LH Independent 5-13-21

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2021

Volume 34, Issue 25

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Cross Tracks recognizes firefighters

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Cross Tracks Church Pastor Michelle Lott opened Sunday’s service with words of gratitude, honoring the firefighters who fought the fire that consumed one of the church’s buildings two years ago.

“It was important for us to honor them and what they did for us that day. The fire was tragic and heartbreakCross Tracks Church honored Lt. Rowdy Bizzell, Lt. Charles Johnson, Lt. Matthew Selby, Jon- ing,” said Lott. “For a year athan Dunlap, and Anthony Rodriguez for their efforts fighting the fire that destroyed one of the See FIRE, Page 8 church buildings two years ago.

City Council cuts costs from wastewater plant project

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The Liberty Hill City Council made some cost-saving cuts to the wastewater plant expansion project Monday, at least temporarily trimming $375,211 from the contract.

The change order brought the construction project cost with Cunningham Constructors down to $11.96 million.

What was deleted from the contract was some paving,

fencing and remaining work on the administrative building on the site.

“These decisions were made to save these portions of the contract for a later date,” said Aaron Laughlin with Steger Bizzell Engineering. “It will allow the contractor to focus on the completion of the plant itself.”

With the deletions, the plant is expected to be online sometime in June.

Council member Gram Lankford voted against the deletions, and preferred they just be completed at the end of the work on the plant itself, to get it operational faster. But Laughlin indicated there were issues between the contractor and the City.

“The general contractor that is doing this work has presented a lot of resistance to wanting to complete this work,” Laughlin said.

He added that the change order amount needed to be kept where it currently sits.

“We’re right at our 25 percent limit on our legal change order amount,” Laughlin said.

In early March, the Council approved change order eight on the plant expansion project, adding $70,641 to the project, in what it hoped was the final addition before the

See COUNCIL, Page 5

Main Street Social sets sights on June opening

By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer James and Tambra Prince are the first to admit their new food hall, Main Street Social, has been a long time coming.

Delays no one could have predicted—namely COVID-19— pushed their project back several times, but now they are just weeks away from opening on Loop 332 near downtown Liberty Hill.

“Because there are so many moving parts, we don’t have an exact date set yet, but the community can plan on June,” Tambra Prince said. “We got pushed back several times, and we’ve had to get creative.”

Finishing touches are being made across the food hall. Décor is already up on many of the walls, and necessities like the bathrooms are almost finished. The hall boasts a large arcade room with every wall covered in games—including vintage games like Pacman—

where families will be able to play together. Large garage-style doors to the outside will typically be open, weather permitting, to allow for fresh air to flow through the hall. In the center of the hall, a 42-seat bar is almost finished, with just mirrors and chandeliers left to install. The bar will have 18 beers on tap, ranging from long-standing classics to craft beers. Wine will also be served from the bar.

“We were going to hire a designer but decided to do it ourselves,” Tambra Prince said.

“We’re using a lot of architectural details from all over the world, like Mexico and India.

We have even used wood from one of the oldest barns in Liberty Hill in the bar area and for an accent wall. The bar area is RACHEL MADISON PHOTO going to be elegant, and we are using vintage barstools from Tambra Prince, co-owner of Main Street Social, and General The Frisco Shop, which was Manager Natalie Harbison stand together in the entryway of the soon-to-open food hall. Main Street Social will offer dinSee SOCIAL, Page 8 ers a variety of different food stalls to choose from.

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Veronika Hyska spent the first six weeks of her senior year at home. She was a remote learner. When she returned to campus, things felt different.

“A lot of things have changed education-wise, like with teaching styles. I was remote my first six weeks, and it was hard to keep up,” she said. “I managed, but it was difficult.

When I came back in person, everything seemed disorganized. Not to say that in a bad way, but you could see that the teachers were having a rough time adjusting just like the students.”

Like Hyska, the rest of the Class of 2021 has been affected in dozens of ways by the pandemic. Forced to wade through uncharted waters, this class will stand uniquely apart from other seniors.

While the class persevered through the year of twists and turns, the effect of such a stressful situation still takes its toll on students. Haley Polser believed optimistically that by spring, the state of things would be much better.

“It’s not that way, and it’s been hard to stay positive and look forward to things.

So much is unknown still, especially in January and February when things seemed to keep declining,” said Polser.

“We’ve had some hope in the last months with the vaccine, but it hasn’t been easy, especially not seeing friends and teachers that you’ve known for

May 13, 2021 | 50 Cents

LHISD shifts to new middle school model

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor A lot will be changing for the middle grade students in Liberty Hill next school year.

Gone will be the intermediate school model of fifth and sixth graders on one campus and seventh and eighth on another.

With the opening of Santa Rita Middle School in August, LHISD will officially make the transition to the middle school model where fifth graders will join the elementary campuses throughout the district, and sixth through eighth grades will be split between the new campus and Liberty Hill Middle School – currently the junior high.

But this change involves more than a boundary line, new bus routes and shifting teachers, and Principals Josh Curtis and Travis Motal – at the helms of the two middle schools – are working hard with planners and staff to make a smooth transition.

Each campus will be unique, according to the administration and staff, but the philosophy is one of providing the same quality education to all middle schoolers across the district – “two campuses, one goal”.

“The district put the middle school design team together

to try to create a focus across the middle school curriculum,” Motal said. “Both of us are anticipating our campus will have its own identity, we’ve talked about that back and forth, and we will do some things the same, but we don’t have to be the exact same.”

The first step in setting up LHISD for success with the new middle school plan was to have the right leadership in place, and Superintendent Steve Snell believes Curtis and Motal are the right pair.

“Both of those guys have that experience with that secondary middle level,” Snell said.

“What I’m most excited about is our middle school design team because we don’t just say this is how we do school and you just do it with three grades now instead of two.

Middle school has a specific concept with it and we want to make sure we have the two best middle schools in the state. We’ve gotten teachers and administrators involved, just talking about what it’s like to be a middle school kid, how we can support them, how we can make sure we have a service component to our schools, how we empower students to

See MIDDLE, Page 5

LHISD buoyed by higher tax valuations

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor With intense enrollment growth, Liberty Hill ISD faces steep cost increases from new facilities to equipment and staffing needs.

Sharply increasing property valuations are expected to provide the increased revenue to accommodate the additional financial needs as the district begins formulating its next budget.

The district received the news in April that valuations continued to climb, when the Williamson County Appraisal District estimated 27 percent growth in property values across the district.

“It was shocking to say the least,” said LHISD Chief Financial Officer Rosanna R. Guerrero. “Alvin Lankford, who is the chief appraiser with the Williamson Central Ap-

praisal District, said in his entire history he has never seen that value growth from year to year.”

The growth for the current year was at 19 percent.

“Double-digit growth is pretty massive, but to look at over 20 percent growth is definitely more than what we ever anticipated,” Guerrero said.

The final certified appraisals will be announced July 25.

The total market value for all properties within LHISD has tripled since 2016, from $2.6 billion that year to $6.18 billion in 2021. Single family residential property makes up the bulk of local property values at 78 percent, while commercial makes up only 4.74 percent.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about, not only with our Long Range Planning

See BUDGET, Page 10

Seniors face challenges, share hope in 2021

©2021 The Liberty Hill Independent

such a long time.”

In-class at home The most jarring adjustment that students across the district dealt with was the pivot to online and digital-centered learning.

“There was a lot of self-reliance,” Hyska said. “You had to get yourself to be motivated and sit down and do your classes instead of being forced to go to school. That was the big hurdle to get over at first.”

Abigail Janicek, a member of the soccer team, took the time management she’s learned on the pitch and applied it to her remote learning experience.

“I made a schedule for myself. I would wake up at the same time every day and do a certain class for some time and then the next one,” said Janicek. “With the leftover time, if

See SENIORS, Page 10

From left, Colton Harbour, Veronika Hyska, Cassidy Sudekum, Anissa Garza, Abigail Janicek, and Haley Polser have experienced a senior year like no other with their fellow 2021 classmates.

As graduation approaches, the group prepares for the next phase of their lives. (Courtesy Photo)

Page 2

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Thursday, May 13, 2021

Public Library reopens May 17 as Summer Reading Program begins

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer The Liberty Hill Public Library is preparing to fully reopen on May 17 -- the first day of the library’s Summer Reading Program.

“We felt it was time. With Summer Reading coming, it was time to open,” said Library Director Angela Palmer. “We’re still going to open with some precautions. With people getting vaccinated and the staff almost all vaccinated, we feel safer. It’s just time. We don’t want to have to do virtual Summer Reading again. It just doesn’t work as well. All of our programming will be outdoors for the summer.”

As a precaution, patrons of

the library will have to follow a few safety regulations.

“People will have to wear a mask inside. We aren’t going to make people mask outdoors,” said Palmer. “We’re following CDC regulations as best as we can. People have to sanitize their hands when they come in. We’re going to limit the number of people and the time they can be inside. We’re limiting between 17 and 25, including the staff and for 30 minutes or less. We’re going to have plexiglass shields up on the desks, and employees will wear masks. We’re making sure we have items everywhere so people can sanitize their hands. We’ll have masks if people need one, too.”

Palmer stresses that this isn’t a partial opening. All services will be available to the public.

