2007 Volume 12, Number 4 Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 www.alvaradoisd.net

The Indian Insider is published out of the AISD Technology Department, P.O. Box 387, Alvarado, Texas, 76009. For information pertaining to this section, contact Derik Moore (817) 783-6859; or Terri Duncan (817) 783-6891.

Page 3 . .Sixth graders use GPS units

AISD NEWSBRIEFS

AISD School Board of Trustees2006-07 School Year

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Linda NeeleyVice President . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jim BosleySecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom HeadMember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ted DosseyMember . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael PercifieldMember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly PriceMember . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Thompson

Page 8 . .District honors school board

Time has taken its toll on the old rock wall, which once housed Kennedy Field where Alvarado High School played its homefootball games before moving to what is now known as Charles Head Stadium.

Insider Photo by DERIK MOORE

INDIAN INSIDERA publication for parents, faculty and community members of the Alvarado Independent School District

AHS recently began opening thelibrary after school to provide studentswith an opportunity to conductresearch, work on homework, orreceive tutorial support from a teacheror student tutor.

SAT, ACT, and TAKS enrichmentare also available to students duringthis time.

The AHS library’s extended hoursare Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m.to 7 p.m. (as needed).

AHS offers tutoring,extends library hours

Just two years after the demise of theold rock building on College Hill (nowBill Jackson Drive), Alvarado ISD offi-cials have decided to take down anotherdistrict icon due to major safety con-cerns.

Two portions of the sandstone rockwall, which used to surround the oldKennedy Football Field (presently locat-ed between the AISD administrationbuilding and the Pioneer and Old Settlers

Reunion Grounds), are in jeopardy ofcollapsing.

“The school board and administrationare saddened to see the demise of thewall,” AISD Superintendent Dr. ChesterJuroska said, “but safety is the district’stop priority.”

Juroska said both sides of the wall areunbalanced, unstable, and have recentlybecome a hazard because AlvaradoIntermediate School students occupy thatarea during P.E. and recess.

The wall was erected by members of

the Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC)and Works Progress Administration(WPA) around 1938 as part of local reliefefforts. So much of the work done bythese groups comprised of local or coun-ty residents.

Although only memories remain ofpast football games and elementary fielddays played inside the rock wall, mostformer students remember the structureserved another purpose.

“Some of my passive time was spent

Rock wall now a safety hazard at old Kennedy FieldBy DERIK MOOREInsider Editor

Third Six Weeks Honor RollsPAGES 4-5

INSIDE THIS EDITION

See ROCK WALL, Page 2

Januaryis School Board

Appreciation Month

Alvarado ISD will be closedMonday, Jan. 15, 2006 in observanceof Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.There will be no school for students.

AISD holiday Jan. 15

taking some piece of the wall that hadbeen chipped off and rubbing it on one ofthe larger stones to see how long it wouldtake the stone to turn back to sand,” said

former student Tom Head, who is nowthe AISD school board secretary.“Looking back, the wall always seemedto provide some level of comfort because

of the security it provided.“I also remember playing pee-wee

football on that field,” Head added.“During the next few years, the time Ispent on that field was for recess, play-days, and football practices.”

Time has taken its toll on the wall, anda combination of rain and other weatherconditions over the decades have com-pletely washed away all the markingsfrom those who had laboriously madeinscriptions on the sandstone rocks.

“The wall definitely served its pur-pose,” Head said. “What used to be solidand secure is crumbling and somewhatominous.”

Juroska understands the sentimentalties between the wall and those attendingAISD schools, especially during the1940s–1990s.

“No one has forgotten the heritage ofthis structure,” Juroska said. “A memori-al using portions of the old rock wall wasconstructed last year at the entrance toCharles Head Stadium, and we havereceived very positive feedback from thecommunity.”

Juroska also said a plaque commemo-rating Kennedy Field arrived Tuesdayand will be placed in front of the memo-rial at the stadium.

“I’m so glad we have been able toreconstruct a portion of the rock wall atthe new stadium,” Head said. “It willallow us to remember an important partof the school district’s past as we movetoward the future.”

So what will happen to the remainingrock from the wall?

“The rock will be stored and used infuture district projects,” Juroska added.“A few individuals who work for the Cityof Alvarado have requested to use someof the rock in its preservation of the citypark, in which we would be glad toaccommodate them.”

