Issue_52_Vol_2008

Paw Print Press
Serving Itasca “The Big Little Town” since 1997
Itasca, Texas 76055
Volume 2008 Issue No. 52
December 26, 2008
Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas
The Christmas Story
“Believe and be at Peace”
Diane Barnes, Lay Pastor First Presbyterian Church
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was
governing Syria. So all went to be registered everyone to his
own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of
David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who
was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days
were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought
forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling
cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out
in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And
behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I
bring you good tidings of a great joy which will be to all
people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to
you: You will find a Babe wrapped in a swaddling cloths,
lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the
highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them
into heaven, that the
shepherds said to one
another, “Let us go
now to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has
come to pass, which the
Lord has made known
to us.” And they came
with haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and
the Babe lying in a
manger. Now when
they had seen Him,
they made widely known the saying which was told to them
by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and
pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had
heard and seen, as it was told to them.
Luke 2:1-20
The great poet, Henry W. Longfellow, wrote the
beautiful poem (which was later set to music) “I Heard
the Bells on Christmas Day” during the Civil War. Not
only did war rage around him, but his wife had also
been killed in a freak accident, and his son had been
injured in the war.
It was hard for Longfellow to image what “Peace on
Earth” meant. Today, we might be wondering the same
thing. There is no peace on earth. Countries fight
against each other. Terrorism is a constant threat.
There’s no peace - or joy - in many individuals’ lives.
They try to escape through alcohol or drugs or other
addictions. Where is that peace? Where is God?
But the whole reason for Christmas, for this Advent
season, is the birth of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.
And the reason that God sent His Son was because He
cared so deeply about a broken world. God loves
broken people so deeply that He had to find a way to
make them whole again.
Continued on page 3
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
I heard the bells on Christmas day, their old familiar
carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth,
good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come, the belfries of all
Christendom
Had roll’d along th’unbroken song of peace on earth,
good will to men.
And in despair I bow’d my head; “There is no peace on
earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on
earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not
dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on
earth, good will to men.”
Till ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved from
night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, of peace on earth,
good will to men.
Page 2
December 26, 2008
Churches of Itasca
Bethlehem Missionary Baptist
W. Spurgeon 687-2800
Central Baptist Church
401 E. Monroe 687-2343
Church of Christ
200 N. Aquilla 687-2774
First Baptist Church
107 S. Lamar 687-2783
First Presbyterian Church
106 N. Lamar 687-2243
First United Methodist
Main & King St. 687-2475
Loveview Baptist Church
FM 2959 East of I-35
Second Baptist Church 120 W. Marrion
687-9134
Shiloh Community Church
254-582-0487
St. John Missionary Baptist
506 S. Weaver 687-2821
3rd Day Worship Center
107 E. Adams 214 564-2185
Itasca Nursing Home
Sunday - 10:00 a.m.
Everyone Welcome
Monday Evening 6:00 p.m.
Central Baptist Church
Paw Print Press
Itasca Ministerial Alliance
Saturday, January 3 9:00 a.m. Presbyterian Church
Itasca Zoning Committee Meeting
2nd Monday of Month 6:00 p.m. - 136 N. Hill St.
Itasca City Council Meeting
Monday, January 19, 2008
- 6:00 p.m.
Itasca ISD School Board Meeting
January 12, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Chamber of Commerce Meeting
Monday, December 29, 2008
5:30 p.m.
Volunteer Fire Department Meetings
2nd Monday of Month Business Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
Fire Training - 7:00 p.m.
3rd Monday of Month
Sunday: Praise and Worship 9:00 a.m.
Sunday School 9:45 Worship 10:50 a.m.
Christmas Eve Service
R.A.’s & G.A.’s (1st-6th) - Youth (7th-12th) 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Evening Worship 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday - Ladies’ Bible Study 10:45-12:15 p.m.
Wednesday - Supper 6:00 p.m. ($2.00 ea. w/$10.00 max/family)
Adult Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 p.m.
Youth (7th-12th) 7:00 - Kids’ Choir 7:00 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
Having trouble finding the perfect gift? He is here!
Make this a special Christmas for yourself and your
family by remembering that this is the birthday of our
Savior, Jesus Christ, and come and worship Him.
The First Presbyterian Church of Itasca invites you
to join us Christmas Eve at 6:00 p.m. for a service of
scripture, carols, and candle lighting. Have a blessed
Christmas!
Come join us in our beautiful, historic sanctuary, where
worship is a joyous celebration.
Chamber Banquet Date Set
website - itascacbc.org
Main @ King St.
Rev. Tom Wood, Pastor
254-687-2475
Worship 10:50 a.m.