“We are going to offer all of our services, like using the computers, and we’re doing curbside service twice a week,” said Palmer. “We kept that because some people like it. Some are still unsure of going into places, and we understand that. It can also help with big families that might not want to get off with all of the kids.”

Palmer and the library will have time reserved for those not comfortable with being in public yet.

“On Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., will be the time just for people that are still vulner-

Council member Liz Rundzieher passed away May 9, just a few weeks after announcing she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Rundzieher was elected to the first Council after Liberty Hill’s incorporation and served 18 years.

The Council observed a moment of silence prior to its meeting Monday to honor Rundzieher on what would have been her final meeting.

There were flowers at her position on the dais.

Rundzieher came to Liberty Hill in the 1970s and spent her career at Meridell Achievement Center.

“It was important to her to play a part in assisting the City of Liberty Hill in encouraging growth in business,” said fellow Council member and friend Kathy Canady. “She believed in Liberty Hill through thick and thin good and bad.

The nastiness of politics couldn’t discourage her, and one thing she refused to stoop

to was getting involved in any of the dirty politics that she abhorred. She always wanted a clean win and if it wasn’t to be; then in her mind she would just work hard to get back on the next time.”

Council member Tony DeYoung also expressed his sympathies at her passing.

“I will truly miss my neighbor and colleague,” he wrote.

“Her service to this town is something we should all aspire to. We are lifting up her family

able to COVID and seniors,” said Palmer. “People who feel like that can just come in during that time, and we’ll keep watch and make sure they get their time to browse without people around.”

The feedback from the community is positive so far, and as they begin the reopening process, Palmer asks for understanding as things slowly return to normal.

“We just ask that you be patient with us as we reopen,” laughed Palmer. “We haven’t had people here in a year, so we might be a little rusty.

We’re going to be working out some details and make changes where we need as we go along.”

Longtime Council member passes away

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Week of May 3-9, 2021 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 650 incidents resulting in nine cases, 79 citations, 100 warnings and one arrest.

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4:19 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a harassment complaint.

- On May 6 at approximately 6:25 PM, officers responded to Ocate Meza Trail, to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On May 6 at approximately 8:57 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a disturbance.

- On May 7 at approximately 1:12 AM, officers responded to the 1000 block of Loop 332 for suspicious activity.

- On May 7 at approximately 1:51 AM, officers responded to Larkspur Park Blvd for suspicious activity.

- On May 7 at approximately 10:50 AM, officers responded to the intersection of W. SH 29 and RM 1869 for suspicious activity.

- On May 7 at approximately 3:42 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident.

- On May 7 at approximately 6:38 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for an alarm call.

- On May 8 at approximately 10:11 AM, officers responded to Bronco Blvd to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On May 8 at approximately 2:34PM, officers responded to Prosecco Path for suspicious activity.

- On May 9 at approximately 3:12 AM, officers responded

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Weekly Highlights: - On May 3 at approximately 10:14AM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity.

- On May 3 at approximately 12:07 PM, officers responded to the intersection of RM 1869 and Loop 332 for an accident.

- On May 3 at approximately 3:43 PM, officers responded to Deserti Rd. for an alarm call.

- On May 3 at approximately 9:53 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for a criminal trespass complaint.

- On May 3 at approximately 11:37 PM, officers responded to the 300 block of Loop 332 for a disturbance.

- On May 4 at approximately 8:19AM, officers responded to the 11000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident.

- On May 4 at approximately 10:44 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident - On May 4 at approximately 4:15PM, officers responded to Hillcrest Lane to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On May 4 at approximately 5:43 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29

for an accident.

- On May 4 at approximately 9:29 PM, officers responded to Buffalo Trail to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On May 5 at approximately 9:08AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a welfare check with resulted in the arrest of a male adult for driving while intoxicated and evading arrest.

- On May 5 at approximately 3:00PM, officers responded to the 1000 block of Loop 332 for a welfare check of a lost senior citizen.

- On May 5 at approximately 9:18 PM, officers responded to the 3000 block of RM 1869 for an alarm call.

- On May 5 at approximately 10:20 PM, officers responded to Hillcrest lane for a dangerous animal complaint.

- On May 6 at approximately 12:27 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic stop resulting in citations for possession of drug paraphernalia, minor in possession of tobacco and curfew violation.

- On May 6 at approximately 11:53 AM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 29 for a theft complaint.

- On May 6 at approximately 1:04 PM, officers responded to the 700 block of US 183, to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On May 6 at approximately

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Thursday, May 13, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 3

Throwback Thursday Rundzieher, Hohle served Liberty Hill well

LHPD Officer Joseph Chapa received Officer of the Year honors at the 3rd Annual Allies of Hope dinner organized by Hope Alliance. The Cedar Park native and former Marine is in his first year in law enforcement. (Courtesy Photo)

LHPD officer honored

by Hope Alliance

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer LHPD Officer Joseph Chapa remembers when someone stole his bike as a kid. He was only five years old, but vividly remembers the officer who helped get it back.

“I’ve always wanted to help people. Growing up, I always told my mom and my neighbors that I wanted to help people out,” said Chapa. “The way the officer settled it and got my bike back made me realize then that this is what I wanted to do.”

Chapa, a Marine veteran, is in his first year of law enforcement, and at the 3rd Annual Allies of Hope dinner organized by Hope Alliance, he was named Officer of the Year.

“It was unexpected, and as soon as I found out I was getting the award I had a lot of things going through my mind.

It was such a great sense of pride,” he said.

Hope Alliance’s Allies of Hope Award recognizes law enforcement officers for going above and beyond to assist members of the community who have survived family violence or sexual abuse.

“Each year we ask our Williamson County Law Enforcement agencies to select a recipient of the Ally of Hope Award,” said Hope Alliance Vice President of Resource Development Lesa Cantrell.

“We are the only agency in Williamson County that offers complete wrap-around services for those affected by family or sexual violence, we ask that the awardee be some-

one who has assisted us in our mission to assist those whose lives have been affected by family and sexual violence.”

LHPD Chief Royce Graeter nominated Chapa for the award, saying he more than met all of the qualifications to receive the honor.

“He had recently done some excellent work on a sexual assault investigation and continued to follow up with it all the way through,” said Graeter.

“He was a great choice when this award came up since their focus is on family and sexual violence.”

From the Marines to the police force, Chapa’s goal in life has always been helping others. Joining the Marines was Chapa’s first step toward his law enforcement career.

“It was a scary decision. I graduated high school and went to ACC,” he said. “I wasn’t doing well, and I asked myself what I was going to do now. I knew from then on I needed discipline, so I went to the recruiter. Just like with this, it immediately felt like home. I never looked back.”

Chapa served for 15 years, and returned home to continue his journey.

“In 2015, I got out and went to ACC to get my criminal justice degree. From there, I completed my Texas Peace Officer Course and applied,” he said.

“I came out to the city for the interview. I started talking with people, and I felt welcomed and just fell in love with the city. It felt like home, so I’m happy I got hired here.”

By JAMES WEAR Columnist Over the past f e w days I h a v e learned of the passing of two individuals who certainly had an impact on Liberty Hill.

The Rev. Elmer Hohle, who I had not seen in several years, died April 29; while Liz Rundzieher, longtime member of the Liberty Hill City Council, passed away Sunday morning.

I first met Liz more than 30 years ago, back when she was married to Francis Hanna, back when both she and Francis were supporters of the Liberty Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Liz often lent a hand during various fundraisers, particularly during the firefighters’ annual barbecue and auction that was held in June; while Francis served on the fire board for several years and can be credited with putting together the paperwork and rallying support for the creation of the emergency services district.

Liz was first elected to the city council in the late 1990s and if I recall correctly, has served continuously since.

According to a press release she submitted to us in April of 2000, she first came to Liberty Hill in 1977. In addition to participating with the Liberty Hill Girl Scout program she also served as a director on the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce.

After being elected to the city council, she participated in various committees formed by the council and seldom missed a meeting.

She wasn’t one to seek attention in the media and instead let her votes as a council member reflect what she believed regarding various issues.

Rev. Hohle was among the

Elmer Hohle left no doubt where he stood on political issues as illustrated in this cartoon that appeared in the April 5, 2000, edition of The Shin Oak Ridge Reporter. kindest men I’ve ever met and for several years was a contributor to local newspapers.

His work was first seen in The Independent back in the 1990s while Jim Linzy still owned the newspaper, but his days as a political cartoonist were interrupted briefly after Jim sold the paper and the owners, Dan and Diane Pogue, decided to discontinue the cartoon. In the meantime Paula and I had launched the Shin Oak Ridge Reporter and we agreed to continue publishing Elmer’s work, which reflected his strong Reagan-type of Republican beliefs.

After we closed our paper, Elmer’s work continued to appear in the Liberty Hill Bullet and that may have been when he began writing as well. His column, which was known

as “Christ the Cornerstone”, didn’t have a thing to do with politics but instead dealt with the message of Jesus. The column was a regular feature in The Leader during my years there and Elmer had a stockpile of columns built up, enough to cover the entire coming year.

He would often drop by the

office on Monday mornings and visit briefly and sometimes offer a prayer, and then be on his way, leaving us with a smile and a blessing.

