August, 2007

First Family Forum Held at Al Price in Beaumont
Tim Savoy, Director of Communication

Executive Director Dimitria Pope hosted Saturday the first of a series of family forums to be held at TYC facilities around the state. About two dozen family members of youth at the Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Beaumont attended the gathering. They addressed concerns and offered to help with reform efforts. Chief among the needs for family participation is the Parents Bill of Rights TYC is required under Senate Bill 103 to create. Pope encouraged the family members who attended the forum to stay involved and to help craft the family Bill of Rights, identifying things they, as parents, expect of the agency. Among the special guests at the Family Forum was the facility’s namesake - Al Price. Price is a retired Texas state representative and captain for American Airlines. Current State Representative Joe Deshotel also had a staff member attend the forum to take notes and offer assistance. Future family forums at other TYC facilities will be announced as they are scheduled. These forums follow the six State of the Agency meetings Pope held earlier in the summer for all TYC employees.

TYC Website Has Two New Helpful Links
Tim Savoy, Director of Communication

We’ve added two new links to the TYC homepage for those interested in seeing proposed rule changes and items the agency is sending out for bid. The link to the Texas Registry will take you to proposed rule changes. TYC is required to publish proposed rule changes to give the public a chance to comment on the items. The link to the TBPC site (Texas Building and Procurement Commission) will let you view what are called requests for proposal (RFPs), which are major items TYC is seeking to purchase or major contracts the agency wishes to award. This site gives businesses a chance to bid on the RFPs and you another look at what TYC is doing.

TYC Family Assists Gainesville Colleagues Devastated by Floods
Fidel Garcia, Gainesville Community Relations Coordinator

TYC employees and volunteers statewide heard the call for help when several employees from the Gainesville State School were affected by recent flooding in Gainesville, Texas. In addition to staff members who volunteered countless hours helping flood-affected TYC employees salvage what they could from their homes and clean up the rest; employees statewide passed-the-hat. The affected TYC employees did not have flood insurance and needed every penny to help replace all they lost. Presenting checks to the affected families totaling $6,000 raised by TYC employees, Superintendent Paul Bartush said, “What a tremendous show of support and effort from our TYC colleagues and volunteers statewide to help our fellow employees with money and other items in this great time of need.” The June flood caused major home damage for many residents and at least 2 children and one adult lost their lives in the City of Gainesville.

Marlin Educator Earns National Lifetime Achievement Award
Article excerpt reprinted from a press release by the GED Testing Service

Way to go Charlotte Beth Mullins!

KENTUCKY, TEXAS AND UTAH EDUCATORS HONORED WITH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
BY THE GED® TESTING SERVICE
 
ANCHORAGE, AK (July 20, 2007) – An educator and broadcaster from Kentucky, a teacher from Texas, and the GED state administrator for Utah are the recipients of 2007 achievement awards presented today by the General Educational Development (GED®) Testing Service, a program of the American Council on Education.

Murray Meszaros, GED state administrator in the Utah State Office of Education, received the 2007 Distinguished Service Award.  Virginia Gaines Fox, the former longtime executive director and chief executive officer of KET, The Kentucky Network, who spearheaded development of the GED Connections© television series, and Charlotte Beth Mullins, the GED program coordinator and chief examiner for the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unit of the Texas Youth Commission, each received the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards were presented during the Distinguished Service and Lifetime Achievement Awards Luncheon held in conjunction with North to Alaska: Navigating to 2011, the annual GED Administrators’ Conference underway in Anchorage, AK.  The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have consistently made contributions to the GED® Testing Service with lasting significance at the national level.  The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the program administrator who has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the advancement of their jurisdictional GED® testing program through relevant initiatives that identify, develop, encourage, advance, link and support GED® testing candidates.

Victory Field Youth Excel in GED Classes
From VFCA Teacher Stephen Baber

Congratulations to the Victory Field GED Program, the staff who work with the youth and the youth who have earned their GEDs. We’re told that a 49-percent pass rate is considered acceptable, while a 55-percent or better rate is considered commended. Victory Field youth have exceeded the commended rate for the last four quarters! The rates are: June – Aug FY2006 63.51percent; Sept – Nov FY2007 58.01percent; Dec – Feb FY2007 60.47 percent; Mar – May FY2007 57.14 percent. Way to go Victory Field!

Marlin ESL (English as a Second Language) Coordinator Recognized for Her Service
From Joy Nyberg, Central Office
 
Mrs. Gloria Jean Pamplin, ESL coordinator at Marlin, was recognized for her outstanding contributions in educating English language learners at the Promoting Academic Success and Accountability (PASA) conference held in Austin earlier this year.  Her exemplary success with English language learners committed to TYC was recognized by her nomination to attend this prestigious conference.   

The PASA conference highlighted social, economic, and political systems that support the achievement of English language learner in Texas.  Participants were provided with successful models and tools to keep them up-to-date on services, resources, and community networks.  Registration and hotel costs for Ms. Pamplin were covered by the symposium on a TEA (Texas Education Agency) grant.

Mrs. Pamplin's career at TYC began on 1/4/1999.  She is certified as Secondary English teacher Grades (6- 12), Secondary Spanish teacher Grades (6-12), English as a Second Language Grades (6-12) and Special Education Grades (6- 12). She established the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unity ESL program which is responsible for assessing all students who report having a second language, recommending students for ESL placement, and teaching all ESL students on campus. Mrs. Pamplin and the ESL team served approximately 235 students for the 2006 – 2007 school year and administered 430 assessments during the same time period.