Itasca Church of Christ
200 N. Aquilla St.
Joshua and the children of Israel were commanded to march
around Jericho once each day for 6 days, and 7 times followed by
loud horn blasts and shouting on the 7th day. The walls of
Jericho fell on the completion of the directives - not on any of the
1st - 6th days.
COMPLETE OBEDIENCE
Naaman the leper was commanded to dip himself in the Jordan
River seven times. He did not receive cleansing on dips 1 - 6; he
was cleansed only on the seventh dip.
Where do you stand with God? If you are unsure, please come
study and worship with us, and let's learn of complete obedience.
Sunday 9:45 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm
Wed. 6:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
9:00 Praise & Worship (Sanctuary) Cross Roads Band
9:15 - 9:45 Fellowship Time in Barton Hall
9:45-10:30 Sunday School all Ages 10:50-Worship Service
Youth Fellowship for Grades 7-12 Sun. 6:30 - 7:30
3rd floor of Sunday School Building
Exercise Classes - Sr. Citizens Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m.
Ladies Bible Studies
2nd Monday morning & 3rd Thursday evening of each month
Angel Food Ministry Host Site - 686-2243
www.fpcitasca.org
The Itasca Chamber of Commerce will hold its 24th
Annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Monday,
January 26, 2009. The Banquet will be held in the
Itasca ISD cafeteria. The silent auction and
refreshments will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner being
served at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 ($12.00 at the
door) each and can be bought from any Chamber
director or at Citizens State Bank (Cory Cole), HILCO
(Bob Wilson, Itasca Floral & Gift or Itasca Café (Clay
Dean Hamilton), or at the Itasca Nursing Home (Diane
Taylor).
This year’s theme is “Honoring our Service Men and
Women.” The Red, White and Blue motif will focus on
our military members, both past and present.
The Chamber is urging citizens to mail their ideas
for awards to be presented and their nominations for
those awards. This is everyone’s chance to have a say
in the Citizen of the Year, Community Service and all
other awards presented.
Suggestions can be mailed to Itasca Chamber of
Commerce, P. O. Box 205, Itasca, TX 76055 or given to
any of the Chamber directors listed.
Itasca ISD Holiday
December 22, 2008 – January 5, 2009
Drive Carefully – Children at Play
Page 3
December 26, 2008
Elementary Coloring Contest Winners
Paw Print Press
Elementary November
STARS
S-super T-terrific A-awesome
R-remarkable S-students
Each year the IISD Cafeteria ladies (Mrs. Toni Daniels) hold coloring contests at Thanksgiving and Christmas for all elementary students.
Winners pictured for the Christmas Contest were PrekindergartenDavid Arellano, Natalie Roberson and Mackenzie Hernandez, Kindergarten-Yeni Delgado, Josh Cardona and Dustin Latray, 1st-Kyerra
Rockuemore, Eric Mozon and Trinity Jacks, 2nd-Malacia Guy, Travis
Hammett and Kristen Clary, 3rd-Wendy Garcia, Heidi Delgado and
Alessandra, 4th-Nikki Liles, Lainey Cavazos and Chandley Sargent.
Winners in the Thanksgiving Contest were Prekindergarten-Dixie
Pelt, EJ Montes and Abby Salinas, Kindergarten-Bernardo Garcia,
Anna Anderson and Aidan Sargent, 1st-Gillian Brackin, Alex Gonzales and Lily Cleveland, 2nd-Nolan Davis, Itzayana Pacheco and
Aileene Diaz, 3rd-Amanda Arellano, Angelina Botello and Katie
Nalley, 4th-Garrett Arellano, Kenneth Fails and Callie Pittman.
Three high school students did judging and names were not visible.
Judges were looking for originality, color, creativity and imagination.
The judges said, "this was harder than they thought it would be"
when asked to help "they are all good" and "it was hard to choose."
Kindergartners - 4th grade winners won coupons for snacks from
the cafeteria, Prekindergarten who does not get the opportunity to
purchase things from the snack carts got little goodie bags from the
staff.
The pictures are on display in the cafeteria.
Believe and be at Peace
During November, students studied “Interpersonal
Effectiveness.”
Students
learned how to respect others while also
respecting themselves. (In other words,
students worked on being friendly!)
Students in each class voted on the most
respectful and friendly student in their
class. IISD Councilor Grace Hennig took
the winners on an outing to Dairy Queen
where they received a yummy ice cream
cone, courtesy of Itasca Diary Queen.
