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Former DISD student Harper Parson earns highest honor degree achievable in National FFA, the American FFA Degree

Devine High School FFA Advisors Adrianna Segura and Chad Saunders congratulate Harper Parson on his American FFA Degree.

Harper C. Parson, class of 2023 Devine High School Salutatorian is the first Devine FFA member in over a decade to earn the coveted American FFA Degree; Harper has set a new standard of excellence within his chapter and community obtaining the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization.
The gold standard. The American FFA Degree shows an FFA member’s dedication to his or her chapter and state FFA association. It demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA career. American FFA Degree recipients show promise for the future and have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence.
Harper is currently a member of Texas A&M University class of 2027. He is pursuing a Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Economics and Political Science with the ultimate goal of becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. While attending college he competes with Fightin’ Texas Aggies Meat Judging Team ‘25 (FTAMJ ‘25), is a TAMU Animal Science Ambassador and was recently named the…

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Silent Night, Hold on Tight

 “The Herdmans moved from grade to grade through the Woodrow Wilson School like those South American fish that strip your bones clean in three minutes flat…which was just about what they did to one teacher after another.” book quote

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

 I like Christmas movies (and books).  There are few holiday traditions more enjoyable (after ingesting gluttonous portions of turkey, or ham, with all the trimmings, including fudge), than plopping the family down on the couch (surrounded by dogs) and watching a good Christmas movie.  I’ve written about Christmas movies before.  Older movies are the best.  Family favorites include the following:  White Christmas (1954 – starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, & Vera Ellen – this is the classic Christmas movie), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946 – starring Jimmy Stewart & Donna Reed – Frank Capra’s gem - one of the greatest films of all time), A Christmas Story (2012 – with Peter Billingsly as nine-year-old BB gun loving Ralphie), Home Alone (1990 – with Macauly Culkin defending his suburban home from nincompoop burglars), Elf (2003 – featuring hilarious Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf), Die Hard (1988 – a wonderful Bruce Willis feel-good movie), and Christmas Vacation (1989 – with Chevy Chase leading the side-splitting fun).  All of these movies I would include on my must-see holiday playlist.  
 This week I have a new movie to add to our list – The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  This film is the latest project from Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen TV series.  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on the brilliantly written book of the same name by Barbara Robinson.  I think this movie is destined to become a classic.  Another movie was made in 1983 (same title), but this one (the 2024 version) is much better.  It is playing in theaters now – go see it!
 The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever tells the gut-busting story of the Herdmans (“the worst kids in the history of the world”) and their involvement in their town’s annual celebrated Christmas pageant.   
 The story is told through the narration of young Beth Bradley.  Beth’s mother Grace is drafted to direct the pageant after an unfortunate debilitating accident lands the busybody current director in the hospital with two broken legs.  Grace has big shoes to fill, which is even more trying because this year’s performance marks the much-anticipated pageant’s 75th anniversary.  Matters soon become complicated by the arrival of the dreaded Herdmans.
 The Herdmans are feral children who are used to terrorizing the town.  With absent parents, they roam the streets and schoolyard menacing all they meet.  They lie and steal and talk dirty and hit little kids and start fires.  They are just so awful Beth says that “you could hardly believe they were real – six skinny, stringy-haired kids all alike except for being different sizes and having different black-and-blue places where they had clonked each other.”  
 After a careless reference by Beth’s younger brother Charlie about all of the delicious treats available at the church for free, the Herdmans drop in one Sunday to graze, searching for snacks.        Coincidentally, their arrival corresponds with tryouts for the annual Christmas pageant.  Imogene Herdman, the cigar-smoking oldest sister of the family, decides that she wants to play the part of Jesus’ mother Mary, and the pageant slides downhill from there.  “I’ve got the baby here,” Imogene barks at the Wise Men.  “Don’t touch him!  I named him Jesus.”
 With meddling neighborhood moms stoking revolt behind the scenes, and the cantankerous Herdmans front and center, the story rolls on with hilarity.  
 The movie does a very good job of illuminating the true message of Christmas without being too “churchy.”  The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.  And that’s the whole point.  As Grace tells Beth, “Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as He was for us.”  
 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a solidly entertaining movie that deserves a place in the holiday movie classics hall of fame.  I recommend you drag your family out of the house and go see it.  Merry Christmas!

