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Letter From The Publishers Friday night lights, pumpkin spice everything, Sunday afternoon chili on the stove or just opening the windows and feeling the cooler breeze....fall is in the air! Last month, we celebrated some incredible moments and look forward to many more in the coming months! Make plans to attend Oktoberfest on Saturday the 13th in Celina’s Historic Downtown Square. We have all the information you will need right here! Then you can get your Jedi on at the fourth annual Star Wars Movie Night on the Square on October 20th. At the end of the month, bring your little ghouls and goblins to Trick or Treat on the Square. Thursday, November 8, 2018, Celina High School will be having a very special Veterans Day celebration you won’t want to miss! All the details are in the School Zone section in this issue! Also, be sure to support your local Bobcats on the field, court or course. Our athletes are working hard to be the best of the best! We hope you enjoy the October issue of OurCelina! We love supporting and being able to document the greatness of OurCelina community!!!
From our Bobcat Family to Yours,
Jimmy, Renee, Chase, Colby & Camden www.OurCelina.com Make sure to folllow us on social media to stay up-to-date on all the happenings in Celina www.facebook.com/ourcelina
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Table of CONTENTS 16
8-9
Celina Oktoberfest
10-11
School Zone: Veterans Day Program
12-13
Be The Church - Lifeway GR8
14-15
Fintastic Find
16-19
CISD Athletic Complex
21
Celina Chamber of Commerce
23
Up for Debate FFA Greenhand Conference
Contributing Editor Lisa Ferguson
Contributing Art & Photography 4CMEDIAGROUP Renee Marler | Lisa Ferguson | Gina Overstreet
On Th
e
Cover
Editorial Submissions Please send editorial considerations to Renee@4CMEDIAGROUP.com
214.449.3666
or email us at Renee@4CMEDIAGROUP.com Visit our website at www.4CMEDIAGROUP.com
Ma Ce ke plans on Olicna Oktobeto attend Histo tober 1 rfest he ric Do 3 in C ld wntow elina’s n Squ a re
City of Celina
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Celina Main Street
26
Sofia’s Fight
27
Moms of Fall
28
Bobcat Alley
29
Celina Public Library Calendar
30
Get to Know Mother Goose
OurCelina.com | October 2018
Production Jimmy Marler James@4cMediaGroup.com
Advertising Information Contact us at
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Editorial & Design Renee Marler Renee@4cMediaGroup.com
Contributing Writers Renee Marler | Lisa Ferguson
Letter from the Publishers
Published By 4CMEDIAGROUP, LLC
FEATURED Your First In-Depth look at Celina ISD’s new Athletic Complex
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October 2018 VOL 1, Issue 9
OurCelina
P.O. Box 413, Celina, TX 75009 214.449.3666 | www.OurCelina.com A 4CMEDIAGROUP, LLC Publication
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From live polka music and Chicken Dance circles to beer-pong tournaments, entertainment options for folks of all ages will be abundant at the inaugural Celina Oktoberfest celebration, set to take over the city’s historic downtown square from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. The family friendly event - featuring a tempting assortment of foods and beverages, as well as a slate of fun activities, contests, shopping opportunities and more - will be presented rain or shine. “This will be an Oktoberfest celebration unlike any other in Texas,” said Melissa Cromwell, president of the Greater Celina Chamber of Commerce which produces the event. The Greater Celina Chamber of Commerce is pleased to have Landmark Bank as the title sponsor of the 2018 Celina Oktoberfest celebration. The bank will open its first Celina branch location early next year. “For Landmark Bank to become involved with the community through this event shows that they understand and appreciate the inherently giving spirit of Celina,” Cromwell said. Joe Adair, Landmark Bank’s vice president and senior regional retail manager, said the company is “really excited to bring our brand to that market.” At Celina Oktoberfest, “I’m looking forward to being able to meet and talk to the people,” he added, “and to see and hear about what’s going on in Celina and the exciting things that are happening there.” Celina Oktoberfest’s entertainment lineup will kick off with an old-fashioned cornhole tournament presented by the Celina Police Association, followed by the ceremonial tapping of the keg by Celina Mayor Pro Tem Chad Anderson and a traditional toast. Also scheduled are costume contests for adults and children, demonstrations by experts from Home Depot and a Dachshund Derby dog races sponsored by D&L Farm and Home. Situated in the city’s square, an expansive beer garden will house events for adults, including beer-pong tournaments and the much-anticipated beer stein-holding