Michael Robinson |Uvalde Hesperian

Wednesday, September 18th, 2024

Top Picture shared by Rotary Club of Uvalde Member Mayra Vasquez  

 

On Saturday, September 7th, the Rotary Club of Uvalde sponsored its 20th Rotary River Rendezvous Jr. Varsity/Freshman Volleyball Tournament which drew teams from around the area to compete. 

 The tournament  serves as an annual fundraising event for the Uvalde High School Girls’ Volleyball team. This year, the Rotary Club of Uvalde gave $1000 to the school athletic organization in addition to the admission money raised from spectators at the event.  The Club also hosted a hospitality room with food/beverages and snacks for coaches, referees and volunteers during the tournament. 

The monies raised from the tournament help the Uvalde High School Girls Volleyball teams with travel expenses to away games and related costs. 

According to Kevin Ermis, former Rotary Club of Uvalde President, and Club Secretary, the tournament began in 2002 and was the idea of the late Rotarian Stephen Kerbow who was also an avid fan and supporter of Uvalde High School Girls Volleyball. According to Ermis, the tournament was held annually but skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Top Photo: Uvalde CISD Trustee Jacklyn Gonzales speaks to the Uvalde Rotary Club

   Uvalde ISD’s two newly elected board members Jacklyn Gonzales and Jesse Rizo spoke at this week’s Thursday noon Rotary Club of Uvalde meeting  at the Uvalde Country Club where they talked about their experiences as new trustees and also spoke about their respective visions for the district and the challenges the district and the community faces. Superintendent Ashley Chohlis also attended the Rotary Club of Uvalde meeting. 

  Gonzales said that before the election, she was out at the Ssgt. Willie de Leon Civic Center parking lot near where early voting was occuring where she met and spoke with many people including parents, teachers and other citizens and she was moved by the many stories and comments she heard. She also said as a new board member she has a lot to learn and from the start, she has been asking a lot of questions. 

  Rizo spoke and said before being elected, he spoke to the school board members as a citizen many times. Now that he is on the board he sits with several members on the board who were school classmates.   Both Gonzales and Rizo spoke about the desire to foster more transparency within the district. Rizo stated that two years after the May 24th tragedy, it is an opportunity for rebuilding. 

  After the two took turns speaking, Superintendent Chohlis spoke stating attendance is a big challenge the district is going to have to address. She stated that if students are not in their classroom seats, the school does not get the money it needs. Chohlis went on to say that of all the meetings she has had with people upset with the district, all ended on a positive note. 

  In responding to a question about parents sending their children to attend school at other districts, Cholis said the challenge is not only to learn why these students are not going to Uvalde CISD school but also to .provide opportunities for existing Uvalde CISD students to excel and to get the word out on the great things that are happening with the district.

 One attendee at the meeting said that she strongly considered taking her kids out of Uvalde CISD schools and enrolling them with Knippa ISD, but once she sat down face to face with Chohlis to express her concerns, she decided to keep her kids at Uvalde CISD. 

 Chohlis continued by saying she and the district officials want to create more opportunities for parents and the community to communicate directly with them. It seemed like they all agreed that listening to parents and the community is important.

 

 

 

 

 

by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian; Photo credit: Robinson

Rotary Club of Uvalde President Debra McDonald stands with Superintendent Gary Patterson following the club’s weekly meeting where Patterson spoke last week.

   Uvalde CISD Superintendent Gary Patterson spoke at last week’s Rotary Club of Uvalde weekly noon meeting, Thursday, August 31st at the Uvalde Country Club and provided an update on school security, online threats, the new school facility and other topics related to the district. Near the end of his informal presentation to attending Rotarians, he praised returning Uvalde CISD teachers who have stuck with the district through the past year school year and continued to teach this school year as having a lot of grit and determination. He also praised the district’s police officers.

  During his opening remarks he stated he is hopeful that the district’s school safety and projects will be almost complete by the first part of next year.

