Tomball’s Wal-Mart and VFW Post No. 2427 joined forces to honor all the service men and women of the Armed Forces since World War I throughout Memorial Day weekend. Events began May 26 with members of the VFW post and its Ladies Auxiliary presenting the familiar Buddy Poppies to shoppers entering the store and receiving donations to aid disabled veterans and the widows and orphans of those lost in battle. The event culminated with a special Memorial Day program on May 27. Pictured, incoming Post Adjutant and World War II veteran Franklin Stephens (left) with Wal-Mart Assistant Manager Gary Freeman (right). Submitted Photo

Northwest EMS annual report reveals fast response times

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

Northwest EMS Chief Brian Petrilla presented the 2005-06 annual report of the

Northwest Rural Emergency Services District to the Tomball Rotary Club last week, highlighting the district’s November 2005 recognition as “Texas EMS Provider of the Year.”

The award is given annually to the EMS service that takes a leadership role in Texas EMS, according to the report.

The report also stated that the service’s average response time for emergency calls, including mutual aid requests, was 5 minutes, 32 seconds, which Petrilla called a remarkable time.

The district has a coverage area of approximately 38 square miles, including the city of Tomball.

For calls within the city limits, crews averaged a response time of 4 minutes, 30 seconds.

Petrilla pointed out that the majority of calls, 21 percent, are for those ages 75 to 84 years old. Meanwhile, that age group of citizens makes up only 6 percent of the population in the district.

In 2006, Northwest EMS made 6,496 calls, with the majority of them (1,483, or 22 percent) being patient transfers to an MRI facility.

Northwest EMS’s primary funding mechanism, Emergency Services District 8, has purchased land for a new EMS headquarters and station.

The district also purchased a new disaster trailer in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In March of 2006, Northwest EMS participated in the Shattered Lives program at Tomball High School, aimed at deterring high school students from drinking and driving.

Petrilla also highlighted Northwest EMS’s partnership with Tomball Regional Hospital and their work in developing a faster response time for patients who are suffering from acute heart attacks.

The new practice allows patients to be transported directly to a cath lab rather than wait in the emergency room, which may cost the patient critical time.

Northwest EMS also partnered with Tomball Regional to treat stroke patients and to aid TRH’s quest in becoming a designated stroke center, which the hospital recently achieved.

MRI Transfers – 1,483
Falls – 402
Chest Pain – 251
Auto Accidents – 649
Breathing Problems – 361
Seizure – 105
Assault – 77
Cardiac Arrest – 46
Death on Scene – 10
Heart Problems – 90
Response Time – 5:32

*Source: 2006 NWEMS Year End Report

Watkins, Baker named TISD Teachers of the Year

“Caring, kind and committed.” That’s how Tomball Independent School District’s 2007 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year are described by the district.

As a kindergarten teacher with 17 years of classroom experience, Rebecca Watkins, TISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year from Willow Creek Elementary (WCE), focuses on providing a nurturing learning environment while encouraging her students to take risks by becoming active in their own learning.

Picture above, Willow Creek Elementary teacher Rebecca Watkins (left) and Tomball High School teacher Melissa Baker (right).

In the classroom, she stresses values that help build character and compassion, and she cultivates an environment where she and her students develop a mutual trusting relationship. Tolerance and acceptance of individual differences is often a topic of discussion in Watkins’ kindergarten classroom.

She also wants her students to become aware of the qualities they possess.

“Every child has a gift or talent hidden within them and sometimes we have to reach a little deeper to pull out that gift or talent, but most importantly they all have something to offer,” Watkins said.

WCE Principal Jo Ann Colson explained that Watkins is a natural.

“She was born to be a teacher,” said Colson. “Parents love and cherish the thought that their child gets to have her as a teacher. I don’t know how she continues to have as much compassion as she does for her students year after year.”

Some of the kindergarten students in Watkins’ classroom may someday have an opportunity to learn from Melissa Baker, TISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year. After first pursuing a career in the United States Air Force, Baker has been teaching for seven years.

During her five-year tenure at Tomball High School (THS), Baker has taught a variety of courses within the Career and Technology Department.

Impacting the lives of students as a mentor is where Baker finds her passion for teaching. Five years ago, a student in her class dealing with drugs and depression lost a parent and continued spiraling down.

After the student spent time in a rehabilitation facility, Baker remained close and the student blossomed during her senior year. After graduating, the student enlisted in the United States Army and invited Baker to attend her graduation ceremony.

