Friday, May 19, 2017
Thursday, August 1, 2013
New school principal named
HannumPort Aransas Independent School District Board of Trustees hired Michael Hannum to replace H.G Olsen Elementary School Principal Patricia Nelson, who will retire at the end of the year, during its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20.
The district hired Hannum under a one-year contract that will start in July. However, instead of taking Nelson’s position, PAISD Superintendent Dr. Sharon Doughty decided to assign Hannum to the Brundrett Middle School principal position while the current principal, Gina McKeever, will take Nelson’s position at H.G Olsen Elementary School. The superintendent has administrative authority and responsibility for the assignment, supervision and evaluation of all personnel of the district other than her own.
Doughty said she believes Hannum will be a great fit for the middle school and also that McKeever has all the experience needed to work as an elementary school principal, since she was an elementary schoo teacher before becoming Brundrett Middle School principal.
Michael Hannum, who poses here in the Brundrett Middle School library on Friday, March 22, will be the new Brundrett Middle School principal for the next school year. Port Aransas Independent School District Board of Trustees hired Hannum under PAISD superintendent Dr. Sharon Doughty’s recommendation during its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20. Staf photo by Jim DuboisDoughty recommended Hannum to the board after a committee composed of all PAISD principals and four teachers interviewed four different applicants and gave their opinions.
The board unanimously agreed to follow Doughty’s choice.
“We voted 7-0 and we look forward to having him joining our district,” PAISD Board of Trustees President Michelle Lorette commented.
Hannum was very pleased when he heard the news.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “I wanted to work here for many years and I attempted to come last year. I am ready to finally come to Port Aransas.”
Hannum, 44, has been working in education for 16 years. He started teaching English at Rockport Middle School before becoming the assistant principal. He is currently working as the Bloomington Middle School principal.
Hannum is ready to start at the middle school, even though he applied to work at the elementary school.
“I love middle school, it’s a fun group,” he said. “All my experience has been with this age group, so I like that.”
McKeever was concerned about the switch, but her doubts quickly faded.
“I was reluctant at first to even consider the position,” McKeever said. “Then I saw the candidates who were all excellent candidates and I met Michael during the interview. I just felt like: ‘what am I thinking? This is the position he should have because he can take it to that next level that they are ready to go.’ I really feel he is the person that can do it.”
McKeever is also excited to go back to Olsen.
“That is where my heart has been from early in my education,” she explained. “I am ready to bring all of the different things that I’ve had experienced as a leader here, back to the elementary school. I am really excited.”
Nelson is pleased to know that McKeever will replace her.
“It makes me more confident about leaving,” she said. “I know the teachers and the students will be in good hands.”
For the moment, Hannum does not have any plans for Brundrett Middle School.
Recycling program is free
People might not be aware of it, but Port Aransas has a recycling program, and it’s free.
Recycled trash pick up is included in the basic, household trash pick-up.
Since 2007, Republic Services has taken care of trash and recycling pick up in town. The company also serves Corpus Christi, Rockport and other surrounding cities.
All people have to do is get a recycle bin at Port Aransas City Hall. However, only single family homeowners can benefit from the program. The pick-up cannot be performed for condominiums or apartments for logistical reasons.
Yet, condos and apartment dwellers can still recycle, using the big recycle bins all over town. Two bins are located in the city hall parking lot, multiple ones are on the beach and the transfer center also offers recycle bins.
Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is an easy way for citizens to make an impact in reducing global warming and energy waste, according to Green Team vice-president Rae Mooney.
For example, recycling aluminum helps save 95 percent of energy and reduces 95 percent of air pollution, according to scientific studies.
Port Aransas has multiple organizations and groups that promote recycling.
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute Green Team is a group of students, teachers and staff that works every day to make Port Aransas a cleaner place.
Its mission is to make UTMSI and Port Aransas more sustainable and eco-friendly and to reduce the impact on the environment.
The group hosted a “Recycling Challenge” during the Whooping Crane Festival in February.
“Many of the visitors to our booth were visiting Port Aransas, but of the people who live here, either full time or part time as Winter Texans, many did not know that Port Aransas even had a recycling program”, Mooney said.
The group discussed the outcome of the recycling challenge and thought Port Aransas residents needed to be made aware of the “green” things the town is doing, according to Mooney.
“There is and has been curbside pick-up for recycling in Port Aransas at single family homes with trash pick-up,” Mooney explained. “Everybody here loves nature, so people should realize that recycling is a great way to preserve it.”
The group also cleans the south jetty once or twice a month.
“People go fishing and leave their trash behind,” Mooney explained. “We pick up a lot of things when we go clean the jetty.”
The group is thinking about having a trash summit, probably this summer. A summit would bring scientists and researchers to town to talk about recycling and its impact on environment.
