WORSHIP GUIDE

Christmas Worship Guide Your guide to Liberty Hill area church services & events

DECEMBER 4

ROCKPOINTE CHURCH LIBERTY HILL

170 CR 214, Liberty Hill (512) 259-8872 | rockpointechurch.com

• FREE Professional Family Christmas Photos 9-11am

DECEMBER 11

CROSSTRACKS CHURCH

101 Church St., Liberty Hill (512) 515-0070 | crosstrackschurchumc.org

• Christmas Potluck 5:30pm (Santa is joining us) • Christmas Concert/Cantata at 7pm • Christmas Tree Lighting with hot cocoa & sweets

DECEMBER 24 -Christmas Eve

ANDICE BAPTIST CHURCH

6570 FM 970, Florence (254) 793-2557 | andicebc.org

• Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 6pm

CONNECT CHURCH

491 Santa Rita Blvd, Liberty Hill ghbc.org/connectchurch

• Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7pm

CROSSTRACKS CHURCH

101 Church St., Liberty Hill (512) 515-0070 | crosstrackschurchumc.org

• Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7pm

FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

3600 RR 1869, Liberty Hill (512) 515-5579 | fellowshiplh.com

• Christmas Eve services 3pm, 4:30pm & 6pm

THE HILL CHURCH

111 Holmes Road, Liberty Hill thehillchurch.church

MISSION LIBERTY HILL

LUTHERAN CHURCH (LCMS A liated) 15725 W Hwy-29 #7, Liberty Hill (512) 778-9310 | missionlibertyhill.com

• Christmas Eve Worship 6pm

ROCKPOINTE CHURCH LIBERTY HILL

170 CR 214, Liberty Hill (512) 259-8872 | rockpointechurch.com

• Christmas Eve Services 4pm & 5pm

DECEMBER 25 - Christmas Day

ANDICE BAPTIST CHURCH

6570 FM 970, Florence (254) 793-2557 | andicebc.org

• Christmas Day Service 11am

CROSSTRACKS CHURCH

101 Church St., Liberty Hill (512) 515-0070 | crosstrackschurchumc.org

• Comfy Worship with Breakfast Tacos at 10am. Wear your pajamas and children bring a gift from home for Children’s time

Bully

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

Snell said it’s hard to say if bullying has go en worse in the district over the four years he’s been superintendent, but what he can say is that the amount of bullying cases are very underreported. But why don’t students report when they’re bullied? Snell said when he talks to them personally, they say they just don’t want any drama.

“If we are truly going to have a culture of no tolerance then it has to be reported,” he said. “Kids are savvy and a lot of times this doesn’t happen in front of adults, which is why it’s so critical to report it. Call or email the administration or a teacher, and we will act on it.”

Richardson has worked at four diff erent school districts in the counseling arena but has only been part of LHISD since August 2021. She said she can’t answer whether or not there is a bullying problem in LHISD, but she said she has not heard from her counselors that they are seeing a disproportionate amount of bullying so far this year compared to last school year.

“What I can say is that the introduction of social media has increased the access to bullying,” she said. “We can have fi lters on their campus devices, but we can’t control what students are doing on their personal devices outside of school.”

Are changes being made?

Since joining the staff at LHISD, Richardson and the campus counselors have standardized the practice of off ering guidance lessons in prevention.

“It had been happening previous to that, but it was happening more loosely,” she said. “Now we make it a point to make it a part of our guidance lessons from kindergarten through 12th grade.”

Richardson has worked in counseling for over 20 years. She said bullying can start as early as third grade, which is when things like name calling begin, and it can last through high school.

“Bullying is taken very seriously by counselors,” Richardson said. “Our goal is that every student feels a sense of belonging and safety at school, and if they don’t feel that way, we really want them to come talk to us so they can get the support they need.”

Bryon Ellison, Liberty Hill High School principal, said the biggest thing students can do is if they see something, they need to say something. He said school administrators can’t get involved if they don’t know what is going on. He believes his staff is very proactive when it comes to investigating claims of bullying, as well as harassment and mistreatment.

“If there are things happening off campus that create problems on campus, we will address the problems we see on campus,” Snell added. “If a kid has an outcry to us as well, we can address that as well if there are things going on outside of school.”

Snell added that the current push for the district is to incorporate student-led anti-bullying campaigns.