competition and race. In a nod to Celina’s deeply rooted tradition of championship-winning high school football, the day’s biggest college-gridiron matchups will be presented during Celina Oktoberfest on a massive LED screen. From noon to 2 p.m., radio personalities Mike and Cash Sirois, hosts of the popular Cirque du Sirois show on 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket, will broadcast live from the event. Pro-football legends and members of the North Texas chapter of the NFL Alumni Association are also scheduled to appear. The Ticket tent is sponsored by local business North Texas Custom Plumbing. “Celina’s history is steeped in football,” Cromwell said, “so it’s only fitting that it has a big presence at what is sure to become one of the city’s signature annual festivals.” The entertainment, including live music and cultural performances, will be nonstop beginning with a set by traveling tuba quartet Imperial Brass, followed by American-polka aficionados The Royal Klobasneks. The Royal Klobasneks is a seven-piece band that strives to preserve the traditional American polka sound made popular during the 1920s through ‘40s. Its repertoire includes a sizeable selection of polkas and waltzes, schottisches, two-steps and fox trots, among others. “Our audiences appreciate that our music is geared equally towards listening and/or dancing, and that there is something for everyone,” explained lead vocalist and accordion player Matt Tolentino. “We try to put some variety into our sets, aside from the usual Oktoberfest repertoire, to help keep it interesting.” The Bavarian-style dancers of Texanischer Schuhplattler Verein D’Holzar are also set to take the Celina Oktoberfest stage. Established in 1979, the cultural-heritage, nonprofit troupe is the oldest German dance club in Dallas. Its volunteer members perform historic folkdances while donning native costumes of the Oberallgäu region of southwestern Bavaria. With a sound inspired by the Alps, the classically trained members of Auf Geht’s Musik have toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. Alpineand western-style yodeling figure prominently in the group’s lively sets, as do unusual instruments including the musical handsaw and alpen8
OurCelina.com | October 2018
horn, a long, wooden horn favored by mountain dwellers in the Swiss, Austrian, Bavarian and French Alps. The Fall season is a busy time for Celina Oktoberfest headliners The Dogensteins. Since forming in 2016, the quintet has become a fixture at festivals throughout North Texas and beyond. Its dynamic players are best known for transforming rock, pop, country, metal and new-wave chart-toppers by artists including Lynryd Skynryd, Cyndi Lauper and Green Day, among others, into crowd-pleasing polkas, rollicking waltzes and traditional Texas shuffles. “One of our main (goals) is getting … polka music out there,” said Wes Kucera, drummer for The Dogensteins. “I think not a lot of people hear about it, or they know about it but they always associate it with an accordion. … To take songs that people recognize and change them to a polka or a waltz, that’s really kind of cool.” Celina Oktoberfest will also boast a free Kids’ Zone area, sponsored by Martin Marietta. Featuring bounce houses, an obstacle course, a rock-climbing wall and a petting zoo, youngsters can also participate throughout the day in fun events including pumpkin- and cookie-decorating activities. “The entertainment at Celina Oktoberfest will be nonstop from start to finish,” Cromwell said. “From the main stage to the beer garden and in every corner of the city’s square, there will be exciting options for everyone to enjoy.” General admission tickets for Celina Oktoberfest are $5 per person. Children age 12 and under will be admitted free, as will any attendee who wears a traditional German lederhosen or dirndl costume to the festival. Tickets are available now for advanced purchase at www.celinaoktoberfest.com, and will also be sold at the gate on the day of the event (cash only). A limited number of specially priced tickets are available on Groupon at https://www.groupon.com/deals/celina-oktoberfest. Alcoholic-drink tickets ($1 each) will be available at the ticket booth during the festival (four tickets for a 12-ounce beer; six tickets for 16 ounces). Commemorative, half-liter beer steins ($10) can be purchased and used at Celina Oktoberfest or kept as a souvenir. Free parking and shuttles to the event will be at Celina Elementary School, 550 S. Utah Dr., and at Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy Celina, 675 Sunset Blvd. Paid parking ($20) will be adjacent to the square at West Pecan Street and North Louisiana Drive. For additional information and event updates, visit https://celinaoktoberfest.com/. Follow @CelinaOktoberfest on Facebook, and @celina_oktoberfest on Instagram.