Mrs. Pamplin possesses numerous admirable qualities.   She is consistently enthusiastic about teaching ESL students, enjoys a superb reputation among her peers, and is always pleasant, positive, and professional.  She frequently works beyond the boundaries of her assigned area by translating documents from English to Spanish for the facility, proofreading documents, serving on numerous committees, serving as Peer Reviewer, and sharing her extraordinary organizational skills and ESL programming expertise with other TYC facilities and with Central Office.

Corsicana & Victory Field Host Graduations – 57 TYC Youth Get GEDs or Diplomas
Tim Savoy, Director of Communication

Executive Director Dimitria Pope was the guest speaker Friday for the 12 Corsicana youth who earned their GEDs and the two others who were awarded their high school diplomas. In July, Victory Field hosted a graduation ceremony for 43 youth. These special ceremonies recognized the students’ hard work, dedication, and commitment to learning. TYC youth can earn GEDs and high school diplomas while in the agency’s care. Some even take college courses offered at TYC by local community colleges or through correspondence.

Victory Field Celebrates 10 Years!
Misti Jacobs, Community Relations Coordinator           

The Texas Youth Commission’s Victory Field Correctional Academy is celebrating 10 years of success.  Staff and community leaders will enjoy a celebration on campus consisting of a BBQ lunch, awards ceremony, homemade dessert competition, door prizes, dominos and table games, music entertainment, staff basketball/volleyball games and various other activities.

Vernon Mayor Ed Garnett and former Mayor Kelly Couch are scheduled to address VFCA staff and community leaders regarding support and success of Victory Field.

Full Story online at: http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/news/victory_10years.html

TYC National & Global Youth Service Day Results Are In
From Tammy Vega, Manager of Volunteer Services

The results are in and it has been another stellar year for TYC as the lead agency coordinating National and Global Youth Service Day efforts in Texas. This year, 70 organizations, including 5,722 mostly youth volunteers, were involved in the project. Youth across Texas in April participated in community service activities to benefit their communities. The idea is for them to learn the values of service. The TYC N&GYSD coalition estimates that the 88 projects undertaken this year benefited more than 50,000 people statewide. Service projects focused on a number of social issues, some of which included: fighting cancer, elderly care, crime and delinquency, literacy, hunger, homelessness, racism, voter registration, the environment, domestic violence, disease and mental illness, and substance abuse.

Cottrell House Youth Meet Two Local Celebrities
From Gregory Wright, Cottrell House JCO V

Youth at the Cottrell House in Dallas were treated to two guest speakers in July. First they met Devin Wyman [#72] of the Dallas Desperados, an arena football team owned by the Dallas Cowboys. This is the second time Wyman has visited youth at the Cottrell House. His first visit was last year during the team’s Impact Player Program. The second guest speaker the youth met was Steven Turner, founder of the local Warrior Athletic Club in Dallas, which uses athletics to teach life skills and success. The Warrior Club members are required to perform community service and achieve high standards in academics. Youth were thrilled to meet and listen to the two guest speakers. They no doubt had a positive impact on them. 

What Does a Dutch Foreign Official & a Riverboat Ride Have in Common? Ask the Turman House Youth
Tim Savoy, Director of Communication

Turman House youth got two special treats this summer. In June, Jan Tennyson, a TYC volunteer from Dallas and founder of 'Dare to Dream Children's Foundation,’ was in Austin to receive an award from Governor Rick Perry. She arranged for the Turman House youth to take a one hour paddle boat ride on Town Lake in Austin. Nineteen youth and three staff were aboard. 

On Friday, the Turman House youth got a special visit from a Dutch governmental official who works with repeat offenders in the Netherlands. She was in Texas on a U.S. State Department visit and wanted to see a TYC program in operation. Some youth met with her, told their stories, and learned how the criminal justice system works in the Netherlands. The visitor works in The Hague – the Dutch city famed for holding several high-level international war crimes tribunals including that of ousted Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milošević.    

TYC’s San Antonio Team Recognizes Volunteers & Community Service Partners

TYC employees recently recognized some special people in San Antonio for their help in rehabilitating the state’s most troubled youth. Each year, San Antonio area employees host a reception honoring volunteers and the people and companies who hire TYC parole and halfway house youth for jobs and community service opportunities. These volunteer partners provide a critical link for TYC youth who are making transitions from previous lives of delinquent behavior to new, law abiding lives of productivity.

Basketball Teaches Troubled Youth about Teamwork and Life
From John McGee, VFCA Recreational Director and Misty Jacobs, VFCA Community Relations Coordinator
 
The Victory Field Basketball Tournament held on July 4th was an intramural extravaganza with all four of the school’s companies playing in round-robin competition. Delta Company squeezed out a victory against the Charlie Company team in round one, while Bravo nipped past the energetic Alpha Company to get a win as well. In the second round, Alpha lost to Delta and Bravo beat Charlie in overtime. In the 3rd and final round, Alpha managed a victory over Charlie Company to garner 3rd place. For the championship, Delta outlasted Bravo and took 1st place, leaving Bravo in 2nd place. Charlie was awarded the consolation spot. Throughout the tournament, these young men showed great respect for each other and their sportsmanship was impeccable.

Youth who attend the Victory Field Correctional Academy in Vernon are committed to the care of the Texas Youth Commission. The school’s goal is to provide treatment, education, and rehabilitation for these youth so that when they return home to their communities, they are able to function as productive and law-abiding citizens.

WINGS Youth Lands Summer Internship with US Congressman
From Elizabeth Lee and the folks at WINGS

In May, an assistant to U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar visited the WINGS program in Marion, Texas. One of the girls gave a tour of the facility to the special visitor, who was very impressed. After talking with the youth about her life, her struggles, and her desire to change, the congressional assistant offered her an internship at the congressional office in Seguin, Texas. It is a wonderful opportunity to build a resume, make contacts, and learn important skills. The TYC youth is one of two interns in the office this summer. The other is a college student from UT.