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SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL SAFETY

Threat causes
low attendance Educators weigh in on school
across district
BY MEGAN TACKETT
megan.tackett
safety; guns deemed an option
@delrionewsherald.com BY BRIAN ARGABRIGHT handling a shooter

Attendance numbers across the local

AND RUBÉN CANTÚ
news
@delrionewsherald.com
Del Rioans want Del Rioans want their children
to be safer at school through
improved and more secured
and the students at
the same time is no
school district took a hit after the threat
of an alleged shooting was recently dis-
covered in a campus bathroom. Faced with the likelihood of
improved facilities facilities, according to the
results of an online poll post-
easy task.
“If you have a
lockdown on cam-
San Felipe Del Rio CISD Superinten- carrying a firearm on-campus ed last week at the Del Rio pus, your number
dent Carlos Rios said the school will to defend themselves and their News-Herald website, delri- one priority is to
seek an attendance waiver from the students given recent school onewsherald.com make sure your
The top option of the poll
Texas Education Agency to request shootings in Texas and across 19.4% (57.3 percent, 59 votes)
class is safe. Han-
that the poor attendance on March 2 not the country, Del Rio educators dling a class and
shows an overwhelming ad-
count against the district's numbers. didn’t discard the possibility en- handling the shoot-
vantage over second and
“This is the first time we'll be making tirely, but they coincided in the er would be tough,”
third options, which combine
a waiver request for safety reasons,” benefits of looking at different Torres said.
for less than half of the votes
Rios said. “Because it's our first time we options first. Local teachers
cast.
believe it will be approved.” Educators agreed upon the 57.3% The second most popular op- and school staff
According to numbers released from fact that their first responsibil- 23.3% gave their opinion
tion among poll responders
the school district, campuses with the ity is to teach the children, and was to arm teachers and staff to the News-Herald
lowest attendance on that date include that more security personnel (23.3 percent, 23), closely fol- following the deadly
Del Rio Middle School, with attendance is needed, but when it comes lowed by armed school police shootings that have
of 49.87 percent and San Felipe Memo- down to the last option, they officers (19.4 percent, 20). been plaguing plac-
rial Middle School, with an attendance said, it is better to have a way to Thank you for participating in es such a church in
of 55.73 percent. District wide, 76.53 stop an assailant. our online poll, your opinion Sutherland Springs,
percent of students attended school, “I have read pros and cons counts. This week we want to Texas, and more
according to the district. and while this should not be know what kind of school fa- recently a school
If the waiver is not approved, Rios said the only solution, we need gun cility improvements are atop in Parkland, Fla.,
that the low attendance would have an reform and mental healthcare, Armed School police More secure of your list. Visit delrionews- where 17 people
impact on funding the district receives it is a viable solution. I don’t teachers facilities herald.com and vote! were killed and 17
from TEA. Students who did not attend think I should have a gun, but injured by a lone
school on Friday will be eliminated from I know some people that would assailant.
perfect year-long attendance and all be willing and able to carry teaches elementary grades. Del Rio High but now teaches “I won’t carry a gun. Teachers
rewards the title entails, Rios said. one,” said 30-year educator Kel- Jason Torres, a 12-year middle school in San Antonio,
The district recently requested a ly Long Lujan, who currently educator who graduated from said that safety is a priority, but See EDUCATORS Page 3A
waiver from the TEA for inclement
weather that hindered attendance on
Feb. 17. The state doesn't have an atten- PAUL POAG THEATRE

Fine arts
dance waiver request limit if for reasons

See ATTENDANCE Page 3A

SAN FELIPE CREEK

Courtesy file photo

About 40 volunteers joined the effort last year to
clean a mile-long stretch of San Felipe Creek.

Casa holding creek Photos by Karen Gleason

cleaning efforts
BY MEGAN TACKETT
megan.tackett
@delrionewsherald.com
Community members will gather today
and later this week at a local art center
to help clean up Del Rio’s waterways for
upcoming summertime enjoyment.
Volunteers are invited to meet at Casa
de la Cultura at 302 Cantu St. today for the
Spring Break Creek Clean Up to help beau-
tify the San Felipe Creek and surrounding
areas between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“If we continue our efforts to keep it
See CLEANUP Page 3A
Concert pianist Avguste Antonov begins preparing for his concert on the stage at the Paul Poag Theatre on Saturday. Before the concert, Antonov
hosted a lecture called “Teaching and Technology” for local piano student and piano teachers.
Pianist offers seminar, concert at Paul Poag Theatre
BY KAREN GLEASON mance at the theater on March sheet also included a handful of
karen.gleason 3. “non-music” sites and tools for
@delrionewsherald.com “In this day and age, students general learning.
tend to spend so much time Web sites discussed by
A concert pianist led a semi- on their cell phones, on their Antonov included sites for
nar for Del Rio piano teachers iPads, on their desktop comput- learning music theory, a site for
and students at the Paul Poag ers, well, why not use these to adult music lessons, sites with
Theatre last week. improve their music skills and forums for “pianists talking
A few hours after the sem- skills in general?” Antonov said about how to play the piano”
inar, titled “Teaching and at the start of the seminar. and sites on which students
Technology,” pianist Avguste Antonov handed those attend- and teachers could download a Piano teachers Cathy Ricchuiti, left,
Antonov performed selections ing his lecture a sheet listing a metronome. and Jana Plank attend a lecture on
from 20th and 21st Century number of web sites for music using the internet and some of its
composers during a free perfor- students and teachers. The See PIANO Page 3A many sites to help their students.