11:00am - Gates Open
11:15am - Tapping of the Keg
11:30am - Toast
11:45am - Chicken Dance
12:00-2:00pm - The Ticket
1:45pm - Chicken Dance
3:45pm - Chicken Dance
6:45pm - Chicken Dance
8:00pm - Kids Zone Closes
9:30pm - Bar Sales Close
10:00pm - Event Ends
GENERAL TIMES
KID HOURLY ACTIVITIES 11:00-12:30pm - Pumpkin Decorating
12:30-2:00pm - Cookie Decorating
1:30-3:00pm - Home Depot Workshop
3:00pm - Kids Costume Contest (Small Stage)
4:00-5:00pm - Dachshund Derby
4:00-7:00pm - Cake Walk (Inside of Two 29 on the Square)
5:30-7:00pm Pumpkin Decorating
BIERGARTEN/ADULT ACTIVITIES 1:00pm - Stein Holding Contest
2:00-5:00pm Beer Pong Tournament
6:00pm - Beer Stein Races
7:00pm - Adults Costume Contest (In Front of Main Stage)
ENTERTAINMENT LINE-UP 11:30-1:30pm - Imperial Brass (Traveling Tuba Quartet)
2:00-4:00pm - The Royal Klobasneks
4:00-4:30pm - Texanischer Schuhplattler Verein (Bavarian Dancers)
5:00-6:45pm - Auf Gehts Musik
7:30-10:00pm - The Dogensteins
OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Celina Independent School District
SCHOOL ZONE
Celina High School Veterans Day Celebration The definition of a veteran could be summed up as, the bravest are those with the clearest vision of what lies before them, whether it be glory or danger and still sacrificially serve and defend their country. Two years ago, Celina High School hosted their first Veterans Day celebration and each year since, the event has co tinued to grow into a program filled with gratitude and honor for those that have and are currently serving our great country. The excitement is building for this year’s event and you will want to be in attendance for what is going to be an amazing day! Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 8th for the Celina High School Veterans Day Celebration. Doors will open at 8:00am. Breakfast will be served starting at 9:00am, followed by a community wide program starting promptly at 10:15am. Last year’s event hosted more than two hundred veterans from not only the North Texas area, but from neighboring states as well. “Save The Date” cards have been sent to those that attended last year. It is extremely important to not only our district ,but to our students that they witness and are able to see examples of what courage, leadership, and sacrifice truly mean. If you, a family member or friend served and/ or currently serving, we invite you and your family to attend this special celebration in your honor. For those that have attended in the past, we have added some surprises to the agenda that you will not want to miss! To our Celina ISD Families and Community members, we invite you to the program starting at 10:15am in the Celina High School Auditorium. Our CHS award winning band and choir students will also be performing for the program. It is truly an honor to be able to host this special event each year to show our appreciation for our veterans. We take this day to celebrate and honor the brave and selfless American soldiers and their families that through their service have provided us with the opportunity to live freely in the United States of America. Let’s pack the gymnasium on November 8th to show our support for our Heroes and Sheroes and honor their dedication to our country. For more information, please contact Celina ISD Director of Communications Jill Roza at 469.742.9100. 10
OurCelina.com | October 2018
October 2018 CISD CAMPUS CALENDARs Celina Primary SCHOOL Oct 5 Oct 8
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice)
O’DELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Celina ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Oct 5 Oct 8 Oct 16 Oct 22-26 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 28-31
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice) Parent Involvement Night 5:30pm Book Fair Pastries with Parents (A-L) Pastries with Parents (M-Z) Red Ribbon Week
Oct 5 Oct 8 Oct 16 Oct 28-31
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice) Got Math? Parent Night 5:30pm Red Ribbon Week
Sept 3 - Labor Day (No School)
CELINA 6th Grade CENTER Oct 5 Oct 8
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice)
CELINA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Oct 5 Oct 8
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice)
CELINA HIGH SCHOOL Oct 5 Oct 8 Oct 10 Oct 27
Early Release (Homecoming) No School (Teacher Inservice) PSAT Nightmare on the Hill 7pm
Complete Celina ISD Calendar: https://www.celinaisd.com/calendar
OurCelina.com | October 2018
