Shelby County Today

Area 8th graders spent the day on the Panola College campus recently to explore academic and career options.

April 5, 2019 - Eighth grade students from 11 area public schools visited Panola College recently to explore options for academic and career education opportunities. 

“Even as students begin high school, they can make decisions that benefit their life after graduation,” said Angie Musgrove, Panola College Dual Credit Director. “Each student is on a unique path, whether preparing for a career choice, examining college credit opportunities, or examining the necessary skills for a technical trade.”

As these students enter public high school, they choose endorsements set up by The Texas Education Agency to help students stay on track for academics and careers. Endorsements group courses together by specific interests. The five endorsements include STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, and multi-disciplinary studies.

Panola College offered the area schools a chance to take a look at these options more closely. The 872 students participating in the fall and spring sessions at Panola visited science labs, welding and petroleum labs, and cosmetology. They also had sessions in academic areas, such as the arts and humanities.

During lunch, they explored different career pathways with the help of Texas Career Check, an online program offered by the Texas Workforce Commission. They completed an interest inventory and compared salaries and trends. The career check also identifies required training and degree requirements for each occupation.

High school counselors accompanied their students and were enthusiastic about the event. “The response from our students was very positive, and I feel this event had a great influence on what many of them will do in the future,” said Angie Bishop, counselor at Carthage Junior High School. “The Panola College students talking about what they had planned for their futures really helped our students to get a little perspective on what their future could be. Hopefully, Panola College will be able to continue this event because it has been a great asset.”

Daniel Hall, Petroleum Technology instructor, demonstrates a welding simulator in the lab.

The Waskom counselor agreed. “The 8th Grade Preview Day was wonderfully organized and executed by the faculty and staff. Our students loved the hands-on aspect of the tour, as well as lunch on campus. It was a fantastic event that provided a plethora of information about the many programs offered by Panola College. Waskom ISD will certainly be attending this event in the future,” said Melinda Bowden, middle and elementary school counselor.

Schools participating in the fall included Jefferson, Tatum, Woden, Waskom, Timpson and Harleton. In the spring session, Joaquin, Beckville, Carthage, Garrison and the Panola Early College High School brought students to campus.

Musgrove compiled results from the student survey, which revealed that the 8th Grade Preview Day helped students with decision-making. According to the survey results, before the visit, only 46.2 percent had a career plan. Almost 100 percent of those surveyed said the event helped them identify areas of interest, learn how to look for occupational salaries and trends, and helped them more clearly understand their options.

“We also charted responses from male and female students,” Musgrove added. “One of our objectives was to let students know that men and women can choose any occupation in the career and technical fields. Of the total students surveyed, the highest level of interest was in our health science programs, followed closely by business and welding.”

Cheri Lambert, Occupational Therapy Assistant chair, led students in a simulation of a therapy session.

She said in the career and technical fields, welding and business were the top favorites for male students, while the female students participating in the survey chose health science and cosmetology as their top picks.

“The preview day has proven to be a great way to introduce students to career options they may never have considered. The students really seemed enthusiastic about participating. They can now more carefully select the right endorsement based on their areas of interest. The next step is for them to sit down with their school counselors and make a plan before they enter high school,” Musgrove said.

Panola College students visited the R.L. Norton Gallery and Gardens in Shreveport recently.

April 3, 2019 - Panola College students and three faculty members toured the R.L. Norton Gallery and Gardens in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Thursday, March 28. The Panola College Foundation provided grant funds for the field trip.

“We appreciate the Foundation for recognizing the benefit to our students to visit a museum. The Norton Gallery showcases art from around the world, and includes important regional art,” said Dr. Kathy Watlington, professor of Spanish and the humanities.

Participating students included Nash Coultas, Joy Jekayinoluwa, Abigail Joseph, Lucy Eke, Vanessa Flores, Diana Kazo, Joy Latipat, Julianne Edge, Christy Corliss, Lucero Luna, Serena Rascoe, Jade Allen, Kacie Caserta, Sheli Caserta, Liberty Moser, Morgan Ray, Emilee Sellers, Brooklyn Killen, Shauna Aycock, Sam Fuller, Lynda Seidel and Kinsley Middlebrooks.

Nash Coultas and Emilee Sellers toured the gallery.

