Category: Events

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Labeling your address on your mailbox is critically important. In life-threatening emergencies, police, fire trucks, and ambulances waste precious minutes searching for unmarked homes. Clear numbers let crews find you fast.
“The street number and your name is not needed on the mail box,” said Russell Johnson of Natalia Volunteer Fire Department. “People really need to make sure their address is posted along the road in big, reflective letters…Sometimes it is so cluttered with the address and street name on the same mail box and they are such small letters.”
According to 911Ready, letters should be at least 3 inches tall to be clearly visible.
Devine Fire Departments Batallion Chief Beau Powers echoes that concern.
“Lack of either numerics on mailboxes or painted curbside can cause delays in response…Having your street number labeled can ensure a fast response from Fire or EMS.”
Bigfoot Lieutenant Denise Woody also commented on the matter.
“We always tell people if we can’t find you, we can’t help you,” Woody said. “Please put big numbers that can be seen day and night on a fence or post or something that’s near the road on the same side of the road as the address, not across the street on a mailbox.”
“Houses that are…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Seven students received their high school diplomas Monday night, August 17 from Devine ISD through the Devine Learning Academy. DLA is a program designed to support young students that weren’t able to complete high school due to missing a few credits, serving as a chance to finish.
Opening the ceremony were the graduates as they made their entrance, proceeded by the national anthem, pledge of allegiance from Mr. Tristan Canales, and a prayer and speech from Miss Jozelyn Costilla.
Jodi Dziernowski, DAEP principal, spoke at the ceremony, commending the resilience and drive of the graduating class.
“Every student here has a story−a story of challenges, of setbacks, of days that felt too heavy…and yet you showed up anyway. You kept going,” Dziernowski said. She reminded the graduates of the long journey they still have ahead of them. More importantly though, Mrs. Dziernowski spoke to the confidence that all seven of these individuals deserve to walk out with, knowing they are capable of doing hard things.
As they step into the next chapter of their lives, each will pursue their own career paths. Some of the paths these individuals plan on taking are going to school for wound care, culinary arts, joining the marines, working construction and working at Mil Veranos Vineyard.
Mrs. Nancy Pepper, respective members of the Devine ISD school board and Superintendent Dr. Todd Grandjean – “I certify that the Summer of 2026 graduating students of Devine Learning Academy has met the graduation requirements as mandated in board policy and the state of Texas to participate in this commencement ceremony.”
Graduated with their high school diplomas were:
TRISTAN CANALES – son of David Canales and Sherilyn Fuentes Quail Energy
JOZELYNN REY COSTILLA – daughter of Jessica Contreas and the late Quentin Rodriguez
JOEL ESPITIA – son of Socorro Bentancourt and Andres Espitia
RUSSELL DUANE ORBAN – son of Roger Orban and Andrea Caldwell
ISABELLA MICHELLE RAMOS SILVA – daughter of Mr. Quirino Ramos and Michelle Silva
MATTHEW RIOJAS – son of Stephanie LaFond and Jason Riojas and grandson of Scott and Chris LaFond and Brian and Diane Casper
LUCAS SHANE RODRIGUEZ – son of Brenda Espinoza and the late Luciano

The 1976 Devine High School Class will be celebrating its 50th year at Homecoming this fall on October 16th and 17th 2026. The Devine Ex- Student / Teacher Association (DExSTA) will be honoring the 50th year class. The weekend will start with the High School Homecoming football game. The Honor class will have special seating and will be recognized on the track at half time. The Class will then meet at Chayitos Mexican Restaurant for dinner and fellowship.
Saturday will be the DExSTA Homecoming meeting. The Class of 1976 will have designated seating and be recognized. There will be a Class of 76 Display as well as a Memory Board and memorabilia.
The Class of 1976 was the Bi-Centennial Class known as the Spirit of 76. We are blessed to celebrate our 50th class reunion with the 250th anniversary of our constitution.
Saturday evening the Class will meet at Triple C Restaurant for dinner and slide show and door prizes while we share memories and enjoy reconnecting with classmates.
Information can be directed to Cynthia Whitaker Sultenfuss 830-879-4504, Karen Howard Muennink 830- 426-1637, Julie Hope 210-215-5322 or Cindy Magnus Taylor 830-426-9113
Also information is posted on facebook at Devine Class of 1976 and Friends.

