INSPIRING PARENTS • MOTIVATING KIDS • CELEBRATING LIFE JANUARY 2010 / parkercountyfamily.com PRICELESS

INSIDE: Music From The Heart / Manners Minute / Discover Parker County / Laying Down The Law

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JANUARY 2010In our 3rd year of ‘Making A Difference’

Publisher & Parent Company . . . . . TinkInkPublications .com

Editor & Founder, Kim Tinkham . .kim@wisefamilytoday .com

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Our Reason For Doing This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YOU!

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Parker County Family is published by Tink Ink Publications, LLC and distributed free of charge through merchants who support our mission of “Inspiring Parents, Motivating Kids, Celebrating Life .” Copy and photographs are welcome and must be submitted by the 20th of the month prior to publication . PCF reserves the right edit, reject or comment editorially on all material contributed . Reproduction in whole or part without express written consent of the Publisher is prohibited .

On The Cover:

In Each Issue:Music From The Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Manners Minute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6Discover Parker County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Laying Down The Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Our Next Issue:FEBRUARY is our “All You Need Is Love” issue. Send in your pictures of yourself with those you love to – pics@parkercountyfamily .com .

Find Doright in the magazine (it’s not easy), email us at Contest@parkercountyfamily .com .You will be entered in a drawing for a prize .

Our November/December Winner was: EDITH MASONPlease contact us for your prize!!

Erin Davis, proudly shot her first buck and a six-point one at that! She is eight years old and in third grade at Vandagriff Elementary in Mrs . Breaux’s class .

Photo sent in by June Lancarte

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Music FroM The hearT By Holly and Russell Hughes

After spending twenty years as a university professor of music, Dr. Holly Hughes moved to Weatherford and founded The Burch School of Music with her husband, Fred Burch. The newest addition to the faculty at the BSM is Holly’s brother, Russell Hughes. The two pianists attended Texas Tech for bachelor and masters degrees, and both were recipients of the Rotary International fellowship to study abroad, where they studied piano at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Holly later earned a doctoral degree from Ball State University, while Russell pursued a career in arts management, before returning to his first love, music. For more information about them and about the Burch School, log onto www.burchschool.com.

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Getting motivated is a pretty easy task once the holiday

rush is behind us and a new year lies ahead. We always look upon a new calendar year with hopeful anticipation for great things to happen, and those things can happen if we take the appropriate initiative. Whether pursuing a new avenue for personal growth or for fun always begs the question – how do I begin? Should I start with small steps or take the “big leap”? You might consider taking the opposite path from your initial response to this question, in order to challenge your comfort zone. Doing so might help you to “get off high center” – one of our grandfather’s favorite phrases. Making a list, telephoning someone for information or simply mentioning your idea to a family member or friend could give you the motivation necessary to move forward. A suggestion

from a colleague or a neighbor might lead to their becoming a partner in your efforts, making the journey alongside you and helping strengthen your resolve to move forward. And don’t forget to ignore the naysayers you may encounter. Their interest is more about preserving their own status quo than preventing your progress. But perhaps motivation isn’t so much the question, as knowing what it is you want in order to make changes in your life. In 1992 Ju l ia Cameron authored a book titled The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. This workbook, still in great demand today, is a workbook designed to help those who desire a more creative existence to shake off their doldrums. Ms. Cameron contends that unblocking our creative self can place us on a path towards a more fulf illing life. Among her recommendations is

a weekly “artist’s date”. It is not a date to be made with others, but a date with only you. You can go to a museum, take a walk through a park, tackle a project that you have been putting aside for months, but is should be something special that you would not normally do. This break in routine and the time for reflection can be both invigorating and illuminating. Of course, this may mean finding a baby sitter, but perhaps you can pair up with another parent and schedule two play dates, over which one of you presides, while the other has an artist’s date. You do not have to be an artist to make this date, but if you do this every week, you may surprise yourself and discover the artist within you! ■

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A goal properly set is halfway reached.Abraham Lincoln

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My name is Ava Bridges and I am two and my goal for 2010 is to sleep in my big girl bed all night! My mommy and daddy are Melissa and Adam Mertz.

