Roscoe School Initiatives Featured by Raise Your Hand, Texas

Instructor James McDanolds flies a drone at the STEM center.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD is in the news again. This time the school’s initiatives are the subject of a feature article on the Raise Your Hand, Texas website. Raise Your Hand, Texas is an advocacy group supporting the improvement of public education in Texas through innovation and policies for visionary leadership and advance of student learning. According to their website, they invest millions of dollars in developing high-performing school leaders to improve outcomes for over five million Texas students.

Many of their published stories focus on cutting-edge programs that are already available in public schools across the state, programs that ultimately benefit Texas families and the state’s future economy. And their article on Roscoe’s program is one of these. They mention the Edu-Drone program and the Edu-Vet plan, both initiatives of the STEM academy, as well as the robotics program and the high rate of seniors who graduate with Associate’s Degrees. Testimonials are provided by Greg Wortham of New Amsterdam Global, Mary Ross, Director of Workforce Solutions of West Texas, and Todd Stroud of Hoofstock Genetics.

Included in the article is a video well worth watching. Among other things, it features selected RCHS students discussing the program. The article was published on Monday as this is National School Choice Week. It includes links to Facebook and Twitter, and this week the organization is running ads in the Texas Tribune and Quorum Report that feature the RCISD story. You can view it by clicking this link: http://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/stories/roscoe-isd/

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2017 NOLAN COUNTY STOCK SHOW RESULTS

Aiden Richburg shows his hog at the Nolan County Stock Show.

Here are the results of Roscoe FFA students who placed in last week's 2017 Nolan County Stock Show in the Nolan County Coliseum last weekend:

Rabbits 
               Darbee Drake -3rd place

Poultry 
               Madison Gonzales - Grand Champion

               Anselma Acuña - 3rd place / Junior Showmanship

               Alfonso Islas - Sr. Showmanship

Sheep     

               Ty Fullwood - 2nd and 3rd places (2)

               Tait Fullwood - 4th place

Swine

               Zeke Murphy - 1st place and Breed Champion

               Kaylee Palacios - 2nd place
               Aiden Richburg  3rd (2), 5th, 7th places

               Breona McQueen - 6th place

               Montana McCoy - 7th place

Jaycee Baker of  Highland shows her hog.

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PLOWBOYS KNOCK OFF ANSON, 56-41

The Plowboys returned to winning ways with a strong second half over Anson here at home Friday night. Although they trailed 21-19 at halftime, they came away with a 15-point victory. Here are the stats for the game:

Plowboys 56 – Anson 41

Scoring by quarters:

Plowboys          12        19        40        56
Anson                13        21        33        41

Individual scoring: Jose Ortega 15, Jack Phillips 12, Johnathon Cuellar 12, Clemente Aguayo 8, Jayden Gonzales 5, Brandon Lavalais 3, Brayden Beal 2.

The Plowboys’ next game will be with Albany in Albany Friday evening.

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO ANSON, 44-37

Bergan Trevino shoots a free throw against Anson. (Photo by Zane Graves)

In a game played in Roscoe Friday evening, the Plowgirls lost a district game to Anson 44-37. Here are the stats for the game.

Anson 44 – Plowgirls 37

Scoring by quarters:

Anson              12        25        33        44
Plowgirls           3        10        26        37

Individual scoring: Kinzie Buchanan 10, Veronica Cuellar 10, Bergan Trevino 6, Bonnie Wilkinson 6, Jaleigh Morales 5.

The Plowgirls had an open date yesterday. Their next game will be Friday evening when they face Albany in Albany. Tipoff is at 6:30pm.

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ROSCOE COMMUNITY CENTER NEWS

THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH LUNCH
Mark your calendars for the next “Third Sunday” Lunch.
February 19, 11:30am-1:30p.m.
Menu:   Homemade Beef Stew, Cornbread/Crackers,
              Salad, Dessert, and Drink    $7 per plate

COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
The Roscoe Community Center will be hosting a Roscoe Community Garage Sale.
Saturday, February 4, 8am to 3pm
If you are interested in renting an indoor space to set up your items, please contact Connie Baize at 325-338-1287 for more information.

COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS
We are currently running a Rental Special for the months of January, February and March.
Hurry and Book your events!!
Call Misty Reynolds for more information – 325-338-1005  

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JOHN BAUMANN AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY

John Baumann

Up-and-coming singer and songwriter John Baumann will make his debut at the Lumberyard Saturday night. A native of San Antonio who has also lived in Lubbock and Amarillo, he is now based in Austin but spends most of his time on tour, often opening for Willie Nelson. He has co-written songs with Pat Green, Cory Morrow, and Wade Bowen.

He recorded his first EP, West Texas Vernacular, in 2012 and his first album, High Plains Alchemy with the single, “Gulf Moon,” in 2014. Since then, he has released another EP, Departures, which contain his signature songs, “Bay City Blues” and “Vices.”

For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: MILD AND WINDY

Yesterday's dusty sunset.

This past week’s weather was generally stable and warmer than average. Highs were in the sixties and lows in the forties from Thursday through Sunday. Then Monday and yesterday were warm and sunny with the high on Monday at 74°F and yesterday 73°. High winds were a problem on the weekend with winds up to 32mph and gusts up to 40 on Saturday and 33mph with gusts up to 43 on Sunday. Yesterday afternoon also was windy enough to kick up some dust visible on the horizon.

Since the last week of January is typically the coldest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, I guess we should feel lucky that there is no snow or sleet in the forecast. Starting with today, though, it will be colder than it has been for the past week. The high today will reach only 54°. But that will be as warm as it gets for the rest of the week with highs in the low fifties and lows around 31° through Saturday. Sunday will be a bit warmer with a forecast 59° high and then all next week should see highs return to the sixties with lows in the forties. Skies will be clear to partly cloudy, and there is no precipitation in the forecast.

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City to Apply for $275k Grant for Sewer Improvements

At its monthly meeting last Tuesday, the Roscoe City Council authorized applying for a state grant of $275,000 to improve City sewer lines. It also heard the City Manager’s update on current City works and the Police Chief’s police activity report for the month of December.

City Manager Cody Thompson told the Council that City workers have been patching streets at least once a week and will continue to do so. They have cleaned up the burn pile on Front Street as well as on Kade Johnson’s property where the Homecoming bonfires were. They have also been busy repairing water leaks resulting from the recent hard freezes.

Work with TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) continues on finalizing the closure of the old wastewater sewer plant, while wastewater line improvements will not begin until late March.

The recent mailout of letters to City residents about lead and copper was a minor incident resulting from two of the ten locations going slightly over allowable limits. The TCEQ is being extra cautious in light of the recent publicity concerning contaminated water in Flint, Michigan.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD is working with a committee to secure the Shelansky Building for the school’s EduDrone Center. On the City’s north side, Carl Childers is dealing with prospective developers for a travel center on his property along US 84.

Police Chief Felix Pantoja told the Council that during the month of December, the Department received 81 calls for assistance, made 4 arrests, dealt with 3 vehicle collisions, and filed two criminal cases with the D.A.'s office.

The Council then discussed and agreed to apply for a Texas Community Block Grant of $275,000 from the Texas Department of Agriculture. The funds are needed for continued City sewer line improvements.

The Council also approved the City’s first quarter investment report.

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PLOWBOYS NAMED TO 2A ALL-BIG COUNTRY FOOTBALL TEAM

Jose Ortega, Francisco Garcia, Paul Pantoja, Matt Buckley.

The Plowboy football team, which advanced to the playoffs and won two games before being eliminated in the Regional Finals, had some of its best players named to the Abilene Reporter-News 2016 2A All Big-Country football team.

Jose Ortega made the first team as a utility player on defense and the second team as a wide receiver on offense. Francisco Garcia made the first-team offense as a running back, and Paul Pantoja made the first-team defense as a lineman.

Matthew Buckley made the second-team offensive line, and Brayden Beal made honorable mention as quarterback.

Here are the named Plowboys along with their significant stats, as reported by the Abilene Reporter-News:

First Team Offense: Francisco Garcia (Jr., 5’9”, 175) Running Back, Rushed for 1508 yards and 23 TDs on 247 carries.

First Team Defense: Paul Pantoja (Jr., 6’0”, 215) Defensive Line. Finished with 71 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.

First Team Defense: Jose Ortega (So., 5’ 7”, 155) Utility, had 79 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles from his position in the Plowboys’ secondary.