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For Josh Price, Senior Pastor of Lifeway Church in Celina, it’s not enough to go to church, he believes people need to “Be The Church”. One way Price feels they can do this is by giving back to the community. Three years ago, Lifeway Church started the GR8 Campaign, which is designed for members to leave the walls of the church, head out into our community, and serve those in need with eight different defined service projects. Celina resident Tracy Heckle organized this year’s entire event, down to the matching t-shirts. Along with designated contributions from Lifeway Church, monies from the shirts were used to help purchase the supplies needed for the campaign. This year, the heavy rains impacted the 2018 GR8 Campaign, which was held on Sunday, September 23, but they more than doubled the number of volunteers from last year and were able to give back in a big way. “I am blown away by the number of people here this year, it’s incredible,” said Heckle. Lifeway partnered with local non-profit, Grace Bridge, for a number of projects. Volunteers of all ages helped clean and organize the Grace Bridge Food Distribution Center, packed boxes to be distributed to those needing assistance, packed personal care boxes and cleaned and organized the Grace Bridge Warehouse. Celina Firefighter Ryan Worthey and his wife Mindy worked on the warehouse project. “It’s work, but it’s not really work, we get a lot out of it also,” they said. Mike Rutig, Connections Pastor at Lifeway Church, said, “Working with Grace Bridge makes sense. We are able to be here in the community and work closely with a group that is doing so much for Celina.” At the church building, handymen (and women) patched up holes, touched up paint and made various other needed repairs for the Love Your Church project. Others at the church signed up for the Operation Christmas Shoe Box. These individuals went shopping for materials to pack shoe boxes for children all over the world who never get a Christmas. The shoe boxes were prayed over before they are sent out. A couple of projects were put on hold due to the rain. Becasue the ground was too wet, the group was unable to clean out and add fresh mulch to the Grace Bridge Gardens or sand and repaint the park benches in the Celina square. Price said they will be rescheduling those projects in the future. While the official GR8 event may be over for the year, Lifeway Church pastors and members say they try to use GR8 as a baseline for showing Christ in the community year round.
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
GR OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Find
A
By: Lisa Ferguson
There are likely very few Celina residents remaining who can recall when, 88 years ago, a massive fossil was discovered east of the city in Haw Creek by resident Homer Lafayette Merritt. It is that of a bony fish called a Xiphactinus audax, which lived some 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. A metal sign posted at County Roads 455 and 127 marks the area of Merritt’s 1930 find and features a photo of the fossil as well as a bit about its history, as culled from the book A History of Collin County, Texas by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh. During the Cretaceous Period, “large areas of Texas were covered by warm seas containing a great many kinds of strange plants, fish, clams and reptiles. Initially covered by soft, limy deposits at the bottom of the sea, through time agents of erosion exposed many of these fossils. This particular fish is a relative of present-day tarpon, salmon, herring and trout.”
Homer Lafayette Merritt discovered a 13-foot-long Xiphactinus audax fossil near Haw Creek in 1930. The longtime Celina resident worked as a local farmer and entrepreneur and also served on the City Council prior to his death in 1964. . (Photo courtesy of Jane Huddleston)
The nearly 13-foot-long Xiphactinus audax fossil has been on display since 1939 at the Texas Memorial Museum, located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, where it is featured on an audio tour for visitors. According to Dr. Pamela Owen, associate director of the museum, the fossil was first displayed on campus in 1936 as part of an exhibit in honor of Texas’ centennial celebration. Considered to have been a fierce predator, the Xiphactinus audax could reach up to 20 feet in length. Its name, meaning “saber rod,” came courtesy of the sword-like pectoral fins that helped to maintain its balance. Populated with large fanglike teeth, its upturned jaw could open wide enough to swallow whole a 6-foot-long fish and also lent its face a bulldog-like appearance.