“The biggest honor of my life was receiving a plaque from her drill sergeant,” Baker said. “The drill sergeant gave me credit for parenting her during those difficult years.”

“Melissa does not give up on any student,” Gary Moss, principal of THS said. “She expects all of her students to be successful, and she earns their respect by giving them respect in return.”

“Everything we do is about kids,” Baker said. “If it weren’t for our students, there wouldn’t be a reason for this profession to exist, and then I would really be lost, because I don’t know what else I would do.”

Whoa, Nellie: runaway horse stops FM 1774 traffic

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

On May 29 a “good Samaritan” in the form of a motorcycle driver helped save a runaway horse that had stopped traffic on FM 1774.

Pictured (left to right), Mike Strong maintained control of a runaway horse that stopped traffic May 29 on FM 1774 as Ryan O’Neal directed traffic and Pct. 5 deputy Constable Andrea Hamm called for assistance.
Photo by Cari Herr

The unidentified motorcyclist moved the animal to the side of the road, leaving his bike parked in the center median.

Mike Strong, who was across the street buying gasoline, ran to the scene to lend a hand. The motorcycle driver handed the animal off to Strong and left on his bike.

“It’s not everyday you see a horse running down the road,” said Strong.

The animal was freshly wounded in several places, while other wounds had been previously treated.

Meanwhile, Ryan O’Neil and his father, Nolan O’Neil, stopped to lend aid. While the elder O’Neil left to get a trailer, the younger O’Neil helped to direct traffic.

Dep. Constable Andrea Hamm arrived from the Montgomery County Pct. 5 Constable’s Office to collect the animal and return it to the constable’s impound.

Animals collected by the constable’s office are kept no more than 30 days, with two public notices being published. After which, the animal is sold at auction.

Hamm said the owners of the horse were located the same evening. The animal had escaped from the Magnolia 4H Horse Arena and was returned to its owners without incident.

The Magnolia High School Texas Star Drill team recently announced its officers for the 2007-08 school year. Pictured (left to right), are social officers Lauren Samples, Emily Ohlendorf, Kyndall Skaggs and Jennifer Johns. Also named were military officers Kayla Taylor, Melissa Moroney, Megan Goble, Jennifer Simms, Sarah Lane and Brandi Douglas.
Submitted Photo

Discipline, patience needed for training program

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

For many high school-age athletes, the summer break is becoming less about sleeping late and hanging out by the pool, and more about staying in shape and improving their physical ability for next season.

Summer training programs are a great way to gain that extra step of quickness or increase strength, but strength and conditioning coaches warn that there is a right way and a wrong way to take on a training program.

The Tribune caught up with Dennis Fay and Amanda Thompson of Texas Sports Medicine to discuss the proper way to develop a training program and the “do’s” and “don’ts” of working out.

Fay said the most important thing that young athletes need to remember is that getting bigger, stronger and faster will not happen over night, that it takes time.

Many athletes, he explained, undertake a training regiment only to lose interest in the early stages because they are not seeing the results they expect as quickly as they would like.

Fay said a proper training program may take weeks, perhaps months, to reach a specified goal, and that training is not just weight lifting.

“We don’t just lift weights,” he said. “We create athletes.”

History
The first step in developing a training program is for a coach to identify what sort of training program the athlete is currently involved in.

“You have to know their history, their past involvement,” Fay said.

Also, just as importantly, the athlete needs to disclose any injuries he or she may have suffered in the past. Knowing an injury history could help tailor a proper program to a specific athlete and avoid a similar injury.

Goals
Next, a coach and athlete need to identify what the goal of the training program is. Goals could range from throwing harder and running faster, to becoming stronger, or developing a more explosive first step.

“Everybody who plays sports knows they have something they need to work on,” Fay said. “It’s just a matter of finding that weakness.”

Custom Fit
Finally, once workout and injury history have been identified and a goal has been set, a training program can be tailored to a specific athlete. For example, if an athlete wishes to become faster, Thompson would work with that person to address their particular needs based on their body.

Coaches at Texas Sports Medicine are also utilizing a program, called DartFish, which addresses the “instant gratification” problem with a training program.

DartFish is a video software program where Thompson films the athletes running, for example. She then instructs them on the changes they need to make through the video software.

Once an athlete can see himself making improvement on video, the program often becomes very successful for the athlete since they can see the immediate changes and improvement.