Second Team Offense: Matthew Buckley (Sr., 6’1”, 250) Offensive Line. Graded at 90% with 37 pancake blocks and one sack allowed to earn District Lineman of the Year honors.

Second Team Offense: Jose Ortega (So., 5’ 7”, 155) Wide Receiver, Had 48 catches for 814 yards and 13 TDs.

Honorable Mention: Brayden Beal, Sr., Quarterback; Jose Ortega, So., Defensive Back.

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ROSCOE COMMUNITY CENTER NEWS

A nice crowd enjoyed lunch at the Community Center on Sunday.

THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH LUNCH
Our First “THIRD SUNDAY LUNCH” was a success!  We would like to thank everyone who came and joined us.
Our next meal is planned for February 19, 2016, 11:30am-1:30pm.
So mark your calendars!!!

COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
The Community Center will be hosting a Roscoe Community Garage Sale.
Saturday, February 4, 2016, 8am to 3pm

If you are interested in renting an indoor space to set up your items, please contact Connie Baize at 325-338-1287 for more information.

COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS
We currently running a Rental Special for the months of January, February and March:

Mon. - Thu.:    $50 per Hour (min. of 2 hrs.) with $150 deposit
Fri., Sat., & Sun.:   all day $300 rent with $150 deposit
                           ½ day (4 hrs. or less) $200 rent + $150 deposit
(Please note that all deposit refunds are subject to a $50 non-refundable fee.)

Call Misty Reynolds for more information – 325-338-1005

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ROSCOE COLLEGIATE ISD PICKUP STOLEN FROM STEM CENTER

The Roscoe Police Department is reporting the theft on early Monday morning of a white, four-door Chevrolet pickup from its location at the STEM Center off the I-20 service road just west of town.  The vehicle belongs to the school and has the school logo on both sides. The fence enclosing it received extensive damage when whoever was driving the pickup rammed the fence in order to reach the open road.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the Roscoe Police Department at 325-514-8384 or Crime Stoppers at 325-235-8477.

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO HASKELL, STAMFORD, HAWLEY

Bonnie Wilkinson drives for a layup against Haskell. (Photo by Zane Graves.)

The Plowgirls were defeated by Haskell and Stamford last week--and then barely lost a heartbreaker by one point against Hawley in Hawley last night.

Tuesday, January 10
Haskell 71 - Plowgirls 21

Scores by quarters:
Haskell             19        41        57        71
Plowgirls            2          7        13        21

Plowgirl scoring: Jaci Alexander 6, Kinzie Buchanan 4, Bergan Trevino, Jovana Peña 3, Veronica Cuellar 2, Bonnie Wilkinson 2.

Friday, January 13
Stamford 81 - Plowgirls 70

Stamford            2        38        58        81
Plowgirls           11        23        41        70

Cuellar 22, B. Wilkinson 19, Jaleigh Morales 9, Buchanan 6, Trevino 6, Lyndi Wilkinson 4, Karina Cisneros 3, Alexander 2, Peña 1.

Tuesday, January 17

Hawley 49 - Plowgirls 48
Hawley             14        27        39        49
Plowgirls          12        21        36        48

Cuellar 14, B. Wilkinson 11, Alexander 7, Buchanan 7, Morales 4, Peña 3.

The Plowgirls' next game is at home against Anson on Friday.

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PLOWBOYS FALL TO HASKELL, STAMFORD

Tuesday, January 10
Haskell 36 - Plowboys 31

Haskell              13        20        26        36
Plowboys            6        16        28        31

Plowboy scoring: Johnathan Cuellar 10, Jayden Gonzales 6, Jose Ortega 5, Brandon Lavalais 5, Jack Phillips 3, Brayden Beal 2.

Thursday, January 13
Stamford 62 - Plowboys 33

Stamford           16        28        47        62
Plowboys             5        17        22        33

Plowboy scoring: Ortega 9, Clemente Aguayo 6, Phillips 5, Cuellar 4, Gonzales 3, Beal 2, Lavalais 2, Cam Boren 2.

The Plowboys next play Anson at home Friday evening.

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BRI BAGWELL PLAYS THE LUMBERYARD SATURDAY

Bri Bagwell.

