People, Places & Events

Kemp FFA honors members at awards banquet
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–Taylor Welborn was named the Star Greenhand and Roy Greenhaw was named the Star Chapter Farmer at the Kemp High School FFA awards ceremony May 19.
“We’ve got a lot of great kids here,” veteran agriculture teacher Harry Sump told the gathering, adding, “The reason we’ve got good kids is because we’ve got good parents.”
Sump himself was honored as the chapter’s Agriculturalist of the Year during the hour-long ceremony involving 27 members and 75 guests.
Five people were presented with honorary chapter membership. Two – Kemp Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Peter Running and assistant superintendent Sam Swierc – were attending the monthly school board meeting and were not present.
Also honored were Frederick Wright, Angie Ellis and KHS assistant principal Stephanie Kirkpatrick.
Helen Forrest and Mike Day were honored as Parents of the Year.
Sump noted the relative youth of the FFA members – a majority are freshmen – but pointed out the group already exhibits the characteristics of good citizenship.
A couple of new awards this year were the Top Hand Award and the Riding for the Brand Award.
Sump explained at one time, being a “top hand” was a social distinction, meaning you were recognized as being among the best in the business at what you did.
Similarly, top hands who regularly went well beyond the call of duty for their ranch were said to be “riding for the brand.”
Top Hand awards went to Jake Dunn, James Forrest, Brandon Morton, Chance Yarbrough, Taylor Day and Dalton Payne.
Riding for the Brand awards were presented to Jenny Patterson, Brittani Murray, Zach Peterson, Kody Kent and Kevin Haley.
A number of proficiency awards were presented, including:
• ag communications – Jenny Patterson, Sarah Thomas and Brittani Murray.
• ag mechanics – Kody Kent, Jake Dunn and Daulton Morris.
• ag mechanics design and fabrication – Shelby Brainerd, Zach Peterson, Chance Yarbrough, Ashley McKee and Guadalupe Ornelas.
• ag services – Andy Hodges and Gatlin Lambert.
• beef production – Cody Brown and Bayleigh Haynie.
• dairy production – Taylor Welborn.
• diversified crop production – Catherine Fessenden.
• equine science – Austin Stevenson, Cody Brown, Courtney Catlett and Shelby Brainerd.
• food services – Taylor Day.
• forage production – Gatlin Lambert and Andy Hodges.
• fruit production – Joseph Garcia, James Forrest and Kirston Wesson.
• home and/or community development – Kody Kent, Jacob Nix, Sam Thompson and Jesse White.
• landscape – James Forrest, Megan Smith and Roy Greenhaw.
• outdoor recreation – Zach Peterson, Dustin Thompson, Jacob Nix and Kody Kent.
• poultry production – James Forrest.
• sheep production – Catherine Fessenden.
• swine production – Bryce King.
• small animal production/care – Courtney Catlett.
• specialty animal production – Kody Kent and Taylor Welborn.
• turf grass management – Donnie Gossett, Jake Dunn and Sam Thompson.
• vegetable production – James Forrest, Megan Smith, Taylor Day, Catherine Fessenden, Courtney Catlett and Cody Brown.
• wildlife production/management – Dustin Thompson, Kirston Wesson, Catherine Fessenden, Joseph Garcia, Michaela Dorough, Cody Calvin and Kody Kent.


Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Members and guests honored at the Kemp High School FFA chapter awards
ceremony gather for a group photo May 19, with Star Chapter Farmer Roy
Greenhaw (left) and Star Greenhand Taylor Welborn out front.

KJH students provide dog, cat food for Tool shelter
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–Kemp Junior High National Junior Honor Society members presented more than 1,500 pounds of dog and cat food to the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake shelter at Tool May 19.
Algebra teacher and Junior Honor Society sponsor Krystel Martin headed the service project, along with seventh grade math teacher Brenda Stringer and parents of some of the 60 members of the honor society.
For about two weeks early in the month, KJH students collected food, and also raffled off an I-pod to raise money to purchase food.
Students had planned to spend a weekend helping at the shelter, but swine flu restrictions forced that idea to be postponed until a later time.
“We thank everyone involved in making this project a success, and hope to do it again next school year,” Martin said. “This organization certainly made an impact on the lives of these animals, and the shelter was grateful.”


Courtesy Photo/Larry Simmons
The 60 members of the Kemp Junior High National Honor Society chapter gather
around more than 1,500 pounds of dog and cat food they collected for the Humane
Society of Cedar Creek Lake shelter in Tool May 19. Students, teachers and family
members worked for two weeks to collect the food, and sold tickets for a fund-raising
raffle to buy food.

KHS 75 percent completed
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–The construction update on the new Kemp High School reports the facility is now 75 percent complete.
Blair Williams with Baird Williams Construction said workers are steadily moving ahead on the project at the May 19 school board meeting.
“We are averaging about 175 people on site, and most are putting in more than 40 hours,” Williams said.
“We are still pushing to meet the schedule, so you can move in (when school starts),” he added.
However, trustee Curtis Donovan was not happy with the completion report.
“The percent of completion number is still varying,” he said.
Board president Keith Foisey was not happy with the stair handrail design.
The balustrade under the handrail is of a filigreed, bare metal design that trustees thought was a temporary fixture, which would later be covered.
“It looks a lot like a construction site. It doesn’t look like (it belongs) in a high school,” Foisey complained.
“We can look at alternatives,” architect Randy Fromberg said.
In other business, trustees:
• approved a payment for high school projects totaling $1,861,857.22.
• approved adding a $2,500 stipend to coaches’ salaries for each sport coached, as superintended Dr. Peter Running recommended.
• approved ordering computer tables at a cost of $63,863.
“The architect said the tables were included, but they’re not,” Running said, adding the tables come in boxes, and the hardware will need to be installed.
• turned down a proposal to change service providers for the Cafeteria 125 (insurance) plan.
A representative from the proposed provider United Concordia – Co-op said the Texas Attorney General’s Office had ruled methods to sell plans together, as used by the current company, were illegal.
Trustee Scott Clearman questioned the AG’s opinion.
Trustees wanted to know why the plans were illegal for Kemp and not for several other area school districts.
Foisey questioned how many, if any, employees complained about problems with the company.
Business manager Kim Johnson said at one time there were a few complaints, but the problems had been settled.
Running said the current company was talking about an increase in payment.
Foisey suggested inviting a representative from both providers to a future meeting to explain their products.
“Otherwise, it sounds to me like we have brought this company in and thrown the other under the bus,” he said.
• discussed preliminary Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests.
While there are no definite numbers in yet, Dr. Debra Airheart said the preliminary figures were encouraging.
It looks like the fourth-graders are down from their third grade scores, but fifth-graders improved on their fourth grade performance, she explained.
• heard Running report the top dressing for the football field has been completed, with seeding now underway.
“We got the light poles tested, and only one showed stress symptoms,” he added.