 “From fencing, to cameras, to a new police force, to the DPS officers that are assisting us, to enhanced fiber networks and  a security operations center, we have done a lot in that area.” Patterson said  He continued by saying that the district has spent about $7 million dollars. He explained nearly 99% of that money has been from special appropriations, grants and gifts citing the $1 million dollars from the Los Vegas Raiders as one of the very first gifts.

  He went on to say the Commissioner’s office has approved his request for $3 1/2 million dollars to finish the projects that we have started.

  Patterson said there is still additional fencing and gates that still need to be installed at Batesville, Dalton and Flores Elementary. 

 A new security project that is a priority for the district is constructing secure vestibules at all campuses which will cost approximately $2 million dollars. He said that in this day and age, new levels of security are needed. 

Other topics Patterson has touched upon included: 

•  Five to six armed officers at every campus
•  All exterior doors on the district’s buildings will be outfitted with a sensor.

   Patterson said, If for some reason if that door does not come back in a locked position, the sensor will send a message to the principal’s office and the security operations center. “When the sensors are in place that will be a valuable asset to us,” he said.

• Social media monitoring systems

  As far as online security threats, Patterson said the District is dealing with two or more a week. He explained that the online threats which are posted online can come from anywhere in the world and all are taken seriously. Also he said the district works with the FBI on these threats to determine if they are credible.

                                                                                                                                                   The New School Facility 

  Patteron said the district is  zeroing in on a groundbreaking date. We are looking at sometime in mid-October for a groundbreaking date.  Security and technology for the school will be cutting-edge.

  He explained the taxpayers in Uvalde will not be out one cent for this 50- 60 million dollar structure that will be funded solely by donations from the State of Texas, the HEB Foundation and many other donations large and small.  HEB and its foundations have donated 12-13 million dollars. 

                                                                                                                                             New Superintendent Search Process

  Patterson stated that the school board has approved going forward with the search process for a new Superintendent. He explained that the search process is a 90 to 120 day process. A decision by the board on a finalist would occur in October or November. He said, due to the process and a waiting period required by law, a new superintendent would not likely be on board until after the holidays at the end of this year. 

“My time is winding down.” Patterson said. 

 

 

 

 

 

  The Rotary Club of Uvalde, a service club composed of a diverse group of volunteer minded business men and women and citizens in the community has recently embarked on a new service project: building a splash pad for families and children of Uvalde. 

  On Thursday, June 27th, the Rotary Club of Uvalde swore in Deborah “Debbie” McDonald as its incoming president for 2023 – 2024 at a special banquet held at the Uvalde Country Club. 

 According to McDonald, cost estimated for the proposed splashpad range from $250K to $550K. “The location has not been fully identified. The City must approve the location first, which will be at a park with utility infrastructure and restroom facilities,” McDonald said. 

 “The splash bucket, a large bucket that spills over when it gets full, is a very popular water toy that the children like. The anticipation of when the “spill” happens brings fun and excitement. Other toys and features spray nozzles, water guns, and a mushroom that rains from its edges are also being considered,” she said.

  Once the splash pad is completed, the feature will be free for families and children to use and enjoy, 

  “I think this is a much needed project in Uvalde and because of the current situation and interest in promoting safe, fun, wholesome activities for our you, I am designating this as Splashpad One, because I think there could be Splashpad, 2, 3 and 4,” McDonald said. 

  The Rotary Clubs of Del Rio and Fredricksberg have built their own respective slash pads for the communities they serve.

                                                              Previous Projects

The Rotary Club of Uvalde built the Rotary Club Amphitheatre, as well as the arched entrance sign leading into Uvalde Memorial Park. 

                         Bingo Fundraiser will start fundraising for the Splash Pad Project.

  On Saturday, July 8th, the Rotary Club of Uvalde will be hosting its first official fundraiser for the splash pad project at the Ssgt. Willie de Leon Civic Center.

 

   Bingo will start at 7 PM with the doors to open at 5:30 PM. Pre-sale tickets for the Bingo can be purchased at Galo Eye Center, Uvalde Chamber Office and Hillcrest Funeral Home.

Pre-sale tickets are $30 and $40 at the door, which include a package of 10 games. Only 550 tickets will be sold. 

Up to $3000 in cash prizes will be awarded.