“We feel when students lead, they can make a positive impact,” he said. “It can be impactful if we have anti-bullying campaigns that are student led. Every campus is going to do that through their student council and honor society, and some are farther ahead than others. We want to make sure that we sustain a culture where all kids are welcome and treated fairly and don’t have to worry about a bully situation.”

Major said if bullying issues within the school district are going to be solved, then the students themselves need to be involved in solving them.

“The board has to take a role of support in this, but if historical a itudes are going to change and we are going to fi ght against bullying in our schools and community, then we have to allow the students to take the lead.”

Major added that bullying is a worldwide conversation, and it should be, but each case of bullying should be treated individually.

“The most important thing we can do is get an idea from the kids on how we can change this idea that you can’t report what’s happening because it’ll get worse,” she said. “That’s not true. We have to let our older kids take a lead in this, because the li le kids watch our big kids. If they have high standards and accountability, the li le kids will, too. And the parents and community also have to be involved.”

Major, who has worked in education her

FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

3600 RR 1869, Liberty Hill (512) 515-5579 | fellowshiplh.com

• Christmas morning breakfast 10am

MISSION LIBERTY HILL

LUTHERAN CHURCH (LCMS A liated) 5725 W Hwy-29 #7, Liberty Hill (512) 778-9310 | missionlibertyhill.com

• Christmas Day Worship 10am

JANUARY 6

HOLY ANNUNCIATION ORTHODOX CHURCH

5205 County Rd 236, Liberty Hill (512) 782-9940 | annunciationtx.com

• Eve of Navity. Royal Hours 10am. Vespers of the Feast 7:30pm

JANUARY 7

HOLY ANNUNCIATION ORTHODOX CHURCH

5205 County Rd 236, Liberty Hill (512) 782-9940 | annunciationtx.com

• The Nativity of our Lord in the Flesh, 3rd & 6th Hour Prayers 9:40am, Divine Liturgy 10am

entire career, said when she used to be a principal in LHISD, a lot of times parents and students would wait until nearly the end of the school year to report an ongoing bullying situation.

“I would ask them why they waited until the end of the year to tell me, and they would say they didn’t want to make it worse or just thought it would go away, but if you report it, it doesn’t make it worse. It brings it to light. Bullying doesn’t happen in front of teachers most of the time, so we have to all work together if we’re going to combat it.”

Major added that there’s not a teacher she’s worked with in all her years that hasn’t been keen on keeping bullying at a minimum.

Snell said there’s no magic way to put a stop to bullying, but it’s instead a multitiered approach.

“Every case is diff erent and there are diff erent layers of consequences depending on the severity and amount of bullying,” he said. “Those consequences are lined out in our code of conduct. And I wish I could tell you consequences would be 100 percent eff ective, but they aren’t always.”

The LHISD Student Code of Conduct and Parent/Student Handbook can be accessed here: Student Handbooks / Student Handbooks (txed.net)

The anonymous tip line for bullying incidents can be found here: Anonymous Tips / Anonymous Tips (schoolwires.net)

Panthers freshman Kaleigh Pituch contributed to Liberty Hill’s first-ever overall meet victory at the Burnet Invitational. (Courtesy Photo)

Swim squad continues splashing to success

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

SPORTS EDITOR

In a sport where results are measured down to the hundredth of a second, improvement can be quite incremental.

However, when your team’s name is on top of the scoreboard at the conclusion of a swim meet, all of those fractions of seconds add up to victory.

Liberty Hill’s swim team is currently in its fifth year of existence – a relative newcomer to the Central Texas aquatics scene compared to more established programs such as Cedar Park and Rouse.

But, the Panthers accomplished something this season they hadn’t to this point when they won the team title at the Burnet Invitational in October – a watershed moment for the program, said Head Coach Dimitra Becker.

“I’ve seen this program from the day it started,” said Becker, who is currently in her second season as head coach following time as an assistant. “All I’ve seen is constant improvement.”

Swim meets feature three different team scores – one each for girls, boys and combined, which is the overall winner.

At the Burnet meet, Liberty Hill finished with 747 points to second-place Burnet, which posted 684.

Liberty Hill’s girls won with 551 points, while the Panthers boys were second with 196.

On the individual side, event winners for the girls included sophomore Addison Gonzales, who won the girls’ 200-yard freestyle in 2:19.09, sophomore Zaria Avestruz (100yard freestyle, 58:18 and 100-yard backstroke, 1:09.68), freshman Kaleigh Pituch (100-yard breaststroke, 1:17.99), sophomore Presli Jensen (200-yard individual medley, 2:43.97) and senior Victoria Phegley (50yard freestyle, 26:31).