“Equipping all generations to impact lives for Christ. ” For the past 144 years, more than seven generations, the First Baptist Church of Devine has been serving the citizens of Devine and the surrounding area by preaching the Word, caring for its members and caring for the community. By leading in projects like Mission Devine, food distribution, establishing new missions, sponsoring new churches in other communities, sending out missionaries across the nation and world, sending youth to camps and hosting Vacation Bible School, FBC Devine has strived to show and share the love of God. We have been doing this for the last 144 years, and are looking forward to the next 144.
Just as the rest of Texas is experiencing dynamic growth as the rest of the nation realizes the advantages of being a Texan, Devine is also growing as more homes and housing developments are being built every day as more people are discovering the advantages of living in a small town where people know and love each other.
Our present sanctuary, the one that many of you grew up in, was built in 1952, right after the end of World War II. Structurally it is very sound, but many of the building codes for wiring, plumbing, fire safety, handicapped accessibility, etc. that we all expect in our public places today did not exist back then.
In 1952, air conditioning was very new, being mostly evaporative cooling, and modern insulation was just being invented. The air conditioning ductwork for the sanctuary has long since rusted and rotted away until we are basically cooling the attic before we get any cool air down into the congregation. This along with inadequate…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

We are excited to announce all readers who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Participants were required to record 300 minutes (5 hours) of reading time per log. A total of 458 reading logs were turned in by 109 readers for a total of 2,290 hours of summer reading. This was a 40% increase over last year’s numbers. Participants earned tickets for a chance to win one of the 31 prizes we offered as incentives. For extra chances to win they could turn in up to 3 book reviews worth 1 ticket each. A total of 33 book reviews were submitted. Twenty-two (22) of our little people, birth to 4 yrs, turned a total of 64 reading cards and were able to choose prizes from our treasure chest.
The Reading Challenge is divided into 3 levels with medals being given for the highest level completed. The following are the participants and the number of logs and hours turned in:
Gold Medal Winners (24) – each of these participants turned in the maximum number of logs for a total of 40 hrs of reading:
Sophia Clavey, Macy Gierisch, Naomi Gomez, Tiffani Gregory, Vivian Gregory, Khaleesi Hernandez, Isaiah Herrera, Jett Perez, Madison Purchis, Andreas Sanchez, Niyeli Sanchez, Brooke Shipman, Hunter Shipman, Tristan Shipman, Liv Silva, James Solomon, Jason Solomon, Joshua Solomon, Lacey Steubing, Kaylynn Townsley, Robert Townsley, Aniela Tyc, Peyten Whitaker and Deshaun Williams.
Silver Medal Winners (20) – each of these participants turned in 5 or more logs:
7 logs – 35 hrs – Carter Clayton, Araceli Gallosa, Jesse Gallosa, and Jessica Johnson.
6 logs – 30 hrs – Kaleb Bockholt, MaKenna Lascano, Andrew Lawless, Lily Lawless, Joshua Lawless, Aubrey Phillips, Grayson Sollock, William Tracy, and Daniel Tyc.
5 logs – 25 hrs – Maggie Bockholt, Matthew DeLeon, Esme Eads, June Gallosa, Nathaly Mendoza , Abigail Phillips, and Rosie Tracy.
Bronze Medal Winners (25) – each of these participants turned in 3 or more logs:
4 logs – 20 hrs – Elisia Herrera, Mathias Mendoza, Paisley Null, Diesel Ottinger, Elena Ottinger, Emma Roberson, Brent Smith, Fletcher Smith, Kenzie Smith, Rowan Sostarich, Laylani Udave, Ethan Weber, and Bradley Zachry.
3 logs – 15 hrs – Jensen Bennett, Liam Bennett, Ivy Howard, Leah Ivie, Nick Kelley, Julian Martinez, Penny Null, Ryder Null, Jacob Ramirez, Mya Ramirez, Luke Roberson, and Sam Steubing.
The following participants turned in at least one reading log and/or book review:
Caleb Alexander, Elena Alexander, Lucas Alexander, Baylee Boehme, Brayden Boehme, Justin Bowdrick, Bodhi Carter, Ben Clarke, Quilliam Clausen, Paisley Clayton, Bea Danna, Lily Danna, Cecilia Dzierzanowski, Ryder Dzierzanowski, Sophia Franco, Axl Garcia, AJ Garcia, Austin Gonzalez, Brayden Guardiola, Raphael Hernandez, Jane Martinez, Kennedy Minor, Keegan Quiroga, Amias Samudio, Ari Samudio, Brea Samudio, Joshua Schroller II, Maddison Sollock, Jay Solomon, Jon Solomon, Kara Steubing, Ares Tarsikes, Serentiy Tasharski, Cara Teetsel, Emmie Teetsel, Hazlee Teetsel, Patrick Thompson, Vincent Tyc, Ronan Weber, Westley Zachry.
The staff of the Driscoll Public Library wishes to congratulate all participants on a job well done!
Thursday, July 30th the Friends of the Driscoll Public Library hosted an ice cream social for all of their participants in Summer Reading Challenge. Everyone got two scopes of ice cream and the choice of toppings and sprinkles provided by HEB Helping Here. Medals provided by the Friends of the Driscoll Public Library and prizes from this year’s reading challenge drawing were also presented.