Making the honor trip were Bryce Basham, Anahi Botello, Emmersym Cardona,
Bernardo Garcia, Alicia Whitlock, Easton
Hoard, Anna Boudreux, Kenzie Boyd, Katie-Lynne Younger, Lupita Gobellan, Armando Yanez, Wendy Garcia, DeAjanae
Diggs, Emili Sarli, Gracie Rugh, Isabella
Botello and Karla Cruz.
The Paw Print Press Staff
wish you a Very Merry
Christmas
Continued from page 1
However, He also gives us the gift of choice. We can accept that
gift of Jesus Christ and the life that He brings-the peace that He
brings-or we can continue the futile search for that peace on our own.
There may never be peace on earth between nations, but we can have
an inner peace from God if we only accept Him, follow Him, and love
Him. As another popular song says, “Let there be peace on earth, and
let it begin with me.”
This Christmas, I pray that you will believe the words that Longfellow wrote. Despite what we read in the papers; despite what we see
on television; even despite what we sometimes feel inside, “God is not
dead nor doth He sleep.” He is still in control. He loves you deeply.
Believe that and be at peace.
Have a merry, blessed, peaceful Christmas.
The Paw Print
Press is working hard to
make
sure
everyone’s
letters get to
Santa.
Page 4
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Dear Santa, I would like to have:
Pre-Kindergarten
A toy jet and a new toy baby
Grace Anderson
A car and a Scooby-Doo movie
Oscar Zavala
Chaps and a cowboy shirt
David Arellano
A toy dinosaur and a toy bat
E.J. Montes
Crayons and a coloring book
Anyah Villarreal
A pink bike and a High School
Musical coloring book
Kylee Sherber
A teddy bear and a coloring book
Noona McGee
A Wall-E robot and a remote for
Wall-E
Jacey Wilson
A basketball goal and a new football
Garrett Slagle
High School Musical 2 and a Hannah
Montana dress
Natalia Savala
A Hannah Montana guitar and
Tinkerbell movie
Savanna Ardrey
A toy puppy dog and a red bike
Abby Salinas
A Hannah Montana bike and a
coloring book
Naomi Chavez
A truck & trailer and a Wall-E toy
Chase Price
A choo-choo train and cars
Michael Battleson
A Wall-E drive thing and Speed
racer 91
Bryce Basham
An X-Box and a rocket
Brendon Heath
A Strawberry shortcake doll and a
decoration
Dixie Pelt
Hannah Montana hair and a Hannah
Montana guitar
Neida Gallardo
A Wii game system and a present
Ricky Arellano
Hannah Montana hair and a Hannah
Montana outfit
Morgan Holliday
Hannah Montana makeup and a
Barbie computer
Yakziry Garcia
A Speed racer with remote control
and a drum set
Mason Cooksey
A blue motorcycle and truck patrol
Willie Bible
A Hannah Montana guitar and a
blue bike
Daniela Chavez
A car and power ranger toys
Jacoby Searcy
The horse I saw in a magazine and a
Barbie
Madison Rodriguez
Some pink shoes and a pink purse
doll
Jasmyn Rodriguez
A horse and a unicorn
Natalie Roberson
A pink Nintendo DS and Rhino
Rampage
Mackenzie Hernandez
A Dora and a Hannah Montana doll
Kodey Benitez
A new home and a pair of boots
Mrs. Grisham
Another year of good health and a
ring
Mrs. Jane
The winning lotto numbers, a new
car and a brand new house
Mrs. Stephanie.