 

 

 

 Linda Bertuzzi and Cat Brame representing the Las Vegas After Hours Rotary Club visited Uvalde last week  bringing handmade pillows and presenting them to the families of the victims of the Robb School tragedy Thursday afternoon, August 25th at El Progreso Memorial Library.

   Joined by members of the Uvalde Rotary Club, several family members came and were presented each with a custom made pillow with their child’s name.  Each pillow was made with the child’s  favorite colors and had symbols representing the interests of each victim. 

  According to Mayra Vasquez, the President of the Rotary Club of Uvalde, “Despite the downpour, we had 7 mothers of the victims come and pick up the thoughtful gifts,” she wrote in the club’s weekly newsletter: The Spark Plug.

  Roberta Walden, the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Uvalde, provided coffee, cakes and sweets for the reception for the family members arriving to pick up their pillows.

Eyes On Me Advanced Barber College

Candi’s Hair Studio

By Roberta Walden, Uvalde Palooza Music Festival committee

 

Picture : Conjunto Mi Rey | Conjunto Mi Rey  band members will play at 2 p.m. March 19 during the Uvalde Palooza Music Festival.  (l-r) Herman Sarabia, bass guitar and lead vocals; Erick Esquivel, accordion and vocals; Joe Ybarra, bajo quinto and vocals; and Herbie Maldonado, drums. 

 

“I’m going to play it for the rest of my life,” said Del Rio based Conjunto Mi Rey leader Joe Ybarra of the conjunto music he loves.

He says he played in traditional Tejano bands all his life “with horns, keyboards, nine band members: orchestra- like,” but, then, “about ten years ago” he learned to play the ten-string bajo quinto and, along with it, conjunto Tejano. Now it is all he wants to play. 

“All music requires reading the audience to measure how the audience is responding, Ybarra said, “but conjunto Tejano is, to me, more physical and passionate, and it is critical to project that energy to the audience. I love it.”

Ybarra continued, “In addition to the bajo quinto, the accordion is an essential component of this genre, and it is not an easy instrument to learn.” He said that most accordion players learn from family members at a very young age and that playing an accordion is a skill one seems to be born with.

“This music is so much fun,” Ybarra said. “It is a real pay-off when we go play somewhere like the Fiesta in San Antonio and crowds of people on their way somewhere else stop to listen to us.”

Uvaldeans will soon have the chance to share in the fun of Ybarra’s band.

Conjunto Mi Rey is one of the seven eclectic Texas bands booked to play outdoors at the Rotary Amphitheater during the free outdoor portion of the Uvalde Palooza Music Festival. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, March 19. Conjunto Mi Rey takes the stage at 2 p.m. 

Musicians scheduled to play during the free outdoor portion of the  music festival on the 19th are Texas country artists, Morgan Ashley, at 10 a.m., Kay O’Neill, at 11 a.m., and Kathy Bauer with Michael Broussard at noon; the  young rock and roll band, Syphon, at 1 p.m.; Tejano conjunto artists  Conjunto Mi Rey at 2 p.m.; Latina artist, Analiz Mireya y La Kadenzia, at 3 p.m.; and the Tejano band Ambience Caliente at 5 p.m. 

At 4 p.m., there will be a Selena look-alike contest hosted by Radio Station KUVA. The contest will feature a cash prize for first, second, and third place winners.

At 8 p.m., the music festival moves indoors to the Ssgt. Willie De Leon Civic Center when the doors open for a ticketed dance featuring Ricardo Castillon y La Diferenzia.

The Uvalde Palooza music festival is presented by the Rotary Club of Uvalde with event co-sponsors, the City of Uvalde, DKM Enterprises, Galo Eye Care Center, the Uvalde Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Uvalde Memorial Hospital. 

Advance tickets for the  indoor Civic Center dance that evening, featuring Ricardo Castillon y la Diferenzia can be purchased at Eventbrite.com as well as at the Uvalde Convention and Visitors Bureau and Galo Eye Care Center.

For further information about the outdoor music festival, you may text or call vendor chair, Veronica Conoley, at 830-279-8504