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Hopkins County Commissioners recognized Lake Country CASA and North East Texas Child Advocacy Center staff members and volunteers for their work on behalf of the children of Hopkins County and their families. Pictured from left are Kristin Garcia, Hopkins County District Attorney’s Office; NETCAC team members Katie Moss, Alex Wafford, Missy Hooten and Director Lauren Zastany. Lake Country CASA Director Amy Glenn, Jenn McCoy, Dana Adams, Sarah Goggans and Sharla Evans. Staff photo by Tammy Vinson -
At the April school board meeting, SSISD trustees recognized members of SSHS’ chapters of Family Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) who will soon compete in state and national organization contests. SSHS faculty advisor Debbie Stribling said she is extremely proud of her students and excited about their futures.
| Child Abuse Prevention Month
Employees of Lake Country Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the North East Texas Child Advocacy Center (NETCAC) were recognized Tuesday morning at the regular meeting of the Hopkins County Commissioners Court.
County Judge Robert Newsom read a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness Month in Hopkins County and read a proclamation recognizing both organizations for their work with children and families experiencing abuse.
The proclamation read: “Hopkins County prides itself on giving back to the community, contributing to the quality of life among citizens; and Child abuse prevention is a community responsibility and finding solutions depends on involvement among all people; and Effective child abuse prevention programs succeed because of partner- Hannah Teer took a family and consumer sciences assessment test in Creed, Mission and Purpose. Teer also took a second test in what’s referred to as ‘Step One,’ a thorough test of all FCCLA information,” Stribling said.
The FCCLA Star Event interior design team, advised by Christina Davis, also participated in the state competition. Members Sadie Shutt, Ali Quick and Nick Braddy earned a trip to the national FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Seattle June 29 through July 3.
Stribling said at the 2024 region meeting in Waco, Teer “was elected to serve as the Region 3 vice president of projects, scoring the highest on her officer test” during the FCCLA regional contest. She was the only candidate out of 19 to answer her fact question correctly. Along with her regional officer duties, [Teer]'s officer position allows her to serve on the FCCLA State Executive Council.
“[Teer] was very shy and introverted when we started, and after her election, I said, ‘Hannah, did you ever think, when we started in October, that you would be an FCCLA officer? And she said, ‘Strib, I didn't know you could pull it out of me, but I'm very excited and I cannot wait.’
‘This has been a very exciting year for Texas Association of Future Educators,” Stribling continued. “We've had a membership increase, and we had 12 members this year. We just started TAFE a few years ago, so we've grown a lot. This year, 10 members competed at area contests. Out of those, seven made it to state, and three of those advanced to the national contest in Washington, D.C. June 27 through July 1.”
TAFE state qualifiers include: Abby Hale — interactive bulletin board; Jamie Tavera and Edith Martinez (team) — interactive bulletin board; Gage Williams and Ian Westland — exploring careers, noncore subject teaching areas; Bella Gilbreath — interactive bulletin board; and Lindsay Hayes — creative lecture and impromptu speaking. Hayes, along with Tavera and Martinez, will also compete at the TAFE national contest, June 27 through July 1 in Washington DC.
“I'm going to be so proud to represent Sulphur Springs in Washington, D.C., to take these young ladies there to learn not just more about Texas Association of Future Educators, but to learn more about our history as the United States,” Stribling said. “I want to tell you, the future of Sulphur Springs in Hopkins County and the world is in good hands. Pay no attention to what you hear about the future of education, because I am here to tell you that the future of education at Sulphur Springs High School is brighter than it has been in a long time.”
Art UIL
SSHS art teacher Phillip Dick introduced freshman Haley Hopkins, who took third place in the state UIL Film semifinals competition on Feb. 28 in Austin. Hopkins’ digitally animated film, “The Perfect Dream,” told the story of a student who is under pressure from parents and dealing with test anxiety.
“We had four teams, some singles and some duos, that submitted films to the state film festival,” Dr. Dick said. “All four teams made it to the semifinals, and Haley Hopkins made it to the state level. They take the top six and hold a film festival, where they show all of the films that were submitted by the students from all over Texas, ranked by school size. [Hopkins] was in the top six and ended up finishing third in the state for traditional digital animation.”
Trustees congratulated all the students for their achievements and posed for photos.
“Thank you to all the sponsors, especially as well. We know there's a lot of time and effort put into that. Being here tonight to allow us to recognize them. It is our honor to recognize these students and the sponsors as well,” board president Craig Roberts said.