Rock Wall From Page 1

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 20072

AISD NEWS

Varsity football players pose for a photo in the 1963 Warrior yearbook. The rockwall was part of Kennedy Field until 1973.

Members of the Alvarado High School Pep Squad gather in the middle of KennedyField during the 1950 football season.

Rain over the past severaldecades has worn whatwas once a strong wallinto crumbling debris.

Both remaining portionsof the old rock wall are

leaning so much that thedistrict must consider

demolition.

Ironically, one of only two remaining markers from Kennedy Field is the goal-lineindicator on the northeast end of the rock wall.

Do you have photos of past sportingevents or any other venue

from the old Kennedy Field?If so, please contact Derik Moore

at 817-783-6859or e-mail photos

to derikm@alvaradoisd.net

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2007 3

AISD NEWS

Alvarado Independent SchoolDistrict’s technology program continuesto stay on pace with new innovations tobe used in the classrooms.

Sixth graders in Teresa Sloan’s socialstudies class recently became the firstgroup to use the district’s new handheldglobal-positioning satellite (GPS)devices in a classroom environment.

After studying The Iliad, studentsused the GPS units to find clues hiddenoutside, which helped them identify char-acters based on the epic poem by Homer.

“All my students caught on quickly,”Sloan added, “and you could tell theyreally enjoyed the learning experience.”

Sloan said the outdoor activity helpedmaintain an interest in The Iliad, a workthat could easily be exasperating to manystudents.

“It was awesome,” AlvaradoIntermediate School sixth grader LucasBrumfield said. “I want to do it again.”

Others who participated in the activitythought it was “cool,” “very interesting,”and just plain “fun.”

“It was great for the students to get toexperience an actual hands-on activityusing the GPS units and plotting coordi-nates with it,” Sloan said. “At the begin-ning of the school year, we spent sometime in class plotting coordinates of bothlatitude and longitude on paper, and wealso discussed GPS units.”

The most recent activity consisted of

preloaded latitude and longitude coordi-nates on each GPS. Then students usedthe tracking devices to find each clue andrecorded each find by taking digital pho-tos.

“It’s cutting-edge technology,” AISDInstructional Technologist Julie Hollandsaid. “GPS has been implemented intocars, cell phones, computers, and othertypes of new technology…and this recentexercise was the first step in introducingour kids to it.”

Holland said other types of uses forGPS devices in the classroom environ-ment include things such as studyingordered pairs in mathematics, local cul-ture (i.e. historical markers, buildings,etc.) in history, field research for science,and the list could go on and on.

Although the district’s handheld GPSunits cost around $130 each, Hollandsaid students could probably find a basicunit in the $100 range.

“We’re actually going to do a commu-nity mapping project this Spring that usesboth GPS units and mapping software,”Holland said. “We also want to get thekids interested in geocaching, especiallytracking travel bugs.”

Geocaching, according to an article inwww.geogaching.com, is “an entertainingadventure game for GPS users, wherethey participate in cache hunts. The basicidea is to have individuals and organiza-tions set up caches all over the world andshare the locations of these caches overthe internet. GPS users can then use the

location coordinates to find the caches.Once found, a cache may provide the vis-itor with a wide variety of rewards. Allthe visitor is asked to do is if they takesomething, they should try to leavesomething from the cache.”

Holland said a travel bug is a metaltag containing a unique ID number thatgeocachers move from cache to cacheand track its progress online.

“Most people don’t realize it, but thereare about six caches hidden all over theAlvarado area,” Holland said. “One hasbeen there since Feb. 12, 2003, which islocated near Bethany Cemetery.”

For more information about learninghow to participate in the geocaching phe-nomenon, visit www.geogaching.com.

AISD students ‘cache’ inon technology advancesBy DERIK MOOREInsider editor

Alvarado Intermediate School sixth graders Diana Murillo (left) and Elva Gomezuse the district’s handheld global-positioning satellite (GPS) devices to hunt cluesfor Teresa Sloan’s social studies project. Sloan’s class is the first to use this newform of technology in the classroom environment at AISD.

Insider Photo by JULIE HOLLAND

This cache (also known as a capsule)is one of six caches hidden throughoutthe Alvarado area. To try to find itswhereabouts, log on to www.geo-caching.com and search by city or zipcode.