DeShaun Williams

Peyten Whitaker-first year SRC-8 logs and winner of Pokemon prizes

Robert Townsley -Remote Control Jet

Abigail & Aubrey Phillips

National FCCLA STAR Event placings have been released for all those who did not place first through third at the leadership conference held in Washington, D.C., in July. Devine FCCLA had two teams still awaiting their final placings. Juniors Paige Barron and McKailee Sorrell left the conference with silver medals, meaning that they scored anywhere from 80-89 points on their judges’ rubric. Recently, Devine FCCLA was notified via email of discrepancies in the judging system. The following excerpt is from the email:
While importing scores from our Judge Pro platform into the FCCLA Portal, we discovered that the Room Consultant scores were inadvertently omitted from the original upload. Once this was brought to our attention, we immediately corrected the issue by importing the missing scores into the portal.
Although these updates did not change any student placements, they did affect some overall scores and, as a result, the medal level earned by some participants. Specifically, some students who originally received silver medals should have received gold medals.
As a result, Barron and Sorrell will now receive gold medals! Overall, they placed 26th nationally in a very competitive Focus on Children, Level 3 category.
The other team awaiting their final placing was Kelvey Cortez and Isabella Gonzales, who competed in Interpersonal Communications, Level 1. The girls participated in the Top 10 Finalists session on the last day of the conference. Finally, they know that they placed 8th overall in the nation!
As previously reported, the two other teams who competed were Kamden Paige, who placed 1st in Leadership, Level 1; and Catherine Brown and Kayla Dzierzanowski, who placed third in Public Policy Advocate.

Friendship Art Club, which is based in Lytle and includes artists from several nearby communities and San Antonio, has issued a call for area artists to participate in the club’s Annual Art Show and Sale scheduled on Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 9am to 3pm at the Lytle Community Center.
The show features artists and artisans in booths and in a competition, showcasing both club members and non-member guest artists. Artists may participate in a judged competition in painting, drawing, and photography as well as a new theme category “250 Years of Freedom.”An art judge will award ribbons in the competition, and the voting public will determine the special award “People’s Choice” the day of the show.
Artists who wish to have a booth to exhibit their work and/or participate in the competition must submit an Artist’s Application by Friday, September 5. Booth spaces are assigned only on receipt of the application and booth fee. Since booth spaces for the indoor show are limited, artists are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Applications and more information are available by contacting Show Chair Jane Brown at 210-415-2546 or 210-701-1293 or by emailing Thefriendshipartclub@gmail.com.

