The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Page: 1 of 12
twelve pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
ne Merce
terprise
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Volume 95
Number 33
Price 50
Water damage moves
classes from Kennedy
• as school approaches
Youngsters looking forward to at-
tending class at Kennedy Elementary
will have to look forward instead to
learning at the historic Graham/Jun-
ior High campus, at least for a few
months.
School district officials have an-
nounced that certain areas of the
Kennedy campus have been found
to be water-damaged to the point
where the school will have to be
closed - for an estimated four months,
at least - while the problem is cleaned
up and solved.
In addition, similar problems at
Travis Elementary and High School,
will also require the closing of a num-
/ ber of rooms, though not enough to
shut down the campuses.
“The staffs (of the three schools)
have become aware of multiple seri-
ous problems with these buildings
which affect their ability to properly
prepare for the coming school year,
and raise concerns for the safety of
students attending classes there,”
reports Interim Superintendent Walter
Watson. “The district has been pro-
active in assessing and addressing
these problems, and is doing every- |
thing within its power to protect the
welfare of its students, educators and
administrators,” he adds.
Students who registered to attend
Kennedy were told where to report
instead, and parents with additional
questions are invited to contact
school officials.
District head to keep
post at least until May
Crises don’t happen at convenient wrong by letting Mr. Watson stay on
times; that’s what makes something a the job and see this thing through,”
crisis. the board president adds. “He’s got
I the support of all levels of the staff
. ut as erce PU 10S0100 and administration, so we believe that
officials faced a situation that in-,
volves moving the students from one naming of a full-fledged superinten-
campus to another less than two "And ^ bottom line is: he's do-
weeks from the start of school, the • , „
. . . 1 ing a great job.
board figured there was a pretty good.
.. . . . So his contract as interim head-
crisis management team in place. 11
man has been extended through May,
The timing of the crisis caught and with the short title or not, he’s
Walter Watson as that team’s leader going to run the district this school
- he’s the district’s interim superin- year.
tendent - and the board has decided Mr. Watson’s educational career
to keep it that way. they have given spans four decades and six districts,
him tenure of a sort and their bless- He began work in Mercedes in 2003
ing to deal with the crisis, as well as as Coordinator of Federal Programs,
to direct the district through the com- Before becoming interim superinten-
ing school year, dent, he was Director of Programs.
Trustees emerged from executive “This is a good district,” Mr.
session at Tuesday night’s meeting Watson says. “The people I work with
and voted to suspend the search for and the people I work for all help make
a permanent superintendent for the this an easier job than it could be. I
time being. Instead, they extended think we’ll see some good things get
Walter Watson’s present contract as done here in the coming months, and
“interim” super. I'm glad I’m in a position to be part of
that.”
THE PROMISE OF A NEW
SEASON is a positive one
around the MHS Tiger
football practice fields.
Though the week’s rains
disrupted some sessions,
Tigers as seen here are
“getting after it.” In up-
per picture, sophomore
Quarterback Albert
Chavez runs his offense,
while at right, Coach Rick
Hinojosa demonstrates
proper technique. (En-
terprise Photos.)
“We’re lucky to have Mr. Watson
in this position right now,” says
School Board President Ron McVey.
“He’s been on every rung of the edu-
cational ladder and knows schools
inside and out. He’s got military ser-
vice under his belt and he knows how
to get the most from the people he
works with.
“We all (on the school board)
agreed that right now, we couldn’t go
Winter ball league forming
Mercedes Youth Sports is cur-
rently registering teams for the up-
coming 2007 Fall Baseball and Soft-
ball season, reports Director Felix
Rocha.
Registration is open to all divi-
sions in both baseball and softball.
The season is set to start in Septem-
ber, the spokesman says.
All teams must be registered no
later than August 31.
Anyone wanting more information
can call Mr. Rocha at 825-9472 or email
felix.rocha@mercedessports.org .
Season ticket holders
Here’s your
chance for
‘chupa' egg
If you’re anxious to make sure
you’re a part of “Chupacabra” his-
tory, you now have the opportunity
to invest in the most-talked about bit
of “Chupacabra” lore in Mercedes
history.
As part of the Mercedes Centen-
nial Celebration, the Mercedes Lions
Club will host a “Chupacabra Float-
ing Egg Race” in the Main Canal bor-
dering the Rio Grande Valley Live-
stock Showgrounds.
