New Mexico/West Texas District

New Mexico/West Texas District

Sun, Sand and Sage __________________________________________________________________________________________

Volume 74, Number 3 First Quarter 2019—2020

District Conference in March Mark Weinsoff, Optimist International President-Elect, 2020—2021 Optimist year will attend our Quarterly

Conference in Elephant Butte to meet with the District’s Past Governors on Friday evening,

March 13 to discuss his primary project for OI during his term. Because March 14 is the only

date in March that he has free, the conference is moved up two weeks. New Mexico/West

Texas District is one of OI’s weaker districts and he wants to work with us to develop a plan

to strengthen and grow Optimist Districts. This will be an exciting time for us to help our

District to grow again and to become a model for the rest of Optimist International. He will

also meet with the members attending the conference on Saturday to share his plans and to

listen to our input. The Conference will meet on March 14 at the Elephant Butte Inn and Spa,

401 NM-195, Elephant Butte, NM 87935, 575-297-4990. If you plan to spend the night on

Friday, space is limited so make your reservation early.

Around the District

Optimist Club of Alamogordo

Alamogordo School District was proud to recognize

their local president and JOI Club

sponsor,

Melanie

Hallbeck, as

the NEA NM

Teacher of

Excellence.

We have

excellent

educators and support for

education in our community!

Camino Real

Congratulations to the Sunland Park

Community Library on their Unveiling of the

Imagination Playground on November 23. Camino

Real Optimist were present to support the hard-

working staff in supervising while children explored

the endless possibilities of their creations and take

photos with the Blue Cross Blue Shield "Blue Bear".

Sunrise Optimists Roswell Sunrise Optimist’s November Student of the Month

from Roswell High was Delainy Sanchez. Miss

Sanchez spoke at the latest Sunrise Optimist Club

breakfast meeting Wednesday. Her presentation was

organized and well delivered. She gave a short

biography, her successes and interests in high school,

and her plans for education.

>

Delainy Sanchez was presented a Certificate of

Achievement and a $25 check from Sunrise Optimist

member and Student of the Month Coordinator, Pam

Davis.

Mike Whitehead, Sunrise Optimist Club

President, presented a $25 check and a Certificate of

Recognition to Goddard’s November Student of the

Month, Kassidy Matus. Kassidy spoke to the club at

the last meeting about her family, her ambitions, her

past successes in school, and her plans for college. A

$25 check and a Certificate of Recognition was

presented to Kassidy from the club.

Eight Sunrise Optimist Club members of

Roswell joined forces to ring the bells for the

Salvation Army kettles, November 30. The club

decided to do it in pairs to make time go a little faster

and to visit with shoppers that could possibly be

prospective members. It was a fun and joyful time

wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and sharing

Optimism. In the past year the Sunrise Optimist Club

has given over $14,000 in donations to many youth

organizations from their major fund-raising projects

throughout the year. They include such projects as

the Sunrise Optimist Poe Corn Basketball

Tournament, the Pancake Breakfast, the Krispy

Kreme doughnut runs, the Fill-a-basket grocery run,

and the Summer Baseball Tournament.

James Woody and Peggy Bohlin

The list of organizations receiving donations are

too numerous to name here, but here are several:

Buddy walk, middle school T-shirts, Camp

Invention, Boys and Girls Club, Goddard High

School and Roswell High School Project Graduation,

Science Olympiad, Special Olympics, Assurance

Home, Girl Scouts, GHS and RHS choir, KAPS art

program, Camp Intervention, Action Outdoor

Adventure Day, RHS and GHS boys and girls

basketball, Camp Corral, Charlie’s Angels,

Rockettes, Vern Stahl Memorial Scholarships, and a

dozen or so more youth organizations. The club also

donated to the Southeast New Mexico Veteran

Transportation Network.

Cielo Vista Optimist Club

On November 18, Cielo Vista visited the El Paso

Humane Society and volunteered to play, pet and

socialize the latest litter of kittens in their care before

they are ready to be adopted.

Evening Optimist Club of

Albuquerque

The Evening Optimist Club Charter Party – The

Club gathered at the Cooperage’s The Rock Room

on Sunday, November 3rd. With some members out-

of-town, some NMWTX officials unable to attend

plus a forgetfulness factor, we were a smaller but

enthusiastic group this year!

Las Cruces Optimist Club Andy Hume was our speaker on November 14. He has

visited the Club in the past, talking about the downtown

plaza. He is now an administrator with the Las Cruces

International Airport.

He’s been with the city for 18 years and with the

airport for al-most two years. Some of us remember when

commercial flights actually flew here. The airport was

built in 1942 as an army air base and ownership went to

the city in 1955. There were 3 airports here then. Did you

know that Hadley Drive used to be airport runway? The

third one was one at NMSU. Our airport has a great buffer

area; no homes right around it. The airport is currently a

general aviation airport, with no commercial passenger

service currently. It serves private pilots, and 125 aircraft

based at the airport. NMSU has a plane there. Key

groups: Air Methods air ambulance, a branch of NM

Army National Guard with 4 helicopters and the EAA

Chapter #555 Civil Air Patrol. They have a group for kids

age 12 through HS and when they graduate, they can go

straight into Air Force Academy. Structure and guidance

are provided by the Experimental Aircraft Association.

There is still a UAV program associated with NMSU to

bring the airport into shape from years of deferred

maintenance. The economic development program

brought together many different assets and drivers for our

economy. The program needs to better focus on the

limited resources and an Airport and Industrial Park. Big

runway projects are needed to make the airport better and

safer. Market Street (a company) is looking for ideas for

target industries. They’re also looking for ways to partner

with Spaceport America collaboratively, not

competitively.