Liberty Hill was certainly better for having them in this community.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Teeler honored as Liberty Hill Elementary Teacher of the Year

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer When Liberty Hill Elementary teacher Angie Teeler walked into the gym for an after-school faculty meeting, she was surprised to find out the impromptu gathering was really about her. Principal Heather Collison called the gathering to honor Teeler with the Teacher of the Year award.

“It was sweet, and it was nice that I had all my friends with me,” said Teeler. “I was shocked, and it was such a nice surprise. A few times, I had some people say that they nominated me, but I really didn’t think much about it.

That’s not where my focus is.

My focus is on the classroom with the kids. My students are pretty excited for me.”

Teeler is a veteran educator of 20 years, with 19 of those years being with Liberty Hill.

For Teeler, the 2020-21 school year came with a multitude of

curveballs.

“This year was definitely different. It was something that none of us had ever experienced,” she said. “As far as the teaching part, what we taught didn’t change, how we delivered it changed. We had to be safe. We had to put that first. It was hard because we couldn’t do as many hands-on activities or group work with the kids.

The hardest part was not seeing the kids’ faces because I am a relationship builder.”

In the face of unprecedented circumstances, Teeler and her colleagues put students first and took every challenge head-on.

“I’m just really proud that we were able to open the school at the beginning of the year, and we stayed open,” said Teeler. “I’m proud of the staff and the kids. Everyone persevered and did what we needed to have the best school year we could. I was an in-person

teacher; however, I have had handfuls of kids that had to be quarantined. I was doing my in-person lessons and also creating stuff for my kids to keep them up to date while they’re at home.”

Putting the kids first was and is always the priority for Teeler.

“We had to take everything into consideration,” said Teeler. “Where you have kids sitting, we had to set timers for a mask break. Every decision we make has to have their health first. After that, we make sure we can do the education part.

If we don’t have them healthy, then we can’t teach them. We had to ask ourselves how we were going to deliver the lesson effectively.”

Collison expressed gratitude for Teeler’s ability to juggle the combined workload of in-person and remote learning.

“Mrs. Angie Teeler is phenomenal. She knows her con-

tent and understands the importance of being a learner to help all students grow,” Collison said. “She does whatever it takes for her students and colleagues to succeed. Angie is of the highest caliber in the profession of teaching. We are blessed to have her impact at Liberty Hill Elementary.”

After 19 years, Teeler hasn’t grown tired of Liberty Hill.

The veteran educator is proud to be a member of Panther Nation.

“We were looking for a place for our kids to go to school,” she said. “That’s when we moved to Liberty Hill. My children were in kindergarten all the way through. Being a part of this community has been such a blessing for my family. It was the best move I ever made. As an educator, I’ve always felt supported here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

As the school year ends,

Angie Teeler is Liberty Hill Elementary’s Teacher of the Year.

She has spent 19 years with LHISD, teaching across multiple campuses. (Courtesy Photo) Teeler is looking forward to summer plans. Despite the vacation, she doesn’t plan on spending too much time away from work.

“We’ve got a couple of trips planned,” said Teeler. “We’re taking a trip with my dad to California to see the redwoods

and drive-up Highway 1. It’s a trip he’s been wanting to take, and I’m really grateful he’s not quarantined, and we have our immunizations. We can enjoy some time together, but I’ll also be looking at next year.

Teachers don’t just take summer off.”

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Thursday, May 13, 2021

MIDDLE

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 1

be responsible.”

The plan is to make opportunities and facilities equal, but also to make sure that the curriculum is successful across both campuses. For that, the two principals will have teachers working together across campuses as well as internally.

“We want the teachers to be not only vertically aligned, but horizontally aligned,” Curtis said. “We’ve talked about time that people from each campus can get together and plan with each other so that if you’re getting an education at Liberty Hill Middle School it’s the exact same education at Santa Rita Middle School, it’s just going to be with different personalities in the classroom.

“At the end of the day we’re all still Panthers and we’re all still preparing them to head to Liberty Hill High School,” he added. “Other than our leadership styles, we want to make both middle schools as close to the same experience as possible.”

Putting sixth graders on the campus with older students can be a positive for the maturing process during such a critical time.

“Middle school is such a formative time,” Motal said.

“There’s just a whole lot where kids learn about themselves, their identities, who their friends are. Their friend groups change so much from elementary through middle and they get interested in a fine arts path, an athletic path, while in elementary school you don’t have all those op-

COUNCIL

tions to really find your voice.”

Curtis agreed, having much experience with sixth graders in the intermediate school set up.

“Now the sixth graders do see themselves as probably older than they should because they’re the oldest kids on the campus,” Curtis said. “I think it will be great for their maturity development to see the transition and the maturation process. I think it will be beneficial to them.”

Adding that one additional year in middle school also opens many doors for building programs and expanding opportunities.

“It is only one more year, but that one year is critical,” Curtis said. “We can build programs on our campuses and the sixth graders will see what the seventh and eighth graders are doing. Right now, sixth graders really have no clue what seventh and eighth graders do, so it will be an easier transition if you want to build a technology or band or theater program. Whatever it is, those sixth graders will be in the building and see what the older kids are doing and take an interest in it.”

Beginning next year, sixth graders will also get more exposure to many programs already in place.

“The big one for sixth graders will be the technology part because they’ll get to see what the tech apps or intro to computer science from the sixth-grade perspective,” Curtis said. “Ag will be a big one

Continued from Page 1

plant became operational.

The order brought the new contract price then to $12.37 million, nearly $3 million above the original $9.68 million contract for the project.

A large portion of the added cost came when former Mayor Rick Hall made the decision in April 2020 – supported unanimously by the Council – to switch the equipment used in the new plant from Microdyn to Suez, citing dissatisfaction with the Microdyn equipment.

In December 2019, Hall, former Council member Steve McIntosh, and former Public Works Director Wayne Bonnet traveled to Denver, Colorado,

to meet with representatives from Suez and tour at least one of their facilities. According to a public records request, the only expenses to the City for that trip were a rental car.

On another occasion, on a date never disclosed by the City, Hall – and allegedly McIntosh – traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to again tour a Suez facility. Both trips occurred before the switch was approved by the Council from Microdyn to Suez.

Details of the trip were never disclosed publicly.

Following the trips, Hall indicated the City would go with Suez for the new plant,

Page 5

because in sixth grade they have no idea what goes on in Ag, but being on the campus they will get to see the projects the Ag students are doing.

Having those younger kids see what the other kids are doing on campus will make a huge difference.”

Snell said there will many new initiatives and opportunities as the district settles in to the new setup.

“Through the middle school we want to make sure we have that culture of excellence, but we’re going to do some creative things with scheduling, then teaming is a big part of middle school,” he said.

“We’re looking to bring in some project-based learning, and some other things to really create a middle school experience.”

Once students reach seventh grade, failing grades can be costly as far as their ability to participate, and Motal thinks having the sixth graders on campus to see how that can hinder their participation will be a good thing.

“The first six weeks for us is always heartbreaking because kids are participating in different things then they miss out when they realize their grade really does count for their ability to participate,” Motal said.

“Being able to really sit down with sixth graders and talk with them and explain how they would not be playing or participating is important for them to understand.”

Each of the two campuses will have its own identity, but

Curtis and Motal are focused first on the unifying goal of all being Panthers and keeping the same values and goals for both.

The middle school design team included parent surveys, meetings with students and thorough collaboration between staff from both campuses.

“We made sure we got everyone’s voice in there to capture what everyone wants in Liberty Hill,” Curtis said. “Our number one goal as principals is that no matter what campus you go to you’re getting the best education you can get and best experiences you can get in Liberty Hill. We want to make sure what we do we do the same so that when they get to high school they are entering as ninth grade Liberty Hill Panthers.”

That unity doesn’t mean that a little friendly competition will not be encouraged.

“Healthy competition is not bad,” Motal said. “To be able to go in and do your best doesn’t mean you’re not going to plan and work together, but you want some healthy competition to push each other and continue to get better. It is up to us as principals not to let that get out of hand.”

Curtis agreed.

“If we’re going to be the two best middle schools in the state let’s go out and compete against each other, and at the end of it high five and say we got better today,” Curtis said.

“Challenging each other is not a bad thing.”

How the two principals prepare logistically for the new school year will be more different, with Curtis focused on settling in to a new campus and Motal on making adjustments to a familiar routine and structure.

Curtis is focused on just getting people into the new building as soon as he can.

“The plan is the classroom wing will be done in June so we’ll be able to get all the furniture in there,” Curtis said.

“The number one thing is getting the staff in the building and getting them comfortable with it. Once the staff is comfortable and we create a vision and a culture of what we want Santa Rita Middle School to look like, then the kids come in and that’s the easy part.”

He also wants to ensure students have some familiarity with the campus before school starts.

“We can’t roll up on Aug. 18 and be handing out schedules,” he said. “My number one thing is we have to have some dates so the community can come in and see things.”

Motal has been slowly working on and sharing how things will change on the current junior high campus.

“My building has all the routines set,” Motal said.

“We started back in February communicating with the staff about people moving rooms and being prepared for things.

The last week in May is when I plan to announce what rooms teachers will move to, who will be on their team and all

that. I feel like some of that stuff would take precedence now if we announced it, and we have to finish out the year first.”

The biggest challenge is how to separate sixth graders somewhat from the other grades. Even though he hopes the youngest students benefit from exposure to and interaction with older students, he said it’s best that there be some division.