© 2024 Jody Dyer
typewriterweekly.com

Arabians beat Carrizo Springs, Pleasanton

Arabian Dani Gutierrez playing defense

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Arabians picked up a couple of District 27-4A victories last week to improve to 3-0 in the first round of action. They defeated Carrizo Springs 57-36 on Tuesday before downing Pleasanton 67-49 last Friday.
Led by Natalie Valle’s 25 points, including hitting all five of Devine’s successful three-pointer attempts, the Arabians defeated Carrizo Springs in the first official game on Sessions Court inside the DSAC on December 17.
Devine continued building upon an early 17-7 lead as they smacked the Cats for 17 additional hair-raising points in the second quarter to take a 34-13 lead into the break.
Valle’s first basket was a two-point shot then nailed three threes to give her 11 first-quarter points. She also made a shot beyond the arc in the second and fourth quarter.
Kenadi Marek was solid as well as she scored 8 of her 11 points in the middle two periods while Maddie DuBose chipped in 8 points.
Kyle Monreal scored all of her 6 points in the first half, Maddie De La Garza put in her 4 points in the fourth quarter, and recently named TABC All-State Volleyball player Airyanna Rodriguez hit 75% from the charity stripe for her 3 points.
Oakley Malone, Lynn Lawler, Jilliyn Guajardo, Dani Gutierrez, and Kyrie DuBose also contributed in their team’s 19-point lopsided victory.
Stats were not available for the Arabian’s 18-point win in the Pleasanton game.

Life on JV hoops is a learning experience

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The JV Horses have not had the opportunity to play as many games a week as their varsity brethren over the last couple of weeks. While the varsity was playing tournaments in Decatur and Yorktown, the JV sat idle waiting on district to guarantee their games happening every Tuesday and Friday…well, at least after the Christmas break anyway.
JV and assistant varsity coach Zac Valenzuela understands the trials and tribulations of being a “sub-varsity” player in basketball, especially in Devine where hoop expectations are always high regardless level of competition.
“Playing sub-varsity basketball for Devine is tough,” Valenzuela stated after tough games versus Bandera and Davenport. “We appreciate that so many student-athletes tryout, but we can only keep so many on each of the teams.”
Early game times, small crowds, and most of the time hitting the court without cheerleaders pumping up the people who are in the gym makes it a daunting task at times to keep even those that make the squad.
“Even after we make cuts to get a manageable number of players to practice and play games with, some who survive tryouts often wind up cutting…

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Natalia HS Boys Basketball Game Recaps

12/17-12/20/2024

By Coach Justin Welsh
Varsity Boys Basketball @ Jourdanton – 12/17/2024
The Mustangs hit the road Tuesday to face the Jourdanton Indians in the District 28-3A opener. A slow start on both ends of the floor put the Mustangs in an early hole, as the Indians came out firing on all cylinders. Jourdanton outscored the Mustangs 14-6 in the first quarter, with Dominic San Miguel contributing 4 points and David Rodriguez adding 2 for the Mustangs.
The second quarter saw a surge in offensive production for the Mustangs. After falling behind 25-12 with 4:50 remaining, the team responded with a 14-2 run sparked by San Miguel, Rodriguez, and Peyton Alderete. This rally trimmed the deficit to just 3 points, 27-24. However, the Indians closed the half strong, extending their lead back to 9 points at 35-26.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams finding success offensively. Alderete led the Mustangs with 9 points in the quarter, including two clutch three-pointers. Despite their efforts, Jourdanton slightly edged the Mustangs in the period, taking a 54-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, the Mustangs found themselves trailing by as many as 13 points but refused to back down. A three-pointer by San Miguel narrowed the gap to 10 with 3:38 remaining. With two minutes left, the Mustangs turned up their defensive intensity, forcing…

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Warhorses open District 27-4A