GOALS 2010…Peggy Hutton and her sister (Debby) are going to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3 day Walk for Breast Cancer. The walk will be in the metroplex November 5-7, 2010. Each of us will have to raise $2300 to participate. My goal is to raise the $2300 for myself & help my sister to raise her $2300. They will be walking about 20 miles a day for those 3 days.

Lindsay and Kaylie Taylor are looking forward to a great New Year!

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Junior Girl Scout troop #4816 made placemats for the local Meals on Wheels program. Jaime Doremus who is the Parker County Committee on Aging (PCCOA) Meals-On-Wheels Coordinator is shown here with (from l-r) Bridget Stoner, Madeline Stoner, Grayson Pleasant, Grace Comtois, Lillian Mauldin, Maddie Comtois and (not pictured) Samantha Bechthold.

Randi Rovnyak participated in the Coyote Chase Race 2009.

During the month of December, Ikard third grade students learned about Economics in Social Studies. They learned about wants and needs, supply and demand, consumers and producers, and how money works. To enhance the unit, the third grade class hosted a Winter Market Place on Dec. 10-11 so students could gain first-hand experience with this concept. Students in K-6 were able to bring money to school to purchase the items made by the third graders made (prices ranged from 25 cents to $3). All proceeds from these sales went toward the Ikard Cowboy Tree which helps families in need during the holiday season. In all, Ikard’s third graders raised $1,300 at the Winter Market.

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MAnnerS MinuteBy Sharon Pate

Writing Thank-You Notes

Sharon Pate is the director of the Greater Fort Worth Chapter and the Hood County Chapter of the NATIONAL LEAGUE OF JUNIOR COTILLIONS.TM Her program, which targets sixth through eighth graders, builds self-confidence, character, and leadership skills while teaching etiquette, ethics, and social dance. www.nljc.com/chapter/sharon.pate

Christmas is over. Gifts have been unwrapped, played

with, and perhaps put away for safe keeping. It’s time to start writing thank-you notes as a way to repay kindness with kindness. It’s just the right thing to do. Getting my own children to write thank-you notes to their relatives for Christmas gifts was definitely a challenge. It was a battle I often lost because after much prodding and nagging, I finally compromised and let my children personally call their relatives to express their appreciation and gratitude. How I wish I had been more persistent! Now that I’m the grandmother, I cherish

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.William James

the notes my grandchildren have sent me. Unfortunately, it appears that thank-you notes are on the decline, perhaps as a result of our electronic age. Computers are faster, but if the goal is to respond to kindness with a kind word and generosity with expressions of gratitude, a handwritten note is always appreciated by the recipient. A note of thanks can be quite short as long as you express your appreciation for the gift you have received. Sound enthusiastic and be yourself. If you didn’t really like the gift, express your appreciation for the thought and effort that someone spent for your benefit. At a minimum, a thank-you note for a gift should include the following:

Thank the giver for the specific •item you received. Describe what you like about •the gift.Suggest how you are going to •use the gift.Close with a f inal thank-•you sentence or a sentence of appreciat ion for the relationship you have with the giver.

You can get your children to write thank-you notes. Etiquette expert, Letitia Baldridge, says, “If a child forms this habit early, he will carry it through his life, and will find that his good manners will always be one of his greatest assets.” Rarely do children naturally write notes by themselves, so it’s important to start when they are young and enthusiastic about doing ‘grown up’ things. The following are ideas for helping your child enjoy expressing gratitude through notes:

For a young child who can talk •but not write, have him dictate what he likes about the gift as you write the note.Have a young child draw a •picture of the gift and dictate a message for you to add.If your child needs help •creating sentences, have them copy the simple sentences you have written.After your child can write, •take him to pick out his own stationary, pen, and stamps to use on the special day the family has set aside for note writing. Tackle the job together. As •

your child writes his notes, write your own at the same time. Children learn from our example, so it’s important for them to see us expressing our gratitude. Praise each other after each note is written.

