Opinion

Working in education is an act of service, plain and simple. It’s one of the most evident things you’ll notice when you walk the halls of any Alpine ISD campus. From the daycare, all the way through to the high school. Teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, administrators, maintenance, and everybody in between all have the same resolve and purpose; to serve the students.

You, the People, should have a voice in how your tax dollars are managed, and in 245 Texas counties, you do. Every four years, you elect someone you trust to manage the county’s funds. If they perform poorly, you fire them at the ballot box.

Sul Ross State University’s campus here in Alpine is beginning to see the successful results of a yearlong marketing campaign aimed at increasing enrollment. The majority of our increase this fall is in our graduate school, the target of the campaign – proof that our efforts are working.

Every morning I drive over “Big Hill” south of town. I’m constantly amazed at the beauty of our county. Sure, places like Jackson, Wyoming, and Moab, Utah are beautiful. But I’ll put our slice of God’s country right up there with the best of them. And when you add in Big Bend National Park ...

Youth Development programs have experienced a paradigm shift over the past several decades. Where many of these programs formally placed a large focus on the treatment and prevention of negative behaviors, now many youth development organizations place a greater emphasis on instilling life and leadership skills as a part of a more robust positive youth development approach. As the largest youth development organization in Texas, reaching over 500,000 youth annually, Texas 4H has also expanded its programming areas to provide opportunities for our growing youth population, however, the organization continues to rely on its foundational elements that lie within program areas such as livestock projects. When you mention 4H to someone unfamiliar with the organization, there is a strong possibility that youth livestock projects are one of the first things that will come to their mind. Why not Robotics, Public Speaking, Performing Arts, Photography, Consumer Education, or any of the other multitudes of project options? The reason for this is that the organization has relied on livestock projects as the backbone of the organization for decades. This is in large part due to the life skills development that can be attributed to participation in livestock exhibitions.

“If you think you’ve seen it all, Stick around.” — Song lyrics by Jason Mraz, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist. This is not a sports column.

Almost 100 Texas schools have filed a lawsuit against Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over changes to the state’s accountability system. Why? Because they contend, TEA is intentionally lowering A-F performance ratings for school districts using unlawful, retroactive tactics.