“It’s not really set up to divide like that,” Motal said. “So we’re having to really think about different parts of the building where we can move people so we can keep sixth graders separate to allow them a more healthy transition.”

Both principals say their campus and staff will be ready and are looking forward to the new beginning.

“I’m really excited,” Curtis said. “I think it’s great for the students, I think it’s great for the community. I can’t wait to get in the building, get our staff and our students in there.”

For Motal, this is the logical next step in a growing school district.

“It makes sense to have pre-K through five and sixth through eighth,” Motal said. “That’s a traditional model around the area, plus it makes sense and will be much better for the students and their whole experience. I think it’s great for them. With Liberty Hill growing like it is we were going to have this challenge at some point and I think this is the time to do it.”

and eventually switch the first membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant, opened in mid-2018, to Suez as well. That decision is back on the table today.

In addition to the change order for the new plant, the Council approved the purchase of two sets of new membranes from Microdyn for the first plant meaning at least temporarily, the City will be using equipment from both Microdyn and Suez. City Administrator Lacie Hale said the City is studying which direction to go long term. The ultimate decision will come down to the cost for a change over versus weighing the potential

issues of having two different suppliers and equipment for the two MBR plants.

Voting The Council unanimously approved a new ordinance requiring Council members to cast a vote on issues brought up as a motion before the body.

But the new ordinance doesn’t change much, and did not have the desired impact Council member Kathy Canady had hoped for when she began lobbying for the new ordinance.

“It does require every member to vote on an item if present unless you declare a conflict of interest,” said interim City Attorney William McK-

amie. “An abstention can still be a vote. It’s still a recognized vote. Sometimes there’s not a technical conflict of interest, but you might feel like there’s a reason you should not vote yes or no.”

Canady never explained in public why she was asking for a change.

“To me, abstaining is not a vote, unless you’re abstaining for that one rule,” Canady said. “This really doesn’t change anything.”

But Council member Tony DeYoung argued there should be an alternative to just a yes or no in every instance.

“There has to be some out,”

DeYoung said. “If I don’t feel morally or ethically right I need to not be able to vote on that.”

Canady indicated there should be some kind of explanation for an abstention beyond a conflict of interest, but McKamie said in most cities, the option is to vote yes, no or abstain.

“Typically you’re not required to explain any of your votes, that would be something new,” he said.

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SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, May 13, 2021 Page 6

Trying season on the diamond

Liberty Hill misses postseason despite 20-win campaign

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor If you told Liberty Hill head baseball coach Steve Hutcherson before the season his Panthers would post a 20-win campaign, he would’ve gladly taken it, for certainly a playoff berth would accompany the milestone.

However, despite reaching that plateau with an overall record of 20-11-1, the Purpleand-Gold just missed out on a postseason appearance after finishing the district schedule with an 8-6 record, a game short of the fourth and final playoff spot.

According to Hutcherson, the season can’t be classified as an outright success as a result of the failed postseason bid.

“I would say we had a competitive season,” said Hutcherson, of the Panthers’ first as a Class 5A club. “But, to say it was a success would be a bit of a stretch because we didn’t meet one of our goals – which was to make the playoffs – but I loved how competitive we were.”

Indeed, Liberty Hill was competitive in a tough district and even before the league schedule began as they played in tournaments featuring Class 6A teams and held their own.

But, when a team misses the playoffs by a single game in the standings after being in a dogfight all season, the margin for errors is slight and the Panthers’ Achilles’ heel down the stretch in the second half of the district season was their inability to win close, low-scoring games.

Liberty Hill lost four district contests by one run, including three by a 2-1 score and that ultimately proved to be its un-

Liberty Hill’s Ryan Leary (12) led the Panthers with a .438 average this season to go with 19 runs batted in and 38 runs scored. doing, said Hutcherson.

“We let too many close ones get away,” he said. “We need to make sure we can handle ourselves in a 6-5 game and not struggle mightily to score runs.”

The Panthers averaged 6.9 runs per game all season, including a production rate of 6.4 during district play, which on the surface seems like plenty of runs crossing the plate.

But, if you eliminate from the equation blowout wins against the three teams that finished below them in the standings – Glenn, East View and Marble Falls – the number drops dramatically to a paltry 2.5 in the eight games against the top four in Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander and Rouse.

Liberty Hill only allowed 3.2 runs per game in those contests, which was plenty good

enough to win games, said Hutcherson.

“We tell our pitchers if we can give up four runs or less, we have a good chance to win,” he said.

Unfortunately, it was the Panthers’ offense which time and again failed to provide the pitching staff with enough run support – a fact that was due to a couple different factors, said Hutcherson.

“We need to get better at bunting and our situational hitting wasn’t great,” he said. “Also, our baserunning wasn’t where we like it to be.”

All that being said, Liberty Hill posted a .282 team batting average and leading the way was senior shortstop Ryan Leary, who hit .438 from the leadoff spot with two home runs, 19 runs batted in and a squad-high 38 runs scored.

Blazing a trail

But, Hutcherson said Leary’s season was one of early success followed by a rough road down the stretch.

“I think Ryan was extremely hot early in the season – he couldn’t make an out,” he said, of Leary, who will play at Texas State University next season. “But, later on in the second half of district, he struggled a bit because he was pressing, but that’s what I love most about him – he was putting pressure on himself as one of the leaders of the team.”

Fellow senior and double-play partner second baseman Jackson Knox experienced a campaign that was in many ways the polar opposite of Leary’s in that he was playing his best baseball of the entire season down the stretch after a rocky start, said Hutcherson.

“When we got shut down last

season, Jackson was easily our best player and we were hoping that would carry over to this season, but it didn’t and he took awhile to get going and had some ups and downs,” he said. “But, he ended up being one of our top contributors, which is something I know he takes a lot of pride in.”

Knox batted .312 with 19 RBIs and 26 runs scored in his final season with the Panthers before heading off to play at Tyler Junior College next season.

Sophomore third baseman Kade Neuenschwander hit .343 with 16 RBIs, while junior first baseman Kash Durkin batted .300 with one home run and a team-leading 22 runs batted in.

Perhaps the Panthers’ most improved player over the course of the season was ju-

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

nior outfielder Jack Stavinoha, who hit .290 with 30 runs scored, which was second on the team.

“Jack was also one of our best defenders,” said Hutcherson, who also had praise for sophomore outfielder Logan Dyer.

“We didn’t get to see Logan at the varsity level last year, so we didn’t know how good he was defensively and offensively, he hit in a big spot in the lineup for us.”

Dyer hit .268 with 21 runs scored, hitting primarily in the clean-up spot down the stretch of the season.

Garrett Neeley also had a strong campaign, hitting .270 while splitting the catching duties with Carson Riley and could feature more on the mound moving forward, said

See BASEBALL, Page 8

Lacrosse players laying foundation

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor In a year when district championships have been much more difficult to come by for Liberty Hill, there was one that went virtually unnoticed.

“It was frustrating to not hear our names around school or anything,” said junior Simon Hurley. “After all, we were district champions.”

Hurley is a midfielder on the Leander Raiders, a club lacrosse team that draws players from Liberty Hill, Rouse, Glenn and Leander High Schools and competes as a non-UIL-sanctioned sport, which means mainstream recognition isn’t what it would be for a Panthers team – although that’s something Hurley hopes will change in the future, he said.

“I think having that victory under our belt will help in growing the sport here,” said

Hurley, of the 6-1 record the Raiders complied on the way to a district crown this season.

“UIL would be a great place to start.”

In all, there are nine players from Liberty Hill on the roster, including Hurley, Bryce Barber, Kyle Evans, Jonah Anderson, Evan Neilson, Ben Giessinger, Chris Alegria, Preston Johnson-Quaife and Bryce Hurley.

Anderson, a Panthers football player who just finished his senior season on the gridiron, is brand new to lacrosse and said it didn’t take much convincing to get him to take up the sport.

“I went over to see them play and thought it was pretty cool,” said Anderson, a tight end by trade and a defenseman in his newfound hobby. “You would be surprised how many people around here know about lacrosse.”

Of course, it helps a great deal

to stand 6-foot-2 and weigh in at 270 pounds such as Anderson does in a game where most opponents are considerably smaller, an advantage he’s already used to his benefit, said teammate Bryce Barber.

“It sounded like a train wreck when Jonah hit that kid,” said Barber, of a collision initiated

by Anderson during a game this season. “Most lacrosse players weigh anywhere from 145-175 pounds.”

Back during football season, Anderson faced some of his current lacrosse teammates as members of the Rouse football squad the Panthers defeated in the playoffs, which provides him with bragging rights, although what they bring to the group as a whole is what truly matters, he said.

“I think football players have a different kind of leadership,”

Summer camps provide direction for future Panthers

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Just because school will soon be out doesn’t mean it’s summer vacation for future Liberty Hill athletes. A plethora of Panthers sports camps are right down the road and serve as a springboard for future wearers of the Purple-and-Gold.

According to Liberty Hill athletic director Kent Walker, the goal of the various camps across all sports remains the same.

“We want to get kids excited about their sports,” said Walker. “We also want them to get to know their high school coaches because it’s important to build those relationships in order to have good communication.”