Texas Country singer and songwriter Bri Bagwell will warm the crowd at the Lumberyard Saturday night as she makes her first ever indoor appearance there. She is scheduled to begin at around 8:30pm

Bri Bagwell, who grew up in Las Cruces, NM, has been singing since childhood, originally performing with her twin brothers, and now travels the Texas honky-tonk circuit. She has been to Nashville and hopes to become country music’s next superstar. Her musical influences include Miranda Lambert, Patty Griffin, and Johnny Cash. This video features her singing her single “Whiskey.”

For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: A MIXED BAG WITH SOME RAIN

Fog enveloped Roscoe on Saturday and Sunday.

The past week or so has run the gamut as far as weather is concerned. Last week began with unseasonably warm weather with the high temperature on Monday a pleasant 72°F, on Tuesday 74°, and on Wednesday 82°. But then a front moved through bringing clouds and temperatures that dropped steadily until Saturday when the high was only 35° and the low 30°. Saturday and Sunday were both foggy, and on Sunday afternoon a thunderstorm arrived bringing with it rain along with an abundance of lightning and thunder, which is not normal for January.

I got 1.3” here at my house although Kenny Landfried’s official total for Roscoe was only 1.08”. Monday the sun broke out but the day was still predominantly cloudy with a high of 60°. Then yesterday afternoon a light rain fell for a few hours. By the time it was over, I’d recorded another .74” (Kenny Landfried recorded an official .70"). That makes my total rainfall for Sunday and yesterday a substantial 2.04”. If you add the rain we got on January 1 and 2, which at my house came to .3”, the total for the month so far is 2.38”. That’s over twice the normal average of .98” for the entire month of January, and we still have two more weeks to go.  In short, it’s wet in and around Roscoe. There are puddles all over town, area dry lakes are not dry, and they may stay that way for a while.

The outlook for the rest of this week and the beginning of next is for warmer temperatures and more sunshine than we’ve had lately—although this weekend is forecast to be mostly cloudy. Skies should be clear with highs in the sixties through the first part of next week, after which the highs will drop into the fifties. And, if the weathermen are right, we probably won’t see any more rain for the rest of the month.

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Down Memory Lane: A Tribute to Malcolm Hammack

Note: This is an updated version of a Hard Times article that ran in January 2011.)

As the Christmas holidays draw to a close and the New Year begins, football is always in the air—or should I say ‘on the air’?—with an endless supply of games. The college bowl games seem to start earlier every year, with the initial bowls pitting also-rans from smaller leagues all the way up to the national championship game between Alabama and Clemson next Monday night. 

And if all that is not enough football for you, the NFL playoffs begin in earnest this weekend with two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. What better time then to remember perhaps the best football player ever to come out of Roscoe?

The Plowboys have had many football stars over the years—I hesitate to name them for fear of leaving someone out—but none more prominent than Malcolm Hammack (known professionally as Mal), the only ex-Plowboy who has ever enjoyed an extended career in the NFL. Not only did he start twelve years for the Cardinals, he was also a college standout for the Florida Gators and a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

Always known here as Malcolm, he was born in Roscoe on June 19, 1933, to Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hammack and lived here until graduating from Roscoe High in 1951. His father worked for many years on the track gang of the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway, and the family home was on 302 Bois d’Arc Street.

As a boy growing up in Roscoe, Malcolm was a member of the Boys Club, going on Boys Club trips and playing softball on Boys Club teams. While in high school, he was the top pitcher for the 1951 Boys Club State Champion softball team as well as a star running back for the Roscoe Plowboys.

After graduating from Roscoe High, he played for the Arlington State Junior College Rebels, where he was good enough to attract the attention of Florida coach Bob Woodruff, who offered him a scholarship to transfer to Florida. He played the next two years as a running back for the Florida Gators and was an  all-Southeast Conference selection in 1954, his senior year. After college he was drafted into the army and played on the army team in Fort Ord, California.

He was then selected by the Chicago Cardinals as the 26th overall pick in the 1955 NFL draft and stayed with the Cardinals for his entire 12-year pro career, moving with them to St. Louis in 1960. He was a starter at fullback and played in the same backfield as Ollie Matson and John David Crow. Known for his versatility, he also played linebacker when called upon and was the special-teams captain, returning kickoffs and punts.

