SCHOOL NEWS
Nocona BBQ team advances to nationals on dessert
The two Nocona High School barbecue teams competed at the state championship this past weekend with the Second Hand Smokers placing sixth in the dutch oven dessert category giving them points and clearing a way to the national competition in June.
Team member Denise DeLeon prepared the dessert.
The competition will be hosted at the Kahlari Resort June 18-21, a multi-day event with pork butt as the tie-breaker. There also will be some keynote speakers and training specific to barbecue.
The Burnt Ends did not make the final cut for nationals, but the team made up of two freshmen and three seniors had a great debut year.
Final scores from the state contest have not arrived to show where the teams placed in all five events. Both teams have been invited to attend and assist two teams cooking at the world championship contest in Memphis later in May.
SCHOOL NEWS
Nocona senior takes state feature writing title
Abigail Hill, Nocona High School valedictorian, is the 2026 UIL feature writing state champion. Nocona faculty have been looking through school records and UIL records to see when Nocona last had someone won state. UIL record archives only date back to 1983 and they didn’t see anyone listed as winning a gold medal in Academic UIL. According to Nocona records, she is the first UIL Academic Champion since 1973. (Courtesy photo)
SCHOOL NEWS
Bowie Kindergarten students graduate
Bowie Elementary kindergarten students entertained the huge audience that attended the graduation ceremonies at the high school gym on May 21. Each kindergarten class performed a song for the guests. They also were invited to dress as their future career choice such as a doctor or a police officer.

Each class entertained with a song.
SCHOOL NEWS
Gold-Burg grad serving NASA internship
By Andy Newberry, MSU Texas
Midwestern State University junior Rykir Evans is not only building his skills during a NASA internship—he’s creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Evans has been a remote student at MSU Texas this semester while completing the internship. During that time, he had the opportunity to meet American naval aviator and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, as well as NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz.
“It definitely has been an amazing experience thus far, and meeting all of the super inspirational figures in flesh and blood was definitely surreal,” Evans said.
Read the full story in Thursday’s Bowie News.
(Top photo) Rykir Evans had a chance meeting with Reid Wiseman NASA astronaut and commander of the Artemis II lunar fly-by mission. He also met famed NASA chief flight director Gene Kranz, who directed the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11.

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