“It’s a way for us to educate the public,” Mooney said. “People can come and listen to us. They can ask questions and learn more about recycling and global warming.”
The group also encourages people to walk or ride bikes. In other words, anything that could help preserve the environment.
Foreigners in Port Aransas
Marcel AlthauserPort Aransas is well known for being a town that attracts tourists from all over the country. They mingle and enjoy the town for a few weeks—or in some cases—a few months.
And sometimes, tourists love it so much they decide to stay here forever. But it is not only Americans that catch Port Aransas fever.
Indeed, many Europeans and other immigrants have taken up residency in Port Aransas, and no matter the reason, they don’t hesitate to call Port Aransas home now.
Yves Coeckelenberg was born in Brussels, Belgium. He said it was the opportunities offered that brought him here.
“Life is made up of opportunities, and I travelled a lot because of them,” he explained.
The first time he set foot in Port Aransas was in 1969.
“I was an anchor for a Belgium television station,” Coeckelenberg said. “I was here to cover the moon landing. I spent a few days in Port Aransas before leaving for Houston.”
However, the town did not work its magic on Coeckelenberg until years later.
“When I first came here, I liked it, but I didn’t think of moving here.”
Coeckelenberg met the woman who would eventually become his wife in ’69, and they kept in touch despite the distance. They finally got married in 1973 when Coeckelenberg came back to the United States. (Patt is the Brundrett Middle School librarian. They have four children together).
When asked what brought Coecklenberg back to the United States he said: “I got the opportunity to do an interesting Ph.D.”
In 1976, Coeckelenberg graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He and Patt then moved to San Francisco, where Coecklenberg took up his work as a research scientist for NASA until ‘78.
Coeckelenberg finally returned to Port Aransas in 2000.
“We bought a condo here, and we would come from time to time,” Coeckelenberg said. “At the time, though, we were living in Austin and I was travelling to Europe to work for the Council Parliament of Europe in Strasbourg, France.“
Despite visiting for a mere few weeks at a time, Coeckelenberg found a way to contribute his time and talents to the community.
“I became a volunteer firefighter in 2001,” he said. “It was a way to discover the place and meet people.”
In 2003, the Coeckelenbergs moved to Port Aransas permanently. Yves is now a chemistry professor at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Coeckelenberg became an American citizen in 2010, and he said he sees himself as a local.
“Port Aransas is my home,” he said. “It’s a place where I feel good. I enjoy taking my sailboat out and riding my bike all around the city. I have been to many places with beaches and this one is the best. This place is the only reason why we stay in the U.S.”
Yves isn’t the only person who came to America and found love.
Sarah Durand was born in Paris, France. The 30-year-old works for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute as a fiscal office manager. She has lived in Port Aransas since October 2012.
“This town is great,” she said. “It’s a friendly, small community, and you feel that people love to live here.”
Durand began her path to Port Aransas when she started an internship for Texas Instruments several years ago.
“At the time, my entire family was living in Austin, and my dad was working for the company,” she explained. “I was studying in France, and he got me an internship there. When I arrived, I had trouble with my computer, so I went to the IT department and that’s where I met Ken, my fiancé.” (Ken Jones is captain at Kenjofly Charters in Port Aransas.)
A year later, Durand graduated with a bachelors degree in Business Administration, and she decided to move to the U.S. to be with her fiancé.
The couple moved to New York in 2006, where they stayed for five years.
Durand ended up in Port Aransas when she and her fiancé decided they needed a change.
“We wanted a place that was warmer than New York, and we already knew Texas because we met in Austin, and my fiancé lived here for most of his life.”
They looked at Corpus Christi and North Padre Island but didn’t really like either of them, according to Durand.
“Finally, we saw Port Aransas and that was it,” she said. “We are over 30 now, and we are thinking about having a family. I believe this town is a great place to raise kids. The community, the schools, and the people are all great.”
The couple bought land shortly after they moved to Port Aransas.
“We plan on staying here for a while.”
Durand became an American citizen in 2008.
Sarah needn’t feel lonely for French company in this small Texas town, however, because she isn’t alone. Marie Smallwood, 23, also born in Paris, discovered Port Aransas during the summer of 2010.
“I came here through a European program that gave me the opportunity to work and have some holidays at the same time,” Smallwood explained. “I worked for one of the tourist shops in town.”
That could have been it for Marie’s time in Port Aransas, but love decided to work its magic, as it always does.
“I fell in love with someone while I was working here,” she said. “Love brought me back.”
Tim Smallwood, a ship captain who was raised in Port Aransas, was the man who brought her back to Port Aransas. The couple got married in 2011 and now live in Port Aransas.
“I love this town,” Smallwood said. “I love the outdoors and the nautical activities; this place is so relaxing. It’s a great place to live.”
Both Sarah and Marie confess that they do miss things about their home country— particularly the wines and cheeses that France is so known for.