A 1940 informational circular from the Texas Memorial Museum described the fish in detail: “The long, slender body, powerful fins and large tail show that these fish were fast and powerful swimmers. The sharp teeth indicate that the fish were able to cope with the giant aquatic reptiles of that time. The bony ring surrounding the eye served as a protecting shield.” “The eye is kind of scary looking,” Owen said recently. “It’s something definitely prehistoric and something you wouldn’t want to run into or hook on your line if you were out fishing in the Gulf. … A lot of visitors, when they see the big, toothy mouth, I hear them say, ‘Oh, it looks like a piranha,’ and I guess that is what comes to mind. Obviously, it’s something that lived in the marine realm and not a freshwater animal.” According to the Texas Memorial Museum circular, the fossil found in Celina was “dug from solid rock” after having been “buried in hundreds of feet of soft mud and later fossilized. When the land rose and the shallow seas retreated from the area … the land was exposed to the wind and rain, and after millions of years the skeleton of this giant fish was exposed to sunlight.” The fossil was excavated from the Austin Chalk, a geologic formation that “extends into Kansas and Colorado. The continuous beds carrying characteristic marine fossils from Texas to Kansas prove that the sea reached from Mexico and Texas into those states.” Born in 1902, Homer Merritt and his family moved from Tennessee to Celina when he was a teen. He later was a student at the University of Oklahoma. While in his mid-20s, he discovered the Xiphactinus audax fossil and called the university, which sent a team to Celina to excavate it. In a Celina Record newspaper article published on Nov. 13, 1930, University of Oklahoma Geology Professor J. Willis Stovall was quoted as saying, “Homer Merritt is to be commended for reporting this find to the department of paleontology. If such spirit is kept up it will not be long before O.U. has a remarkable collection of vertebrate fossils.” Owen said the Xiphactinus audax fossil was purchased from OU by UT. It had been excavated minus its tail fin – a fact she learned from late paleontologist Dr. Wann Langston Jr., an OU graduate who had studied under and worked alongside Stovall before serving as director of the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory at UT from 1969 through 1986.
A massive fossil, excavated in Celina nearly 90 years ago, has been on display at the Texas Memorial Museum since the late 1930s. (Photo courtesy of Texas Memorial Museum)
A tail from another Xiphactinus audax fossil was attached to the specimen recovered in Celina. “So, the fossil we have on exhibit is technically the components of two different individuals,” Owen explained, “but most of the fish is from the one that was originally found in Celina. I’m not sure where the tail is from.” 14
OurCelina.com | October 2018
Overall, “It’s a stunning specimen,” Owen said of the fossil found by Merritt. “Not just for its size, but for its beauty and the details you can see, especially on the head.” Homer Merritt went on to wed his wife, Gladys, in the mid-1930s. For years, he worked as a local farmer and entrepreneur. With a group of men from the area, he helped organize the Celina Cooperative Gin. Merritt also served on the Celina City Council, owned an implement dealership and managed a local mill prior to his death in 1964. He and Gladys, who passed away in 1990, were laid to rest at Cottage Hill Cemetery. The couple’s children - son Mike Merritt and daughter Jane Huddleston - continue to reside in Celina. The Xiphactinus audax fossil was not Homer Merritt’s first prehistoric find in Celina. According to a 2013 account penned by Huddleston, area resident Julia Rucker recalled that Merritt had previously discovered another large fossil in Haw Creek on the west side of CR 127. However, that specimen was reportedly damaged during the excavation process. Also in 1930, a Celina resident named Roy Williams reportedly discovered another formidable fish fossil about nine miles northeast of the city. The specimen, which reportedly measured 18 feet long and boasted a large eye socket, is believed to have been taken to Southern Methodist University.
A marker at County Roads 455 and 127 features a photo and history of the Xiphactinus audax fossil found there in 1930 by Celina resident Homer Merritt. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Ferguson)
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Stadium
Building T 16
OurCelina.com | October 2018
THE Future OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Building the Future...Celina ISD Athletic Complex In the fall of 2008, the Celina ISD school board proposed a $34.3 million bond as part of a proactive 5-year plan to accomodate the growth expected in Celina. The bond proposed was to be used for 63% academic and 27% athletic expenditures. The academic proposal included 16 new high school classrooms, to finish a proposed elementary school, technology upgrades and money for new district buses. Celina athletics would receive new softball and baseball fields, an indoor practice facility, field house, weight room and dressing rooms in the 2008 proposal. The bond was put before voters in Celina and passed with a wide margin of residents in support of the proposal. The economy took a down turn and the bonds were not able to be cashed in so they were held until a time they could be fully utilized appropriately. Fast forward to 2016 and Celina ISD was able to use the funds to begin some of the academic projects for which the 2008 board planned. The construction of O’Dell Elementary began in 2016, utilizing a remainder of the 2006 bond funds as well as some of the 2008 funds, and was completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year. In March of 2018, the new wing of Celina High School was completed along with a concession stand at the high school field. Students at the high school saw major technological improvements with a 1-1 ratio on laptops and computers on wheels, or C.O.W.s, for other campus’ in the district. The monies were also allocated for a purchase of new buses, which were desperately needed to accommodate the growth. “We have been able to mark off all the things academically we set out to do with this bond,” said CISD Assistant Superintendent Bill Hemby. The next step is to move forward with the athletic upgrades. “We looked at a so many things and it is just time for us to move these kids up to the ‘Hill’ for a number of reasons, safety being a big one,” said Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott. While safety is definitely a key component, space is a major factor as well. Currently, fans from both teams are forced to park along a busy street and walk, sometimes far distances, just to watch a game at Bobcat Field. Then when they arrive, often times there are no seats for everyone. Claycomb Architects, a valued partner with Celina ISD having completed the high school wing ahead of schedule and under budget, presented Celina ISD board with a $24.6 million proposal for an athletic complex that would address both the safety and space issues. The proposal, which is surprisingly similar in design to the 2008 vision, includes plenty of home and visitor parking as well as seating for 6,500 with the capability to increase to 10,000 if needed. It also includes an indoor multi-purpose facility, coaches offices, banquet space and state-of-the-art film and weight rooms. The option for baseball and softball fields as well as eight tennis courts were presented as well. Celina ISD also has a number of contributing opportuities to assist with the funding of the optional projects. The complex naming rights for 15 years are available for a $10M contribution and the scoreboard is $800,000 for a lifetime term. “Of course all of these contribution figures are negotiable. Our goal is to build the best complex we can and we are committed to keeping our promise to the voters. We trust Claycomb and Northstar Builders to get this project done right for the commuity,” said Hemby.
