nowmagazines.com » Midlothian

Protect, Honor, Serve

marshallhinsley — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:00:27 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX – When Navy Hospital Corpsman First Class Robert Cato’s Black Hawk helicopter went down, his first thoughts were not of the Iraqi insurgents, who were most assuredly searching for him, but of his child. “We were flying over the north side of the Iraq and Iran border,” Robert explained. “You have to understand that the enemy was very good at what they did. At the time, Black Hawks were not equipped with flares to ward off heat-seeking missiles. The windshields couldn’t stop a bullet, and the Iraqi soldiers got good at killing our pilots.”

Though trained with the U.S. Navy, the Army needed a qualified medic for air search and rescue missions. Robert had enlisted in 1995, training in Pensacola for untold hours in the sea, on ground and in the air for every imaginable scenario. But nothing could prepare him for the sound in his pilot’s voice as he heard, “Brace for impact.” As Robert described it, “It was in slow motion and at the speed of light at the same time.”

The tail rotor was hit, sending the helicopter and its crew into a spin. Both pilots were killed, and “me and the gunner were pretty beat up, but we walked away from it,” Robert stated.Robert had seen the movie, Black Hawk Down, knew the history of what happened to the U.S. military in the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, and understood what would happen to him were he captured. “But in that moment,” he recalled, “when we were trying to get out, all I could think about was my daughter. I could see her. I just had a vision of her, and that was all that mattered.”

Three months after that tragic accident, Robert again volunteered to join another military unit in need of an air medic, leaving many to wonder why he was so eager to go back. For Robert, the answer is easy, but the reason is difficult.

When Robert was a sophomore at Midlothian High School, he was involved in a different kind of accident. “It was September 1993,” he said, “and I was involved in an auto accident where I struck a seven-month pregnant woman, and her unborn baby ended up dying. All I could do was just stand there and stare himself doing things he never thought possible. He became one of the best at removing bullets from soldiers, while under gunfire and en route to a military base. He ran into streets, while dodging bullets, to drag back a fallen comrade to start an IV while under assault from rocket- propelled grenades.

But it was when Robert went back to Iraq to fly with a battalion of Marines that he expanded his résumé from flight “Doc” to tail gunner. “This time our primary job was to control the Iranian border to
keep smugglers from bringing weapons in for the enemy,” he explained. Robert was logging more than 16 hours a day, six days a week, “and I got very good, as a noncombatant, at using a 50-caliber machine gun at the rear of the large assault helicopter and hitting my target.”

Under the Geneva Convention Code, a medic is not to bring harm to another person. “But these are different times,” Robert said somberly. “We were constantly under fire, and the enemy was getting smarter and smarter about the shoulder-mounted rockets.” He went on to explain that he rode in the military’s largest helicopter, the MH-53. “It’s big and loud. There’s no hiding it.”

During Robert’s second helicopter crash, the pilots were able to maintain control, despite a hit to the tail. While he reportedly felt a numb sensation in his elbow, an injury that would later prove to be quite significant, Robert once again counted himself lucky and continued to volunteer.

“One of my dearest friends from Midlothian, Lyle Gordon, was a pilot killed in Iraq in January 2005. He was a captain in the Marines. I felt privileged to be part of what he had been doing and, in a sense, helped complete his mission.”

But in 2009, Robert conceded. “I had tempted fate enough.” It was time for Hospital Corpsman First Class Robert Cato to come home, “be with my kids and be a father to them.”

The irony is that his final deployment was not in the air, but on the ground. “Our unit wasn’t involved in daily combat. We weren’t tasked with looking or the enemy but were to provide escort to high-ranking officials or injured soldiers,” Robert explained. Still, the well- traveled roads were littered with IEDs (improvised explosive devises) that were hidden in dead dogs, potholes or random mounds of dirt. Unlike the other crashes when Robert had warning, he never saw this coming, and it was the most devastating to him and his crew.

While Robert has been credited for saving countless lives and has been given awards for bravery and valor, his body is racked with permanent injury and devastating images that forever haunt him. After 16 years with the Navy, he was declared medically retired. “They had no use for an old, broke down man anymore,” he joked.

Robert returned to Midlothian with his family, declaring, “I’m just a small- town boy,” but he is so much more.

He is a stay-at-home father, football coach, husband and a music and sports enthusiast, thanks to his seven children, ranging in ages from 1 to 16. Today, he is focused on his most important role
as father. “But I have a five-year plan,” Robert said of his goal to earn a nursing degree. “When our youngest starts school, I want to go back to work as
an RN.”