Washington, D.C., July 2026 – The 2026 FCCLA National Leadership Conference (NLC) took place in Washington, D.C., from July 6 to 10, 2026, drawing over 10,000 students, educators, and guests from across the country. This event offered an excellent opportunity for participants to enhance their leadership skills, develop their talents, explore career options, and hear from inspiring speakers.
Paige Barron, Catherine Brown, Kelvey Cortez, Kayla Dzierzanowski, Isabella Gonzales, Kamden Paige, and McKailee Sorrell proudly represented Devine Middle School and High School at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
Kamden Paige won first place in the nation at a National Leadership Conference! Making school history, he is one of only three Devine FCCLA teams that we know of to ever accomplish this feat. The 8th grader’s Leadership, Level 1 project, titled Kamden 2.0: Leadership Level-Up, focused on growing his leadership skills over the past year.
Sophomores Cat Brown and Kayla Dzierzanowski competed in Public Policy Advocate, Level 2. Their project concentrated on advocating for a recycling program in Devine and on the school campuses. Their project, Clean and Green, began in October and reached nearly 20,000 people, advocating for recycling in Devine. This was the members’ first year competing in FCCLA. They did an exceptional job on their project and placed 3rd in the nation in their event!
The Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) Events served as the focal point of the conference. Over 4,300 FCCLA members took part in these competitions, demonstrating their skills and achievements in both chapter and individual projects, as well as their competencies in leadership and career readiness. The collaboration between youth and adults in coordinating and assessing the events provided students with essential skills and meaningful perspectives.
STAR Events are crucial in fostering student growth by enhancing their classroom interactions and steering them toward promising career paths. Offering over 30 different events, students can showcase their knowledge, skills, and abilities by engaging with important topics related to families, careers, or communities. Through researching these topics and creating projects to promote positive change, students gain essential skills and industry knowledge necessary for success in the modern world.
More results coming soon!
The following teams will find out their final places when the results are announced in two weeks.
Seventh-graders Kelvey Cortez and Isabella Gonzales competed in Interpersonal Communications, Level 1. The team reached over 11,000 people to inform them about the health benefits of using more natural ingredients, such as home-milled flour. Their project, Better from Home, made the Top 10 in the nation in their category.
Juniors Paige Barron and McKailee Sorrell competed in Focus on Children, Level 3. Their project, Read to Succeed, promoted making reading accessible and fun for children. The team began work on their project to help little ones love literacy in September and reached over 15,400 people, as well.
The students’ projects showcase their determination, ingenuity, and dedication to positively influencing the lives of others. Their success on the national stage reflects their effort, collaboration, and relentless enthusiasm.
Without volunteers, the conference wouldn’t have been as successful. Anthony and Amie Cortez and Korrey Paige helped chaperone while in Washington, D.C. Devine FCCLA is led by Linsey Outlaw. For more information on how to get involved, please contact her at Devine High School.
About FCCLA
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a dynamic and effective student-led, national-based organization that supports youth on their journey to become the leaders of tomorrow and helps them address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has over 250,000 members and more than 5,200 chapters across the nation.
The Ultimate Leadership Experience is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members. It is the only career and technical co-curricular student organization with a central focus on careers that support families. Participation in national FCCLA programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.

Kayla Dzierzanowski and Cat Brown – 3rd place in the nation in Public Policy Advocate, Level 2.

By Anton Riecher
A proposed city budget of $5.129 million for the coming fiscal year, an increase of more than $361,000 from the current budget, was presented to the Lytle City Council July 9 by the city staff.
Mayor Ruben Gonzalez said the special workshop presented an opportunity to “go ahead and have a presentation, discussion and (give) direction concerning the budget for fiscal year 2026-2027.”
The meeting moved from revenue review to department-by-department budget adjustments, then into unresolved capital and utility priorities, creating a practical workflow from financial planning to operational implementation and long-term infrastructure readiness.
A complete video of the budget workshop is posted on the Devine News YouTube channel at youtube.com/@devinenews7472.com.
City Administrator Zachary Meadows and city financial director Yvonne Griffin repeatedly emphasized that many figures used in the proposed budget were flexible estimates pending receipt of certified property value figures later this month from appraisal districts in Medina, Atascosa and Bexar counties.
Griffin said an expected increase in sales tax revenue is based on the annual increase seen in recent years.
“I have changed the city sales tax,” she said. “I am increasing it by $345,000. That’s just based off the growth over the last few years. Hopefully, that will continue.”
Council members…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!