Writing thank-you notes is just one way that a child learns to be polite. Expressing appreciation for the generosity of others helps children experience a sense of gratitude in their lives. So, now that Christmas is over, get out the pen and paper, and encourage your children to write their thank-you notes. It’s just the right thing to do!

MANNERS MINUTE:Q: Is it ever too late to write a thank-you note?

A: Though thank-you notes should be written within two or three days of receipt, it is never too late to express our gratitude and appreciation. Instead of apologizing for your tardiness, describe how you have used the gift and how it has blessed your life. Your negligence for NOT writing a thank-you note will be remembered, often for a long time. ■

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Weatherford High School Band Sweetheart Sarah Langston (left) and Band Beau Blake Weaver were announced during halftime of Friday’s varsity football game against Burleson. Both Langston and Weaver are drum majors this year for the Fightin’ Roo Band.

Piano students at the Burch School of Music recently performed in the first of four recitals sponsored by the BSM throughout the school year. The recital was held at Bethel United Methodist Church and a reception followed. Students who performed were Hannah Baker, Joey Cascino, Angie and Tony Casarez, John Dees, Morgan De La Cruz, Hannah Floyd, Julia Hartz, Caleb and Zachary Hughes of Weatherford; Courtney Miller and Jessica Peterson of Peaster; and Tatiana Mohr, Abby and Noah Patty, and Sam Wilhelm of Aledo. An adult student, Donna Perkins of Mineral Wells, also performed.

Millsap High School Band.

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Millsap Elementary Pre-K class plays in the season’s first snow. Little Miss Kelsey Ground lets snowflakes land on her tongue.

Kenidee is 2 yrs old and loves the snow!

Annie Jo McDonald, Richard Bevin, and Nathaniel Thomas enjoying the snow.

Members of the Weatherford High School A Cappella Choir stopped by the District Services Building to sing a few holiday songs to WISD Board members and audience at the Board meeting. The WISD choirs are directed by Pat Banks.

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.Anthony Robbins

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First Monday Trade Days – Jan 1st – 3rd from 8-5PM. Santa Fe & Hwy 180 – First Monday Fairgrounds. Free Event.Bird Walk on the Trailway – January 2nd 9-11AM. Reservations required. Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, Texas. (940)328-1171. Cost: Free - $5.00. Penitentiary Hollow Wild Walk – Jan 2nd & 9th from 2-4 PM. Reservations required. Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, Texas. (940)328-1171. Cost: Free - $5.00. Girls’ Night Out! – Jan 7th from 5-9PM. Theme: Elvis’ Birthday! Historic York Avenue,129 York Avenue, Weatherford, TX (817)594-8088. Free Event.Teen Driver Insurance Talk – Jan 7th at 6:30PM. Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles St., Weatherford, TX (817)598-4150. Free Event.Doss Wrangler Days – Jan 9th from 10-12PM Doss Heritage and Culture Center, 1400 Texas Drive, Weatherford, TX (817)599-6168. Cost: $15 for 12 months of activities for children. Cross Timbers Bird Walk – Jan 9th & 23rd from 9-11AM Reservations required. Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, Texas. (940)328-1171. Cost: Free - $5.00. Sundays at the Doss: Guest speaker Watercolorist V.A. Littleton. Jan 10th from 2-9PM . Doss Heritage and Culture Center, 1400 Texas Drive, Weatherford, TX (817)599-6168.CPR for our Natural Resources – Jan 14th at 6:30PM: Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles St., Weatherford, TX (817)598-4150. Free Event.