One of the biggest concerns young athletes need to be conscious of is overtraining, Thompson said.

Fay explained that after a workout muscles need to relax in order to grow. Doing the same workout improperly, or everyday, could damage the body and muscles.

Thompson also suggested developing proper nutrition guidelines.

WHS Lady Bulldog track team compete at regional meet

Members of Waller High School’s Lady Bulldog track team competed at the regional meet recently at Sam Houston State University.

Pictured, members of the Waller High School Lady Bulldog track team (front row, left to right) Bre Hunter, Raven Felder, Kourtni Thomas, Kandis Stubblefield; (back row, left to right) head coach Lauren Kershner, Meghan Kulhanek, Whitney Herzog, and Morgan Davis.
Submitted Photo

Morgan Davis started off the meet competing in pole-vault. The sprint relay team also competed well, having been forced to replace a runner who was in an accident. The sprint relay team consisted of Davis, Bre Hunter, Kourtni Thomas, and Kandis Stubblefield. Davis also competed in the open 300-meter hurdles and ran a season-best time of 48.32 seconds, but just missed the finals. Stubblefield ran the open 200-meter dash in a personal best of time of 26.45 seconds, which qualified her for the finals.

The mile relay team was the last to compete. The team of Davis, Stubblefield, Whitney Herzog, and Meghan Kulhanek ran the relay in 4 minutes, 20 seconds.

The long jump competition began with Thomas competing. She jumped her personal best of 16 feet, three-quarter inches. Stubblefield also competed in the 200-meter finals and ran a 26.56, which qualified her for eighth place.

“The girls did a great job. Some really stepped up to help the relays out and they finished their year with a bang. I am so proud of all of them,” head coach Lauren Kershner said.

Pictured, (left to right) Susan Mathews, Courtney Rusk, Sebastian Peters, Jeremy Freed, Chris Doyle, Allison Barnett and Lindsey Anderson. The Magnolia High School (MHS) State UIL Academic meet qualifiers were recognized at the Magnolia Independent School District board meeting held May 14. Anderson placed third in editorial writing, bringing home the bronze. The MHS Accounting Team 1 placed fifth overall and Barnet placed 12th overall in Accounting. The State Academic Championship goes to the school in each conference earning the highest total points for all academic events, including State Cross-Examination Debate, State One-Act Play and the State Academic Meet, all held at the University of Texas at Austin.
Photo by Cari Herr

Parents of teen runaways finding little help

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Karen Miller of Magnolia has unanswered questions regarding the safety of her 16-year-old daughter, Lauren King.

Lauren is a runaway and Miller believes her daughter is in danger. Like many parents today, Miller is concerned about the choices her daughter is making.

Miller has contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), and was shocked at the response she received.

Sheriff’s deputies have only one option should they pick up a juvenile runaway. The juvenile must be taken to the county juvenile detention center, where parents are contacted to pick the child up.

“MCSO can only hold them for 24 hours,” said Detention Supervisor Mike Countz of the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center. “If the child is not picked up by parents, then CPS (Children’s Protective Services) has to be called to pick up the child.”

Miller is angry that law enforcement officials can do little to assist her. As a taxpayer Miller asks, where are the services? As a parent, where is the compassion?

Lauren’s story is becoming a familiar one. She does not follow rules, does not comply with curfews, will not attend school and is destructive to her family’s personal property, Miller said.

Miller knew of her daughter’s location at one time. She has reported alleged drug activity at the New Caney home where she believed Lauren was staying, but the house is now abandoned, and Miller has lost contact with her.

Miller is fearful that if she forces Lauren to come home, her 12-year-old son’s safety might be in jeopardy.

“I can’t bring her home because her brother lives here,” she said. “It’s not making her be here that I am concerned with. It’s keeping her alive.”

Lauren has numerous tattoos and body piercings, which were not authorized by Miller, who alleges they were done without a license in a New Caney home where she believes Lauren was staying at one time.

“My daughter is now a habitual runaway,” said Miller, who fears Lauren may also be using illegal drugs.

Parents of habitual runaways are in a difficult situation, said Laurie Oliver, director of Montgomery County Youth Services (MCYS). They can be charged with abandonment if they refuse to pick up the child, or if the child becomes a ward of the state, charged with child support by the court system.

Though some parents may have lost control of their juvenile children, the law contends that parents are still responsible for them, said MCSO Lt. Dan Norris.