In all, there are eight camps

including football, volleyball, soccer (girls and boys), baseball, softball, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball and tennis, in addition to summer weights and conditioning, which is an ongoing program that runs from June 1 to July 27.

Summer weights and conditioning is open to all incoming Liberty Hill ISD seventh through 12th-graders, while the individual sports camps are limited to incoming freshmen and younger.

Walker said some of the most important lessons learned by the campers go beyond the Xs and Os of fundamentals.

“We want to teach kids how we do what we do here,” he said. “There’s a reason for how we do everything and that’s to instill discipline.”

Nine players from Liberty Hill are on the roster of the Leander Raiders lacrosse team which won

See LACROSSE, Page 8 a district championship this season. (Courtesy Photo)

Last summer, some of the camps went on as scheduled while others were canceled due to the pandemic, but this year it’s back to business as usual across the board and that’s definitely a good thing, said Walker.

“We want that opportunity to be there for the kids,” he said.

“We’re still a tight-knit group in Liberty Hill and family is important to us.”

Girls’ basketball is the first camp that will take place on June 1-4, while baseball and softball will happen on June 7-10.

Boys’ basketball will have two sessions based on age groups – one from June 14-17 and another from June 21-24,

See CAMPS, Page 8

Panthers get mixed results in first year of Class 5A

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor We knew entering this school sports year Liberty Hill’s athletic program would face challenges the likes of which it had never seen, as the Panthers were going to be a Class 5A school for the first time.

The only thing we weren’t sure of is the degree to which each team across the Purpleand-Gold sporting spectrum would succeed – or struggle – as the competition level was raised.

Now, as the sports year has ended, we can look back on

the highs and lows the program went through during its maiden voyage across uncharted territory with one eye on what the future holds moving forward.

We’re going to focus first on the fall sports, beginning with the quartet of football, volleyball, cross country and team tennis.

For whatever odd – and still unexplained – reason, the Panthers’ gridiron gang wasn’t paired up with the same district opponents as all the other sports (a subject we’ve opined about before), which meant instead of facing the likes of nearby neighbors like Cedar Park and the Georgetown and Leander schools, Liberty Hill found itself in a league with Mar-

ble Falls and a host of Austin-based teams.

As a result, the Panthers could’ve played with one arm behind their backs and still defeated the JV-caliber competition they got from the minnows they were up against all during the regular season, so that was certainly no measuring stick for the program as far as how they matched up with 5A schools.

Not until the playoffs were the Panthers truly tested, but once they finally were, they were up to the task at hand and passed the exam with flying colors, advancing all the way to the state semifinals.

Apparently, the Slot-T offense doesn’t care what

See CLASS 5A, Page 10

Thursday, May 13, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 7

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTOS

Taking the oath to serve

Liberty Hill ISD Trustees-elect Michael Ferguson and Kristi Hargrove were sworn in Monday to Place 3 and Place 6, respectively. Ferguson won in a group of four candidates, while Hargrove emerged from a field of six. Incumbents Kathy Major and Anthony Buck were also sworn in again after running unopposed.

LHHS students compete at UIL Regionals

Twenty students recently qualified to participate in the Regional Meet in their respective contests, including (top from left) Jack Roth, Zach Ellis, Zach Kaiser, LeRoy Fick, Sebastian Vasquez; (center row) Hannah Karr, Cora Kosnik, Madison Sudekum, Payton Dunlap, Lane Shaw, Jason Hiebner; (front row) Andrew Cucinotta, Cassidy Sudekum, Audrey Itz, Kennedy Bye, and Alyssa Zapien. Not pictured are Jaden Salazar, Rylie Mayo, Hira Umer and Esmeralda Hernandez.

(Courtesy Photo)

UIL Regional Medalists

Six Panther competitors finished as UIL Academic Regional Contest medalists including (from left) Andrew Cucinotta, Audrey Itz, Madison Sudekum and Kennedy Bye. Not pictured are Rylie Mayo and Jaden Salazar. Bye advanced to win the State title in Newswriting. (Courtesy Photo)

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office’s Junior Deputy Academy aims to create a relationship between law enforcement and youth citizens. Children will experience activities that simulate some of the things that law enforcement officers do. Sign up for the program begins May 1 and runs until all sessions fill. (Courtesy Photo)

Sheriff’s Office offers summer experience to children

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As the school year draws to a close, finding a productive way for children to spend their summer can be a challenge, but the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office annual Junior Deputy Academy is one option for parents.

“We put a youth program together for the youth citizens in Williamson County, from ages 9 to 14,” said Community Liaison Unit Sgt. Stacy Prior. “We hold four sessions throughout the summer months. Our goal is to bring the youth community together with us. We want to bridge that relationship so, if they’re ever in crisis or have something going on at home, they’ll reach out and speak with a deputy.”

Beyond the desire to create a positive and comfortable relationship between children and law enforcement, the program also hopes to cultivate interest in working in law enforcement.

“We find that we have a lot of kids that have an interest in law enforcement,” said Prior.

“By giving them a hands-on or instructional experience (we want to) heighten their want to do this in the future. We can take these kids that gained this experience, and we can bring them into our other program

and develop them in a cadet program, and ultimately, they may get a career in law enforcement.”

Sign up for the program began May 1, at the Deputy A.W. Grimes Law Enforcement Training Center and goes on until all sessions fill. Participants must be between nine and 14-years-old and a resident of Williamson County.

“They have a curriculum that we follow each session that lasts four days. Two sessions will be ages 9-11, and the others will be 12-14,” said Prior.

“We typically start having kids arrive around 7:30 a.m. to get the parents some time to get them in. We start class between 8 and 8:30 a.m. We don’t have things set in stone yet. We’re trying to implement some new and exciting things that we haven’t done before.”

Participants can expect a variety of activities designed to give kids a deeper understanding of law enforcement.

“We do things from lifting fingerprints with our crime scene unit, to venturing off into the square in Georgetown and do kind of a history lesson of the county by the old county courthouse or museum,” said Prior. “The previous years, we were able to take a tour of the old jailhouse. We’ll have SWAT come out and do

demonstrations and let the kids be hands-on. We’ll also have drones come out. Whatever we do in the office, they’ll have a chance to experience it. Another thing we’ll do is bring in EMS and do a stop the bleed course and a self-defense program. There is a whole lot of stuff we put on.”

The sessions are in the same model as the County’s adult version of the program.

“We’re trying to base it on what our citizens academy does, that’s our adult program,” said Prior. “We factor in their age and what they can experience and do during that time. We want to give them that experience of what it’s like to be a cop. We factor in those aspects of being a county agency and not just a police agency.”

Prior says this can be a way to help children come out of their shells and a good way to be productive over the summer.

“We hope that parents see it as a program to get their kids doing something positive in the summer months,” she said.

“They may not necessarily want to do it at first, but they come and find out they have a great time doing it. It could be a child that stays more to themselves that comes to our program and opens up during the program.”

JOHNSON CITY — Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is committed to modeling environmental stewardship and promoting conservation through its educational and community outreach programs.

This summer, PEC is launching Camp Save-a-Watt, a new and exciting way for the cooperative’s youngest members to learn about energy conservation.

This free, online summer camp runs June 1 through July 30, and is available for children in kindergarten through second grade.

Using age-tailored activities, campers will learn all about electricity and the best ways to save energy with Wattson Raccoon, PEC’s cabin leader and camp mascot. With the help of parents and teachers, Camp Save-a-Watt will teach students how to reduce their energy use to make a difference.

These small but impactful habits can also support financial savings to families.

“Parents and teachers are eager for information and learning materials that will help enrich their kids’ summer learning experience,” said PEC Community Outreach Specialist

Celeste Mikeska. “PEC put a lot of thought into developing Camp Save-a-Watt, to teach students in our service area the importance of energy conservation. We hope providing this information and incentivizing good habits at an early age will help make a positive impact on our cooperative and communities for years to come.”

Registered students will receive a free Camp Save-a-Watt T-shirt. The school with the most participation will win a grand prize of $1,000! Parents can learn more and register here.

PEC launches free, online summer camp for kids grades K-2

LHHS students win District UIL academic contests

Liberty Hill High School students participated in the UIL District competition this spring, many returning home with medals, including (top from left) Kaitlyn Homan, Matthew Homan, Jack Roth, Zach Ellis, Zach Kaiser, Leroy Fick, Sebastian Vasquez; (second row from left) Payton Dunlap, Lane Shaw, Jason Hiebner; (third row from left) Cora Kosnik, Victoria Phegley, Madison Sudekum, Alyssa Lee, Will Eckford, Alexis Andreason, Kennedy Bye; (bottom from left) Bella Villapondo, Hannah Karr, Andrew Cucinotta. Cassidy Sudekum, Alyssa Zapien, Grace Rawlings, and Audrey Itz. Not pictured are Esmeralda Hernandez, Hira Umer, Dhanush Khandapalli, Rylie Mayo, Mattvey Carter, Jack Coker, Jacob Oshel, and Mackenzie Coleman.

No one covers the Panthers better than THE INDEPENDENT! Subscribe (512) 778-5577 or www.LHINDEPENDENT.com/Subsriptions

Page 8

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

TRACK BRIEFS Junior high tennis briefs

Liberty Hill co-hosted the junior high district tennis tournament with the Panthers claiming a pair of team honors as both the eighth-grade girls’ and boys’ teams won championships.

