, while student progress measures year-to-year progress. Closing performance gaps emphasizes academic achievements of economically disadvantaged students and the two lowest-performing racial/ethnic student groups.

Postsecondary readiness focuses on the importance of earning a high school diploma and providing students with the foundation for success in college, job training programs, the workforce or the military.

In addition to rating districts and individual campus on whether they are meeting standards, the accountability system also hands out distinctions to schools that excel in the areas of English language arts/reading, mathematics, science, social studies, top 25 percent student progress, top 25 percent closing and performance gaps.

5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball hosts Rockwall-Heath 6 p.m. Forest Park Masquerade Ball October 8 8 a.m. Lobo swimming at Lufkin Invitational 8 a.m. Lobo tennis at Texas High tourney

October 9 Leif Erikson Day 6 p.m. Foster Parent’s Meeting October 10 Columbus Day/Native American Day 7 a.m. LHS Senior Portraits (Little Theater) 5 p.m. Foster football at Moore 6:30 p.m. Judson football at Nacogdoches 7 p.m. Board of Trustees regular meeting

October 11 4 p.m. Lobo tennis at Rockwall tourney 4 p.m. Foundation fundraiser at McAlister’s Deli 5 p.m. Forest Park football at

THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

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September / October 2016

‘Externship’ exposes students to science and medicine An externship at UT Health Northeast is giving Neal Rangu, a rising senior at Longview High School, his first experience in job shadowing physicians and research scientists and doing research.

Rangu is one of 18 externs in the four-week biomedical science summer externship running through July 1 at UT Health Northeast. The program is open to high school and college students.

“It’s a unique opportunity,” he said.

“I’ve never found a program like this in East Texas. I wanted to be able to shadow doctors and see if I would fit in the medical field. I’m interested in becoming a doctor.”

To be considered for acceptance to the externship program, they must submit an essay about their interest in medical science, letters of recommendation and a transcript. They also pay $250.

“It introduces them to both biomedical science and to medicine. This program is not about generating more physicians or more scientists, but making sure that young people get exposure to these disciplines,” Dr. Steven Idell, senior vice president for research, said.

Exposure to those fields may encourage young people that otherwise might not have considered a career in science or a medically related field, Idell said.

Not enough young people are entering science, technology, engineering and math fields, Idell said.

“The point is to provide exposure so

the career pathways are identified to ensure that everybody has a chance to figure out whether it’s right for them,” Idell said, acknowledging medicine and science are not for everybody.

The externship gives externs exposure to labs funded by the National Institutes of Health and they get to see clinicians and practitioners in various disciplines doing what they do to take care of patients, he said.

The externship is an integration of medicine and science, letting externs have real-life experiences and interact with scientists and seasoned doctors.

Students see patients coming in for treatment and then they see what happens in the laboratory to address health problems, Idell said.

Just the experience of being around trained medical professionals will help in the process of planning for the future, Rangu said, adding he has learned that it takes a life-long commitment to join the medical field and “you need to make sure you love the job before you commit.”

The externship allowed Arjun Peddireddy, 17, also a rising senior at Longview High School, to see what happens inside a hospital and the research side of the medical field.

UT Health Northeast Extern students, Neal Rangu, Arjun PeddiReddy and Alexander McCullough discuss the procedure and equipment in the lab of the Biomedical Research Center.

Longview named one of 'Happiest Cities' in Texas According to a report released earlier this month, Longview is ranked No. 12 as one of the happiest cities in the state of Texas.

Using U.S. Census and FBI data for places with a population of 50,000 or higher, consumer website creditdonkey. com ranked each city on seven categories: restaurants, crime rate, commute, departure time, income, divorce rate, and housing.

Longview averages 429.1 people per restarants and bars, with a 19.6 minute commute time and $43,926 median household. Only 20.8 percent of the average household income is spent on housing, one of the lowest for a city Longview’s size.

It looks like we’re trailing Pine Tree, John Tyler, and Mount Pleasant in the Super 1 Foods “Cash 4 My High School” textto-win promotional contest.