Kindergarten
A kitten and a puppy
Jesse James Harris
A little motorcycle and Raphael
Ninja Turtle
Marshall Woods
An airplane and a play kitchen
John Wesley Rhea
Barbie Candy Glam and a baby doll
Aidan Sargent
“Lightning McQueen” car and a
“Tow-mater” tow truck
Erick Diaz
A dart gun and a toy bear
Eli Jacks
Susie Balch
A cat and a dog
Calculator and a computer
Freddy Gonzales
A Barbie and Baby go potty
Alanna Jeffers
Ninja turtle-Leonardo and games
Favian Flores
A dirt bike and an X-Box 360
Bryson Nipp
A go-cart and a four-wheeler
Gatlin Smith
A four wheeler and a Barbie
Anahi Botello
A baby go potty and a golf cart
Aleesia Sarli
A four-wheeler and a power ranger
Angel Diaz
A Hannah Montana doll and a
Barbie
Chloe Sherber
Moon sand and a train
Justin Seward
A “Tow-mater” tow truck and
Lightning McQueen
Jeremy Ables
Barbie and a Barbie clock
Tempest Arellano
Barbie and a pink toy pony
Emmersyn Cardona
Playstation games and Legos
Braeden Castro
A remote control car and a
Transformer lunchbox
Derek Crawford
Guitar Hero and a wrestling ring
Joe Gonzales
A skateboard ramp and Star Wars
toys
David Hernandez
A toy car and Shawn Michaels
Orlando Hernandez
Lego Star Wars video game and a
dog
Kyle Kirkpatrick
A yo-yo and a Spiderman video
Dustin Latray
A baby and a basketball
Desi Rasco
Page 5
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Santa Letters from Elementary
Kindergarten
A big dinosaur and a big Batman
Ashton Tinklenberg
A princess lunchbox and a bike
Andrea Torres
Bratz and princesses
Elizabeth Wright
A Spiderman game and a dragon toy
Marcus Yanez
Barbie and Barbie games
Arly Zavala
Hannah Montana doll and a Hannah
Montana bike
Anna Anderson
Football player and a motorcycle
Raymond Arellano
A firefighter set and a police set
Bryan Bautista
A Barbie shirt and a Cinderella car
Elizabeth Brown
A golf set and a Hannah Montana toy
Jaedyn Campos
A SpongeBob movie and Batman toy
Joshua Cardona
Makeup and clothes
Yeni Delgado
A motorcycle and toys
Bernardo Garcia
A Wii and a new Nintendo
Jimmy Heath
A puppy fashion dog and clothes
Jolie Hedden
A robot and a pig
Jeremiah Jackson
A bike and a motorcycle
Jonathan Ortega
A puppy in a basket and a dress that
swings fast
Kalee Payne
A scooter and a Golden Wing
Kylie Sayers
A Hannah Montana drum set and a
fashion dog
Ashley Tetreault
Hannah Montana drums and a pretend food set
Hannah Whitlock
A weekend spa getaway and for all
my kiddos to have a safe holiday
Ms. Camp
1st Grade
Six Sponge Bob games and a video
game
Cherokee Carr
A Hannah Montana door and a Hannah Montana notebook
Lily Cleveland
A Barbie jeep and some Barbie’s
Kaylie Cole
A Hannah Montana doll and a doll
house
Alex Gonzales
A bike and toys
Jasmine Kelley
A red cell phone
Niccona Olson
A Hannah Montana CD and a playhouse
Destini Ramsey
Zip up boots with fur and jewelry
Morgan Ward
A PSP and a computer
Ethen Agreda
A four wheeler and an X-Box 360
Andrew Arellano
A real four wheeler and every X-Box
toy
Trevor Cockerham
A four wheeler and a motorcycle
Mason Griffin
A robot and a big dinosaur
Ryan Markwardt
A mini four wheeler and a black Ripstick with golden wheels
Donavon McGill
A Mario car and a Nintendo DS
Danny Molla
A camera and a Mario cart
Clay Pittman
A remote control toy dirt bike and a
chain for a go cart Anthony Salazar
An underwater camera and a bike
Anna Boudreux
A pixel and a computer
A’leayah Hogan
An airplane and a truck
Adam Martinez
A DS and clothes
Alicia Whitlock
An MP3 player and a Bratz doll
Bree Brown
A computer and a play kitchen
Brenda Morales
Battle Front game and a TV
Brian Pelt
A skateboard and a game boy
Damian Sanders
A toy truck that drives and a cop suit
Deacon Lair
A transformers toy and the Nutcracker movie
Dionicio Cruz
The “Tinkerbell” movie and the
“Tom and Jerry” movie
Fayth Searcy
Bratz dolls and the Taylor Swift CD
Hannah Verhaagen
A remote control helicopter and a
remote control boat
Johnathon Bustin
Yugiyo cards and the “Dragon Ball
Z” movie
Kee-Ron Hewitt
A Nintendo DS and a baby doll
Kyerra Rockuemore
A big remote control plane and a car
that sticks on the wall
Nicky Johnson
A jet plane and a real car
Patrick Runyon
A Power Ranger car and Hot Wheels
Sammy Bonds
Baby Alive and a Barbie
Sarah Ortega
A DS and the Chipmunks movie
Trinity Jacks
An Alaskan cruise and the holidays
with my family
Ms. Susan Atkins
T-Rex and a football
Devin Gorman
A hunting set and a real cat
Dakota Price
Pokémon and Pokémon cards
Michael Kirkpatrick
Biscuit play dog and a Nutcracker
Avery Barfield
A nutcracker and a Barbie doll house
Nathalie Willman
Football and a tackle dummy
Travis Abbott
A NFL football game and a college
football
Terry Harris
Presents and PSP games
Chris Diaz
A football cat and a football puppy
Chase Rutherford
Page 6
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Dear Santa, I would like to have . . .
