The Springtown Epigraph by Admin

Thursday, December 17, 2015

The

S ’ n o S Sea inGS t e e r G

2015

WWW.SPRINGTOWN-EPIGRAPH.NET

Season’s Greetings Special Section

A Culinary Christmas at SHS

Giving wisely

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$1 Springtown, Texas 76082

A very merry COTS

PD investigating former SISD resource officer Letter sent home with all students BY MARK K. CAMPBELL An investigation concerning an inappropriate relationship between a student and an educator is being investigated by the Springtown Police Department. On Dec. 11, Springtown ISD Superintendent Mike Kelley said the district was notifi ed of “allegations of misconduct” by a former School Resource Officer (SRO). “As professional educators, there are certain allegations a student might make that must be taken seriously,” Kelley said in an email. The superintendent immediately contacted SPD, he noted in a letter that was sent home to every student in the district Dec. 11. That letter noted that incidents occurred “over a year ago” and that the possibility of “other similar incidents before or since” is also being investigated. SPD Chief Ed Crowdis, who is directing the investigation, said he could not name the former SRO and that no charges have been filed. “The investigation is current,” he said.

Volume 52, Number 35

Under the Texas Penal Code, an improper relationship between an educator and student is defi ned as “sexual contact, sexual intercourse, or deviate intercourse with a person who is enrolled in a public or private primary or secondary school.” The offense is a second-degree felony. The letter sent by the SISD urged parents to consult their children and contact SPD if any concerns were detected. Kelley said in an email, “Our counselors are working hard to ensure that the individual(s) involved today are appropriately cared for.” In the letter to parents, Kelley said that other law enforcement agencies – “including the Texas Rangers” – will participate in a detailed review of the allegations. Kelley also states in the letter, “I have faith that their [law enforcement agencies] collective efforts will lead to a fair and appropriate conclusion to their investigation.” He said the district would pro- Santa, who curiously resembled Mayor Tom Clayton, made plenty vide “full and complete cooperation of children happy during Christmas on the Square. The event drew hundreds. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 4A! Photo by Misty Shaw throughout the investigation.”

Hundreds attend Christmas on the Square BY MISTY SHAW Springtown was fi lled with the sights and sounds of the season Dec. 12 as festival-goers turned out in droves for this year’s Christmas on the Square celebration. Attendees donned their most festive apparel and perused the many vendor booths while local performers fi lled the Tabernacle with holiday music. Santa Claus – who closely resembled Mayor Tom Clayton – was also in attendance. “It was very successful this year,” City Administrator Doug Hughes said of the festival. “We had more vendors than we had last year and most seemed like they had a very successful day and enjoyed the afternoon.” Though exact attendance is hard to estimate, Hughes said “it was a very large crowd throughout the day; last year was pretty successful but this year I think easily outdid it.” PLEASE SEE COTS, PAGE 4A.

Reno man dies in head-on collision BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN A head-on collision in the 13000 block of FM 730 South near Azle left a Reno man dead and a Weatherford man seriously injured Dec. 9. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Offi ce identifi ed the deceased man as 45-year-old Donald Scott Hays of Reno. The cause of death is attributed to injuries Hays sustained in the accident. According to an accident report fi led by the Azle Police Department, Hays was northbound at the wheel of a maroon 1999 Ford F150 pickup about 4:15 p.m. For an unknown reason, Hays’ vehicle went into the southbound lane of the roadway, where it struck a red This overhead view – shot from high atop a fi re apparatus – shows the violence of the fatal crash that killed Donald Scott Hayes of Reno PLEASE SEE RENO, PAGE 3A. on FM 730 South. Photo courtesy Kenny Wilson, Azle fire marshal

SHS tops All-Region Band placements again BY MARK K. CAMPBELL Other bands must marvel at the Sound of Springtown. Once again, talented musicians from Springtown High School placed more students in the Association of Texas Small School Bands All-Region Band than any other school. That’s the fourth year in a row that SHS has topped all comers. On Dec. 5 at Tolar High School, musicians from 40 Class 1A-4A schools converged to vie for places

on the elite Area contest list, set for Robinson High School – south of Waco – Jan. 9. At Tolar, Springtown placed a whopping 36 students on the All-Region Band. Nine of those who excelled will move on to the Area competition. That exceptional nine: • Ashley Levesque-Trujillo – oboe • Chanae Pitts-Richardson – bassoon • Jose Moreno – trumpet

• Peter Merts – trumpet • Jordyn Sonne – trumpet • Weston Plume – trombone • Michael Murphy – bass trombone • Jacob Matthews – percussion • Grant Tichel – percussion A high placement at the Area round in Robinson will earn the musicians a berth on the All-State Band that performs in San Antonio at the Texas Music Educators Association convention in February. Here are the other Sound of Spring-

town standouts who earned chairs on the All-Region Band: Flute – Lizbeth Najera, Stephanie Sayles, Brianna Negrete, Roxanna Mendez, and Rachael Rayford Clarinet – Kayla Levesque, Ehren Batig, Nazareth Montes, and Haley Brown Bassoon – Samantha Matthews Tenor saxophone – Amy Latigo Baritone saxophone – Haley McKown Trumpet – Kaylen Rhodes

French horn – Jazmine Kruper, Lucy Meraz, and Breanna McCarty Trombone – Ruben Landaverde and Cryus Naal Euphonium – Britni Hays and Rile Taylor Tuba – Jacob Little and Matthew Carter Percussion – Jacob Nelson, Tyler Nieto, Macario Buendia, Christian Brumback, and Timothy Northrup The band will perform at Florida’s Disney World June 6-10.