But true European cuisine is not lacking in Port Aransas.
Marcel Althauser is well known in Port Aransas, although he was born in Lahr, Germany. Owner and chef of
Marcel’s Restaurant, Althauser arrived in Port Aransas in June 1990 with only one idea in mind.
“I came here to open a restaurant,” Althauser said. “Now, I feel like this is home.”
Althauser said he liked that Port Aransas is not as crowded and hectic as Germany.
“This is a small town, very charming and laid back,” he explained. “I love that the beach is right in front of my doorstep and also that there is a bigger city, Corpus Christi, close by.”
However, Althauser misses a few things from his native Germany.
“I miss welcoming spring with all the fruit trees blooming, hunting for those small, wild strawberries in the forest and hiking under a canopy of pine, oak and elm trees.”
Asked if he thinks about staying here forever, Althauser explained that he has not really considered his future yet.
Althauser is not the only European cook in town. Coming straight from Latisana, Italia, Linda Halioua gives Port Aransans the opportunity to discover the Italian culture through her food. Owner and general manager of Venetian Hot Plate, Halioua was born to work in the business.
“My parents had restaurants, bars and also a fruit and wine retail store,” she explained.
Just l ike Althauser, Halioua came to Port Aransas to open a restaurant.
“I moved here in 1995 with my late husband Maurizio,” she said. “We were living in Philadelphia but I wanted to be in a place with better weather.”
However, her first impression of the place was the one of a gypsy camp.
“Forgive me, but some areas had run down proprieties, outdoor refrigerators, abandoned cars and so on. It reminded me of those camps outside of big Italian cities.”
That first impression quickly faded away.
“Within a couple of days, I understood the beauty of this place, the funkiness, the magic of a small town community with a philosophy of live and let live,” Halioua said.
Like others, Halioua fell in love with the town.
“I love the beauty of totally different people from different walks of life united by the love for nature and the privilege to be part of a unique island by geography and history,” Halioua said. “This place is a jewel.”
Halioua said that she is proud to have chosen a place like Port Aransas.
“This is a place where I can belong and let’s admit it, one has to be a bit ‘out there’ to fully immerse here,” she said with a smile.
Halioua did not know if she would spend the rest of her life here but she said she would try.
“After 18 years, I do consider myself very much integrated,” she explained. “However, my accent still reminds me that I am an immigrant.”
From her native country, Halioua said she misses the aperitif at bars with friends before lunch and dinner, strolling the old squares while enjoying an ice cream and bumping into friends.
No matter what brought them to Port Aransas, they all agree that the town is a friendly community where everyone is accepted and integrated.
“But it sure helps if you fish,” Durand added.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Marlins movin' on up!
(This story was published in the Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper on May 16.)
By Jim Dubois
Reporter
Varsity Marlin John Amundsen celebrates after a scored run against D’Hanis on Saturday, May 11. The Marlins won 7-4 and qualified for regionals. Staff photo by Marnie PateThe varsity Marlins baseball team qualified for regionals after winning 2-0 in the best of three games series against D’Hanis at area. The first game was played on Friday, May 10. The second one was played on Saturday, May 11.
The Marlins will play Ben Bolt at regionals. Ben Bolt defeated Bracketville 2-1 in their series.
The first game will be played in either Rockport or Gregory-Portland on Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m. The second game will be in Alice at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. If necessary, a third game will start 30 minutes after the end of the second one.
In the first game at area, played in D’Hanis, the Marlins earned a close win 3-2.
Coach Brian Flack was happy with how his players reacted.
“The kids did a great job keeping their cool under pressure,” Flack said. “We didn’t play our best ball and it was against an opponent that we have had a lot of trouble with in the past. As a team, we are glad to finally beat them.”
Varsity Marlin Christian Johnson extends his arms to get a hit against D’Hanis on Saturday, May 11. The Marlins won 7-4 and qualified for regionals. The best-of-three series gets under way on Friday, May 17, against Ben Bolt.Staff photo by Marnie PateAt bat, Tyler Pate and Jake Roberts went two for three. Pate scored one run. Nick Maxham, Chase Denton and Andrew Follett went one for three. All of them hit a double and Maxham scored a run. Finally, Colby Minnick went one for four.
Pate was the pitcher for the Marlins. He struck out 14 and gave away four hits and two walks in seven innings.
Scoring by Innings
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The second game was played in Hondo. The Marlins defeated their opponent 7-4.
Minnick went two for three, while Roberts and Maxham went one for three. Roberts scored twice and Maxham had one walk. Pate and Follett went one for four. Finally, John Amundsen scored three runs despite going zero for two.
Roberts pitched for five innings, striking out nine and giving away three hits. Caleb Rogers closed the game and struck out three.
Scoring by Innings
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Flack explained what made the difference in these games.
