Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 2003 Page: 3 of 6
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The Rio Grande Herald-Thursday, May 15, 2003, Page 3
CACST observing National
Community Action Month
Cantare youth choir busy during music workshop
Members of the Cantare' Youth Choir are pictured above busily taking notes and penciling in important
markings on their music during their recent choir workshop. Ms. Yolanda Garza, a professional vocalist from
San Antonio who is a member of the prestigious San Antonio Mastersingers, was the guest conductor. The
full-day seminar was essential in preparing the Choir for the Spring Concert that was held on May 10.
Cantare Youth Choir members
polish skills at seminar
The Community Action Council
of South Texas (CACST) for 38
years has been on the front lines
helping meet the needs of families
living in our community.
Over time it has become an
integral part of the community In
its early stages the CACST started
with a grant of $20,000 and has
grown into an agency with an
estimated budget of $23 million.
The CACST provides supportive
services such as child care, WIC
services, immunizations, low cost
or no cost medical and dental care,
nutritious meals to the elderly,
adult day care, transportation,
housing repair and new home
construction, assistance with energy
bills, weatherization. and youth
services. The CACST also helps
low-income people secure and retain
meaningful employment and attain
adequate education. As advocates for
the poor the CACST actively
encourages individuals to learn
about their community and the
programs available to them, thus
helping them on the road to self-
sufficiency.
President Lyndon B Johnson's
"War on Poverty" created
Community Action Agencies
(CAAs) when he signed the
Economic Opportunity Act of
1964. He charged Community
Action Agencies with the task of
enabling people to achieve self-
sufficiency and provide the
resources to accomplish this goal.
The CACST is about helping
individuals and families who come
to them in need and with the aid of
the agency's helping hand and
services, achieve self-sufficiency.
Community action is about
dedicated staff who work every day
to help the people they serve and
the volunteers who contribute their
time and give openly to help
others.
National Community Action
Month provides an opportunity to
highlight the contributions of
Community Action Agencies
nationwide. It is a time to share
their message that Community
Action works. The Community
Action Council of South Texas is
celebrating National Community
Action Month by inviting the
community to visit any of the sites
to see for themselves - CACST at
work within their community The
CACST operates in the counties of
Duval, Jim Hogg, Starr and Zapata,
and to a limited degree in '>ther
Texas counties, which include
Hidalgo, Kenedy, Kleberg.
McMullen and San Patricio. A
CACST spokesperson emphasized.
"Our celebration is to reaffirm our
commitment to making
Community Action work in our
future."
Members of the Cantare' Youth
Choir were busy with vocal warm
up exercises by 9 00 o'clock on
Saturday, March 29u'
The choir attended a full day
seminar which guided them
methods and
the choral
through various
techniques for
performer
The group received tips and
valuable instructions by their guest
conductor,
Ms Yolanda Garza of San
Antonio
Ms Garza, a professional vocalist
whose career in music includes her
membership in the prestigious San
Antonio Mastersingers, also loves
her teaching career as director for
two San Antonio elementary school
choirs Her busy schedule also
accommodates the demands of an
independent music consultant This
aspect of her career frequently
takes her to Cities through out
Texas where she conducts seminars
and consultations for music
educators
Martinez invited to Junior
Nationals Sports Festival
After an outstanding performance
in the USA Junior Nationals all-
state high school basketball
competition, Jessica Martinez,
daughter of Esteban and Zoila
Martinez and currently a junior at
Rio Grande City High School, has
been invited to participate in the
prestigious USA Junior Nationals
Championship Sports Festival for
girls on July 21-27 in Columbus,
Ohio.
The USA Junior Nationals
Championship Sports Festival for
boys will take place on July 7-13
in Columbus, Ohio.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin,
the USA Junior Nationals provides
one of the top amateur
compe. tions in the United Stales
and offers its program to all athletes
who have a high interest in
basketball and are interested in
developing their sk'lls and
techniques through statewide,
national and international
competition This is a unique
opportunity for all athletes to
improve their basketball talent
through highly organized
competition. Information about the
festival's participating athletes is
provided to educational institutions
throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Marine Corps Pvt. Salvador
Vasquez, son of Maria L. and
Victoriano Vasquez of Rio Grande
City, recently completed 12 weeks
of basic training at Marine Corps
Recruit Depot, Sin Diego.
California designed to challenge
new Marine recruits both physically
and mentally.
Vasquez and fellow recruits began
their training at 5 a.m. by running
three miles and performing
calisthenics. In addition to the
physical conditioning program,
Vasquez spent numerous hours in
classroom and lield assignments
which included learning first aid.
uniform regulations, combat water
survival, marksmanship, hand-to-
hand combat and asaoij^d weapons
ilftitig. TTiey perfWfmcd close order
drill and operated as a small infantry
unit during field training.