Slavery in Parker County – Guest speaker Debbie Liles: Jan 19th at 2PM. Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles St., Weatherford, TX (817)598-4150. Free Event.Doss Exhibits: 100th Anniversary of Boy Scouts, Alamo-Signing of Texas Declaration of Independence, & Vintage Button Exhibit Jan 19th - March 6th ,Tues-Sat 10-5PM & Sun 1-5PM. Doss Heritage and Culture Center, 1400 Texas Drive, Weatherford, TX (817)599-6168. Identity Theft: Jan 26th at 6:30PM: Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles St., Weatherford, TX (817)598-4150. Free Event.First Monday Trade Days – Jan 29th – 31st from 8-5PM. Santa Fe & Hwy 180 – First Monday Fairgrounds. Free Event.Kid’s Wilderness Survival – Jan 30th from 1-4 PM. Reservations required. Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, Texas. (940)328-1171. Cost: Free - $5.00. Fade to Black – Feb 6th. Doors open at 6:30, dinner is at 7 PM & show starts at 7:30. Los Vaqueros West Banquet Hall, 4971 East IH-20, Willow Park, TX. (817) 594-5596 Tickets: $15-$25. Kid’s Wilderness Survival – Feb 13th th from 1-4 PM. Reservations required. Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, Texas. (940)328-1171. Cost: Free - $5.00

For a complete listing of events and happenings in and around Parker County, Texas please visit

www .TheParkerPeach .com .

Donnie Romine (center), CEO of Weatherford Regional Medical Center, presented certificates and prizes to WISD middle school students Treyson Modgling and Chris Buetel who tied for third place in the recent 2009 Weatherford Regional Medical Center Christmas Card Contest. Modgling is a student at Tison Middle School, and Buetel attends Hall Middle School. Each student also received a $100 check from WRMC. Not pictured is second-place winner Erin Propst from Hall Middle School. She received a check for $250 from WRMC.

Weather ford Regional Medical Center C.E.O. Donnie Romine (right) presents Hall Middle School student Emiliano Vences a $500 check and a framed print for winning the WRMC Holiday Card Contest. Vences’ design was represented on this year’s WRMC Christmas Card.

Weatherford High School art winners. Pictured (back, from left) are Anthony Naughan, Brooklyn Berkley, Charlsie Rossander, Kasey Dawson, Sadie Burt, and Taylor Mathison; (front) Justyn Day, Aaron Bustamante, Shawn Houlihan. not pictured are Barbara Swyryn and Eric Reeves.

The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.

Brian Tracy

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LAyinG DOwn the LAw By Timothy J. Mendolia

Obscure and Quirkly Laws in Texas

TIMOTHY J. MENDOLIA is managing partner of Mayo Mendolia & Starr, LLP, 5189 E. I-20, North Service Road, Suite 104, Willow Park, Texas.

We have all heard strange or quirky or obscure laws

referred to from time to time here and there. Well, I thought it would be interesting to review Texas law for some of those, and here is what I found. Did you know you must acknowledge a supreme being before being able to hold public office in Texas? There’s a separation of church and state argument for you. Now this one makes sense. It is illegal to sell one’s body parts (i.e., eyes, organs, etc.) This may cause a conundrum on the railroad tracks. When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither

shall proceed until the other has gone!? I know some dairy farmers in the area might be interested to know that it is illegal to milk another person’s cow. A recently passed anti-crime law requires criminals to give their victims twenty-four hours notice, either verbally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed. Hmmm. For al l parents trying to promote the education of their children, please keep in mind that the entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas due to it containing a formula to make beer at home. Now, as you travel around our great state, you may want to consider the following city ordinances and laws. In Abilene, it is illegal to sit idle or loiter anyplace within the city limits for the purpose of flirting. While in Austin, you are prohibited from carrying wire cutters in your pocket. In Borger, it is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips, riding crops or quirts, and explosive f irecrackers of any kind. Isn’t that a strange grouping of items? And in Clarendon, it is illegal to

dust any public building with a feather duster. What is it with the feather dusters? While in El Paso, please remember it is illegal to appear in public in a Alewd dress.@ Just in case you were planning on it. Also, churches, hotels, halls of assembly, stores, markets, banks, railroad stations and saloons are required to provide spittoons Aof a kind and number@ to efficiently contain all expectorations. Who travels to Galveston reg u la r ly? Remember on your next trip to the beach in Galveston, you must not drive a motor car down Broadway before noon on Sundays, and please remember that offensive gestures at special events are prohibited. Also, bicycles are to be operated at a reasonable speed. Now it gets interesting, one needs permission from the director of parks and recreation before getting drunk in any city park, and you can be fined up to $500 for sitting on a sidewalk. Please also keep in mind, you cannot throw trash from an airplane nor land that airplane on the beach, and for you model plane buffs, you cannot inhale fumes from model glue. That creates a quandary, huh? For our Houston travelers, please keep in mind, it is illegal