Each time a fan sends a text message with 1LOBOS to “43101” your school earns a point. The contest runs through Friday, Nov 1, so there’s still time!

h o ! h s U o b Lo

C'mon Lobos, WE GOT THIS! Fans can text once per day, every day of the promotion.

The school with the most points at the end of the season will receive $10,000 from Super 1 Foods.

The runner-up gets $5,000.

5 p.m. Judson football hosts Nacogdoches 6:30 p.m. Forest Park football hosts Hubbard 6:30 p.m. Lobo fall baseball at Hallsville/White Oak 8 p.m. Foster football hosts Moore

October 12 Yom Kippur 4 p.m. Lobo tennis at Rockwall tourney “I knew I wanted to get into medicine for awhile. It’s just a matter of what pursuit I’d like to take. Working with a pediatrician (in the externship) definitely piqued my interest,” he said.

Participating in the externship, he said, “is helping shape my views on what medicine really is and how it’s going to influence our world, not only on the patient side but in research.”

The externship, now in its third year, lets externs come to the labs to see how they function and see what researchers, technical staff, fellows and principal investigators do every day, Idell said.

The externs also see clinicians, nurses, practitioners and support staff taking care of patients.

“It’s actual real-life experiences,” Idell said.

Externs observe research, for example, into lung injury or the space surrounding the lung and chest wall. There are four concentrations in the labs: pulmonary injury and repair, pulmonary infections, cancer and innate immunity. Every lab has more than one thing going on.

Externs participate in lab meetings and see how the staff debate various problems and solve them.

“What we are trying to do is provide in the limited time we have with them exposures that are enough that they can get a flavor of the work that’s ongoing, essentially how the techniques are done, how they are addressed,” Idell said.

For example, externs learn the technical steps of how to grow cells.

“They are primarily observing in the labs, but they are observing just as they are in the clinical side the clinical interactions. It’s a unique experience in the area which students can’t get at any other institution,” Idell said.

KC will present ‘Hansel and Gretel’ for area school children The Kilgore College Music Department will present the children’s opera “Hansel and Gretel” Oct. 25-28 in Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore campus.

The production, by Denise Page Caraher with music from the original opera by Engelbert Humperdinck, is a fun fairy tale with original music and new lyrics.

All performances, performed by KC students, are free and open to the public with daytime performances geared toward area school children. Each performance will last about 50 minutes.

Groups of 10 or more need to call to reserve seats, but smaller groups are welcome to attend any performance without reservations.

Hubbard

October 13 5 p.m. Foster volleyball hosts Lufkin 5 p.m. Judson volleyball hosts Hogg 5 p.m. Forest Park volleyball at Three Lakes 5 p.m. Lobo 9th football at North Mesquite 5 p.m. Lobo JV football hosts North Mesquite 5:30 p.m. Ware Elementary “Fall Into Reading”

October 14 8 a.m. Parent’s Day for Kindergarten at JohnstonMcQueen 5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball at North Mesquite

October 15 8 a.m. Lobo swimming at Lufkin

October 17 7:30 a.m. Muffins With Moms at Johnston-McQueen 8 a.m. Lobo golf district tourney at Sulphur Springs 9:30 a.m. Goodnight Moon at Belcher Center 5 p.m. Judson football hosts Dogan 6 p.m. Forest Park football vs.

Foster (at Judson)

Performance schedule:

October 18

• • • •

7:30 a.m. Donuts With Dads at Johnston-McQueen

Tuesday, Oct. 25: 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 26: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 28: 1 p.m.

No reservations are required for the Tuesday night performance.

More than 2,800 school children have already made reservations to watch the play.

For more information or to reserve seats, email Melanie Sullivan at msullivan@kilgore.edu or call her at 903-988-7527.

5 p.m. Judson football hosts Dogan 5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball hosts Tyler Lee 6 p.m. Forest Park football vs.