Vasquez. and other recruits also
received instruction on the Marine
Corps' core values- honor, courage
and commitment, and what the
woids mean in guiding personal and
The morning activities for the choir
students began with various vocal
exercises, which targeted tone and
pitch quality and also aided the
students in maintaining desired
vocal production
Breathing techniques were also a
main focus of both the warm up
and the all day meeting
The group studied and rehearsed
various pre-selected arrangements
which are being preparing for their
upcoming Spring Concert on May
10th, 2003
At Noon, the happy bunch took a
pizza break and enjoyed games and
free time All were back in
'learning position' by 1:00 and
ready for the remainder of the
seminar which continued until 3:00
o'clock
Closing time came too early for the
eager group When it was time to
go, there was still material left to
explore and enjoy The students
rallied for returning on Sunday for
a continuation of the choir sessions,
a sure sign that the all day
workshop had been an enjoyable
one for them
The choir will be presenting its
second annual Spring Concert on
Saturday, May 10Ul at 7:00 P M at
the Fort Ringgold Auditorium in
Rio Grande City
Rep. Guillen says Senate school
plan offers some positive steps
AUSTIN —While saying that
Senate Bill 2, which would
overhaul school funding in Texas,
is a "step in the right direction."
Representative Ryan Guillen said
Thursday that the senate effort,
"still does not provide true equity
in education to students across the
state."
fhe Senate met as a "committee
of the whole" last week and passed
a school funding plan by
unanimous vote. The bill must still
come before the Senate for more
debate and possible amendment
before it can be sent to a House
conference committee.
Guillen introduced a
constitutional amendment early in
this session of the legislature which
would have required "equal
educational opportunity" for every
school child in Texas, but the bill
as never allowed to be debated in
the Public Education Committee.
Guillen has vowed that he will,
"reintroduce the bill in the next
session of the legislature and to
continue to introduce it until the
people of Texas have a chance to
vote for it."
"The senate plan to cut property
taxes and raise sales taxes has been
welcomed by many different
groups, but it concerns me that
under this plan consumers are
going to be paying a larger share of
the tax bill while businesses and
property owners will see a drop in
their tax bills each year."
"This plan does nothing to solve
the problems of facility bond issues
for local school districts, and that
means wealthier districts will still
be able to provide better facilities
for their students than poor school
districts. That is one form of
iniquity we still need to abolish.
Every student deserves a quality
learning environment," Guillen
commented. He said it is a better
plan that HB 5 which required
ending the current so-called ' Robin
Hood" school funding system
without offering any plan to replace
it That bill was passed by the
House Republican majority early in
this session of the legislature.
"We must address the inequity gap
between property poor and property
wealthy districts.'' Guillen insists.
"That was the intent of my
proposed amendment in the House.
The senate bill will still allow
school districts to raise an extra ten
cents in local propeity taxes above
the 75-cent state property tax rate."
"In wealthy areas, that ten cents
will raise many millions of dollars
for special programs In poor
districts, it will provide very little,
insuring inequity in Texas schools."
Senator Florence Shapiro has said
it is her intention to close the gap
between poor and rich school
districts, and Guillen said he hopes
that happens.
Effort by HB 5 sponsor Kent
Grusendorf to pass a House plan
for funding school last week in
response to pressure from the
senate was voted down.
"I plan to work closely with other
House members concerned about
the quality of public education in
Texas to improve the senate bill
when it comes to the house, and
part of that improvement must be to
insure equal educational
opportunity for all students in
Texas," Guillen stated.
Guillen echoed the words of
Houston Independent School
District administrator Bill
Carpenter, saying, "This bill is not
the final solution to school funding
in T exas, but it is a first step"
Guillen praised the idea of cutting
property taxes, saying. "Lower
taxes will make it easier for people
in our district to start a business or
own a home, and that will help
improve the economy of the entire
area." However, he noted that, "The
increase in sales taxes might hurt
those cities on the borders of the
state."
The state's current system would
be replaced with a single tier.
(See POSITIVE, Page 41
Jessica Martinez
USA Junior Nationals offers one-
day competitions at 44 sites
throughout the country in the
spring with competitions scheduled
throughout the South. Midwest,
Fast and West coasts Athletes who
demonstrate advanced skills, team
leadership, competitive spirit, and
good sportsmanship go on to the
next level ol play which is the
tISA Junior National Sports
Festival in Columbus, Ohio.
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Vasquez completes
Marine recruit training
professional conduct.
Vasquez and fellow recruits ended
the training phase with The
Crucible, a 54-hour, team evolution
culminating in an emotional
ceremony in which recruits are
presented the Marine Corps
Emblem, and addressed as
"Marines" for the first time in their
careers.
Vasquez is a 2002 graduate of
Rio Grande City High School.
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 2003, newspaper, May 15, 2003; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth196216/m1/3/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.