2008 Proposed Plan
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
2018 Proposed Plan
OurCelina.com | October 2018
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
Tan D YO req kless U KN W in uire y ater OW? sed order early Heate flus rs the iment to he The hea build remo s ve t u p you per exc fro go r wat forma hang m nce er. dow er h out this nhill f eater of w ma ast inte w ill nan ithce.
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September 2018 New Members
October Events: October 5th @ 11am – Grace Bridge Resale ribbon cutting October 13 - Celina Oktoberfest October 15th @ 9am – Celina West Business Park ground breaking October 18th @ 11:45am – Ribbon cutting and grand opening of Celina Business Park October 19th – Tailgating with the Chamber
www.CelinaChamber.org
OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Flyy Cutz Barbershop Specializing in All Clipper Cuts 701 N. Preston Rd #330 Celina, TX 75009
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
$12 adult cuts
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Up for Debate...
Five Celina High School students participated in the UIL Invitational Debate held at Princeton HS. Twenty-four schools competed in the invitational. Senior Stockton Blanco, along with approximately 50 other students, competed in the UIL Congressional Debate, which debates legislation completely drafted and submitted by the students. They speak on subjects such as school security, the Puerto Rican disaster relief, Saudi Air Coalition and even diseased bananas. Congressional Debate also unique in that the students not only debate policy topics like real Congress, but they also use parliamentary procedure to facilitate that debate. Blanco placed first in the Congressional Debate category.
Trevor Wigginton, Megan Ulrich, Stockton Blanco, Caleb Coke and Jared Sailor represented Celina in the UIL Invitational Debate.
Celina senior, Stockton Blanco, is all smiles after his first place win in Congressional Debate at the UIL Invitational Debate in Princeton.
Celina FFA Members Attend Greenhand Conference
Celina FFA Students Zane Standridge, Rebecca Shuler, Morgan Gracy and Yesmin Martinez attended the Area 5 FFA Greenhand Conference at Anna High School. This Greenhand Conference was led by the Area 5 FFA Officers. The Greenhands went through workshops to teach them about tFFA as well as valuable leadership skills. But most of all, our students were able to meet Greenhands from other schools in our Area to network and start friendships that can last a lifetime. OurCelina.com | October 2018
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STAY CONNECTED w w w . C e l i n a - T X . g o v City Hall 972-382-2682 Utility Services 972-382-3345 Trash & Recycling (Waste Connections) 469-452-8000 Building permits 972-382-2682 x1038 Library 972-382-8655 Parks & Recreation 972-382-2682 X6002 Water Leak 972-382-9886 Code Enforcement 469-712-8002 Police (non-emergency) 972-382-2121 Fire (non-emergency) 972-382-8888 Municipal Court 972-382-2962 Text Citibot at 972-458-3920 to: Report a pothole • Street Light Outage • Traffic signal concerns Visit www.Celina-Tx.gov/notifyme to sign up to receive text/email alerts about water updates, road closures, and newsletter
Social Media Connections Nextdoor:
City of Celina
LinkedIn:
City of Celina
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@cityofcelina
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About the Plan As development from Dallas and Frisco slowly makes its way north into Celina our city will undergo a major transformation in the next 20 years with new roads, neighborhoods, parks and shopping centers filling in what is today largely undeveloped agricultural land. Now is the ideal time to envision what kind of a place we would like Celina to be – in particular with regards to trails and bikeways. The Trails Master Plan will dive into current best practices in trail design, look at potential opportunities and constraints for trail development, designate “spine trail” corridors and provide a road map for long-term implementation of the plan. We want to hear from YOU There’s no substitute for the first-hand experience of the citizens of Celina, so in the next several weeks the planning team will be seeking out your input to guide the development of the Trails Master Plan. See below for how to get involved! Take our Online Survey Beginning Wednesday September 19 and running through the end of October, an online survey will be open for citizens to provide us with their likes, dislikes and recommendations for trails in Celina. If you have just 10 minutes to spare, take our online survey!