Foster (at Judson)

October 19 Grandparent’s Day PSAT testing at LHS 3 p.m. Foster Junior Achivement

October 20 Family Reading Night 8 a.m. UIL Virtual Meet at Judson 8 a.m. Lobo tennis area meet at Conroe 5 p.m. Foster volleyball at Moore 5 p.m. Judson volleyball at Dogan 5 p.m. Forest Park volleyball hosts Hubbard 5 p.m. Lobo 9th football hosts John Tyler

THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

D’arbell, Rangu, and Patel finalists for national merit Officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that three LHS seniors are semifinalists for the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program: Naomi D’Arbell, Neal Rangu, and Rutvi Patel.

The students are just three out of the total 16,000 semifinalists. The district is not only excited about the prestigious honor, but also because the number increased from just one student last year, Jordan Wright.

These talented high school seniors will compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

About 90% of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.

About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying

Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist

level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

National Merit Scholarships

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2017. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.

About 1,000 corporatesponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.

In addition, about 190 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2017 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 323,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

Page 6 5 p.m. Lobo JV football at John Tyler 6 p.m. PTA 3rd Grade Program at Bramlette

October 21 8 a.m. Lobo tennis area meet at Conroe 5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball hosts John Tyler (Senior Night) 7:30 p.m. Lobo football hosts John Tyler

October 22 Mom & Son Sports Night ACT testing at LHS 7:30 a.m. Lobo cross country district meet (Tyler) 10 a.m. Judson Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition

October 24 5 p.m. Forest Park football hosts Hogg 5 p.m. Judson football hosts Boulter 5 p.m. Forest Park football at Dogan

October 25 Progress Reports sent home 7:30 a.m. Donuts For Dads at Ware 8 a.m. Lobo tennis district tourney at Rockwall

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THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

Joy Global sells Longview steel plate mill for $29m Joy Global has completed the sale of its steel plate mill in Longview to Nucor Corporation, the largest steel producer in the United States, for approximately $29 million.

Under Nucor’s ownership, the mill will continue to supply Joy Global with heavy steel plate used to manufacture some of the company’s premier mining equipment. All of Longview’s steel mill and cutting employees have transitioned to Nucor employment. Company officials say Joy Global looks forward to a continued working relationship as the mill supplies heavy steel plate used to manufacture some of the company’s premier mining equipment.

“This offers great opportunities for the mill employees,” said Rodney Bull, vice president and general manager for Joy Global in Longview. “We look forward to a strong working partnership with Nucor as both companies drive for

growth in our respective markets.”

As noted in its recent earnings release, Joy Global’s strategy to deliver profitable growth in its core mining equipment and services business includes monetizing non-core assets.

The company’s presence in Longview remains strong as it is home to manufacturing and support functions for products across the company’s surface, underground and hard rock mining equipment lines.

Wisconsin-based Joy Global has been supplying high-productivity mining equipment for more than 130 years and supports mining companies worldwide through full service programs including technical support, on-site maintenance and remote health monitoring.

The company has 135 locations in 20 countries. Find out more at www. joyglobal.com.

Dual|Continued from Front

The camp spanned the month of June, and was featured at the public meeting Aug. 25 at Ware Elementary.

“We had a fantastic turnout at the August dual-language meeting, and more

events are planned as the year continues,” said Ortiz. “Longview ISD is going to continue to lead the way in dual-language education in East Texas.”

September / October 2016

‘Big Green’

reaches record numbers

G

reatness is nothing new to the Longview High School Marching Band, and now it’s bigger than ever.

Instructed by longtime band director Louie Robinett, the Lobo band reported more than 300 members earlier this month, taking its place among the largest in school history.

Last year the band earned its 66th consecutive first division ratings at UIL marching contests — in addition to a now half-century’s worth of UIL sweepstakes awards, received first division ratings in all three categories of marching, concert band, and sight reading.

The Lobo Band Boosters announced earlier this month that they are receiving a generous donation to pursue a new cargo trailer for the growing band needs. As the band has grown to more than 300 members, all out of town travel requires significant supplies to support them.

Currently the band boosters are looking for a local dealer/salesman to help find the best deal possible.

