Panola College
April 2, 2015 - With more people dying senselessly on Texas roads due to distracted driving, the Texas Department of Transportation kicks off its annual “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign to urge drivers to give their full attention to the road. Tx DOT’s campaign coincides with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.
“Nearly 1 in 5 traffic crashes in Texas is caused by a distracted driver,” said TxDOT Deputy Executive Director John Barton. “Last year, 468 people were killed because someone took their attention off the road. How important is a fleeting distraction when it could end in the death of someone, perhaps even one of your loved ones?”
Distracted driving-related crashes in Texas are highest among 16- to 24-year-olds. In 2014, there were 100,825 crashes in Texas involving distracted driving — up 6 percent from the previous year.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers using a mobile phone are four times more likely to cause serious injury in a crash. Text messaging is particularly dangerous. New research conducted last year by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute showed it takes a driver double the amount of time to react when they are distracted by text messaging. Additionally, sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.
While mobile phone use is the most recognizable driving distraction, any type of behavior that draws a motorist’s attention away from driving is dangerous. TxDOT urges drivers to refrain from:
• Texting or checking email
• Eating and drinking
• Programming a navigation system or adjusting music
If a distraction absolutely requires immediate attention, TxDOT reminds drivers to pull over to a safe location and come to a complete stop before diverting their attention.
For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or (936) 633-4395.
April 2, 2015 - On March 26th, the Panola College Center LVN students participated in the 8th Annual 
Shelby County Health and Fitness Fair in Center, TX.
The students provided teaching on heart awareness, provided manual blood pressure checks, and helped with health screenings at the Nacogdoches Medical Center Booth.
"We are excited to have an opportunity to promote health and wellness in Shelby County" said Shelbea Comer, RN, Associate Chair of the Vocational Nursing Program.
March 30, 2015 - Panola College Board of Trustees is proud to announce the naming of the Frances B. Ross Ballroom, located in the new Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center and the Frances B. Ross Lecture Hall, located in the new Health and Natural Sciences Building. These rooms are named in honor of Mrs. Frances B. Ross’s many years of support and generous financial contributions to Panola College and the Panola College Foundation.
Over the years, Ross gifts to Panola College have made it possible for Panola to purchase a stage which has been used for numerous ceremonies and performances, acquire new tables and chairs to outfit a science lab, and replaced many aging musical instruments. Ross has also established two scholarships that will continue to help students in perpetuity. Dr. Gregory Powell, President of Panola College commented, “Mrs. Ross is a tremendous supporter of our community; nowhere is that support more evident than Panola College. I am pleased to see the Panola College Board of Trustees honor Mrs. Ross through the naming of these two highly visible spaces in our new buildings. She is most deserving.”
Frances B. Ross is a lifetime resident of PanolaCounty. She was married to Mr. Elvin Ross, a rural mail carrier, for 32 years. Together they had one son, Daniel Lloyd Ross. In 1973 Ross became co-owner of the Hobby Horse Gift Shop in Carthage, Texas. For twenty-one years, her entrepreneurial spirit and energetic demeanor was seen in the success of the Hobby Horse. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church, and her accomplishments in life are easily seen in the admiration and respect of her friends and those around her.
March 24, 2015 - Panola College's Workforce and Continuing Education Department is proud to announce the successful completion of the first Licensed Massage Therapy Class. These students have worked hard to complete the 12 month program and are ready for the state licensing exam. Panola College would like to congratulate each of these students and wish them much success!
Listed from top to bottom are: Hailey Miller, Massage Therapy Instructor, Gina Smith, Massage Therapy Instructor, Layni Gonzales, Brianna Washington, and Holly Anderson.
For more information concerning the Licensed Massage Therapy program, contact Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education at 903-693-2067 or ce@panola.edu.
March 24, 2015 - Panola College Rodeo team was in Bryan, Texas March 20th & 21st for the 8th out of 10 Southern Region Rodeos .
Bareback rider Wyatt Denny of Minden, NV has had a record breaking year. Wyatt won the first round of competition by scoring 77 points, followed by a second round score of 78 points, to win the average race by three points. Denny is on his way to a dominating Southern Regional title where he leads the rest of the field by over 400 points.