In 1958 he returned to the University of Florida in the off-season to finish his bachelor’s degree. After retiring from football in 1966, he remained in St. Louis, where he was a sales representative for a shoe company and a color announcer on radio broadcasts of the Cardinals’ football games. He died on July 19, 2004, at the age of 71.

I can still remember watching television in the Boys Club hall with other boys when the Cardinals played and the cheers we gave when he made a good play. He was “our” football player, and we all felt a sense of pride when the announcers had something good to say about him, which they often did.

During the years he was playing in the NFL, he often came back to Roscoe to see his parents, and, when he did, he usually dropped by the Roscoe Times office to see George Parks and visit for a while. I worked there at the time and was flattered that he always remembered me by name and took the time to say something to us kids while he was there.

In short, he was a heck of a football player, a good role model, and an all-around nice guy. May we have more like him!

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ROSCOE COMMUNITY CENTER

Will be hosting a

Hamburger Steak Lunch

     (Includes dessert &drink)

Sunday -January 15, 2017

11:30am-1:30pm

Tickets $8 adults

$5 children 6 & under

Proceeds of the meal will go toward kitchen repairs

If you have questions, please contact

Elisha Jowers , president 325-277-4113

Connie Baize, secretary. 325-338-1287

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PLOWBOYS FIND ROUGH GOING IN EULA TOURNEY, VS. ALBANY

The Plowboys may be a superior team when it comes to football, but so far they haven’t been able to achieve that status in basketball. At least, that’s the way it appears since they hung up their cleats and put on their basketball shoes last month, and the games they played this past week didn’t do anything to dispel that notion. 

Part of the problem in the Eula Tournament was the size of the schools they were playing. With the exception of Poolville, whose student enrollment is similar to Roscoe’s, they found themselves pitted against larger schools with larger players.

Then, yesterday evening they lost to Albany in a non-district game 45-22.

Childress 76 – Plowboys 22

Scoring by quarters:

Childress          30        41        64        76
Plowboys             7        14        19        22

Plowboy Scoring: Jayden Gonzales 9, Jose Ortega 7, Jack Phillips 3, Brayden Beal 2.

Poolville 60 – Plowboys 33

Poolville          18        32        49        60
Plowboys         11        20        29        33

Plowboy Scoring: Ortega 11, Johnathon Cuellar 8, Gonzales 7, Clemente Aguayo 2, Cam Boren 2, Phillips 2, Junior Martinez 1.

Clyde 80 – Plowboys 20

Clyde               29        46        70        80
Plowboys          4           9        18        20

Plowboy scoring: Gonzales 6, Beal 5, Cuellar 3, Boren 2. Martinez 2, Ortega 2.

Tolar 51 – Plowboys 35

Tolar                16        26        44        57
Plowboys         10        16        28        35

Plowboy scoring: Ortega 17, Cuellar 6, Boren 4, Brandon Lavalais 3, Phillips 3, Beal 2.

Albany 45 - Plowboys 22

Albany              10        20        34        45
Plowboys            5         7         12        22

Plowboy scoring: Ortega 14, Gonzales 6, Cuellar 4.

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PLOWGIRLS RUNNERS-UP IN EDEN TOURNAMENT, DEFEAT ALBANY, 43-33

After defeating Eden in their opening game of the Eden Tournament, the Plowgirls won their second game against Bronte 44-34, but fell to Robert Lee in the championship game 71-44. Then, yesterday evening they were victorious over Albany 43-33 in a game played in Roscoe. 

Scoring by quarters:

Plowgirls 44 – Bronte 34

Plowgirls            9        30        38        44
Bronte                 2          8         17        34

Plowgirl scoring: Jaleigh Morales 13, Bonnie Wilkinson 10, Kenzie Buchanan 8, Jaci Alexander 7, Veronica Cuellar 4.

Robert Lee 71 - Plowgirls 44

Robert Lee       23        40        60        71
Plowgirls            8        22        37        44

Cuellar 13, Buchanan 10, Wilkinson 10, Morales 4, Jovana Pena 4, Alexander 2, Bergan Trevino 1.

Plowgirls 43 - Albany 33

Plowgirls         11          26         30       43
Albany              5           20         24       33

Cuellar 14, Wilkinson 9, Morales 5, Pena 4, Alexander 2, Buchanan 2, Trevino 2, Lynzie Atkison 1.

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