66-59 road win in Pleasanton
Ray, Davis, M. Beaver combine for 57 points

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The first and fourth quarters were huge for Devine in their District 27-4A road opener in Pleasanton last Friday afternoon. The Horses shot a combined 15 of 28 (54%) from the floor in those bookend periods that helped secure their 66-59 victory over the Eagles.
Karson Ray had a monster game for Devine as he smacked down 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Tanner Davis also came up big, getting a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards and Mason Beaver tacked on another 13 points and dished out 7 assists.
Ray’sean Beaver has been dealing dimes all year long and this night was no different as he finished with 7 assists. Christian Beaver cleaned the glass for 10 rebounds, gathering 5 on each end of the court.
As good as Devine was from close range (25 of 50 for 50%), they were just the opposite from beyond the arc as they connected on only 2 of 19 attempts (11%).
Stats
Karson Ray 26 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Tanner Davis 18 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots; Mason Beaver 13 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 deflection, 1 steal; Gavin Williamson 5 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal; Ray’sean Beaver 4 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 deflections; Christian Beaver 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 deflections; Cecilio De La Garza 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Yes, Santa, there is a JV Arabian hoop team

Devine downs Lady Cats 44-21 to open district

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Thank you, Nancy Martin, for sending in pictures of the scorebook in the Arabian JV team’s 44-21 victory over visiting Carrizo Springs on December 17.
Karsyn Mann made nine field goals and was a perfect 3 for 3 at the free throw line to lead her team with 21 points. Nine of those 21 accounted for all of Devine’s first quarter points in their taking of a 9-1 lead early in the game.
Caroline Suhr added 7 points, including a three-pointer in the second quarter. Calleigh Schneider scored 4 of her 6 points in the second quarter while Greeley Malone scored 4 of her 6 points in the fourth quarter.
Lilly Owen and Payton Appling each added 2 points and Ariel Ottinger contributed in ways other than in the scoring column.

Forensic auditexplored by ESD2 in Devine VFD missing money

By Anton Riecher
Medina County Emergency Services District No. 2 is seeking proposals from auditing firms to conduct a “forensic audit” of the Devine VFD’s financial records following the arrest of Devine Volunteer Fire Department office administrator Heather Schultz on a charge of tampering with evidence.
The arrest amounted to an controversial “elephant in the room” for the MCESD2 commissioners during the Dec. 17 meeting at the fire station – an obviously contentious issue that no one was comfortable discussing.
“Obviously, we have to be very careful about what we say here,” board president Todd Summers said.
Schultz, who served as an office administrator and accounts manager, went unnamed during the portion of the meeting open to the public. The meeting concluded with a closed executive session at which Devine VFD Chief Greg Atkinson present along with two other firemen.
“If the fire chief decides he has additional information he wants to share with us, being that it is personnel, we’ll have to go into executive session for him to share that with us,” Summers said.
A forensic audit is a detailed examination of financial records intended to identify any potential fraud, misconduct or other irregularities.
On a motion by board commissioner Kenneth Nighswander, seconded by Jerry Lee Stevens, the board voted unanimously to move ahead with the forensic audit. Summers said the audit was necessary “especially in light of what has been going on.”
“One of the things we have to determine is what funds were touched,” he said.
Schultz was arrested by the Medina County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 5 after a search warrant was executed for her home, authorities report. The sheriff’s office is working with the county Criminal District Attorney office in the investigation.
According to Sheriff Randy Brown, Devine VFD chief Greg Atkinson reported monies missing several weeks before the arrest.
Atkinson told MCESD2 commissioners that he could not deliver the routine Devine VFD financial report presented at monthly board meetings.

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Who would like to “adopt” Heart Gallery kid’s for January?

By Kayleen Holder- We still need several more businesses and churches to come on board. So far signed up to display Heart Gallery photos in January, we have: Charlie’s Daughter On the Green Restaurant, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Mag’s Place, The Devine News, Alamo Truck, Napa, Chayito’s, and ???? Please let us know if you can display 2 or 3 or maybe even 5 or 6 of the 30 photos featuring children who are in complete care of the state of Texas, and need adoptive homes. Being featured in a heart gallery increases their chances of being adopted by 60% according to statistics!!!!

We also want to say a Huge THANK YOU to all of the churches, businesses, and organizations for who have been displaying photos this past December! Y’all are the best!!! See page 3 for more info if you want to help with this important effort!