WEATHER OBITUARIES THE NEWS-HERALD ONLINE

Del Rio
Vol. 88 No. 51
Copyright 2018
TUE. WED. THU. Jose O. Salas, 86 What kind of improvements or updates are Del Rio News-Herald
Jesus Zavala, 62 needed in Del Rio schools? More secure
facilities; classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias,
sports fields, or more technology, learning
70° 50° 70° 55° 78° 60° aids. Visit our website and vote!

Page Two 2A Opinion 4A Sports 5A Entertainment 6A Comics 7A Developing Del Rio 9A Classifieds 10A
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2018
Concert pianist Avguste Antonov discusses how students and teachers can use music sites on the
internet for everything from downloading scores to watching other pianists’ performances during a
lecture at the Paul Poag Theatre on Saturday.
PIANO
From Page 1A
Antonov also discussed
learning to play the piano
and other instruments by
using social media like
Facebook and video sites
like YouTube.
Antonov rounded out
his lecture by discussing a
number of sites for gener-
al learning, tutoring and
scheduling.
EDUCATORS
From Page 1A
need to take care of students gain access to it, and there
and keep them calm and
safe not go after a shooter. of a teacher being out-
I agree with people who
say there needs to be secu-
rity (or more security) at
schools,” said Sandra Chapa been an educator for 31
San Miguel, who has been
an educator for 25 years and
currently teaches elementa- arming educators is all the
ry grades.
The liability of a loaded carries a gun, what if a stu-
gun in school is something dent gets a hold of it? If it’s
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Photo by Karen Gleason
Antonov’s biography,
which may be read in full
on his web site at www.
avgusteantonov.com, notes
he is “ ... is a dedicated
performer of 20th and 21st
century American living
composers, and has per-
formed world and U.S.
premieres at venues across
North America.”
Antonov has worked
with a number of compos-
ers and “presented recit-
als in Bordeaux(France),
that needs to be consid-
ered very carefully when
it comes down to student
safety, because they could
is a very real possibility
gunned by a shooter, said
elementary teacher Yvette
Ramirez Cortinas, who has
years.
“My problem with
what if’s. So if a teacher
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FROM PAGE 1A
Colorado, Kansas, Iowa,
Missouri, Florida, Pennsyl-
vania, Texas, Ohio, South
Carolina, Tennessee and
has been featured as soloist
with many ensembles in-
cluding the San Jose State
University Wind Sym-
phony, the San Jose Wind
Symphony, the University
City Symphony, the Alton
Symphony Orchestra, the
Tulsa Camerata and the
Lakeland Community Or-
chestra.”
locked up somewhere then
I have to get my students
situated safely and unlock
a box to get a gun. Don’t
have time for that. Also if
we’re going to carry a small
caliber versus an arsenal of
guns then we don’t have a
chance. I’m elementary and
agree we also need securi-
ty to walk halls and walk
grounds.”
One local educator pon-
dered the option of armed
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ATTENDANCE from learning, but also
caused distractions in the
From Page 1A classrooms for students
who were present.
beyond district control,
Rios said. and learning take the big-
“We don't expect we'll gest hit,” Rios said. “Even
have to make too many when students get back you
more,” Rios said. have to refocus them.”
Rios said the threat not
only prevented the students ment officers arrested the
who did not attend school student who they believe
CLEANUP
From Page 1A
clean maybe that would
get other people to do the
same,” said Casa director
Lupita De La Paz.
Individuals who volun-
teer will break into groups
and focus on a specific
stretch of the creek or
section of the creek’s sur-
rounding neighborhood. De
La Paz said participants are
encouraged to bring gloves,
drinking water, swimwear,
sunscreen and trash bags.
Last year, about 40 vol-
unteers joined the effort to
clean a mile-long stretch
of San Felipe Creek from
the Academy Street Bridge
to San Felipe Lions Club
Memorial Park, said De La
Paz. The group hauled 11
grocery carts full of gar-
bage from the creek as well
as televisions, toilets, tires
and natural rubbish.
While most of the items
removed the creek and
neighborhood are prop-
erly disposed, the group
occasionally finds a hid-
den treasure. Last year,
Casa embroidery artist
Darlene Quintero created
a unique piece of art from
a turquoise door that was
thrown out. The piece was
recently featured at the
Casa as part of her larger
embroidery exhibit.
teachers and completely
discarded the idea, stating
that dedicated security
staff should be the one
responding in the event of
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DEL RIO NEWS-HERALD | 3A
was responsible for the
threat made on the bath-
room wall at Del Rio Middle
School. An addition arrest
“Unfortunately teaching for another bathroom
threat was made at Blended
Academy, Rios said.
The superintendent
requests parents continue
SFDRCISD Police Depart- to speak to their children
about the consequences of
making threats.
File photo
Volunteers break into different groups to cover more ground
during the cleanup.
The event precedes an- an invasive species.
other creek clean up event, After last year’s tour-
the Armored Catfish Fish- nament, about 960 catfish,
ing Tournament, which which erode the creek floor
will take place between and feast on algae that ben-
March 16 and March 18 at efits other wildlife, were
the Casa. The tournament removed from the creek, De
works with the Texas Parks La Paz said. The top three
and Wildlife Department to teams that catch the most
rid the creek of the catfish, mud suckers will win an
also known as mud suck- award, according to the
ers, which are considered group’s Facebook page.
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