Sunday, January 27, 2008

MABANK–The Mabank Middle School has a new leadership team of three administrators in place for the spring semester.
Most recently, Mabank High School varsity girls basketball coach David Brown joined the MMS administration as assistant principal Jan. 18.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Mabank Middle School Principal Darin Jolly (seated) is joined by assistant principals Julie Wiebersch (left) and David Brown, who began serving as an assistant principal Jan. 18.

Back in November, former assistant Darin Jolly was promoted to campus principal to replace Gary Jacobs, who took the superintendent’s position at the Kennard Independent School District, in south Texas.
Brown is in his second year at MHS, teaching science in addition to coaching. He will continue as the girls varsity basketball coach for the remainder of the season, in addition to his assistant principal duties.
Brown holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and a Master of Education degree from the University of North Texas. He earned administrative certification through Texas A&M University at Commerce.
Coming from the Mesquite ISD last summer, assistant principal Julie Wiebersch joined the MMS administration at the beginning of the current school year in August, following Deborah Brendel’s departure to a position at the Region 10 Educational Service Center in Richardson.
Wiebersch serves as the MMS instructional facilitator, overseeing all campus curriculum, instruction, learning assessments and other administrative responsibilities. Wiebersch holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M-Commerce.
Jolly has been with the Mabank ISD since 2001, serving as Director of Bands & Fine Arts prior to becoming the MMS assistant principal in 2005.
Jolly holds a bachelor of music degree from Howard Payne University and Master’s degrees in Music and Education from Stephen F. Austin State University. Jolly currently is working on completing his Doctor of Education degree this year.
The Mabank Middle School administrative leadership team is looking forward to a great semester with the teachers, students, parents and the community, Jolly said.
“The three of us all have great visions for student safety and academic success, discipline and community involvement, with high expectations in all areas,” Jolly said. “Our outstanding faculty will be successful teachers of our children, and learning will be contagious as we set higher standards for learning.
“We have tremendous district leadership from (superintendent) Dr. Russell Marshall and the MISD Board of Trustees,” Jolly added. “The sky is the limit.”

5-year-old hero saves little brother from blaze
Monitor Staff Reports
LAKE TAWAKONI–A 5-year-old boy entered a burning bedroom Jan. 20 and carried his 3-year-old brother to safety.
Fire investigators report the fire started in the bedroom of the single-wide mobile home where the boys were sleeping.
“The 5-year-old child ran to his mother in the living room and loudly announced that there was a fire and immediately returned to his bedroom that was now heavily engulfed in flames to carry his 3-year-old brother out of the house,” Tawakoni South Volunteer Fire Chief Kyle Harrison said.
Cody McNeese is being hailed as a hero for risking flames and smoke to save his brother Dustin.
Cody told a Dallas Morning News reporter that the heater in his room was on fire and the flames shot up to the ceiling, which also caught fire.
“I was just trying to wake up my brother and get the door opened, and I got burned,” Cody is quoted by the Dallas Morning News.
Cody sustained burns on the palms of his hands, back and face and suffered smoke inhalation.
Dustin’s left hand was burned and he also inhaled smoke, a Hunt County paramedic at the scene reported.
Their mother and aunt assisted them in getting out of the Rawhide Road home near the Hunt and Kaufman county line.
The boys received medical care enroute to Parkland Hospital of Dallas.
Fire rescue was called to the scene close to midnight. Upon arrival the home was 75 percent involved in flames, Harrison said.
“We called for assistance, from Quinlan, West Tawakoni and Able Springs (fire departments).”
The home was a total loss, but the family escaped and no fire fighters were injured, Harrison reported.

Second fake cop sighting reported
By Julie Vaughan
Monitor Staff Writer
CANTON–For the second time in less than a week, a man pretending to be with law enforcement attempted to stop a vehicle.
Canton Police Chief Michael Echols said police received a call from a witness that said the same man who pulled over a Canton Police dispatcher last week tried to pull over another vehicle, but was unsuccessful.
Echols said the intended victim was traveling down State Highway 19 in Canton, when a dark Ford Mercury with tinted windows activated its lights. The driver sped off without stopping.
On Jan. 16, a Canton dispatcher was driving home from work on SH 64 near Interstate 20, around 7:30 p.m., when she was pulled over by a dark colored car.
The man said he was a Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Deputy and his name was “Jackson.”
After the impersonator gave the motorist his name, she told him she worked for the Canton Police Department and that he must be new.
Echols said a passenger in the man’s car walked up and told the impersonator, “She’s okay. She works for the city,” and they left.
The dispatcher then called 9-1-1 and reported what had happened.
Echols said from the description given of the car and the driver by the witness in Saturday’s incident, it was the same man.