The seventh-grade squads both finished second in the team standings.

On the individual side for the eighth-graders, Mehkayla Mulski won the girls’ singles competition, while Kayla Evans finished third and Jozie Wilson and Brenna Pryor were third in doubles.

Riley Davis finished fifth in boys’ singles and in doubles, Johnathan Allaire and Justin Wukasch won with William Bridenbaugh and Jett Philpott

Camps

in third.

For the seventh-graders, Madelyn Davis and Bailey Pyle finished second and third, respectively, in girls’ singles, while in doubles, DeAnna Jorde and Kylie Jameyson won and Mehkenzie Mulski and Jaylee Moran finished fifth.

In boys’ singles, Jacob Cooper won and Parker DeCosmos was second, while Brayden Basey and Cashton Horton finished third in doubles and Maverick Robb and Grant Hillam were fourth.

Lilian Post and Braydon Davis were champions in mixed doubles.

Liberty Hill head coach Sherry Rhoden attributed the program’s success to a synergy between all involved.

“In January, 53 junior high

Continued from Page 6

soccer is scheduled for July 12-14, volleyball is July 2628 and football will be also be held on July 26-28.

Tennis classes will run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during June and July with days

Baseball

and times based on grade levels.

Information and registration forms for all camps can be found on the school’s website.

Walker said the bottom line is to ensure the Panthers of the

Continued from Page 6

Hutcherson.

“We’re waiting to see if Garrett has confidence in his arm,” he said, of a rotator cuff strain that limited the junior right-hander to only a single appearance this season – three shutout innings while allowing only one hit and racking up six strikeouts in the Panthers’ season-opening 12-2 home win over Lampasas, in which he was the winning pitcher. “Of course, he might also be our shortstop next season.”

The strength of this team, though, was its pitching staff, which was led by a trio of underclassman in junior Conner Sherburn, sophomore Logan Bailey and freshman Blaze Milam, who gave Hutcherson plenty of quality innings when he needed them most.

Milam led Liberty Hill with a 5-1 record to go with a 1.83 earned-run-average and 37 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings, while Sherburn posted a 3-2 record, 1.83 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 34 innings and Bailey went 3-0 with a 2.25

ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28 innings.

Having three young pitchers step up and rise to the occasion was quite a pleasant surprise for Hutcherson and his coaching staff, he said.

“Going into the season, our biggest question mark was we didn’t know what our pitching staff would be like,” said Hutcherson. “But, how it worked out is a testament to how well (pitching) Coach (Kyle) Buescher works with our pitchers and it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Now, the offseason begins and Hutcherson is already putting his returning players through the paces in the hopes of improving on what was a sobering first season in Class 5A and wants that mentality to continue throughout the summer.

“Right now, the UIL is allowing us five days on the field and five in the weight room until school ends,” he said.

“After that, we want all our

students came to us to play tennis and it was awesome to have a team of three coaches to work with these players in Coach Barry Boren, Sue Davidson and myself,” she said.

“The courts were full to say the least and we incorporated many of our JV and varsity players to work as mentors to our younger players in the program during these practices and for their first home match.

These players stayed between one to two hours two times a week to give back to the program and earn NHS service hours. Thank you to everyone who helped us support these kids and their desire to learn this life-long, challenging game. We’re building champions together.”

future are correctly guided today.

“We want the kids to have fun and enjoy their sport,” he said. “We want to entice them to play.”

guys to find a place to play this summer and get in another season worth of games after finishing with us.”

Looking back one last time on the just-concluded campaign, Hutcherson realizes the slim margins by which his team missed out on a playoff appearance is what needs to be focused on most moving forward.

“We have to strike out less – that’s a bottom-line thing,” he said. “We had some great defensive games this year, but we still need to make fewer errors – especially at critical times in games.”

Hutcherson said the most rewarding aspect of the season was the fact his club looked like they belonged in the higher classification.

“What I was pleased most with was we never looked out of our element,” he said.

“We played against historically-good programs and went toe-to-toe with them.”

No one covers the Panthers better than THE INDEPENDENT! For complete local sports, LHINDEPENDENT.COM/SUBSCRIPTIONS

Social

Continued from Page 1

an old diner on Burnet Road [in Austin] that closed a few years ago. We wanted to incorporate things locally, too, from Liberty Hill and Austin.”

The hall also has a behindthe-scenes room where trash will go after customers are finished eating, Tambra Prince said, so that trash will never be out for people to see. Wood tables throughout the hall were made locally, and other unique touches, like vintage posters and bus benches refinished with upholstery round out the décor.

The food hall will be home to several different food counters, including Udder Love Ice Cream Parlor, fish-andchips and chicken stall Coop to Coast, Mainstay Kitchen, Cosmic Pizza and Moonie’s Burger House. Tambra Prince said the first stall to open will most likely be Cosmic Pizza since it’s the closest to being finished out.

Just outside the food hall in Main Street Social’s backyard there are seats for more than 500 guests. The backyard also has a large fire pit, outdoor couches for lounging, outdoor games like corn hole, hopscotch, four-square, tether ball and gaga ball, and an intimate outdoor stage for acoustic concerts.

“We will do acoustic music only, because we really want to honor the neighbors,” Tambra Prince said. “We believe the music should be for ambiance and background, so when you go out to dinner you can talk.

Eventually we’d like to have music several nights a week, but we’ll let the community tell us what they want.”

The backyard also has a play area called Kiddie Social for children age 6 and younger, which is completely fenced in and has activities just for the

younger set. A brand-new toll booth in the center of the yard has been converted to provide drinks outdoors and will be the center of a beer garden.

In the front of the building, another area, called Birdie’s Social, will have bird feeders, hummingbird feeders and a butterfly garden. Tambra Prince said the next phase she’ll be working on is to have tables in that area so customers can enjoy their food and beverages while watching the wildlife in the garden.

Natalie Harbison, recently hired general manager for Main Street Social, said her goal once the food hall opens is to have a full house every day with a family-friendly atmosphere.

“We want people to be able to host everything from a day after work with the crew to birthday parties and graduation parties,” she said. “This is exactly what people need right now. People are craving the aspect of being social.”

The food hall also has a “blue room” that is available to rent for private events, and an area outside with an enclosed tent that can be used for larger private events, like wedding receptions.

“Health and safety are also a huge priority here,” Harbison said. “There will be plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for the best possible experience, and we will be using a health service to keep things clean. We will have two main entrances and plenty of parking, so that we can focus on the health and safety of every guest.”

Harbison held interviews earlier this month to staff the food hall. The goal is to employ locals as well as young workers.

“We are helping to staff for every food stall, and we are

hiring employees to float from station to station,” Tambra Prince said. “Employees will constantly be going from station to station making sure everything is working, bathrooms are clean, and customers are happy. Some people are going to want to work at

Fire

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Continued from Page 1

and a half, we had just a slab there representing the emptiness of what we lost. Now that we’ve come through, two years later, we have a new building, but it’s what that building represents. It’s new life and new growth. If they hadn’t been there that day, then we may have lost far more. Honoring them was also a celebration of what God’s accomplished the last two years.”

Lieutenants Rowdy Bizzell, Charles Johnson, Matthew Selby, and firefighters Jonathan Dunlap and Anthony Rodriguez of Williamson County Emergency Services District #4 were presented with a plaque thanking them for their service and dedication on May 11, 2019 -- the night of the fire.

Angie Nicholson remembers when the building that housed Cross Tracks’ Sonshine Friends Preschool, church offices, and the fellowship hall, was built.

“I remember the time when they built it, and to see the fire was so tragic,” said Nicholson. “When we found out about it, we just had to come down. Words can’t describe it. It was heartbreaking to see this happen.”

Johnson said he and his

Lacrosse

said Anderson. “Being teammates with those guys now makes it a lot easier – it’s really not complicated.”

The Raiders practice on a grass field behind Life Church in Leander, just a stone’s throw from Rouse High School, although the fact their sport isn’t UIL-sanctioned makes the physical distance pale in comparison to the figurative.

“Being a UIL sport would be so much fun because you could hang out with your buddies all day at school and then go right to practice,” said Hurley. “We could have more of that locker-room camaraderie.”

Kyle Evans is a Liberty Hill freshman who is new to the area after he and his family recently relocated from San Diego, California, where lacrosse has already gained a foothold as an established high-school sport and said it would be nice to be included in the regular Panthers sports family.

“We really don’t get the recognition the other sports do,” said Evans. “Also, when we

a specific counter, which they are welcome to do, but most employees will be floaters.

They’ll never get bored.”

Tambra Prince said a grand opening celebration has not been planned yet, but once the official opening date is set, one will be in the works.

fellow firefighters were honored to be recognized by the church.

“It’s a humbling experience to be honored after helping them during their tragedy.

It was tough to see a building like that burn down,” said Johnson. “The one nice thing was seeing the community come together as they did. The community rallied around the fire departments around here that tried to salvage as much of the building as we could.”

Johnson says that part of the job is not knowing what or when a situation can present itself. He stresses the best they can do is prepare for anything.

“We never know what the future holds or what our next call will be,” said Johnson.

“We try to be ready for it. You always grow in your job, and we’re doing our best to get better and make sure we can do the best job we can.”

