Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 61, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 2005 Page: 1 of 22
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1
Take a look at the final
six weeks’ roster of
standout students
HONOR ROLLS
Paget 8-9
_____ ^
“Your Results Realtor!”
Donna Lasater
^469-567-1421
■S’ A
Athletes In Action
invade Northwood
In Common
Pago 1
'FW r
Dark Knight returns in
spectacular fashion
In Common/Pago 2
TODAV
JL CEDAR HILL
INSIDE
Opinion...............4-5
Religion...............6-7
Classified ...........Inside
www. todaynewspapers. net
©2005 HBHi a
Cedar Hill Today 1—■■
Vol 39 No. 61
Cedar Hill s oldest newspaper serving residents since 1965!
Thursday, Juno 16, 2005
Cars aren’t babysitters, state says
Wal-Mart customers rescue child in hot vehicle
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
The unthinkable happened in Cedar Hill on
Tuesday, June 7 — but thankfully, the story
ends without tragedy.
A 2-year-old child was found alone in a car
with the windows rolled up at Wal-Mart on
Uptown Boulevard, amid soaring temperatures
on a day where the heat index reached 98
degrees.
Several Wal-Mart customers found the
child, named Kymond sitting in the car crying.
The doors were unlocked, and the nearly 3-
year-old boy was pulled out, Cedar Hill police
reported.
The mother, identified as Tomisha Gist-
Terry — a woman in her late 20s — was arrest-
ed and charged with abandoning or endanger-
ing a child, police said.
Police didn’t release the last name of the
boy, who was found sweaty and soiled. Several
Cedar Hill police officers responded to the
incident, which was called in at 1:59 p m.
Kymond was given water, which he drank,
See CHILD, Page 2
Use common sense in dealing with
summer heat, officials caution parents
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
was
Two-year-old Kymond was
lucky. After spending about 30
minutes in a burning hot car in
the parking lot of Wal-Mart in
Cedar Hill, some observant
customers rescued him — cry-
ing, covered in sweat and soiled
and after a short stay at a
Dallas hospital, 1
released.
His stor>chad a happy end-
ing althouglWns mother was
arrested and taken rnjto custody
but many other children
aren't so fortunate.
"Summers in Texas are just
notoriously hot,” said Darrell
Azar, communications manag-
er of the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services.
“Last year, three kids died as a
result of being trapped in hot
cars. Two years ago, 10 children
died, which is the largest total
ever.”
Cedar Hill’s incident occ-
urred June 7 at 2 p.m. when the
temperature was 92 with a heat
See HEAT, Page 2
CHISD names
Permenter boss
Showell comes from Dallas ISD
By JUSTIN JONES
Today Staff
The search for a new
Permenter Middle School prin-
cipal officially ended June 13
during the Cedar Hill School
Board meeting, as trustees
appointed Joseph L. Showell to
the position.
Showell comes in with more
than 10 years of academic
experience, having been a
teacher in Hurst-Euless-
Bedford ISD, and a coach and
assistant principal in the
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
Before coming to Perm-
enter, Showell was at J.L Long
in Dallas, where he was the
principal.
“1 want to, first of all, thank
you very much for the consid-
eration,” Showell said with his
wife, Debbie, and 5-year-old
son by his side. “1 do consider
it an honor to be chosen as the
new principal at Permenter
Middle School.”
Showell has a bachelor’s in
mathematics from East Texas
State University, now Texas
A&M-Commerce, where he
was the captain of the football
team, and a master’s in educa-
tion administration from the
University of Texas at Austin.
He also has been twice
named Who’s Who Among
American Teachers.
At Permenter, Showell plans
to emphasize a safe learning
environment, competitive acad-
emics and good character.
“I consider myself a lifelong
learner, and I don’t ever plan to
stop,” Showell said. “I do want
to be a part of this community,
and I look forward to the
change ahead.”
Before announcing Showell
as Permenter's new principal,
the board made a few chances
to its structure.
In some slight reshuffling,
Valerie Banks and Amy Allen
were voted vice-president and
secretary, respectively.
Banks replaces Dan Her-
nandez, while Allen replaces
James Charles.
Randy Gaubert also was re-
elected board president.
In other board news, a cata-
strophic leave policy, intended
to help the district’s employees,
was unanimously approved.