On the boys’ side, freshman Jack Boyd won the 100-yard backstroke (1:01.88), while junior Cooper Hardy won the 50-yard freestyle (24.77) and 500-yard freestyle (5:15.91).

Gonzales said despite the team’s recent success, it doesn’t necessarily get the same kind of fanfare as other teams in more established sports.

“I think there’s a misconception that what we do is easy,” she said. “People say ‘Oh, I could beat you.’”

Pituch has persevered despite chronic arthritis, although she said she needs to monitor her condition constantly in order to get the most out of herself in the pool.

“All of my joints don’t want to work like they should,” said Pituch, who also nurses a shoulder injury. “Sometimes, it gets more painful when I work harder at it.”

According to Becker, shoulder issues in female swimmers are simply nature at work.

“It’s a very common thing for them to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 43

STUDENT OF THE MONTH Young man of many interests

Sophomore immerses in multiple extracurriculars

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

STAFF WRITER

Think back to when you had just turned 15.

You were probably a sophomore in high school still perhaps adjusting to everyday life going to school with the big kids – maybe even a bit overwhelmed by it all.

But, not George Spivey.

The Liberty Hill sophomore is already a young man with a plan.

Spivey is not only a top student, but he’s also involved in almost too many activities to count, no less having enough time in the day to participate in them all.

Debate, robotics, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) and oh, by the way, on the athletics side of things, cross country and track.

Indeed, Spivey’s plate is more full than a hungry football player at a buffet.

But, that’s just how he likes it.

“My mom has always preached if you’re busy, you can’t get into trouble,” said Spivey. “I’ve seen what life has done to some kids and told myself, ‘That’s not going to be me.’ I’ve always enjoyed doing a lot of different things and being in so many clubs has helped me.”

Of all the different extracurricular activities he participates in, though, Spivey lists one as his absolute favorite.

“Definitely debate,” he said. “Every event we compete at is a road trip, so there’s always that camaraderie, especially when we went to state. Also, (teacher) Ms. (Tammy) Ballard is great.”

According to Spivey, he initially sought to pursue a career that would see him shooting for the stars – in a quite literal sense.

“At first, I wanted to be an astronaut,” said Spivey. “But, then I really thought about it and realized you have to be a pilot, so I decided to look at some other options like engineering.”

However, the idea of that eventually began to fade from his mind, he said.

“By my freshman year, I realized I didn’t really want to be that (engineer) after all,” said Spivey. “I had a perspective change.”

Spivey has decided he wants to attend Texas Southern University, a historically Black school in Houston, in order to help him grow even more as a person.

“I don’t want to go to one of the big schools like (Texas) Tech or (Texas) A&M,” he said. “I don’t believe I’m defined by my race, but I think going to a Black college will help me when I’m ready to get to the next level.”

Something else Spivey plans on doing once he graduates from college is to follow in the footsteps of both his parents and wear the uniform of his country.

“I want to be an Army officer,” said Spivey, whose mother Dawn and father George were both noncommissioned officers in the Army – who met while stationed in South Korea. “Also, my grandpa was a pilot during the Korean War, so my family has a legacy I want to live up to.”

As far as a vocation, Spivey said pharmaceuticals are definitely in his future, he said.

“When people think about medical, it’s usually all about the doctors and nurses,” said Spivey. “I think EMTs and pharmacists are under appreciated.”

Suffice to say despite his relative inexperience in life, Spivey has a firm hold on the world he lives in and what lies in store for the future.

“In life, you make your own choices,” he said. “So, no matter who you are, you can be successful.”

Winning medals and awards has become a common occurrence for George Spivey, who is active in robotics and debate along with many other activities. (Courtesy Photo)

Volleyball

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

season. “We just needed to be consistent.”

All-out eff ort

Annie Wi had no idea what she was doing when the sophomore desperately lunged headlong a er a ball that was careening out of bounds late in the third set of the state regional quarterfi nal match against Canyon.

But, she did know one thing.

She was going to keep the play alive no ma er what it took.

Indeed, Wi ’s outstretched hand got enough of the ball to send it back toward her teammates, who fi nished off the point in helping send Liberty Hill to a 3-0 (25-22, 3432, 27-25) victory over Canyon at LBJ High School in Johnson City.