to sell Limburger cheese on Sundays and beer may not be purchased after midnight on Sunday but may be purchased on Monday!? Hmmm. In Mesquite, it is illegal for children to have unusual haircuts. So what is usual? Now this law makes sense. You are prohibited from emitting obnoxious odors while in an elevator in Port Author. Words to live by. A warning to male drivers in Richardson, U-turns are illegal. So, do not get lost, I guess. Everyone goes to San Antonio sooner or later, right!? Well, if you do, keep in mind while on the river walk or anywhere in the city for that matter, you are prohibited to flirt or respond to flirtation using your eyes and/or hands. Obviously, none of you are not planning on stealing a cow, but keep in mind, in Temple, cattle thieves can be hanged on the spot. And appropriately we will end our review of obscure and quirky laws of our great State and its cities with a little know law in Texarkana which prohibits the riding of horses at night without tail lights. Happy tail-lit Trails to all. ■

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Wishing Parker County a safe and very prosperous New Year!

Millsap elementary students listening to a high school band concert.

Congratulations to sixth grade student Crystal Daniel of Seguin Elementar y for winning the wreath raffle in Mrs. Velliquette’s FAS class.

Austin Elementary four th graders contributed about 650 canned and packaged good s fo r t h e M anna Storehouse. Teachers and students voted to donate these goods to the food bank. Also, teachers emphasized that the spirit of the holidays is to give – not just to receive. Students decided to donate to the food bank rather than exchanging gifts in their classrooms. Since the students surpassed their goal of two cans per child, teachers decided to give the entire fourth grade class a popcorn party.

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TWO AHS TEENS QUALIFY FOR MUSEUM ART PROJECT

Aledo High School sophomore Nina Davis and junior Jenna Bastian have qualified for the Teen-Art Project, an educational outreach program of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Only 22 students are accepted into the scholarship-based program each year. Of the five that applied from AHS, Nina and Jenna both impressed judges with their drawing skills, which led to their acceptance into the program. The Modern’s Teen-Artist Project pairs teenagers with artists as teachers. Throughout the program, students learn about modern and contemporary art in the galleries, work on related art projects in the museum studio, visit local museums and galleries, and develop an art exhibition. Art Teacher Sandra Sawyer said, “These two students are already exceptional artists in their own right, and should find the Teen-Artist Project both challenging and rewarding. Both also are eager to learn, and I felt this was a great program for them to see all kinds of art and artists. I am so very proud for them.” Program participants spend Sundays through April working with five different artists to learn and develop art skills. Nina intends to use her talents in conceptual art and hopes to eventually develop video games through graphic design. Jenna plans to pursue a career in aerospace engineering with a goal of designing aircraft. ■

FALL PIANO FESTIVAL HELDThe Weatherford Music Teachers’ Association hosted its annual Fall Piano Festival at Weatherford College. There were fourteen local teachers who prepared students in over 200 performances of either piano solos, hymn playing, or both. Students from Weatherford, Aledo, Granbury, Mineral Wells, Lipan, Tolar, Peaster, and Saginaw participated in the event. Two students received a Superior Plus rating in both the Solo Festival and the Hymn Festival: Angela Antoine, a student of Kriszta Kovacs-Tubbs, and Jeremiah Carlson, a student of Elizabeth Wynne. There were 38 other Superior Plus ratings, and these students were invited to perform on an Honor Recital to receive their trophies. Students who earned a Superior or a Superior Minus rating received a blue ribbon and a medal, and there were 128 students with this accomplishment. There were 27 students who received an Excellent rating, and two received a Good rating. Teachers who prepared the students for this event were Paul Andrews, Stacy Andrews, Kathy Briggs, Leah Flippin, Kathryn Hamilton, Holly Hughes, Russell Hughes, Glenna O’Dell, Marialice Parish, Donna Perkins, Susan Wester, Kriszta Kovacs Tubbs, Emily Wynne and Elizabeth Wynne. ■

Nina Davis and Jenna Bastian

Front row from left: Sydney Hargrove and Matthew Flippin.Second row: Joey Cascino, Hannah Flippin, Sajan Babu

and Brady CoatesThird row: Elizabeth Ramsey, Amber Helm, Cole McKinney,

Angela Antoine, and Daniel Antoine

Front row from left. Ashlee Brookshire, Brody Westbrook, Mattie Dukes, Tristan Tillman.