“Running the bases was a key to our victories,” he commented. “With all the double steals, hits and runs and Christian Johnson stealing home in Hondo, I believe that is what put us over the top. Our pitching and defense was great as well. Our shortstop, Colby Minnick, played an outstanding game in the field on Saturday with a couple of big time plays.”
The team’s season record is 26-3.
Diabetes doesn't slow Port Aransas athlete
Colby Minnick, 17, checks his blood for his sugar levels using a personal reader. Minnick does the same process four to 10 times a day. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009. Staff photo by Jim DuboisPort Aransas High School Marlin Colby Minnick is an example of how a teenager can fight diabetes everyday. He lives a regular teenage life, even with the disease.
Some 25.8 million people in the United States suffer from diabetes, or about eight percent of the population. If more than 22 million have type 2 diabetes, three million of Americans have type 1 diabetes. The type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an auto-immune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The lack of insulin makes the body unable to convert sugar from food into nutrients for cells. The excess of sugar builds up in the blood stream and may eventually cause severe damage to organs and premature death.
The disease can strike adults and children as well, but a diagnosis does not mean it has to limit how they live their lives.
Minnick, 17, just moved to Port Aransas with his family. His mother, Heather Minnick, sat down with the South Jetty and answered our questions about her son and diabetes.
Colby is the oldest of four kids and has always played the role of a big brother, according to his mother. Originally from Missouri, where Colby was born, the family moved to Texas to be in a warmer climate.
“That way, the boys could pursue baseball as close to year around as possible,” Minnick explained.
Caleb, Colby’s brother, is a sophomore at PAHS and he also plays baseball.
“It is a parents’ dream to see them playing together at the same time on the field,” Minnick said.
It was a dream that almost never came true when, in 2009, the family learned Colby had type1 diabetes.
“One night, during a family road trip, we were stopping every five minutes for him to urinate,” Minnick explained. “Something just told me that wasn’t right. My husband being a type 1 himself, checked his blood. He said it was too high to register on the meter.”
The family went to the nearest hospital to ask for help. Despite their greater technology, the doctors could not get a reading on Colby’s blood.
“They put him on an insulin drip and by the time they got a reading, it was 1090 mg/ dL of blood, which was almost unheard of,” Minnick said.
A person without diabetes would have a blood sugar level between 70 and 120 mg/dL of blood, according to experts.
“The staff told me that had we taken him home, he would have went to sleep and never woke up. They said it was truly a miracle that he didn’t die.”
When he was diagnosed in 2009, Colby lost more than 30 pounds and was sick.
To learn that he was a type 1 diabetic, just like his father, was tough information for Colby. His mother told us that he was very unhappy and scared.
“He thought his life was over,” Minnick explained. “He was seeing his dad go through this terrible disease and he just could not believe it was happening to him. Even I was terrified. It absolutely crushed my spirits for him.”
Minnick even thought her son’s life, as a regular kid, was over.
As for his friends, they changed completely. Nobody wanted to get close to him, and they were scared to catch the same disease, according to Minnick. Rumors started, saying that he was dying, and when he checked his blood in class, other kids thought it was disgusting. “People started saying that he had too much sugar, that only old people could get it,” Minnick said. “They were getting type 1 and type 2 completely mixed up.”
Today, the advanced care available makes Colby’s life easier.
“At the time, I was not aware of all the advanced care that was out there for kids,” Minnick explained. “Today, Colby wears a pump that is attached to his body, that he only takes off to swim or shower. It gives him around the clock insulin. He checks his blood four to 10 times a day with a finger prick. His normal sugars should be within 90-120 mg/dL. Anything over that, he has to take extra insulin.”
Today, Colby lives the life of a regular teenager. He goes to school, enjoys Spring Break and plays baseball.
“I only bleed baseball,” Colby said to his mom when she asked him if he played other sports. Playing the game with diabetes is possible and Colby proves it with the Marlins at every game.
“Colby will be an impact player for us,” Marlins baseball coach Brian Flack said after a week of practice with his new player.
However, coaches were not always so understanding about his disease, according to his mother.
“He would check his blood in the dugout and the coach would tell him to sit this one out,” Minnick told us. “They were just ignorant to the fact that he could live and play like a normal teen. He knew way more about the disease than any of the adults did.”
That is when Colby took a stand and decided to tackle this subject head on. He got a tattooed medical bracelet. First for safety, and secondly for awareness.
“So many people approach him and ask him what the bracelet means and it gives him a chance to share his story,” Minnick explained.
Because of his medical situation, Colby will never be able to join the military or get certain licenses. Therefore, he is really counting on baseball and academics to get him to college, his mother said. He plans on going into the medical field.
“He wants to educate everyone on this disease and be able to tell others that you can live a normal life,” Minnick said. “It’s how you choose to live it.”
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