More 1st Grade
Kitty and a puppy
Eric Mozon
A Barbie and a Barbie house
Kyrstin Bottlorff
A dog and a cat Jennifer Martinez
DS and to go to Mrs. Maddox house
Weston Helms
Biscuit dog and a Miracle baby
Gillian Brackin
A skateboard and a four-wheeler
Blaine Vaughan
Ponies and a Chihuahua
Breona Castro
A Tommy Gun and a monster truck
Richard Torres
2nd Grade
A Nintendo DS and games for it
Dean Adams
A black Razor phone and an I-Pod
Justin Basye
A cash register and Baby alive
Mackenzie Boyd
A Nintendo DS and a PSP
John Thomas Cardona
A green I-phone and a puppy dog
Kristen Clary
A dog vet kit and a stamp kit
Aileene Diaz
A baby doll & baby clothes and 5
stuffed animals
Samantha Faries
An MP3 player and a PSP
Jorge Gallardo
A Wii and an X-Box 360
Ethan Greeson
A real pink phone and lipstick
Sophie Anne Hennig
A Nintendo DS and an I-Pod
Bethany Kirkpatrick
A Playstation DS and High School
Musical 3 DVD
Ladybug Mayberry
A PSP and basketball shoes that are
red & black
Kobe McGruder
A flat screen TV and an X-Box 360
Jon Ramsey
An MP3 player and an X-Box 360
with the game Halo 2
James Savala
An I-Pod and a microscope
Harley Snider
An Elizabeth American Girl doll
and a Felicity American Girl doll
Rachele Anne Wood
A new horse that doesn’t buck and a
plane ticket to North Carolina
Gayla Cockerham
A Baby Alive and a laptop that locks
Chasity Roberson
NBA live 09 and Bolt the Nintendo
DS game
Austin Karr
An I-Pod and a laptop
Samuel Sulak
A kitchen set and a tea set
Britney Wiley
A Pet Shop and paints
Lupita Gobellan Reyes
A bunny and a laptop
Megan Ward
Star Wars- Clone Wars helmet and
gun and a soft dog
Joel Flores
A stereo and a toy truck
Dylan Beam
A Game boy and a bunk bed
Whitley Alverson
A Gameboy and Mortal Combat V
DC Universe
Noah Thompson
A Spiderman Transformer Crossover and a 3-D player
Cameren Hight
A bike and a camera phone with
minutes
La Kashia Frederick
A telescope and a remote control spy
car
Rowdy Rhea
A brass laptop and an I-Pod
Ariel Gonzales
More smiles in 2009 than in 2008
and good health for my family
Ms. Sampson
An electric scooter and a laptop
Alyssa Andrade
An Earth globe and a Nintendo DS
Katy Sherber
A WWE Steel Cage Match, WWE
ReyMysterio, John Cena, and HHH
Armando Yanez
Guitar Hero for my Wii and a Playstation 3
Malacia Guy
A laptop and a Wii
Kyndel Basye
A Nintendo DS and a Gameboy
Mariah Whitlock
Pokemon game for Nintendo DS and
a laptop
Jordan Shelby
A wrestling game for PS2 and a Nintendo DS
Rico Salazar
An Xbox 360 and Call of Duty 4 for
Xbox 360
Stephen Upton
A CD player and a Nascar Video
Game
Travis Hammett
A Nintendo DS with a game and a
computer
Itzayana Pacheco
A PSP and a black Nintendo DS
Cameron Brandstetter
Books and clothes Katelyn George
Blocks to build with
Timothy Jacks
An Xbox 360 and a nice holiday
Keilan Harris
A bike and clothes
Meadow Valeriano
A clarinet, saxophone and a flute
Alan Ray Freeman
John Deere Boots
Jacob Farquhar
A I pod, stuffed tiger, Hannah Montana shirt, posters of tigers
Haley Hubbard
A black Wii guitar hero and a blue
PSP guitar hero
Jeff Knight
Easy Bake Oven and makeup
Maddie Reyna
All Pokémon cards and Pokémon
Ranger Shadow
Blaze Payne
Page 7