Second row: Jeremiah Carlson, Taylor Brrokshire, Daniel Paulukaitis, John Thomas Baker,

Brendan Tillman, and Jaelle Carlson.Third row: Cavyn Smith, Gabrielle Bruner, James Spencer, Tyler Brown, Anna Geyer,

and Harrison Tillman.

To be come fully alive a person must have goals and aims that transcend himself.

Herbert A. Otto

www.parkercountyfamily.com • 888.878.8465  13

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of all FAS students who raised approximately $500 worth of gifts that were donated to the

“Stuff the Bus” program.

The Academy of Korean Martial Arts formed a competition team, SWAT, Special Weatherford Academy of Taekwondo. Six of the team members competed in the

DFW International Taekwondo Championship at Carrollton, Texas and took home Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals:

Standing from RIGHT to LEFT:

12 yrs old Red Belt JESS BROCKMAN, won Silver Medal in sparring (gyoroogi) division and Bronze Medal in

forms (poomse) division11 yrs old Yellow Belt BLAKE CONNOLLY, won Bronze

Medals both in the forms and sparring divisions11 yrs old White with Yellow Stripe Belt MIGUEL YANEZ,

won Gold Medals both in the forms and sparring divisions

Kneeling down from LEFT to RIGHT:

7 yrs old Yellow Belt, ELI ROGERS, won Gold Medal in forms div. and Silver Medal in sparring div.

8 yrs old Yellow Belt, DRAKE ROGERS, won Gold Medal in sparring div. and Silver Medal in forms div.

10 yrs old White with Yellow Stripe Belt HUGO YANEZ, won Silver Medal in sparring div. and

Bronze Medal in forms div.

Vandagriff Elementary 4th-grade students learned about different sizes and shapes of eggs, and whether they come from animals, reptiles, etc. It was the most recent in a series of distance-learning opportunities at Vandagriff.

Fifth and sixth grade Quest students at Wright Elementary pose as a living wax museum in Mrs. Ferrell’s class. The class was studying the Roaring Twenties, and each student chose a person or event to portray for the day.

Justin Coburn and Shelby King

14  www.parkercountyfamily.com • 888.878.8465

Millsap High School Band performs for their adoring fans.

WHS senior Madison Walker was recognized at the Dec. 10 WISD School Board meeting for being selected as a member of the 2010 All-State Dance Team and will attend the state convention Jan. 6-9 in Houston. Walker is currently the WHS Blue Belles Captain, where she has been a member of the Belles for four years. She has won numerous awards as a Belle including “Most Outstanding Freshman,” “Best Off icer,” “Most Outstanding Sophomore,” “Belle of the Week,” “Extreme Dancer,” and “Kick Club.” She also served as a Sophomore and Junior Lieutenant. She is a member of the National Honor Society. At Tison Middle School, Walker was an All-Star for two years and served as officer her eighth grade year. Pictured with Walker is WISD Board Secretary Paul Paschall.

Congratulations to Makenna Kemmet (bottom right) and Ryne Dingler for earning top honors at the recent Geography Bee at Wright Elementary School. Kemmet placed first at the competition, and Dingler took second. Also pictured are Wright Elementary Principal Andy Pool (top left) and Texas State Board of Education member and WISD Generalist Pat Hardy.

Crockett Elementary Librarian Elaine Abdur-Razzaaq (right)

hosts the second-annual Latte in the Library for all students.

Also pictured are third graders

enjoying a good book.

Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals

and win big success.David J. Schwartz