COUNTY LIFE
Future possibilities excite retiring St. Jo educator
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Few educators can look back at a career that ran the entire gambit from substitute, to teacher, coach, librarian and administrator, but for Denise Thurman she says all those experiences helped make her the educator she has become after 30 years with Saint Jo Independent School District.
Thurman, elementary principal, is retiring at the end of this school year, and will receive congratulations at a party from 3-4 p.m. on May 30 in the Saint Jo School cafeteria.
For the 50-year-old this decision to leave is “very bittersweet” because she truly loves everything about her job.
“It was a difficult decision, I struggle with it sometimes still, but I know I want to be there for my family more. This is a busy job and demands a lot of time and responsibility. Both my kids will be in college, we want to be able to travel and see them as they go through college,” explained Thurman.
Her husband of 26 years, Clint, retired two years ago as a firefighter in Richardson, but still builds fence and buildings. Cody, 21, attends Texas Tech University and Kile, is about to graduate at Saint Jo and will make a decision on college. She sees nothing but new experiences and family memories in her future.
Why a teacher?
Born in Duncan, OK, Thurman grew up in Nocona after the family moved there when she was four. After graduating high school in 1991 she attended Texas A&M-Commerce. At the same time, she began as a substitute teacher at Saint Jo and in 1995 she was hired as a paraprofessional for the high school special education classroom while she finished her degree.
With her bachelor of science degree in hand Thurman began teaching junior high English, accelerated programs at the high school and was yearbook advisor. In 1996 coaching was added to her job description for junior varsity girl’s volleyball and basketball.
When asked if she always wanted to be a teacher, Thurman says yes and no.
“I always looked up to so many of my teachers when I was growing up so the idea was there. At one point I wanted to be a pharmacist or a radiologist, but it came back to teaching,” she recalls.
Read the full feature in the weekend Bowie News.
Retiring Saint Jo Elementary Principal Denise Thurman stands in front of a colorful mural outside her office at the school. (Photo by Barbara Green)
In recognition of National Adoption Awareness Month this November, Texas Community Counseling and the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas are partnering to bring resources to Montague County families.
The two organizations will host an adoption, foster care and kinship care resource fair on Nov. 14 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County Fellowship Hall, located at 300 W. Nelson St. in Bowie.
The resource fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon, bringing together local agencies and service providers to answer questions and share information about support available within the county.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Members of the Montague County Historical Commission invite the community to join them on Nov. 14 for a Rolling Bus Tour.
This tour will cover the cemeteries in the south west corner of Montague County. You will have the opportunity to stroll through some of the cemeteries, others the bus will stop and Commission member Calvin Durham will tell the history of the cemetery.
The bus tour will meet at the Old Jail in Montague at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. The tour will include a sack lunch, a brochure of each cemetery visited and a book “This Soil will Grow Grapes” written by Melvin Fenoglio.
The cost of the tour is $20 for adults. There is no charge for children under 12. The commission members strive to preserve the history of the county and to share as much of it as possible with our citizens. You can RSVP by calling 940-841-2674 or 940-872-1007. Please leave a message with your name if there is no answer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 17.
FEMA’s emergency alert system is a national public warning system made up of thousands of radio, TV, cable and satellite and wireline video providers. Through the EAS, the President can address the American people or share life-saving information with the public during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to conduct a nationwide test of the public alert and warning system at least once every three years. These tests allow FEMA to identify technical or operational issues before the system is needed during an actual emergency.
FEMA and the FCC are sharing the test date in advance because it is important the public understands what to expect on the day of the test.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. (Central time), on Nov. 17, all the electronics providers will interrupt normal programming to relay a test message.
This message will state: This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency management Agency, covering the United States from 1:20 to 1:50 p.m. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
When the test is concluded, normal programming will resume.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with stakeholders, including participating communications providers as well as federal, state, tribal and territorial agencies to prepare for and conduct the test.
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