COUNTY LIFE
Saint Jo ISD opens new ag. science building; new teacher excited about opportunities

By DANI BLACKBURN
Saint Jo Independent School District is reinventing its agriculture department with a fresh face at the helm and a brand new farm science building that opened this week.
Kristal Nobile, a 1990 graduate of Saint Jo High School, has taken the position of agriculture teacher after filling in as a long-term substitute for Brad Bland who retired at the end of last year.
Nobile attended Tarleton State University, where she graduated with her bachelor degree in English and business and received her teaching certification. However, agriculture wasn’t her first classroom.
After college, she accepted the head softball coach position with Gunter ISD. She also was the assistant coach for cross country and basketball while teaching English for three years.
The former coach then made a move to Era, where she remained for 10 years as the head track coach. Nobile also was the assistant cross country and basketball coach and taught technology business before taking time at home after the birth of her daughter.
The new teacher has lived in Saint Jo with husband, Brent, a firefighter in Southlake, and the couple’s two children: Bailie, 8, and Brandon, 5.
With both children in school, Nobile felt it was time to return to teaching, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for the long hours of coaching.
That’s when Bland asked Nobile if she was interested in the agriculture position after he decided to retire. In fact, he asked several times, but it was mid-July before Nobile decided to accept.
Read the full story on this new animal science facility at Saint Jo and meet the new teacher in the weekend News.
Pictured: A large crowd attend this week’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility. (Courtesy photo)
COUNTY LIFE
Nocona firefighter collect blood, raise funds

Give blood to save lives and at the time help the Nocona Volunteer Fire Department on March 24.
The blood drive will be from 1-6 p.m. in the H.J. Justin Building in downtown Nocona. First time donors generate $100 in funding and returning donors generate $15 per blood donation.
Go to the Nocona Firefighters Facebook page to scan the QR code to pick a time.
COUNTY LIFE
County high schools prepare for one-act play contests

Gold-Burg High
Gold-Burg High School’s one-act play “Lady Precious Stream,” by S.I. Husung will be presented at district competition on March 19 in the Graham Auditorium.
The performance order will be Saint Jo, Prairie Valley, Universal Irving, Forestburg, Universal-Flower Mound, Gold-Burg and Bellevue. Plays begin at 10 a.m.
Nocona High
Nocona High School will be competing in the district one-act play competition on March 27 at Seymour High School.
Chrissy Shubert, theater arts teacher, said they will perform “Antigone in Munich: The Sophie Scholl Story,” by Claudia Haas produced by Stage Partners.
There will be a public performance of the play at 6 p.m. March 13 in the Nocona School Auditorium.
The plays will begin at 10 a.m. and Nocona is the sixth play of the day.
Prairie Valley High
Prairie Valley High School will present “Wild Strawberries” by Jerry Ayers for its University Interscholastic League one-act play contest on March 19 in Graham Memorial Auditorium.
PV will compete in 1A-District 18. The play is directed by Jesse Kincy. It is a comedic farce set in Italy during the Renaissance.
Read the full stories on these productions in the Thursday Bowie News.
COUNTY LIFE
Two marble panels fall, shatter at courthouse

Two marble panels collapsed and shattered at the Montague County Veteran’ Memorial on the courthouse square March 4 due to high winds.
This is the second time the monument has been damaged by high winds.
On Nov. 10, 2021 a panel fell over breaking into pieces and another panel shifted. It was a long process to get the slab replaced as the black marble came from India.
County Judge Kevin Benton recalls in 2021 there were delays first in finding the specific marble that was needed and then the first panel broke as it was being worked on and the artists had to start again.
Then the panel had to be shipped to its new home. It was an expensive proposition costing about $16,000. The panels are very large with the small ones weighing in at one ton.
Benton and Commissioner Bob Langford said Monday the wind deductible for the insurance is very high at $50,000. When that first panel was replaced county officials opted to have dowels placed in the panel that went into holes in the base to create a more secure attachment.
Langford said at that time they looked at possibly resetting the whole monument with dowels, but it was cost prohibitive at more than $30,000. He added the installers also indicated they really didn’t want to tackle something like that due to the possible liability if the panel is damaged.
Benton said they are talking to a company to see what is the best way forward with the repairs and what the costs could be to replace them.
Pictured: A precinct crew was removing the broken marble panels on Monday. (Photo by Barbara Green)
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