www.celina-tx.gov/trailsplan 2019 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Projected Population 20,543 Average Tax Bill $2,328 Property Tax Rate 64.5 cents per $100 Value Appraised property values $1,455,531,761 General Fund Sales Tax $1.2 million General Fund Budget $16.4 million Proposed new employees 23 24
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Capital Improvement Projects: Downtown street improvements Downtown parking lot Downtown waste water treatment plan upgrade 2 million gallon water tower Fire & EMS Facilities construction
Celina Main Street Upcoming events October 20 – Star Wars Movie Night on Square October 31 – Trick or Treat on the Square November 2 – Friday Night Market December 5 – Christmas on the Square December 8 – Christmas Gift Tour
If you would like to be involved in planning these events, vendor opportunities, or sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.celina-tx.gov/downtownevents or call 972-382-2682 x7002.
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’as fi o t S igh F At first glance, Sofia Munoz appears to be like any other girl her age. She loves playing outside, getting dressed up and putting on makeup and making all sorts of crafts. But behind the toothless smile and sweet giggle is a seven year old girl who uses words like “chemotherapy” and “transfusions”. Words that no child should ever have to learn.
“I love camp so much! I got to zipline - which was just a little scary and the breakfast was my favorite,” Sofia giggled.
In February 2018, Sofia’s mother, Katlin, noticed her daughter was feeling more tired than usual and was complaining of joint pain. She also had fevers and fluid in her ears.
“I like being able to see my friends and my class,” said Sofia.
“I am a home health nurse so I knew right away. I actually took her to the doctor and told them ‘I think Sofia has Leukemia’ and I was just hoping they would listen to me,” said Katlin. The diagnosis of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was confirmed after a battery of tests and Sofia began chemotherapy right away. She has to be on the regimin for two and one half years with good levels before she is considered clear of disease. Her specific mutation, lamp21, has a high rate of relapse so even after a clear scan, she will be closely monitored for years to come. Over the summer, Sofia was able to attend Camp Esperanza, a camp for kids who are fignting and have fought cancer. According to the website, Camp Esperanza’s goal is to provide these children a week of fun and friendship while building confidence and inspiring hope. 26
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While she is in this phase of treatment, Sofia is unable to attend school, but her teacher, Stephanie Needum, does her best to bring school to Sofia through use of facetime and the web.
Sofia loves writing and drawing notes for her mom, dad and even her younger sister, who she said is “sometimes annoying”. Katlin says she hopes Sofia can be back in the classroom before the end of the year. Sofia quipped, “I can’t wait to see my friends Isabella, Bethany and Miles at school.” Needum is excited to have her in class as well. “She is such a sweet girl! We look forward to having her join the class,” she said. The outlook for Sofia is good and she says she is ready to go jump and play in some rain puddles... as long as it doesn’t mess up her freshly applied lip gloss. If you’d like to follow the progress, please check out “Sofia’s Fight” on Facebook.
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OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Bobcat Alley Dedicated to Celina Athletics
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October 2018 Celina Public Library Calendar of Events Friday, Oct. 5
Mother Goose story time, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 8
Teen Advisory Group (TAG) meeting, 5-6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 12
Mother Goose story time, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13
Library closed
Tuesday, Oct. 16
Library advisory board meeting, 6-7 p.m. (public may attend)
Thursday, Oct. 18
Book Club meeting for adults, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 19
Mother Goose story time, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20
Fall Book Sale, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 26
Mother Goose story time, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 2
Mother Goose story time, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Monday, Nov. 12
Teen Advisory Group (TAG) meeting, 5-6 p.m.