Please email lobobandboosters@ gmail.com with any info that can help us take care of our BIG Green Marching Machine band members!

5 p.m. Foster football hosts Hogg (at Judson) 5:30 p.m. Lady Lobo volleyball at Rockwall 6 p.m. Judson football hosts Forest Park

October 26 5:30 p.m. Academic UIL parents meeting at Bramlette

October 27 5 p.m. Lady Lobo basketball parents meeting 5 p.m. Lobo 9th football at Rockwall-Heath 5 p.m. Lobo JV football hosts Rockwall-Heath 5:30 p.m. Performance of “The Audition” at Foster 7 p.m. Les Miserables at LHS auditorium

October 28 8 a.m. Lobo golf at Pine Tree tourney (Woodhollow) 8 a.m. Lobo tennis regional tourney

THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

Cotham family donates

‘Friday Night Howl’ Thanks to the generous donations of anonymous Lobo benefactors, ‘Friday Night Howl’ is a gift that keeps on giving.

A labor of love for Lobo grad Jeremy Cotham, the comprehensive historical work lives on even after his life was tragically cut short.

A 2004 Longview High School graduate — who also wrote for other local sports media — Cotham worked on the book until his death from leukemia in March 2015.

Friday morning the Cotham family donated a copy to the Longview High School library, a gesture that Jeremy’s father David Cotham said was made possible by a “generous former Lobo.”

“We’ve had several LHS alumni express an interest in purchasing copies (of Friday Night Howl) to be

donated to local libraries, in the hopes of instilling generations of young Lobos with the school spirit and love of alma mater that motivated Jeremy in this project,” he said. “For his next project, Jeremy wanted to do the history on the marching band, so maybe someone in the next generation can take that up.”

Prior to his passing, Jeremy enlisted the aid of his former Kilgore College journalism instructor, Bettye Craddock and her husband (noted East Texas historian) Van Craddock to finish the book. The 180page hardcover edition sells for $40 and features more than 300 photos covering the 106-year history of Lobo football teams, as well as a preview of the 2016 season.

It features game summaries, information, and photos of

players and coaches, team rosters and Lobo trivia.

LHS student A l p h a Gonzalez said she appreciates the donation and plans to be a regular reader when she has spare time at the library.

“Just in the quick look that I had of it, it made me curious to read more,” she said. “I’d definitely like to have my own copy, but it’s great that [the Cotham family] and the donor made this copy freely available to students,” she said.

“It definitely gives me a better appreciation of Lobo history.”

Lobo athletic director John King, who received the first copy of the book, said he hopes more students follow Jeremy’s example in

Page 8 12 p.m. Lobo Food Fest 5:30 p.m. Bramlette Fall Festival 5:30 p.m. Hudson PEP Fall Festival 7:30 p.m. Lobo football at Rockwall-Heath

October 29 8 a.m. Lobo swimming at Nacogdoches Invitational taking pride in their school “and strive to leave their community better than they found it.”

“We always say ‘once a Lobo, always a Lobo’ and Jeremy Cotham is the epitome of that,” he said.

“Though his time with us was cut far too short, his legacy at Longview High will live on forever.”

“Friday Night Howl” will be sold at the Lobo Athletic Office during August season ticket sales and at 2016 Lobo home games. To reserve a copy of the book, email David Cotham at Cotham75605@yahoo.com or call (903) 736-4637.

8 a.m. Lobo golf at Pine Tree tourney (Woodhollow) 8 a.m. Lobo tennis regional tourney 8 a.m. TMSCA Meet at Foster 2 p.m. Les Miserables at LHS auditorium 5 p.m. Lady Lobos basketball at Hallsville

October 30 12 p.m. Robert LaMont Karate Tournament at Lobo Coliseum 2 p.m. Les Miserables at LHS auditorium

October 31 Halloween Night 8 a.m. Lobo golf at Mount Pleasant Invitational 5 p.m. Forest Park football hosts Boulter (at Judson) 5 p.m. Foster football at Judson

THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

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THE LONGVIEW VOICE —

September / October 2016

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