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Santa Letters from Elementary
More 2nd Grade
I would like a tiger and a Bratz
Isabel Avila
A big play kitchen and a Monster
Jam video game
Nolan Davis
Littlest Pet Shop and Poly Pocket
Katie-Lynne Younger
A car and a Monster Truck
Wesley Frederick
My own jewelry box and a whole
bunch of candy
Hannah Bruton
A gun and a German Shepherd dog
Wyatt Helms
An I-pod and no more flu shots
Neo Arellano
Naked Brothers Band CD, games,
movies and bed
Austin Mangum
Cloe room and a razor phone
Hallie Runyon,
3rd Grade
Phone and laptop
Damerya Jarrett
A real sword and real knight armor
Dustin Feazel
A MP3 player and a TV
Jennipher Ignacz
A Polly Pocket house and a new cat
Chloee Dumas
A Blackberry and a puppy
Alessandra Diaz
Hair stuff and makeup
Halie Ann Sarli
A new Wii and a PSP 3
Julio Rodriquez
Motorcycle and a go cart
Jeremiah Perkins
A computer and some pencils
Wendy Garcia
Heelies and my dad back home
Amber Stephens
To go to London and Alaska
BayLee Smith
A PSP and a four-wheeler
Matthew Lara
A pit bull and a laptop
Tamera Jackson
A toy ship and a big sled
Nicholas Butler
My family to be safe and an I-dog
that plays music
Alexis Arellano
A cell phone and a laptop
Rebecca Arellano
A Game boy and a cell phone
Rogelio Zavala
A puppy and food for it
Lucas Sayers
Easy Bake Oven and baby dolls
Ashlee Hammett
A necklace and a bracelet
Ruben McCray
Jewelry and a girl Nutcracker
Monay Jenell Snyder
I-phone and I-pod Payton Kimbrell
MP3 and I-pod
Abby Torres
Wii and an I-pod
Alexcia Rodriguez
I-phone and baby sister
DJ Diggs
Xbox 360 and the Zone
Pepper Rodriguez
Snow board
Dee Jay Dulaney
Xbox 360 and Madden NFL 09 for
Xbox 360
Chalo Cavazos
Laptop and I-pod
Amanda Arellano
Bike and coloring book
Kristen Whitlock
Backagum and DS
Erik Gonzalez
A wonderful Christmas and a skate
board
Payton Gonzales
A big Bratz doll and a white teddy
bear
Angelina Botello
Rabbit and a whole army of nut
crackers
Brayden Henning
A baby doll that swims and a for
real friend
Katie Nalley
PSP, DS, a lot of toys, Heelies, and
spinners
DeAjanae Digg
Backagum, a Wii, and a DS Ripstick
Layton English
TV and a Ripstick Calvin Roberts
High School Musical soundtrack,
and Narnia Prince Caspian the
movie
Kyra Henderson
A video camera and Lego King Arthur set
Justin Feazel
The Color Wonder set and DS Babies game
Brenna Durham
Xbox 360 with Guitar Hero, and a
new bike
Rick Ortega
Clothes, shoes, and a rabbit
Heidi Delgado
A bike and Play station 3
Tito Savala
A Wii and two games
Ethan LaFountain
An electrical scooter and a good day
at state
Jocelyn Ali
Hancock the movie and a remote
control car
Danny Coronado
Bike and Hannah Montanna CD
Breannah Olvera
Color set and drum set
Landon Lain
A Nintendo DS and a Wii
Emili Sarli
X-Box 360 and PSP
Luciano Del Valle
A DS and clothes
Destany Graham
A bike and skateboard
Sydney Williams
A computer and Nintendo DS
Elisandro Salazar
Family and friends
Yadi Garcia
Hannah Montana CDs and a Hannah Montana T-shirt
Destiny Fennell
Page 8
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Santa Letters from Elementary
4th Grade
All commended on 4th grade Math
TAKS test!