Celina Public Library 142 N Ohio St Celina, TX 75009 Linda Shaw Library Director Phone: (972) 382-8655
Monday - Tuesday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Wednesday - Thursday 10:00 am - 6 pm Friday - Saturday 10:00 am - 4 pm OurCelina.com | October 2018
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Get To Know Mother Goose By: Lisa Ferguson
Debbie Heinze is something of a celebrity at Celina Public Library. For more than two years, the Light Farms resident has donned fanciful dresses and wide-brimmed straw sunhats while portraying Mother Goose during the library’s weekly story time events. Geared toward infants through early elementary school-aged kids, the 20-minute story time sessions are held at 10:30 a.m. Fridays and are usually attended by more than a dozen youngsters and their grownups. Gathered in the library’s children’s area, they wiggle and giggle as Heinze reads aloud from simple books and leads the groups in silly songs and movement activities. “We wanted to do something that would grab the kids’ (attention) instead of just having a nice, little old lady reading stories,” recalled Heinze, 69, of early discussions she had with Linda Shaw, director of library services for the city of Celina, about starting the story time with Mother Goose program. “I knew I wanted to incorporate music and dance (into the sessions) because that’s my specialty.” Most weeks, “We sing a few songs first and relax the kids, and kind of get them into it. Then I read a couple of books, and we do fun dancing and (act) a little crazy,” Heinze said. Usually, “I pick … pretty simple, preschool-aged books” to read, as well as toddler-aged tomes for the youngest audience members. “In the summer, we have a few 5- and 6-yearold brothers and sisters who attend story time, but during the school year, it’s mostly the little ones.” The stories and songs are themed around the seasons of the year and national holidays, among other whimsical topics. For example, each December she swaps her Mother Goose garb for Mrs. Claus attire and reads Christmas tales. Following story time each week, attendees are invited to make a simple craft that corresponds with the stories that Mother Goose has read that day. Heinze “is a fun person and that comes across in her story times,” Shaw said. “She’s got an upbeat attitude and she knows what she’s doing.” A former longtime resident of Houston, Heinze moved four years ago to Celina with her husband, Bob, to be closer to the couple’s two adult daughters and five grandchildren. She has also volunteered on Celina Public Library’s advisory board, and is an active member at Prestonwood Baptist Church’s North Campus in Prosper where she sings in the adult choir and teaches kindergarten choir. “All that I do with children, I give the glory to God for opening 30
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the door to allow me to use my gifts for Him,” she said. Heinze began playing piano as a young girl and took up singing as a preteen in her school and church choirs. In the early 1970s, she played keyboards and sang harmonies in a band fronted by her brother, who was a drummer. The duo performed at officers’ clubs at military bases near their hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, as well as area hotel lounges and other small venues. She eventually moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she met Bob. The couple lived in Midland for a decade before relocating to Houston, where they resided for 18 years prior to settling in Celina. Heinze spent the bulk of her nearly 30-year career as an early childhood educator teaching music and movement to preschoolers. Children, she said, “are spur-of-the-moment. I love the expressions on their face when they learn new things. I just love the joy that radiates from them.” She culls most of the stories and songs for Celina Public Library’s story time from her former lesson plans. “I try to keep it fresh but simple, so it’s easy. I want it to be fun,” she explained. She totes with her to story time small music makers, such as rhythm sticks and egg-shaped shakers, as well as colorful beanbags, scarves, streamers and a large canvas parachute with which she and the children play. “There is a reason why I pick the songs that I pick. It’s to incorporate music and movement so that (children) feel the beat with their body and they hear the music. They can march to the music,” Heinze said. More than being fun, she said, story time is also educational. “Besides learning vocabulary, the main thing is that the kids are interacting with an adult as a teacher (figure) and learning to follow directions,” she explained. “These are important skills that they’re going to need when they get into school.”
Debbie Heinze spent the bulk of her career as an early childhood educator. She incorporates her former lessons plans into Mother Goose story time at Celina Public Library. (Photo courtesy of Celina Public Library)
Children enjoying Celina Public Library’s weekly story time session, led by Mother Goose. (Photo courtesy of Celina Public Library)
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Local Postal Customer
PRST STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Celina TX Permit #10
DR. TOM BIETSCH, D.D.S
221 N. PRESTON ROAD, SUITE A PROSPER, TX 75078
972-347-2222
We Come To Your Child’s School! WWW.PROSPERORTHODONTISTS.COM
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