They’d like to reestablish passenger air service. We

are a bigger city and dramatic changes here make this

service more needed. Andy reports there has been robust

public involvement. If interested in getting involved,

contact Andy at ahume@las-cruces.org. The aim is to

extend one runway to 10,500’ and another to 8600’. There

is a great view from up there and it would be a wonderful

spot for a restaurant or bar.

On November 21, the Club hosted three

representatives from the Arrowhead Robotics team

today. Bianca (Chief Marketing officer) Arabella,

(VP) and Ivan (President) as well as 2

moms/chauffeurs. They brought their robot and

explained that three teams go to regionals every year

in Dallas and last year they placed 4th out of 26

national teams. This year the challenge is titled, “off

the grid”. The robot they make needs to do tasks

related to fixing power lines. All the tasks the robot

should do are listed in a rubric and everything the

robot does must be accomplished through

programming. The team’s robot can pick up debris

and place it in a receptacle. They plan to paint the

robot to look like a knight before regionals. They

have named their robot Dobie, the debris droid. They

must also keep an Engineering notebook that has the

details of everything they do. These details can help

in obtaining patents. There are now elementary

schools that have robotics programs. One is at

United Methodist. Faculty members from NMSU

judge the local competition. After regionals the

WORLD competition in Kentucky this year. They

really hoping to win regionals. There are different

types of competitions and this team performs one

aspect and not everybody needs to be a robot nerd.

They also have teams for spirit, marketing, booth,

and others. Their t-shirts were designed by members

of the club. For regionals in Dallas they’re only

participating the robotics part, not the other sections.

As for the future, Ivan hopes to go into Civil

Engineering at NMS, then transfer to ASU, Arabella

will go to NMSU in software engineering and Bianca

wants to study aerospace engineering. NMSU has a

prep academy for two weeks in the summer where

students live in the dorms and tour facilities.

Rio Communities Optimist Club Following the Bike Safety program at La Merced

Elementary School on November 14, the Clubs fourth

grade Super citizen was announced. The Fourth Grade

Super Citizen for the year 2019 – 2020 was Jacob

Archuleta. Mrs. Antel, one of three fourth grade

teachers, announced the winner. Jacob was presented

with a certificate, a medallion and a $10 gift card to

McDonalds. This award is presented to the student who

best represents “Character Counts” characteristics.

Rio Communities Optimist Club participated in

the Trunk or Treat event held at the Presbyterian

Church, Thursday, October 31st. What a blast! The

Club won the “Best Decorated Vehicle” prize, a neat

coffee cup. Members present (Marilyn, Phil, Lisa,

Chuck and Sallie) awarded this to Loedi for all her

hard work, getting this together.

Lilyana Wheeler, a student in Ms. Baca’s 4th grade

Arthur Salazar, a student in Ms. Brown’s 4th grade

Send me your photos and copy, and

I’ll publish them here. John Cowart, bent.tree@yahoo.com

Text in Word and photos as jpg.

Wisdom True terror is to wake up one morning and discover

that your high school class is running the country.

Kurt Vonnegut

Coming Events March 14, NM / WTX District Meeting at Elephant

Butte Inn and Spa 401 NM-195, Elephant Butte, NM

87935, 575-297-4990. (Note the change in date.)

International Convention - Jun. 27-Jun. 30

Schaumburg Il.

NM / WTX District Meeting – August 7—9.

Purposes of an Optimist Club • To develop Optimism as a philosophy of life

utilizing the tenets of the Optimist Creed;

• To promote an active interest in good government

and civic affairs;

• To inspire respect for law;

• To promote patriotism and work for international

accord and friendship among all people;

• To aid and encourage the development of youth in

the belief that the giving of one's self in service to

others will advance the well-being of humankind,

community life and the world.

Dime-a-Day A new year, a new effort. The Optimist International

Foundation supports our Oratorical and Essay

Scholarships and helps to fund club projects. It needs

our support. Every member should try to

contribute $36.50 to the Optimist Foundation.

This is just $0.10 a day. Most of us spend $36.50 on

a night out. So, look deep into your heart and find a

way to bring a check for the OI Foundation for

$36.50 to your next meeting.

Optimist Creed Promise Yourself:

• To be so strong that nothing can disturb your

peace of mind.

• To take health, happiness and prosperity to every

person you meet.

• To make all your friends feel that there is

something in them.

• To look at the sunny side of everything and

make your optimism come true.

• To think only of the fest, to work only for the

best and to expect only the best.

• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of

others as you are about your own.

• To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to

the greater achievements of the future.

• To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and

give every living creature you meet a smile.

• To give so much time to the improvement of

yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too

strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence

of trouble.

Texas Dictionary of the English Language

by Jim Everhart

whalebarah – a small vehicle with handles and one

wheel for conveying small loads. “Be careful! Don’t

let that whalebarah tump over.”

Scholarship Contests Oratorical Contest Theme "Just iMagine a World

without Boundaries."

Essay Contest Theme "Is Optimism the Key to

Achieving the Dreams you iMagine?"

Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of

Hearing “Just iMagine a World without Boundaries."

iMagine is the 2019-2020 International

Presidents theme. Yes, it is spelled small i large M.

John L. Cowart, Editor

Sun, Sand & Sage

910 8th Street

Tularosa, NM 88352

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Collecting pop tabs is a great way to teach kids about

philanthropy and the importance of recycling while

raising funds to help children and their families at the

same time. Collect Pop Tabs at home, work, school,

church or in your community organization, then drop

the tabs off at Ronald McDonald House® and we’ll

be happy to recycle them for you. If you live out of

town, you may also recycle the tabs yourself and

donate the proceeds to the House.