Caleb Cogbill, freshman at Panola, placed in the steerwrestling, with a great time of 5.7 seconds. The steerwrestling is an event which is usually dominated by athletes over 200 pounds. Caleb, 160 pounds soaking wet, was able to maintain perfect form, and compete with the giants of rodeo.
Nicole Reeves and Kagen Cassaday performed well in the team roping, turning a great time of 7.9 seconds in the first go round and 18 seconds in the short round. Reeves and Cassaday have just began to rope together, and we are looking for great things from them in the future. Reeves an outstanding athlete, competes in several womens events in rodeo, and has a very realistic shot at making the C.N.F.R. in Casper, WY.
Bull Rider Gannon Ivy, made an outstanding ride for a first round score of 74 points, to win a 3,4 place split. Gannon moved to second place in the regional standings by a close 25 points between him and the number one spot. Gannon, a sophomore at Panola, from Hampton, AR is working on a degree in Petroleum Technology.
Panola will be back in action at the next regional rodeo held in Hillsboro, TX, April 17-18.
March 3, 2015 - Wyatt Denny, of Minden, NV, is setting the bar high for the bareback riders in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Currently, Wyatt is ranked #1 in the nation and leading the Southern Region by 369 points.
This past weekend at the Texas A&M - Kingsville Rodeo he made two outstanding rides to win the rodeo. This was the 7th of the 10 rodeos for the college circuit in the Southern Region. His sights are set on qualifying for the National Finals in Casper, Wyoming on June 14-20. The top three in each event will qualify for the CNFR.
February 17, 2015 - Panola College bareback rider, Wyatt Denny, increased his lead in the Southern Region Standings with two outstanding rides this past weekend in Athens, Texas. Denny, scored 79 points on Friday and 80 points Saturday night to move to a remarkable lead over the rest of the bareback riding competition. Denny, has been extremely hot throughout the season and finds himself with a 300 point lead in the Southern Regional Standings.
Cody Gibbs placed 5th in the Steer Wrestling event to help add 60 points to the team’s efforts. Gibbs has been working extremely hard and is starting the spring season off right with his finish in Athens.
Bull rider, Randy Myers, made a great 78 point bull ride Friday night to finish second place in the long go round and second in the average. Myers increased his placing in the Southern Region Standings and is now ranked 5th.
Out of the top 5 bull riders in the Region, Panola College holds 3 places. Gannon Ivy is 2nd, Fulton Rutland is 4th, and Randy Myers is 5th.
The Panola College Rodeo Men’s Team had a tough rodeo in Athens, but pulled out a 5th place finish. The next College Rodeo will be held in Kingsville, Texas, February 27th and 28th.
February 17, 2015 - On Friday, February 13,representatives of the Gas Compressors Association’s Board and Education Committee,Mr. Paul Cosper from HOLT CAT, Mr. Gary Hale from J-W Energy, and Mr. Larry Aldridge from HOLT CAT, presented Dr. Gregory Powell, President of Panola College, and Dr. Joe Shannon, Vice-President of Instruction, with a check for $16,000. This philanthropic gift will be used to positively impact Panola College’s rapidly growing Petroleum Technology program.
(L to R): Mr. Daniel Hall, Mr. Larry Aldridge, Mr. Jim Permenter, Mr. Paul Cosper, Miss Whitney Edens, Dr. Greg Powell, Dr. Joe Shannon, Mr. Gary Hale, and Mrs. Natalie Oswalt
February 10, 2015 - On January 31st, Panola College Foundation hosted its first annual gala fundraiser with a Gatsby inspired theme.The Gatsby Gala brought in almost 100 Panola College supporters dressed in their best 1920’s attire for the event and raised over $12,000. The goal of the evening, which took place in the M.P. Baker Library at Panola College, was to help raise funds for the Foundation’s Floating Granite Fountain campaign, which will mark the memorable occasion of the new Health and Science building currently being constructed.
