A new teacher group orientation meeting for new Albany ISD staff members took place yesterday, Aug. 8 at the elementary school.

The orientation was used to introduce the new employees to the administrators and administrative staff, cover district policies and procedures, and campus rules and regulations. 

Information about available local resources and some technology training was also covered in the group orientation setting.

There are five new classroom teachers plus several support staff members.

Three water fountains, one each at the elementary school, the junior high, and the high school, have recently been replaced with water bottle filling stations, according to school nurse Lisa Russell.

“We are so excited about our three new water bottle filling stations,” the nurse said. “They have refrigerated, filtered water and are great for flu season and throughout the year to keep our students and faculty hydrated. I cannot wait for the kids to see these when they return to school!”

Four local 4-H members participated in the Multi-County 4-H Food and Nutrition Camp held in Abilene last week, with the Taylor County AgriLife Extension Service hosting the event.

Paisley Clark, Myleigh Leveridge, Riley Reames, and Sidney Russell joined other 4-Hers from Callahan and Taylor counties for the two-day camp.

Shackelford County extension agent Michaela Bradford said that the participants learned about various topics ranging from why fruit turns brown to why popcorn pops.

The final two Old Jail Art Center sponsored children’s summer camps take place in the next week, with limits expected to be reached for both classes.

Eighth through 12th graders will participate in the Cell Series Teen Workshop on Friday, Aug. 10. There were a couple of spots available as of press time.

Those attending the class from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. will use a variety of media to create artwork inspired by current Cell Series artist Helen Altman, according to education director Erin Whitmore.

Lunch will be provided.

Recycled Art

The next star gazing  party at Fort Griffin State Historic Site will give participants a great opportunity to view the Perseids meteor shower, which will peak the very next night.

The staff will host the August Stars & Skies of Texas event this Saturday night, Aug. 11, starting at 8:30 p.m. 

There are also several other events offering this weekend during the daytime hours.

Stars & Skies

The local fire departments have been busy with several calls over the past week, including two that required some special skills.

A propane tank fire at an oil lease on the Nail Ranch last Wednesday, Aug. 1 was extinguished without much incident because the pop-out valve had already blown out by the time firemen began working at the scene.

Members of both the city department and rural department answered the call, according to Albany VFD Fire Chief Kyle Tischler.

Students who still need school physicals can make an appointment with one of two local clinics.

Both the Shackelford County Health Clinic and  ResourceCare charge $25 for a school physical.

There have been times in the past when the physicals have been offered free of charge by both clinics, but since most students were present for their physicals when they were offered at the school in May, there will be a $25 fee.

Also, appointments need to be made at both clinics.

Plans are underway for the Albany Golf Club’s traditional Labor Day tournament set for Sept. 1-2 at the local course. 

Registration for  the two-person scramble was officially opened after a Monday night board meeting held to finalize plans.

Participants in the tourney will tee off at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1, after which teams will be flighted for Sunday’s rounds.

An entry of $80 per person, or $180 per team, includes one mulligan per player for each day of play. The entry fee also covers a meal on Saturday evening.

Albany’s Kami Norton was one of three women across the country to be named as a Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in NCAA Div. II Track and Field, a first for any female athlete at Angelo State University in San Angelo.

Selected from a field of 405 female athletes across the country, Norton was joined by Alicja Konieczek of Western State Colorado University and Caroline Kurgart of the University of Alaska at Anchorage.

The Moran Independent School District is fully staffed for the upcoming year, according to superintendent Danny Freeman.

“We just finished our hiring for this school year,” said Freeman last week. “Teacher in-service will begin Aug. 10 for all new staff, and Aug. 13 for everyone else.”

Staff Changes 

at Moran ISD

Several new faces will be at Moran this year, including teachers, coaches, and members of the support staff.