Oliver had this advice for the parents of teen runaways:

• Report them as a runaway.
• Insist they be taken to the county juvenile facility.
• Request a professional assessment.
• Report family violence if it occurs.
• Participate in individual and family counseling.

Determining the reason why a child leaves the safety of home for the uncertainty of the streets is essential.

“The problem is determining the root cause of why the child is running away from home,” said Countz. “Until you can cure the problem, they will continue to run away.”

Miller believes her daughter is struggling with her father’s suicide of last year.

In the case of family violence, if a parent will file charges, the court system can increase sanctions for continued misbehavior, the intent of which is to keep young people from falling into the criminal segment of the population.

Oliver’s concern is for parents of runaways, as well as the youth themselves.

“Parents need a support system as well. There is not a simple solution. It is a process,” said Oliver.

Youth ages 17 or older are no longer juveniles and cannot be reported as a runaway. However, parents are still financially responsible for them until they are 18, said Amy Valadez of MCYS’s Magnolia office.

“That’s a hard place for parents to be,” she said.

Miller, who has already seen her oldest son make similar choices, feels her options are limited.

“I’m waiting for the phone call in the middle of the night to come to a taped off crime scene,” said Miller.

Youth or parents in need may call MCYS’s Runaway Hotline at 800-645-7556.

Tomball College veterinary technology student Cady Sultemeier and instructor Joyce Brod use the state-of-the-art, CR Idexx Digital Radiography System, recently acquired by the college. The system will enable students in the nationally recognized veterinary technology program to take digital radiographs – or X-rays – of injured animals to diagnose medical ailments.
Submitted Photo

Magnolia annexation plan focuses on income potential

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The Magnolia Planning Commission is one step closer to establishing an annexation plan that could potentially increase the city limits by as much as 191 acres by 2010.

That acreage could include residential, industrial and commercial properties, all of which would increase the ad valorem and sales tax revenues for the city.

Commission members reviewed a map of the City of Magnolia and its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) at the May meeting.

“We must decide what direction the city’s growth is going to take,” Commissioner Jonny Williams said.

Assistant City Manager Erick Edwards suggested the crucial points to consider included areas that are already receiving city services, areas that have the most potential for ad valorem taxes, and areas where future development will occur.

Once an area has been identified and placed on a property annexation list, the city could begin annexation of those areas at a rate of 10 percent per year starting in 2010, should the plan be finalized this year.

With an annexation plan in place, the city can also increase its ETJ by a half-mile radius each year. In doing so, it then has a larger annexation pool to draw from.

Edwards encouraged commission members to review potential sites and develop a list of prime properties, though he cautioned commissioners against including subdivided areas that have incurred debt, such as a municipal utility district.

“As long as a property is on the list, it can be annexed,” he said. “Once the plan is in place, it stays in place and we can add to it.”

Commission Chairman Denny O’Brien pointed out that prime properties were areas with the most income potential. He also cautioned commissioners to make the right choice the first time.

“Whether we wait another month or two, when we’re talking about three years, is not crucial. What is crucial is to make the right list,” he said.

While Commissioner John Bramlett suggested residential and industrial properties, and Williams focused on properties that would increase sales tax revenues, it was clear the commission required specific development information.

Williams made a motion to instruct the city staff to draft a detailed explanation of new developments in the area to assist the commission in the decision making process.

Klein’s continues summer tradition with fresh product from local farms

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

Nothing says summer like a juicy watermelon sliced right off the vine, a sweet ear of corn bursting out of its husk, or a plate of golden fried okra.

Pictured, Ricky Priess of Gold Orchards in Stonewall inspects the size and quality of a peach. Gold Orchards is a supplier of Texas Hill Country peaches to Klein’s Super Market.
Submitted Photo

And now that Memorial Day has come and gone, Klein’s Super Market is stocking their produce section with some of the best and freshest fruits and vegetables Texas farmers have to offer.

Last week the Tribune stopped by the iconic grocery store to get a glimpse of the latest shipments, including a crate of corn with husks still damp from the farm.

Store Director Jeffrey Klein said that the store buys its produce from several local farmers, ensuring that his store’s customers are buying the freshest produce possible.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on getting the freshest local product, especially in the summer,” Klein said. “The flavor is better and the quality is better.”

Every day, the store gets visits from local farmers, dropping off tomatoes, squash, zucchini, potatoes and more.