Insider Photo by DERIK MOORE

The fourth and final round of auditionsfor the Texas Music EducatorsAssociations' All State Choirs were heldover the weekend. 160 students fromacross our area, which stretches from H-E-B to El Paso, met in Midland to vie for 32chairs in the mixed choir, 24 chairs in thetreble choir, and 16 chairs in the guys choir.

Our two alternates - Kathryn Gaskill andMatthew Puccio - did not get a chance to

participate, so AHS had four students -Lerin Hoback, Layne Kight, Bud Mize, andBo Wilson - among the 160.

I am pleased to announce that LayneKight earned a rather exclusive place in theprestigious All-State Mixed Choir and willsing in concert with that group at the closeof the TMEA convention next month in SanAntonio.

Kight will perform with the All-StateMixed Choir Feb. 12 at the Henry GonzalezConvention Center in San Antonio.

Alvarado High School students (from left) Bo Wilson, Bud Mize, Lerin Hoback andLayne Kight made it to the final round of the All-State Choir auditions Saturday inMidland. Kight will sing with the All-State Mixed Choir Feb. 12 in San Antonio.

Insider Photo by DERIK MOORE

AHS student earns positionon All-State Mixed ChoirBy EDWARD SMITHAHS choir director

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 20074

AISD THIRD SIX WEEKS HONOR ROLLS

Honor Rolls are intentiallyleft off the web for the

protection of our students.

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2007 5

AISD THIRD SIX WEEKS HONOR ROLLS

Honor Rolls are intentiallyleft off the web for the

protection of our students.

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 20076

AHS 8-4A ALL -DISTRICT SELECTIONS

Corey Holbert, RBOffensive Player of the YearAll-State Honorable Mention

Woody Apfel, FB1st Team All-District Offense

Gerald Cole, OT2nd Team All-District Offense

Josh Barnett, DE2nd Team All-District Defense

Brandon Arguijo, SafetyHonorable Mention

Logan Beacham, SafetyHonorable Mention

Creadell Burns, WRHonorable Mention

Kory Calk, CBHonorable Mention

Nathan Law, OLHonorable Mention

Nick McBeath, TEHonorable Mention

Ty Raby, QBHonorable Mention

Aaron Ramby, OLBHonorable Mention

Caleb Rohm, DLHonorable Mention

Zach Stewart, OLHonorable Mention

Tristyn TaylorDefensive Player of the Year

Lerin HobackHonorable Mention Looking for sports schedules?

View or download all AHS sports schedulesand / or tournament information

on the official AISD website:

www.alvaradoisd.net

CONGRATULATIONS

Photos by

DERIK MOORE

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2007 7

SPORTS

Courtesy photo

Wal-Mart Distribution Center donates $1,000Sharon Bassett (second from left), representing Wal-Mart Distribution Center,presents the AHS softball program a check for $1,000 which will be used to helppurchase uniforms, game jackets, bats, etc. Also pictured (from left) KennethEstes, AHS principal; Bassett; Wanda Mann, AHS head softball coach; CarolTenPas, AHS assistant coach; and Kurt McGrath, AISD athletic director.

INDIAN HOOPS ACTIONPhotos by DERIK MOORE

BULK RATE

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDALVARADO , TX

PERMIT #38

Alvarado ISDP.O. Box 387Alvarado, Texas 76009

POSTAL PATRON ★★★ ECR

INDIAN INSIDER • FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 20078

CAMPUSCONTACTS

AlvaradoHigh School

817.783.6940

AlvaradoJunior High817.783.6840

AlvaradoIntermediate817.783.6825

AlvaradoElementary South817.783.6880

AlvaradoElementary North

817.783.6863

LillianElementary School817.783.6815

Other Important Phone NumbersAISD Administration . . . .817.783.6800Instructional Services . . .817.783.6812Child Nutrition Dept. . . . .817.783.6807Operations / Trans. . . . .817.783.6807Alternative School . . . . .817.783.6878AISD Daycare . . . . . . . .817.783.6999Technology Dept. . . . . . .817.783.6851AHS Athletic Dept. . . . . .817.783.6891Public Information . . . . .817.783.6859

“A Grade Above the Rest!”

INDIAN INSIDER

Publication LocationAlvarado ISD Technology Department

1202 S. ParkwayAlvarado, Texas 76009

817.783.6859It is AISD’s intent to be an educational news

source for parents, facultyand community members living

within the school district.

