Saturday, February 4, 2017
Volume 118, Number 63 8 Pages $1.00 www.HerefordBRAND.com
2017 HLSA results, page 4;
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STARGAZING
Aikman students examine heavens
From Staff Reports
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
A workshop attended by a Hereford Independent School District (HISD) teacher has literally opened the heavens to education for students at Aikman Elementary School (AES). For the second consecutive year, fifth-grade students at AES had the opportunity to get up close to heavenly bodies thanks to the continuing education efforts of teacher Kelly Goodin and an outreach program provided by the 3 Rivers Foundation and its Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus. “I went to one of their teacher workshops two years ago and found out about their outreach program,” Goodin said. “It was something I thought would work great for us.” Volunteers from 3 Rivers and Comanche Springs pulled into town Monday with a trailer bearing high-tech telescopes to provide Goodin’s students with a pair of unique opportunities. During a virtually cloudless day Monday, students had the chance to get a good look at the closest star to Earth – the sun. Viewing the sun requires special telescopic equipment, which Comanche Springs provided, and allowed students to view the solar system’s power source in all its nuclear fusion glory. In addition to not being blinded by gazing at the sun, the activity PLEASE SEE STARS | 2
Walcott school board on ballot
BRAND/John Carson
Aikman Elementary fifth-grader Aileen Sandoval takes a long look at the closest star to planet Earth – the sun – during a special presentation Monday at the school.
While elections set for Saturday, May 6 will be dominated by city commission and mayor races in Hereford and four seats on the Hereford Independent School District (HISD) Board of Trustees, they are not the only canvassing that will take place that day. All three seats on the Wildorado Independent School District (WISD) are also up for grabs. Unusual that an entire board is on a single ballot, WISD found itself in an unusual position as this election cycle rolled around. The reason for the anomaly is that two board members were appointed shortly after the 2015 election, and state law requires such appointees to run for the office during the next available election. Under normal conditions, the seats currently held by appointees Sam White and Kevin Brown would not be up again until 2019 – the usual four-year term. However, state mandates puts those seats on the block, as well as that of Lucy McGowan, whose 2013 term is expiring. With WISD elections scheduled for odd-number years, WISD Superintendent Bill McLaughlin said a decision has yet to be made on which of the two current appointees’ seats will be for only two years to provide the staggered terms needed to prevent a potential full turnover of board members. “One of those will have to be a two-year term so we can return to the staggered system,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll probably have to flip a coin to decide which one.” WISD contains an elementary school housing grades 1-6 and is currently home to 138 students. The board is elected completely at-large. Qualifying for the board seats opened last month and runs through Friday, Feb. 17. As of Thursday, no one has filed for any of the seats, according to McLaughlin, who has been WISD superintendent since 1986. “We always manage to get [candidates],” he said. “We only have 70 registered voters here, but we have had some tight races. “I don’t know how it might be this time, but I do expect the current members to file [for re-election]. They just haven’t yet.”
Distinguished Grad epitome of 'faith, knowledge, service' From Contributed Sources
Sister Loretta Bezner was named the 2017 Distinguished Graduate from St. Anthony Catholic School at a special liturgy on Jan. 29. The liturgy also celebrated the opening of Catholic Schools Week that ran through Feb. 3. The recipient of the award – given by the National Catholic Education Association – must have graduated from the nominating school at least 10 ago and the should have made some significant contribution to American society and/ or Catholic Church, which reflects favorably on the education the person received in the Catholic elementary school. Bezner graduated on May 23, 1937 at the age of 12 from the eighth grade at St. Anthony School. She then followed her heart and left her family and friends to become a religious sister. She immediately moved to Garrison, N.Y., and joined the Franciscan Sisters
of the Atonement at Graymoor in on May 31, 1937, which was the order that make up St. Anthony teachers at that time. She graduated high school from Lake Cliff Academy in Garrison, which is now a part the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation, Bezner attended Georgian Court University in New Jersey, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She went on to Seton Hall University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Theology. Throughout the course of her ministry, Bezner has served as director of religious education in more than 10 parishes across five states and Canada, coordinator of catechumen and pastoral ministry programs, and administrator of the infirmary and adult day care at Graymoor. For more than 75 years, Bezner PLEASE SEE GRAD | 3
Contributed photo
Hereford native Sister Loretta Bezner, center, was named St. Anthony School’s 2017 Distinguished Graduate during ceremonies Jan. 29.