Two years after the fire, Cross Tracks is preparing to open the new Louine Noble Education building where the former building once stood.

Johnson said it’s inspiring to see how the members of the church have rebounded from the devastating fire.

“It’s so nice to see that

they’ve overcome the tragedy and rebuilt something just as nice as before and still be able to provide a service to the community,” he said. “I live here, and my kids go to school here. Being a part of the community is one of the reasons I love working here.

It hits home because we live in this community.”

Cross Tracks member Jim Turner is grateful for the quick and effective response to the fire that night and credits the survival of the historic chapel to the men and women on the scene.

“The biggest thing that amazed me is that they were completely able to save the chapel,” he said. “Even the stained glass didn’t melt. It was an unbelievable event and an unbelievable response, and it was an unbelievable reaction from our congregation.”

Lott believes the new building represents the potential for the church’s growth.

“That will be where we have all of our Sunday School programs for our kids,” said Lott.

“The mid-week preschool will be there. This summer, we’ll be offering a summer camp, and now we have a place for that. Children are a major part of our ministry.”

Continued from Page 6 get out of school at 4 and have to be at practice in Leander at 4:30, you need to have someone to pick you up right away or we end up having to wait on people.”

Evans is one of the brave souls who chooses to gear up and stand in front of the net, only for opposing players to take pot shots at him during his duties as the Raiders’ goalkeeper – all this despite a relatively small 5-foot-6, 160-pound frame – although he certainly doesn’t let a perceived lack of size get in the way of his game.

“I feel like I’m knowledgeable about the game and have defensive insight,” he said. “I also tend to yell a lot because communication is the most important thing for a goalkeeper.”

Evans got into the game after word of grit he displayed as a center on his junior-high football team back in Southern California reached the school’s lacrosse coach, he said.

“I broke my right hand, but still played for another two weeks with a cast on my

“We might not have every [food stall] open right at the beginning, but we will open regardless,” she added. “This is just phase one. The possibilities for phase two, three, four are limitless. This is our baby and something we really wanted to do for the community.”

hand,” said Evans. “I’ve always been tough in my head.”

Barber said what appeals to him so much about the game is the wide variety of skills needed.

“I like the fact you get to do everything,” he said. “You get to be aggressive and it’s so fast-paced – that’s my favorite part.”

Lacrosse is a full-contact sport, complete with hockey-style bodychecking and all the same kind of stickwork that happens on the ice, as Barber attested.

“You’ve got people hacking and whacking at you,” he said. “At the time, it doesn’t seem like much, but the next morning, you have bruises all over your arms and legs.”

Hurley, who moved to Texas after being formally introduced to lacrosse while living in Virginia, said it didn’t take long for him to embrace the game.

“Lacrosse was just the most fun for me,” he said. “I realized this was my calling – it has everything I wanted.”

Main Street Social is open to service animals only and will have free WiFi. It is located at 1750 Loop 332 and will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.mainstreetsocial.com.

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LEGAL NOTICES LIBERTY HILL ISD is seeking Proposals for a Construction Manager at Risk. All interested proposers please see RFP #21-006 available at www.libertyhill.txed.net click Departments - Business Office - Purchasing - Current Bid Opportunities Or request a copy by emailing: proposals@libertyhill.txed.net.

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An application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Wine & Beer Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit by Refuel Operating Company, LLC dba Refuel, to be located at 10990 W. State Hwy 29, Liberty Hill, Williamson County, Texas 78642.

Officers of the LLC are Mark Jordan (CEO), Travis Smith (CDO), and Jon Rier (CFO).

Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Mixed Beverage (MB) permit and a Food and Beverage (FB) permit by TAKE THE CANNOLI LLC dba Sabino’s Pizza Pub, to be located at 2082 US Hwy 183, Suite 110, Leander, Williamson County, Texas. Officers of said corporation are David and Amber Sabino, Members.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 9

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Page 10

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, May 13, 2021

LHISD celebrates Special Olympians

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Parents, student-athletes, teachers, and administrators packed into Liberty Hill Elementary’s gym as LHISD honored its Special Olympics athletes. The crowd erupted in applause as students were called up by name to receive medals.

Student-athletes Kris Draper, Hannah Eubanks, Naomi Eubanks, Nathan Eubanks, Bryan Mapel, Elijah Shelton, Cassidy Sandlin, Emily Roberts, Bralyn Laird, Walker Raney, Kevin Ellet-Graves, and Gabriel Callaway each received a medal.

As they prepare to age out of LHISD’s 18-plus Special Olympics program, Raney and Callaway received plaques, championship coins from Superintendent Steve Snell and delivered farewell speeches. Raney and Callaway are LHISD’s first Special Olympic athletes to receive letterman jacket honors for their athletic accomplishments.

“I’ve been in Special Olympics since I was eight years old,” Callaway said to the crowd. “Special Olympics has helped me with teamwork and skills. I want to thank my Special Olympic Panther team.

This is a big privilege for me. I know this is my last year with the Panthers. Let’s have fun

Budget

Continued from Page 1

Committee, but also with our Board and as a community is how we can attract more businesses and build on that commercial base in terms of property values,” Guerrero said. “That’s an important piece because you want to talk about sharing that tax burden with commercial properties as well.”

In terms of median home values, Liberty Hill is outpacing Williamson County as a whole at $347,853 compared to $323,450 countywide.

A majority of the revenues for the district come from local property taxes, which comprises 65 percent. State funding makes up 33 percent, with local revenue and federal

Class 5A

funding each totaling one percent.

The property tax rate for school districts consists of a Maintenance and Operations (M&O) rate and an Interest and Sinking (I&S) – or debt service – rate.

The M&O rate is $0.86 per $100 valuation, while the I&S is $0.50 per $100 valuation for a combined LHISD rate of $1.36 per $100 valuation. That rate is not expected to change going into the new budget year.

The M&O rate – which had for a long time been maxed out at $1.04 – dropped seven cents in the 2019-2020 budget year in accordance with Texas legislative changes, and then was

Continued from Page 6

classification it’s run in, as yards were still rolled up like they were going out of style.

All of that in the wake of the passing of their head coach, Jeff Walker, on the eve of the postseason, which makes their march all the more impressive when one considers the conditions under which it was achieved, so congrats to new head coach Kent Walker and all his coaches and players for having the grit and determina-

Seniors

doing what we’re doing and get out there. It also taught me not to be a ball hog. Have fun, work together, and go Panthers.”

Raney’s departure is a momentous occasion for the program. The letterman jacket winner has been in the program since age 3.

“I didn’t expect to get a plaque today,” said Raney. “I have autism spectrum disorder, and I’ve been attending Liberty Hill since I was three and a half. I’ll be graduating from our 18-plus program. I’ve made many friends. I’ve also learned how to communicate better with my teammates, which in turn, has helped me in my everyday life, especially at work. I am now an employee at Sweet Heat Jam.” The night carried layers of emotion for Student Support Services Coordinator and Special Olympics Head of Delegation Angela Meade. Raney is her son, and she’s known Callaway for most of his life.

“They watched our program grow,” said Meade. “They didn’t know what to expect at the competition, but they went out and crushed it.”

After Raney finished his speech, Meade took his place at the podium for a somber moment in the evening. She honored Emma Guyette, a Special Olympics athlete who

tion to prevail under unimaginable emotional duress.

Well done, indeed.

Venturing into the gym, the Lady Panthers volleyball squad gutted out an incredibly difficult first season in one of the toughest districts in the entire state to post a winning record and a third-place finish before being defeated by Alamo Heights in the first round of the playoffs.

Head coach Gretchen Pe-

Continued from Page 1

I had any other work I needed to do, I would do it then.

Making a schedule and having good time management skills worked really well for me.”

For those who didn’t remote learn and were on campus from day one, the atmosphere created questions of whether it was worth even being there.

“Not being able to see anyone made me not want to be here,” said Anissa Garza. “I came at the beginning of the year, and towards November, I was like, ‘everyone’s leaving, mom, can I please go home?’ I went remote, and my mom convinced me to go back for the last six weeks. I’m back, and it’s been okay.”

Similar to many others, Cassidy Sudekum felt the same about remote learning but still saw the positives of the situation.

“It was weird, obviously. We went from having all of our classes on paper with a little of it being online, and then it was suddenly online,” she said. “I think it prepared us as seniors for college. Some classes I’m taking in college are online, even though I’ll be on campus. It wasn’t exactly what we wanted for our senior year, but that did prepare us.”

At a different point for many students, those who had stayed home began shifting to in-person learning. For Janicek, it was an odd experience after so much time passed.

“We had been remote for so

long. We went remote, I think, in March 2020,” said Janicek.

“After summer, when we came back, it was weird being here.

Seeing everyone’s faces and the whole mask thing was a weird experience. We also had to social distance, and that was something to get used to, too.”

Extracurricular challenges Janicek said that the return to extracurricular activities was like reinstating a little bit of normalcy. At times it felt less important, though.

“I play soccer, and last year soccer got cut short when COVID happened,” she said.

“It was like stress relief to come back, and it felt like it was sort of normal. Things were a little more normal being back. When we played without spectators, it almost felt like it wasn’t worth it.”

In October, the band put everything it had into a special show for the Liberty Hill community, something that was one of Colton Harbour’s highlight moments of the year.