The R.W. Norton family of Shreveport created an art foundation that established the art gallery, which is open to the public, free of charge. More than 400 paintings and sculptures representing over 100 artists are on display in the gallery. The collection represents many styles from a variety of time periods. The R.L. Norton Botanical Gardens encompass 40 acres of landscaped grounds behind the gallery, exhibiting thousands of plants including introduced and native azaleas.

A follow-up survey revealed that many of the participating students had never visited a museum. “It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot of things. I’m so happy to be able to be a part of this trip,” one student wrote.

“A lot of college students do not go to museums these days so they only have access to online art. Taking a trip to the museum will help them see first-hand art and paintings. We should take school excursions more often,” said another student.

Vanessa Flores and Diana Kazo view sculptures and paintings in the Norton Gallery.

April 2, 2019 - Local educators and the public are invited to hear a presentation by Sheri Doss, president of the Texas Parent-Teachers Assn. at 5:30 p.m. on April 8 at the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms at the Panola College Library Building, Carthage, TX.

Mrs. Doss is the 54th president of the Texas PTA and is the first African-American to serve in this position. She has more than 15 years experience working at all levels of the PTA.

She has received numerous awards including outstanding volunteer at her school district. She also has received PTA Honorary Life Membership, Extended Service Award and National PTA Life Achievement Award.
With a passion for public education, Sheri was one of 18 members selected to serve on the 2017 Texas State Board of Education Long Range Plan for Public Education Steering Committee.

Prior to making the decision to become a full-time volunteer, Sheri worked as a project manager, systems analyst and independent consultant in the telecommunications industry. She has a B.S. in computer science and math from the University of California, Davis, and an M.B.A. from Rutgers Graduate School of Management.

Sheri recently earned a certification in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and in Volunteer Management from the Center for Nonprofit Studies. She is the daughter of Rev. Norman and Mrs. Ola Jackson of Carthage.

The event is sponsored by Panola College and community educators.

Billy and Olive Dixon: The Plainsman and His Lady

March 28, 2019 - The M.P. Baker Library will host author Bill O’Neal at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2nd in the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms of the Library. Mr. O’Neal will debut his latest non-fiction title, Billy and Olive Dixon: The Plainsman and His Lady. 

Billy Dixon triggered the most celebrated shot in the history of the West at the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874. A few months later, while serving as an army scout, Billy earned a Medal of Honor during an even more desperate engagement, as one of six men battling for their lives against a band of 125 warriors at the Buffalo Wallow Fight. Both of these actions took place in the Texas Panhandle, where Dixon became an icon of heroism. 

A fellow adventure-seeker, Olive King, came to the Panhandle from back East to visit her cowboy brothers. She became a frontier schoolmarm and she met her famous neighbor, Billy Dixon. Billy and Olive fell in love, married, and had eight children. In later years, Olive persuaded Billy to dictate his memoirs to her, and the result was a classic frontier biography, Life of Billy Dixon: Plainsman, Scout and Pioneer. During a long widowhood Olive Dixon became a major force in Panhandle history, helping to establish the Panhandle-Plains Museum, writing and speaking about her own pioneer experiences as well as Billy’s, and erecting impressive monuments at Adobe Walls and at Buffalo Wallow. Mr. O’Neal will share the story captured in the pages of his manuscript illustrating the shared adventures of Billy and Olive.

Bill O’Neal recently concluded six years of service (2012-2018) as State Historian of Texas, traveling tens of thousands of miles across the Lone Star State as an ambassador for Texas history. He is a past president and fellow of both the West Texas Historical Association and the East Texas Historical Association.

Bill is the author of more than forty books, as well as 300 articles and book reviews. His most recent writing award, the A.C. Greene Literary Award, was presented at the 2015 West Texas Book Festival in Abilene. In 2012 Bill received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Wild West Historical Association, and in 2007 he was named True West Magazine’s Best Living Non-Fiction Writer.

Bill has appeared on TV documentaries on TBS, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, CMT, A&E, and the American Heroes Channel Series, Gunslingers. During a long career at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, his most prestigious teaching award was a Piper Professorship, presented in 2000. In 2013 Panola’s new dormitory was named Bill O’Neal Hall, and in that same year he received an honor Doctor of Letters degree from his alma mater, Texas A&M University-Commerce. Bill’s four daughters all have entered the field of education, and he is the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren. 

The program is free and open to the community. Light refreshments will be served as books are available for sale and signing. For additional information please call 903-693-2052 or email library@panola.edu.