The event will take place Septem-
ber 29, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for the numbered eggs are
now available from any Mercedes Li-
ons Club member, at Borderland Hard-
ware or at Bill Bunton Auto Supply in
Mercedes, for a donation of $5 each.
All profit from the event - what-
ever the event turns out to be - will
go toward a pledge to Sightfirst II, a
Lions Club International project to
alleviate blindness throughout the
world.
To recognize
area pioneers
Pioneers of Mercedes will be rec-
ognized at the Mercedes lOO’th Anni-
versary on September 28.
Any residents born here before
1920 and who have lived here all their
lives are asked to get in contact with
Amelia Adame at 565-1497 or Mrs.
Helen Vogel at 565-2962. ,
. Long-time Mercedes residents
. who came here previous to 1920 are
also to be recognized, and may call
the committee for information.
The pioneers must be present at
the reception, set for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.,
Friday, September 28 at the Livestock
Show.
In other Centennial News, the
Mercedes Area Chamber of Commerce
has released an expanded agenda for
the Centennial Weekend. A copy will
appear here next week..
Freshmen to
get oriented
at ‘Fish Camp’
Incoming freshmen at Mercedes
High School should already feel spe-
cial - they have a “Fish Camp,” or
freshman orientation scheduled next
week in their honor.
All ninth graders are expected to
be present at the camp, which will run
from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the MHS
z Gymnasium.
A Parent Session will begin at
10:30 a.m. at the Art Building’s Black
Room.
Students attending will be told the
information they’ll need to know to
navigate MHS, and as incentives to
g attend, they’ll get T-shirts, door
. prizes, pizza, planners, school IDs and
the chance to meet their mentors.
Anyone wanting more information
is invited to call the MHS Counseling
Center at 514-2114 to speak to Gabriel
Hernandez, ninth grade counselor or
Rita Cedillo, GEAR-UP facilitator.
can now reserve seats Kick-off BBQ
It’s time for MHS Tiger Football
season ticket holders to claim their
seats for the new season, reports Ath-
letic Director Gilbert Leal.
the general public.
Price is $20 per seat, providing
seating for the four home games of
the season.
Season tickets will be available to
those who held them last year
through Friday, August 24, the AD
says.
Starting Monday, August 27, un-
claimed tickets and those remaining
to be sold will be made available to
Tickets will be sold at the Ticket
Office at the MHS gymnasium, from 8
a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m.
to 4:30 p.m., weekdays.
Anyone wanting more information
is invited to call Nora Villanueva at
514-2049.
MERCEDES WOMEN LEAD PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATION - The two Mercedes women
above serve the Valley Association of School
Business Officials as officers. Olga Hinds, at
right, has served the group as President for
the past year, having previously served as
Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President. Nellie
Ledesma, left, has served as Treasurer for a
year, and will now move up to the post of
Secretary. Mrs. Hinds is presently interim Chief
Financial Officer for Mercedes public schools.
Mrs. Ledesma is Harlingen CISD’s Internal
Auditor. VASBO’s purpose is providing members
with opportunities for professional
development, furthering public understanding
of the role of business officials in the
educational process, and raising funds to
provide scholarships for high school graduates
seeking to join their profession. (Enterprise
Photo.)
Ad deadline nearing
You still have time to reserve copy.
space in the annual Tiger Football The organizers point out that this
Program, sponsored by the MHS year’s program will be in full color.
Cheerleaders and Debonnaire Drill Anyone wanting more information
Team, project organizers say. is invited to call Elda Huerta at 514-
Deadline is Saturday, August 18 2100, or Norma Saldana at 684-6156
for reserving space and turning in ad or 565-2774.
is next week
Mercedes Quarterback Club mem-
bers have announced that their “Meet
the Tigers” Barbecue is scheduled for
August 23.
The season “kick-off’ event will
feature a barbecue meal and a full-
fledged pep rally to get players and
fans ready for football.
The meal runs from 5:30 p.m. to
7:30 p.m. at the Livestock Show’s
Youth Center. The pep rally will fol-
low.
Club members also invite those
interested in joining their group to
contact Danny Martinez at 792-5080.
The club meets on a weekly basis
during the football season to view
game films, get the latest updates on
their team and opponents, and plan
promotional events to support Tiger
football.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 15, 2007, newspaper, August 15, 2007; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1655678/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.