Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 158, No. 36, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Page: 2 of 20
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Cherokeean
HERALD
Page 2A
Wednesday, October 31,2007
www.thecherokeean.com
OPINION
LETTERS POLICY
All submissions must contain the writer's name, address
and zip, along with a daytime telephone number so we may
contact you with clarification or confirmation. We will not
print letters that contain incorrect information or allegations
deemed libelous, nor will we publish form letters or copies
intended for mass distribution to other publications. The
shorter the letter, the better its chances for publication; we
reserve the right to edit letters for space. Deadline is 11 a.m.
Friday. Send letters to: herald@mediactr.com, FAX to (903)
683-5104 or mail to P.O. Box 475, Rusk, Texas, 75785.
Alto is 'taking the next step' with motto, bond proposal
DR. RAY DESPAIN
Alto
The start of the 2007-08
school year at Alto ISD has
been great. Our staff and
students impress me more
and mor e each day with their
dedication, commitment to
improvement, willingness to
help one another and school
spirit. The accomplishments
keep piling up, and I'm very
proud to be a small part
of what is one of the "most
improved" school districts in
all of East Texas. Our enroll-
ment numbers (680 in Pre-Iv
through 12th Grade) and at-
tendance rate (97.19 percent)
are both up over last year.
Academics are our priority.
Successes in that area boil
down to two things: teachers
preparing students and stu-
dents performing. At the end
of the first six-weeks grading
period, we had 306 of our 680
students named to either the
"All-A" or "A-U Honor Roll
and few academic failures.
Tutorials are held daily
before school, and three days
per week after school. Our
curriculum alignment has
proven successful, andbench-
mark testing programs are in
full swing. We had a great
turnout for our "parent ori-
entation" nights throughout
the district.
We've been very busy with
extracurricular events also.
Little dog didn't deserve
to die this way
MELISSA MINCHEW
Rusk
What is this world coming to
when peoplej usl dump animals
on the side of the road? I hve on
U.S. Highway 84, and we have
had many stray dogs come to
our house. I have seen so many
get run over andkilled, and I've
had to bury them.
On Oct. 17, a beautiful black
female dog came to our house
and wouldn't leave. She was so
sweet and didn't have a mean
bone in her body. I called the
city a couple of times to have
someone come out and pick her
up, but no one came.
Next morning I called again.
Iwent to bed praying she would
be okay Then at 11:15 p.m. I
knew she didn't have a chance.
I heard it when the car hit her
and kept going.
I ran to her and she was still
breathing. My mother and I
stayed with her 10 minutes pot -
ting her until she passed on.
I am not putting the city at
fault for not picking her up
— they had their hands full and
Iunderstandthat, Iputatfault
the careless people who dump
animals and don't give them
a second thought, and those
who don't stop for them and
who don't care enough to come
back to see about the animal
they just hit. If more people
cared these things wouldn't
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(936) 867-5533, home or
(936) 675-3205, cell
We have moved
to our new buile ng
on 18 beautiful acres at
5592 Hwy 110 N
(5 miles from 84 & 110)
Our Middle School and El-
ementary UIL academic and
literary teams are preparing
to defend their district cham-
pionship title from a year ago.
Alto's varsity football team
is not only ranked #l in the
state in Class 1A, but also has
the longest winning streak
(currently at 21 games) in the
state for all classifications.
Camera crews from Reebok
were on campus and at our
Oakwoodfootball gameto film
a commercial, thanks to our
cheerleaders and their spirit
promotions.
Our cross country teams
competed very well at the
District 21-A meet and the
"Mean Sting Music Machine"
is preparing to compete in the
NSU Invitational Marching
Festival on Nov. 3 at Natchi-
toches. Anew group this year
is the Alto High School Choir.
The Alto Future Farmers of
America chapter continues to
excel and has added a " Junior
Chapter" this year. At the
High School level, more than
100 of our 175 students are
involved in this outstanding
program.
On the technology front,
Alto ISD has been awarded
an $18,000 grant which has
been used to upgrade all
computers to the Microsoft
Office 2007 program, as well
as to purchase an additional
25 new computers, We've
also updated and upgraded
our "Study Island' software
programs for our district-
wide tutorials and academic
remediation.
Perhaps the biggest event
at Alto ISD this fall is the
upcoming bond election to
construct a new 42,000 square
foot elementary complex and
parking lots. Alto ISD's motto
this year is "Taking the Next
Step," and we feel that this
new facility would be our big-
gest step of all.
We encourage everyone to
exercise their democratic right
to vote on Nov. 6. An old adage
in education is that"... it takes
a village to educate a child.''
Never has this statement been
more true than now.
Dr. DeSpain is the Alto ISD
superintendent.
Alto school campus is
inadequate and should be
replaced
STEVE MCCARTY
Alto
As a 1961 graduate and
longtime resident of Alto, I
want to express my views in
support of the upcoming AISD
bond election to build a new
elementary school.
I have deep roots in Alto
and serve as the chairman
of the community bond elec-
tion steering committee. I've
been through good times and
bad with many of you. and
I feel that this matter is of
upmost importance for our
community.
The current campus build-
ings are unsafe, insecure and
in need of being torn down.
The buildingshave numerous
structural problems (electri-
cal, plumbing, asbestos and
mold, just to name a few.)
Several of the buildings are
fire hazards due to the (por-
table, pre-fab) nature of their
construction. There is not ad-
equate parking for any school
events — whether it be an
elementaryfunction, cafeteria
event or a football game.
We need to provide the
best we can for our children,
grandchildren and all the kids
of our community
We are all proud of our un-
defeated, state champ ion foot-
ball team and our top-notch
Vocational FFA programs.
We spend a lot of money and
time supporting these, and
they are very deserving. It is
my opinion that we need to
provide the same support for
academics and facilities.
Many of us have great mem -
ories of Alto ISD due in large
measure to the fact that tax-
payers have always stepped
up to the plate to provide the
best they couldfor students. It
is our responsibility to create
these same great memories
and opportunities for Alto's
young people of today.
I encourage you to go to the
polls on November 6 to vote
for our kids, our future and
our community.
An abandoned dog met an
untimely death recently on
U.S. Highway 84
happen. My six-year-old old
son wouldn't have had to sit
up all night crying because he
was sad about the pup getting
hit and dying.
My son now believes the
puppy is an Angel in Heaven
watching over him for life. It.
hurt me enough to watch her
che but even more to see my
son hurting.
I believe there should be
some sort of punishment for
those who hit animals as well.
It was tragic and shouldn't have
to happen to innocent animals
who just don't deserve this
kind of death.
pW
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 158, No. 36, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 31, 2007, newspaper, October 31, 2007; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152806/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.