(December 8, 2013) Like most men, I avoid shopping sprees, sales, or any outing that calls for hours of store after store and rack after rack of browsing, and after 20 years of marriage, Angie and I have an understanding; I don’t go on shopping trips and she doesn’t watch ballgames (unless it’s our kids […]
(ROCKWALL – October 25, 2013) In July 2013, 83-year-old Marion Albright, affectionately called “GG,” finally said, “It’s time.” The life-long resident of Lawton, Oklahoma meant that she was ready to move to Rockwall,Texas. The time had come for her to be near her daughter, granddaughter and great-grandchildren. GG relocated to a brand new retirement community, […]
(Rockwall) October 24, 2013 – Gene looked like a Halloween costume, and when he stole that jack-o-lantern off some folk’s porch, they just stared; didn’t blink an eye. The gag must’ve seemed like part of his getup, like it made sense for someone so odd to run down the street with a flaming pumpkin. I […]
(ROCKWALL – Sept. 18, 2013) A Goliath Catfish has been spotted in Rockwall. Not a mysterious Chernobyl-grown, bottom feeder or a freakishly big Flathead, but the young adult novel penned by Rockwall teacher and coach, Scott Gill. Goliath Catfish is set in 1940’s Memphis and tells the story of Albert McClune, a big kid who longs […]
(Garland ISD) July 17, 2013 – Last week, Coyle Middle School’s Jim Manley was named one of eight finalists for the 2013 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Commissioner of Education Michael Williams announced the honorees, who were selected for innovative teaching methods that bring learning to life in the classroom. […]
June 27, 2013 – Christy busted in my classroom too excited for schoolwork. Paris would be her summer destination. “Paris,Texas?” I asked. “Paris, France, Coach,” she giggled – although to me, Paris, Texas, sounded pretty good. The class erupted in vacation plans: Brittany was visiting her family’s beach house in Galveston while Charlie would deep-sea […]
(Rockwall) June 23, 2013 – My students clamored for summer break, having whined and begged for free days once Christmas ended (an exercise in futility… I give no free days, ever). After a year of higher standards, grueling tests and lackluster results, this class cleaned out their locker, turned in lingering assignments, and became freshman—another […]
(May 5, 2013) When my firstborn entered this world, he was sick, and as I stood over that Plexiglas baby bed, breathing tubes and wires and IV’s all braided around him, I was scared, devoid of answers. Now, he’s 18 and soon to be heading off to college with a myriad more questions floating before […]
When my dad was a kid, his family was desperately poor, so poor that my grandmother secretly changed his birth certificate so he could work a year early. He found a job as a delivery boy for a small drugstore and every morning (in the summer) that middle-schooler peddled his bike down gravel roads for […]
As Director of Emergency Assistance and Referral at Rockwall County Helping Hands, Sherry Hamm is passionate about faith, family and helping those in need. Her humble demeanor is one reason a Blue Ribbon News reader nominated this “phenomenal lady and amazing role model” for our Good People profile series. After devoting 24 years to teaching […]