Bruce said Wi ’s sell-out-style eff ort was exactly the kind of play she needed from her team if they were to defeat the Cougars, who entered the match with an overall record of 41-7 a er having tied atop its district standings with a 14-1 mark during the regular season..

“Going in tonight, we wanted to make sure we outworked them and we didn’t quit until the very last point,” she said, of her squad’s relentless pursuit of loose balls throughout. “I told them, we don’t give up on any ball, on any play and they showed that tonight.”

At season’s end, the second set was one the Lady Panthers may look back on as the one that ultimately propelled them to great things.

Dirner collected a kill to begin the set, followed by fellow junior outside hi er Mason winning three straight points with pinpoint kills off precise sets from senior Macy Land and junior Carson Glenn, who have formed a late-season dynamic duo of a supply line since the former was inserted into the starting lineup down the stretch of the campaign.

A late 5-0 Canyon run put it into position to fi nish off the set at 24-22, until Wi came to the rescue with a winner to prolong the set into what was about to become a marathon.

The sides combined to successfully fi ght off nine set points until fi nally with the score 33-32, it was Mason who powered home the last of her three straight kills to win the set for Liberty Hill.

As for the momentum the Lady Panthers gained from prevailing in such a high-fl ying, drama-fi lled set, Wi said they had learned from an earlier occasion this season.

“We lost a set like that at home against Rouse,” she said of the 31-29 second-set loss to the Raiders on Oct. 18 during the second round of district play in a match they would go on to lose in four sets. “When that happens, it defi nitely sucks the life out of your team.”

Bruce echoed the critical nature of the outcome of the set and the impact it would have on the match as a whole.

“We were down a majority of that set, so to actually come back and win it and for them to have to fi ght back and win two in a row was huge,” she said. “I think it did a lot for our confi dence and also our momentum for the match.”

But, if anyone among the raucous crowd packed into the small gym on the campus of the Class 2A school thought the Cougars’ will was broken following the harrowing second set, they were sorely mistaken.

In fact, if the second set was a barnburner, the third was a three-alarm fi re and it was the Cougars that looked to be dousing the fl ames of their season going up in smoke, as Canyon got out to an 11-7 lead midway through.

However, Mason went on another tear, with three consecutive kills, followed by a block to pull LHHS within a point at 15-14 before Wi and senior Morgan Poulain contributed a kill and a block, respectively, on the ensuing two points to reclaim a 16-15 lead.

Mason got her fi nal kill of the evening to tie the score at 22-22, then Wi picked up another until Liberty Hill served for the match at 26-25.

Just as the match had begun, the Lady Panthers’ block challenged a Canyon shot and sent it back from where it came to close out the Cougars once and for all.

Mason led with 15 kills, while Dirner added 13 and Wi nine in the victory.

Bruce a ributed her team’s success this postseason to an unyielding desire to emerge victorious.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “What we’ve been able to do as a team is just a testament to the fi ght my girls have and their determination to be successful.”

(Above) Lady Panthers head coach Marie Bruce led Liberty Hill to the Class 5A state tournament in her fi rst season with the Purple-and-Gold. (Below) Gigi Mason (#14) led the Lady Panthers in kills and one one of the main catalysts in their playo run this season. PHOTOS BY ALEX RUBIO

Swim

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42

have shoulder problems,” said Becker. “It’s just how they’re made, so we have to be real careful during our workouts and back off when we need to.”

Despite their status as underclassmen, Gonzales and Pituch have both taken on leadership roles within the team that belies their relative inexperience.

“I don’t like to mess around,” said Pituch. “As the oldest of six children, I always like to take the wheel and it’s the same with my teammates. I just think it should come down to who’s more responsible.”

Gonzales said part of the process is to indoctrinate new swimmers into how things must be done – and it’s not always going to be easy.

“Sometimes, we have to tell people, ‘Okay, this isn’t middle school anymore,’” she said. “You’re going to have to feel some pain.”

Part of that pain comes from the rigorous dry-land training the Panthers do – even more critical due to the fact the team still doesn’t have a pool to be able to practice together.

“I think we have the strongest dryland program in the state,” said Becker. “We want to train our swimmers to be athletes, which will help their bodies in the pool.”

Becker said the overall state of the Panthers’ program will continue to get be er as time goes by.

“We’re in a good place right now,” she said. “All we need to do is keep up the momentum we have.”

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