Mrs. Brown
Laptop and a digital camera
Courtnee Gore
I-pod and a Wii
Alex Arellano
GameBoy and a PSP William East,
I-Pod and a red computer
Alexandra Rocha
A new collection baby and a new
Murphy bed
Aubreanna Simmons
A lime green digital camera and to
sky dive
Christian Runyon
Digital camera and a pink laptop
Autum Throckmorton
Pink laptop and space buddies
Marissa Chambers
Digital camera and PSP
Isabella Botello
PSP and a laptop
Kaleb McGill
GameBoy and Santa’s reindeer
Darius Lara
Dirt bike and a Ninja sword
Louis Arellano
Nintendo DS and a Nerf gun
Joshua Barrett
A rifle and an X-Box 360
Daniel Montes
The best Christmas ever and a Nintendo DS
Garrett Arellano
A new digital camera and a new
MP3 player
Perla Chavez
A PSP, I-pod, laptop, and a new
touch screen phone
Marshal Couldron
A new go-cart, I-pod, and boots
Karla Cruz
X-box 360 and a laptop computer
Jose Delgado
PSP and an I-pod
Kenneth Fails
More games for my X-box 360 and
money
Daniel Garcia
The Jonas Brothers CD and a Hannah Montana CD
BreAsia Harris
Swing Zone Sports and a Wii
Robert Kirkpatrick
A mighty robot toy and a Ben 10
Alien force watch
Cris Mena
An X-Box 360 and games
Marcus Parkerson
A big stuffed pig and for everybody
to have a great Christmas
Aliegha Rodriguez
A new saddle, new spurs, a new pair
of boots, and a new hat
Dana Schuman
RockBand 2 and a keyboard
Jacob Ray Schronk
A PSP and a football
James Upchurch
A cool bike and D.S. game
Miranda Valeriano
Quick gems and streak & style
Elizabeth Wood
An MP3 player and a digital camera
Brandy Prosser
I am just happy with what I have
Jimmy Arellano
My Little Pet Shop on DS and a
puppy
Taylor Campbell
A sewing machine and new clothes
Lainey Cavazos
A race car and a dirt bike
Fernando Chavez
A PSP and a 4-wheeler
Anthony Fowler
Power Wing and a DS
Donavan Garcia
A Wii and Mario Smash Brothers
bowl on Wii
Jacob Lacy
A real black puppy and a black ballet suit with shoes
Nikki Liles
Some more Lego’s and an X-Box
360
Derrick Nipp
D-Rex and a Pokemon doll
Augustin Pacheco
A pink Nintendo D.S. and charms
for my charm bracelet
Callie Pittman
A desk and a chair
Gracie Rugh
An I-Pod and a cell phone
Anna Salazar
A blue or silver digital camera and
nature based stationary
Chandley Sargent
A Wii game and a Blackberry phone
Karon Webb
A D-Rex toy and a Pokemon Ranger
game
Cameron Wells
All six Bohrok’s and all six Bohrok
Rahi’s
Henri Martinez
A little Crotchrocket and a ramp
Ricky Sanders
A bigger house and for all my students to have a Merry Christmas
Mrs. Abbott,
Letters from the
Community
Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year, from the Graig family and
Mrs. Kim's Kids
Our Santa’s list Cadence
Edwards-Baby
Doll,Clothes For Doll, Play Shoes
Wyatt Beam--New Jeep with Doors
That Open, Four Wheeler
Kyeara Graig--Baby Doll, Animal
Movies, Play Shoes
Kaden Cordell--Horse Swing, Horse
Trailer and Truck, Farm Animals
Kate Lewis--Dishes, Play Food, Play
Shoes and Clothes
Hannah Garvin--Blocks, Ball, Dishes
Mrs. Kim--More of Love and Peace
on Earth For Our Children!
Dear Santa, I would like a motorcycle and dump truck.
Love Brayden Cole
Dear Santa, My name is Dani Michelle Tinklenberg. I am 8 months
old, this is my VERY 1ST
CHRISTMAS and I am so EXCITED! My big brother, Ashton has
told me all about it.
I will be happy with anything you
want to bring me, because all this
present stuff is new to me. I want to
wish Peace and Happiness to everyone.
Love, Dani
Page 9
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Do You Remember...?–“Christmas Time”
Columnist Carl Sweeney
Christmas is here again and it seems like only yesterday when we celebrated our last
Christmas. The older we get the faster the years go by.
When the older folk start talking about Christmas, the young folk roll their eyes and
say, “Here we go again!” “We are going to hear again how tough they had it back then.”
It is true that we do that, we enjoy talking about those times. It is some of our fondest
memories. We remember when just before Christmas we went to the field and pulled
bolls. They were balls of cotton that had matured after the regular crop was gathered.
They were small and inferior. But we did get a little money for them; we called it our
‘Christmas Money.’
My grandparents and later my family lived on the mountain east of Itasca. We had lots of
cedar trees in the pasture. We did not have a family tree-cutting ritual. Like perhaps a Norman Rockwell classic. My father simply cut the tree and brought it to the house. Later this became my job, being the only boy. We decorated the tree with simple things like popcorn on a
string, colored paper and red haws from the pasture. After the tree was decorated, we dusted
the tree with ivory soap flakes to simulate snow. Our tree had no lights simply because we had
no electricity.
One thing we looked forward to each year was the goodies, such as English walnuts, Brazil
nuts, almonds, oranges, apples and bananas and a coconut in the husk. We did not have those
during the year. There was no shortage of baked goods; we had mincemeat pies, pumpkin,
fruitcakes and cookies. Then there was the turkey, a baked hen and ham all home grown. To
use a modern expression the smells coming for the kitchen were ‘Awesome.’ When my grandmother cooked her ‘Teacakes’ as she called the large soft molasses cookies I would hide under
the table and steal a piece of the molasses and vanilla flavored dough. She knew of course what I was doing. I guess
it was sort of ritual for us.