Since the store opened in 1922, the Klein family has kept a close relationship with local farmers, buying their products year in and year out.

Just recently, Klein visited a peach tree orchard in Fairfield to get an up-close look at what his store would soon be offering.

Klein said stocking the best product ensures the best taste.

“When it’s picked right, it’s going to have the flavor,” Klein said. “That’s the main difference.”

Klein’s favorites are the fresh peaches from Stonewall and Fredericksburg and homegrown tomatoes.

“But it’s so hard to choose,” he added.

The store does not carry organic products, but Klein says local farmers they deal with use a minimum of pesticides.

“By knowing and being friends with these farmers, we have confidence that they use a minimum amount of pesticides and the proper fertilizer,” he said. “It’s not coming from some huge production farm thousands of miles away or from different countries.”

The store receives product from a number of the finest local farms, including Kieschnick, Atkinson, Weinberg, Strack-Hill, Kleb, Froehlich, Parish and Helfrich.

“The same people who are growing it are eating it. I know if Mrs. Kieschnick is bringing me tomatoes or squash, it’s the same thing she’s taking to her own kitchen,” Klein said.

While store employees are busy stocking the aisles with fresh product, more is on the way. Klein said later this summer, the store should receive shipments of okra, eggplant, purple hull peas, watermelons and fresh shelled beans.

Not only does Klein’s carry some of the finest and freshest produce in the area, they also feature a variety of unique Texas jams, jellies and salsas from Texas Wild, peach and strawberry preserves and blackberry jam from Gold Orchards, dips and seasoning mixes from Fredericksburg Farms, stone-ground cornbread and fish fry mixes from South Texas Milling, fresh Texas pecans from Durham Pecan Company, beef jerky from Woody’s Smokehouse, and pickled items from PawPaw’s Farm in Bedias.

Kanon and Hunter Oswald, sons of Frank and Rebecca Oswald, recently participated in “Sprint for Life” at MD Anderson Cancer Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. Kanon, who is a junior at Texas A&M University and Hunter, who was a sophomore at Tomball High school, raised $5,000 in their mother’s honor to celebrate her five-year anniversary of being cancer free. Pictured (from left to right), Frank Oswald, Hunter Oswald, Rebecca Oswald and Kanon Oswald.
Submitted Photo

Magnolia schools on track for technology upgrades through 2010

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Despite a projected increase in student enrollment, Magnolia public schools are on track to provide more than the state mandated computer technology education in the coming years.

The Magnolia Independent School District recently approved a $7.5 million dollar Technology Plan over three years to track technology education services for the district.

“There are certain criteria that we have to complete in order to meet state standards,” said Rob Miller, director of technology for MISD.

The plan meets the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications for tracking technology goals, objectives and strategies. It must be updated annually and approved by the school board.

The State of Texas provides the format for meeting technology goals in the public school system.

Miller said the district benefited in more than one way from the $84.1 million bond issued in 2004. Technology services in the district saw $5 million of that. The bond provided for fiber optics communications, which established the backbone of the district’s technology services.

The bond also enabled the district to purchase Zenworks, which allows the technology staff to remotely download and upgrade software on all campus computers.

Miller estimated personnel savings of four to five staff members as a result of the use of Zenworks, citing a single campus computer upgrade of 650 units could be done in one day.

Miller was asked to estimate the district’s technology service rating on a scale of 1 to 10 by Trustee Brent O’Neal.

“The district is at a seven for staff, and instructionally the district is at a eight or nine,” said Miller.

Though the plan is configured for current enrollment numbers, Miller said it puts the district on track to maintain the current student/computer ratio of five to one or lower at the end of the three-year cycle.

According to MISD Board President Glenn Addison, district enrollment is projected to increase to more than 12,000 students by 2010.

MISD is currently comprised of 14 campuses with a total student enrollment of 10,551. Of those, 34 percent are economically disadvantaged.

The $7.5 million district technology plan computes to an investment of more than $717 per student over the three-years.

“Over the next three years, MISD will need to address several issues,” said Miller.

The plan provides for the district’s teachers to learn the skills necessary to integrate technology into curriculum by investing in professional development on emerging technologies.

Miller projected computers that are more than five years old will need to be replaced and additional computers will need to be purchased to improve the student/computer ratio.

The plan also provides for replacing outdated software, and maintaining a reliable network, along with adding protection-monitoring systems for improving the use and access of data.

For more information on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, log on to www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/ch126toc.html.