“With the band, we had to space out more when we were outside,” he said. “We were able to accommodate everything and be successful. We had an opportunity to perform our show in front of the community. It was the adjustments and accommodations we made that allowed us to do that.”

Sudekum is in speech and debate and on the swim team.

For her, the upheaval of nor-

passed away last March. Emma’s first experience with Special Olympics was in the sixth grade, shortly after the family arrived in Liberty Hill.

“It was her first opportunity to compete in Special Olympics, and I told her about it,” said Emma’s mother, Terry Guyette. “She was like, yeah, I’m not doing that. As I waited in the driveway after that first practice, she jumped out of the van and yelled I had the best time. She told me all about her teammates and couldn’t wait to go back.”

Guyette shared with the crowd how much Emma loved her time in Special Olympics.

“For Emma, she met her best friend there, Eli,” she said.

“She couldn’t wait for the next event, for bowling, and for basketball. The love that team has and the Panthers have for their Special Olympics team can’t be matched. It’s something special.”

Special Olympic athletes, Kris Draper, Hannah Eubanks, Naomi Eubanks, Nathan Eubanks, Bryan Mapel, Elijah Shelton, Cassidy Sandlin, Emily Roberts, Bralyn Laird, Walker Raney, Kevin Ellet-Graves, and Gabriel Callaway received medals.

Long wait The members of the Special Olympic team and student support services staff felt the ceremony was long overdue.

They were robbed of the opportunity to celebrate their success last year when the COVID-19 pandemic started.

“We weren’t able to have our celebration last year right after we had won,” said Meade.

“We had anticipated coming in and doing really well with track and field. We were going to try some new athletes at different events, but then COVID hit.”

Last year the Panthers were coming off their gold medal victory in basketball and riding the momentum of that win before the pandemic.

“We were excited about kicking things off,” said Meade.

“We had more people saying they wanted to be a part of this.

We had a big turnout. When

you have more volunteers than you do athletes, that’s a great problem to have. We had people in the stands who had just found out we had one and were coming to support us. We had cheering at practice, and our athletes thought it was so cool.”

For the athletes and their coaches, the ceremony was a relief. It represented a fresh start as they can start to train once again. For Raney and Callaway, it’s bittersweet as they prepare to exit. Even so,

the memories made with their comrades are forever.

“I remember the last gold medal we won,” said Raney.

“It was as a basketball team.

It was with my partners Gabe, Cassidy, Bryan and Kevin. I’m proud of every time I compete, and my teammates feel the same. I was proud to get my letterman jacket. It was May, it was hot, but we still wore them. We were so proud we didn’t care about being hot.

We were Panthers.”

reduced again to $0.86 under House Bill 3 during the 2019 legislative session.

“Part of that bill required a compression of the maintenance and operations tax rate based on property value growth,” Guerrero said. “Liberty Hill ISD, being a very fast growing district as we just discussed, had to compress the tax rate.”

A further compression is not anticipated going into the new fiscal year.

“Based on our projections and what we’re seeing from the state they will not be lowering the floor as of what we know right now, so we’re looking at setting the tax rate at the same level for next year.

That might change, the legislative session isn’t over and they could come back and give us some updates. All indications are that we will not have to compress that M&O tax rate.”

Because LHISD is considered a high wealth per student district according to state funding formulas, it receives less per student from the state.

“It’s really based on what the state defines as a wealth per student,” Guerrero said.

“They look at the overall tax base for the district and then they divide that by our overall number of students. Then they come up with this number that is defined as wealth per student.

“In general, districts that

have a lower wealth per student means higher state funding, and districts with higher wealth per student receive lower state funding. As property values increase, the district receives less state funding.”

Liberty Hill ISD is a recapture district, meaning it could be subject to sending funds to the state, but again the district’s growth keeps it in the “gap” category where it will avoid paying recapture funds.

“In 2021-2022, we will still be in the gap and we will remain a non-paying recapture district,” Guerrero said. “That was exciting news. When it comes to the gap, where does that put us? It probably puts us

closer to becoming a paying district. What is going to keep us in the gap is our enrollment growth. That is paramount that we keep the students coming and maintain that ratio.”

The enrollment growth for the current school year was 497 students, and that number is projected to nearly double to an estimated 890 new students for the 2021-2022 budget.

terson did a masterful job of keeping her players motivated throughout a rugged season that saw players miss time due to quarantines and injuries to represent the program honorably.

In fact, one of the high points for the entire Panthers’ athletic program this year was when the Lady Panthers traveled to Cedar Park and dealt the Timberwolves their first district defeat of the season in a stir-

ring match that saw them win the first two sets before losing the next two, only to have the resolve to prevail in the fifthset tiebreaker.

How’s that for putting oneself on the Class 5A map?

Pretty good, we think.

On the cross country trails, Liberty Hill qualified only a single runner for the state championships, as opposed to the previous season when both the girls’ and boys’

squads competed at the Class 4A meet, with a pair of top-10 individual results, one on each side of the gender line for head coach Kim Holt’s squad.

Finally, the Panthers’ tennis program enjoyed a renaissance under new head coach Sherry Rhoden and finished the season with a 9-4 record while advancing to the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Rhoden successfully instilled a renewed sense of team cohe-

sion and camaraderie which came to fruition in the form of promising results despite tougher competition.

So, that’s all for the fall sports.

All four sports participated in their respective postseasons, so we were 4-for-4 going into the winter season.

Which is where we’ll pick up next week.

malcy couldn’t be ignored.

“It was all online, and we didn’t have any in-person tournaments. For us, that’s so weird because, normally, we’re in front of real judges,” said Sudekum. “Everything changed down to the questioning and what topics we were debating. For state, we normally go to the Capitol and debate in chambers but this year was all online.”

Garza is a member of the Liberty Belles dance team and laments the missed experiences of being a senior on the squad.

“In camps over the summer, we didn’t get to go attend any.

They were all virtual, and that was boring,” said Garza. “For football season, we only had four home games and couldn’t go to away games. I missed out on all of the bus rides and memories made going to games. Not being able to have our show last year, as a senior, that’s so sad because I only had one normal year being on the team.”

Along with changes to sporting events, some of the events surrounding them suffered from COVID restrictions.

“I missed pep rallies. We didn’t have them this year, and it made me sad,” said Hyska.

“I think we had one before playoffs on the football field. I was on the visitor’s side with the band, and we were kind of secluded from everything else. We couldn’t hear the mu-

sic, but it looked good. It just didn’t feel the same.”

Now in their final weeks, the seniors will have the opportunity to enjoy some traditional events.

“I was afraid we were going to miss prom and powderpuff because we didn’t get it last year. Recently we learned we get to do prom, and that’s exciting. It feels good to have some of the major events.”

I wanted to work more. I was able to work 40 hours a week and learn new skills. They started trusting me with a key to the store.”

Sudekum used her new abundance of free time to try something she had always wanted to – acting.

“I had always wanted to do theater, but I didn’t have time,” she said. “Not traveling for a swim or traveling for debate left me with enough time to do theater. I was in the play.

I know that if it wasn’t for this pandemic, I wouldn’t have had the time or opportunity to do this. Even though we missed out on a lot, we did have a lot of new opportunities.”

Some students used their time to focus on their own health and well-being.

“I took the time for relaxation. More of a self-care sort of thing,” said Hyska. “I have hard classes and am constantly under stress. Having more time on my hands was really nice. I could do my hobbies that I love to do. I could play guitar as long as I want. It was nice to have an excuse to take some time off.”

future and things going back to normal,” said Janicek. “I’m excited to be able to go to college and potentially do all of the things that I expect from college. To just experience that gives some hope.”

Sudekum believes their experiences over the last year will galvanize them in upcoming challenges.

“It’s been a unique experience. We’re probably going to be the only class of seniors that can say we spent a whole year in a pandemic,” said Sudekum. “This forced us to be more responsible. For things like applying for college, we couldn’t run down the hall to a counselor. We had to make efforts to do things. As a class, as a group, we are more responsible.”

At the end of the day, Polser hopes that folks walk away with a new appreciation for life.

“Count your blessings. Count your lucky stars. Do not take things for granted,” she said.

“I just hope people realize there are so many things that we do that get taken for granted. I really feel there are times and things we’ve brushed off in the past. People realize how much they enjoyed them now.

It’s made us self-reflect, and hopefully, our world is better for that.”

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Free time Part of the nature of online learning is extra free time for students. How that time is used varies, but for a few, it opened up new avenues.

“I used my time off to get my first job at H-E-B, and I’m very fortunate for that because I know a lot of people are without jobs or got laid off,” said Polser. “I’ve been able to work a lot more and grow my relationship with the company. That’s been positive for me and a great distraction. It is weird because I’ve never known my partners there without masks.”

Harbour, like Polser, has used his time to focus on his job of two years, working his way up and earning new responsibilities.

“I’ve been working at Moonies Burger House for two years pre-COVID,” he said. “I used to work up front with people, then things changed. I had the opportunity to go to my boss and tell him

Perspective At the end of a year like no other, the excitement to move into the next chapter of their lives is apparent.

“It’s so exciting to start this new chapter of life, and with the vaccine coming out, there’s so much hope for the

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Editor’s Note: Look for more information on LHISD’s first look at the expense side of the 2021-2022 budget process in the May 20 edition of The Independent.