The purpose of the policy is
to provide additional cata-
strophic leave days in the event
of an unexpected, extended ill-
ness, surgery or temporary dis-
ability due to an injury that
impairs the employee’s ability
to work.
Full-time workers will be
eligible for the policy.
The board also unanimously
voted to consider the purchase
of new science Foss Kits for the
fall, to be used for second- and
third-graders.
The Foss Kits were imple-
mented last year for grades 4-6.
Foss Kits are a hands-on
instructional program that is
geared toward helping with the
science curriculum.
“This initiative goes all the
way to kindergarten, and we
feel it’s important to be proac-
tive, and (have the) kids start
working with their hands with
science equipment early on,”
Juanita Browder, assistant
superintendent for curriculum
and instruction, said. “There
are so many things we can do
with science. We need to pre-
pare our kids for engineering,
for medicine. We just need to
See BOARD, Page 5
Today photo by RANDY COZBY
D.J. Jones shows off one of his creations. He developed a love for origami about a year ago.
Art through the eyes of a child
West student finds unexpected love of origami — and does it brilliantly
By JUSTIN JONES
Today Staff
As far as Amy Jones is concerned, her
son D.J. hasn't always been the artistic type.
The mother of the 11 -year-old West
Intermediate student said he’s always loved
math and science.
While nothing has changed in that
regard, D.J., however, has adopted a new
love — origami that helps him deal with
his autism.
It’s a passion that started around a year
ago when he decided to bring home an
origami book from his school library.
“He just kind of fell into it on his own,
and every chance he got he just went at it,”
Amy said. “We couldn't stop him from
doing it, and he just made himself be good
at it by practicing all of the time.”
That practice has made D.J. quite a good
origami artist, Amy said.
And she isn’t the only person thinking
that, either.
Recently, D.J.’s origami skills were rec-
ognized as he won the Cedar Hill
Association for the Cultural Arts’ People’s
Choice Award for his age group.
“I was surprised,” D.J. said. “It made me
feel like I should belong in Hollywood.
Only famous people and only stars can go
to Hollywood.”
For D.J., his Hollywood is origami.
“I was amazed. I mean, I knew he was
very good, but I’m his mother,” Amy said.
“That just let him know that he does do
something that people think is interesting
and fun to look at.”
D.J.'s winning project was a diorama of
a humming bird display, which he had as
the main background
Aside from the hummingbirds, the piece
had leaves and flowers on a vine that were
growing out of the bottom (all paper).
He then created a hawk on a wire that
was flying toward the hummingbirds,
which also were extended from wire.
“Because I like a lot of ecology and
biology, and origami is mostly animals and
plants, that's why I like origami so much,”
D.J. said noting lus first creation was of a
yucca plant. “After looking at my lust
origami book I saw many things..They
looked hard, but 1 soon got used to them
and started to like it.”
To the point to where it isn't just a pas-
See ART, Page 3
Pantry volunteers take the spotlight
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
Volunteers for the Cedar
Hill Food Pantry spend their
days picking up food stocking
shelves and picking up more
food and stocking more
shelves.
But June 10 was their time
- in the spotlight, as food pantry
Director Gene Sims and mem-
bers of the pantry board paid
those who devote"
were honored with a banquet
and awards ceremony at First
United Methodist Church
Some received individual
recognition, while the pantry
also honored Cedar Hill busi-
nesses for their contributions.
“It’s not hard to work all
these hours with all the people
who help me, all these people
who come to my aid” said
Charlie Hinkle, who was
named the pantry’s Volunteer of
Pantry board member
Patricia Deeds gave Hinkle the
award
“Not only is he our
Volunteer of the Year, lie’s oui
person of the year," she said
“You can't touch this. We
counted it up, and this is a man
who has donated somewhere
between 746 to 1,000 hours of
his time.”
Gail Harvey, Sims* assistant,
paid special tribute to volun-
tribute to
their time to help feed the hun-
gry-
This past year’s volunteers
make a difference in someone’s
life. That’s all that counts for
me.”
“They work hard and they
\y>rk fast,” she said. “I’ve got to
See PANTRY, Page 3
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Gooch, Robin. Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 61, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 2005, newspaper, June 16, 2005; Duncanville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth623387/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Zula B. Wylie Memorial Library.