Highlights from the event included a private tour of Spirited: Prohibition in America,the largest exhibit ever displayed at Panola College, and dancing to the sounds of 1920’s jazz music played by Swinghouse jazz band. Gatsby inspired hors d’oeuvres for the evening featured such dishes as martini glass mashed potatoes, salmon crostinis, and shrimp cocktail. Desserts ideas, like the lemon cakes, were taken straight from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel.Guests were also entertained by a photo booth, including several props, which produced immediate souvenir photos.
In addition to the popular photo booth, guests could be found throughout the evening in the mock casino engaging in games of blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps. Casino winning could be traded in throughout the evening for raffle tickets towards $1400 in prizes. Raffle tickets could also be purchased outright to help towards the fundraising goal.
“The Panola College Foundation would like to thank all of our sponsors and supporters. We believe the evening was not only a fundraising success but also an entertaining occasion for all attendees,” said Robert Sherman, Foundation Chair. “We look forward to hosting next year’s Gala and hope to see the event continue to grow.”
About the Floating Granite Fountain
The floating granite fountain is a custom designed interactive sculpture that consists of a large 48” granite ball supported by a thin film of water. The granite sphere will be engraved with the map of the world and engineered to rotate on the approximate axis of the Earth. As an interactive sculpture, spectators will be able to accelerate or change the course of the floating sphere, only to have it return to its natural rotation when left alone.
The beautiful floating granite fountain will be placed on the North side of the new Health and Sciences building and will be the beginning of a larger project, an Inspiration Garden, which will run the entire length of the new building. The Inspiration Garden will offer a beautiful oasis for students to study and will incorporate learning opportunities for students enrolled in health-related and science classes.
The Panola College Foundation is currently raising funds for the purchase and installation of the Floating Granite Fountain. There are limited naming opportunities available which will be engraved at the base of the fountain.
To donate to the project, or inquire about naming opportunities call Jessica Pace – Director of Institutional Advancement at 903-693-2029 or send her an email at: jpace@panola.edu
About the Exhibit
The Fay Allison Gallery of the M.P Baker Library, Panola College is open Sunday 4-9pm, Monday-Thursday 7:30am-9pm and Friday 7:30am-12:30pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
Visitors will learn about the complex issues that led America to adopt Prohibition through the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 until its repeal through the 21st Amendment in 1933. Through the exhibition, visitors will learn about the amendment process, the changing role of liquor in American culture, Prohibition’s impact on the roaring ‘20s, and the role of women, and how current liquor laws vary from state to state.
Spirited: Prohibition in America is based on the exhibition American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, organized by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA, in collaboration with Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Spirited has been made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has been adapted and toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance. Founded in 1972, Mid-America Arts Alliance is the oldest regional nonprofit arts organization in the United States. For more information, visit www.maaa.org or www.nehontheroad.org.
February 5, 2015 - Student Government Association (SGA) officers and members traveled to Austin on Tuesday, Feb. 3 to represent Panola College for Texas Community College Day. State Representative Chris Paddie met with the Panola College delegation to discuss some of the major issues affecting the State that will come before the Texas Legislature this session.
Among the topics discussed were water infrastructure, the Department of Transportation, and changes to Health and Human Services. Members of the SGA joined more than 2,000 students from 50 community colleges across the state in a rally on the steps of the Capitol. Following the rally, Rep. Paddie recognized the presence of Panola College on the House floor.
“We really enjoyed our visit. It is neat to know that my officers and I were recognized in the official records of the State of Texas,” said Melissa Crooks, SGA President.
Participating were SGA officers, Crooks, president; Sedric Black, vice president; Clint Kite, secretary; Jeffrey Oney, reporter and Blake Butler, parliamentarian. Panola College faculty and administrators accompanying the students were Dr. Gregory Powell, Panola College President; Steve Williams, Vice President of Fiscal Services, and Brian Naples, Government Professor and SGA faculty sponsor.
Pictured from left to right are: Steve Williams, Brian Naples, State Representative Chris Paddie, Blake Butler, Sedric Black, Clint Kite, Dr. Gregory Powell; front row from left to right, Jeff Oney and Melissa Crooks.
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