News EditorDerik Moore

A decision to purchase land for the new Alvaradointermediate campus will be narrowed from four pos-sible locations down to one at a special-called meet-ing Jan. 16 in the AISD Board Room beginning at7:30 p.m.

Architects from Eubanks•Harris•Roberts•Craigwere present at Monday’s school board meeting todiscuss all the possible locations for the proposedcampus, which was deliberated in executive ses-sion, and AISD Superintendent Dr. Chester Juroskasaid the board is confident in making its decision atthe upcoming special meeting.

“The board is weighing future needs as it con-siders the best location for the new campus,”Juroska said. “There are a lot of factors that go intodeciding on a piece of property for a specific type ofcampus. I applaud the board for studying the factorsand not just making a quick decision for expedien-cy’s sake.”

In other action, AISD Assistant Superintendent ofOperations Mark Ratcliff updated board memberson current and future projects within the district.

“We received a check from EOG Resources fora little over $52,000,” Ratcliff said, “which included atwo-year gas lease renewal on the district’s proper-ty.”

Ratcliff also said Kyle Berger, AISD technologydirector, was able to lower the initial price of AlvaradoElementary South’s VOIP telephony system down to$33,905 (an extra $5,600 savings to the district).

“We’ve also been working on the educationalspecifications for the new intermediate campus,”Ratcliff added, “and we’ve already met with the sci-ence and fine arts departments to receive theirinput.”

He said AISD technology employees havescheduled a meeting with engineers in February todiscuss many of the technological aspects of thenew facility.

Other items Ratcliff discussed included districtinsurance policies, the issuance of bids for a con-struction manager at-risk, the possibility of posting abid for the selling of a portable restroom, and thedecision by district officials to tear down the remain-ing rock wall around Kennedy Field due to majorsafety concerns.

“Portions of the rock wall will be saved in asecure area behind the intermediate campus,”Ratcliff added, “and city officials have indicated they

would like to incorporate some of the rock in theirupcoming Parkway Park renovation project.”

Ratcliff also said a replacement fence will beerected once all rock wall has been taken down.

Juroska presented an award to the vocationalscience and technology department on behalf ofJohnson County CASA for AHS the construction anddonation of a playhouse built by AHS students tohelp raise money for this much-needed organiza-tion.

“AHS was one of three local school districtswhich donated a playhouse to CASA,” Juroska said.“The other group was the Johnson County Sheriff’sPosse.

“Because of our local efforts, CASA raised over$15,000 last year,” he added.

At the beginning of the meeting, Alvarado JuniorHigh Principal Melodye Brooks and art teacher ClayRoberts presented the local fire prevention awardsto Brandi Morris, first place; Jennifer Hernandez,second place; and Tiffany Woolridge, third place. Allthree students’ artwork has now advanced to thenext level of competition.

Board members also approved the followingagenda items:

• Gifts and donations (refrigerator valued at $100

from Johnny Johnson to the AHS athletic depart-ment for use in the concession stand near the tenniscourts)

• 2007-08 district calendar• out-of-state travel for Chris Everett (one-day

conference in Norman, Okla. On safe-school issues)• Budget adjustmentsThe board also decided to postpone discussing

the superintendent’s annual performance and con-tract until the Jan. 16 meeting.

Less than a decade ago, the Texas EducationAgency declared January as “School BoardRecognition Month,” and representatives from eachAISD campus (and even other departments) pre-sented gifts and other tokens of appreciation to eachboard member for all their hard work, time and ded-ication they put forth for the students, faculty, staff,and other members of the Alvarado community.

Members of the junior high band and choir alsoperformed at the beginning of the board meeting.

AISD board members include Linda Neeley,president; Jim Bosley, vice president; Tom Head,secretary; Ted Dossey, member; Michael Percifield,member; Kelly Price, member; and DougThompson, member.

Board close to deciding locationfor new intermediate campus

AISD Superintendent Dr. Chester Juroska (right) presents Board President Linda Neeley anappreciation plaque in honor of “School Board Recognition Month” at Monday’s meeting.Each board member received a plaque and also appreciation gifts from all the AISD campus,including other departments within the district.

Insider Photo by DERIK MOORE

By DERIK MOOREInsider editor