Another tradition then was eggnog. When a visitor came, he was always offered a glass of ‘Nog’ as they called it.
The children got a glass too, but without the whiskey. We enjoyed listening to Christmas carols on the radio. Since
TV had not been invented yet. In the early 1940’s Bing Crosby came along with a new song “White Christmas” I
guess it just might be the most popular song of all time. Then came Gene Autry with “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.” When someone mentions the word austerity, it reminds us of our gift situation. Back then, we mostly got
clothes or something practical that we could use instead of toys or gift we might want. However, we usually received
a small of inexpensive gift in addition. I received a box of .22 rifle shells, which was just what I wanted. I remember
in 1934 my grandmother gave me a new bolt action .22 rifle for Christmas and I still have that rifle today after seventy four years. It is one of my most prized possessions.
One of my dad’s favorite gifts was a big humidor of Prince Albert tobacco along with a few packets of OCB cigarette papers. There was a practice from the old countries whereby if a young person had been bad during the year,
they were given a lump of coal in place of a gift. I had forgotten about that until recently in an order catalog there
was an ad selling a small bag of black candy that looked like coal.
When World War II came along families were affected greatly at Christmas
because so many of the boys were gone to war. It was especially hard for young
couples that were recently married. I do remember spending a Christmas in Australia, one in New Guinea and one on Mindaro Island in the Philippines. The
Japanese tried to recapture the island, so we had plenty of Christmas fireworks.
Recently while reading a nostalgic publication I came across a story that was
one of the most poignant stories I have ever read. It was Christmas and the young
girl wanted to give her teacher a gift. The family was extremely poor. She had no
money or anything else she could give. When the school turned out for the holidays the girl waited until everyone else had gone and she placed a crudely
wrapped package on the teacher’s desk and left. When she opened it, there was a
small jar of gravel. Years later one day, someone asked why she had a jar of
gravel on her desk. She told the story of the little girl and said, “It is one of my
most prized possessions. Doesn’t it make a lovely paperweight?” This simply proves again that it is not the gift, but
the thought behind it.
Page 10
December 26, 2008
Paw Print Press
Paw Print Press
123 N. College
Itasca, Texas 76055
Wampus Cats of the Week – Wampus Cat Basketball Team
The Wampus Cats began their season with only a week of practice and
they have been playing hard ever
since, amassing a record of 9-4. Recently they participated in the Axtell
Tournament and came away with the
championship trophy beating Crawford, Hubbard and Axtell in the process. Winning individual honors were
Mikey Marshall MVP of the tournament and Desmond Guy was named
to the All-Tournament team.
Heading up the roster are seniors
#3 DeVeon Mayberry, #4 Markell Rice, #5 Mikey Marshall, #11 J.J. Gonzalez and #22 Jacob Boyd. The two returning juniors are #12 Desmond Guy and #24 Tevin Mayberry. Sophomore B. J. Jackson #41 joined the team for the
tournament and was an asset to the reserve squad. Two freshmen have been added to the team #23 Shakeal Mozon
and #34 Matt Colbert.
It Is With Pleasure That We Pause
From The Usual Routine of Business to Say Thank You
For Your Friendship, Good Will and Loyalty. May The Blessings And
Hope Of Christmas Be Yours Throughout The New Year.
The Dwight Lloyd Family
Lloyd Ford – Proud Supporter of the Wampus Cats
Merry Christmas from the
Paw Print Press Staff
Go to Maryland to see my mommom during Christmas Devin Corbitt
To spend time with my family & boyfriend & get a car
Ashley Durham
To get into a good college, spend time with my brother, and for WVU
to win their bowl game
Zech O’Rarden
For everybody to have a great holiday, stuff for my new apartment,
and money
Sarah Evans
To get into Texas Tech, a running car of my own, to visit my brother
Andy, and lots of money!
Maria Worth
A car would be nice, and a Merry Christmas
Eva Mayberry
A camera and a Target gift card
Hannah Johnson
To spend quality time with my family and friends
Aren Barton
A car, money & to spend time with my family & friends
Mary Maddox
Lots of money and for my family to have a great holiday
Brittany Reid
All my family in one country & perhaps in the same room
Megan Goff
Hungry, Hungry Hippo game
Martin Martinez
A non-fat healthy Christmas with all my family
Mrs. Sally Crouch
All of my babies (related & students) to have a wonderful and safe
Christmas
Mrs. Barbara Petrash
Mr. Harris Wishes all of the
High School Students a safe &
Merry Christmas
See You in 2009!