Written by Alex Allred.

Surreal Beauty

marshallhinsley — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:41:42 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — Some of the photographic images were dark in color with an ethereal, dreamlike quality to them. Others looked as though they were under a shroud of fog. All shared an element of mystery, as the photographs were definitely not your everyday modern photos. Rebecca Rury, the creator of the images, is a dedicated artiste in alternative and antiquated processes of photography.

Rebecca first became interested in art at age 8 when the family received its first computer. “I started messing around with graphic art by way of Microsoft Paint,” she smiled. “That eventually became
my career. Graphic art is my real job. I got into photography when I was 13.

I was working as a teacher’s aide in a summer program, and they assigned me to photograph the field day program. I remember really enjoying it. In high school, my mom let me use her 35 mm camera, and that lit the fire!”

Rebecca enjoyed photography so much that she took classes at Mountain View College, along with Web design classes, to increase her knowledge. “I had to take a fine art elective class and chose a dark room photography class, using black and white film only,” Rebecca explained. After two years at Mountain View, she transferred to The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where her direction in photography crystallized. “In 2008,” she continued, “we had an assignment where we had to purchase a Holga camera.”

The Holga camera, made in China, is considered a toy camera. Because of its simple construction, it is prone to vignetting [when there is a reduction of light on the periphery of a photograph] and other distortions. Many people use Holga cameras because they like the effect of the distortions.

“The Holga uses medium format film. Up until then, I had only used 35 mm film and digital camera,” Rebecca stated. “They take some of the weirdest pictures! Once again, I fell in love with alternative photography. Sometimes, it’s called nontraditional photography because it’s not your standard pose in a well-lit portrait. The Holgas are made for outdoor or very candid pictures. You have to tape it up or you get light leaks. The lens is made of plastic, so it’s all warped on the pictures. But I just loved it as soon as I developed that first roll of film. I was thinking, I never want to use another camera again! It gave such interesting effects. Some of the students took pictures of people and others of landscapes. I took pictures of everything, because I wanted to know what it looked like with this camera.”

While attending UTA, Rebecca took an alternative process class with Professor Scott Hilton, where she learned cyanotype and other antique film processes. Cyanotype was invented in 1842 and used for architectural blueprints up until the 1960s. Cyanotype refers to the process of image making by using photosensitive liquid and sunlight to print a picture. “Most of these photographic processes have been abandoned for over a century except by enthusiasts, like myself,” she stated. “The whole world is digital now, and people have forgotten about real photography, where it can
take hours for one picture. I took two years of advanced photography classes to figure out what my purpose is as a photographer or what my style is. I knew portraits were not for me. I wanted to do antiquated photography for the rest of my life.”

Rebecca’s photography has a spiritual element to it. In many of her photographs, she has a passage from the Bible that best depicts what she wants to say about that photograph. “My favorite work is about surreal beauty in the natural world accentuated by alternative processes, defined by the simple elements and principles of art and inspired by the Creator,” she explained.

“Photography is not an outlet. It is an inlet. When I take a picture, I am letting a little of the beauty I saw come in to me. Making the print afterward is sort of anticlimactic to me. The actual taking of the picture is what I enjoy the most. My artistic expression matched what I
was producing.”

With Rebecca’s type of photography, time is an essential element in producing just the right image. When making wet plate collodion tintypes, she pours an emulsion onto the plate and then dips it into silver nitrate, which is what makes the plate photosensitive. All of this is done in the darkroom. Rebecca then places the plate inside the camera and, in her words, “opens the shutter for as long as 10 minutes, to expose the image onto the plate.” She then takes out the plate and develops it. There is no film involved.

Rebecca explained the cyanotype method. “Photosensitive chemistry is painted on paper, [and] then you place a film negative or objects on top and lay it in the sun for about 15 minutes. UV rays react with the chemicals on the paper. This is a very hands-on kind of photography. This process is cool because you can do it on any material that will soak up the photosensitive liquid. You can make yourself a T-shirt with a cyanotype on it.”

As a photographer who appreciates photography’s past, Rebecca has a collection of Brownie cameras [introduced in 1900] full of history. She has her dad’s camera and her grandmother’s. Another Brownie camera yielded a wondrous find. Her sister found it at a garage sale and, knowing her sister’s passion, purchased it. “It still had a roll of film in it!” Rebecca recalled excitedly. “I call it the mystery film. I had the film developed, and it was photos of a family from the ’50s. I would love to find the kids in those photos and return them. It was pretty much the highlight of my life finding that mystery film.”

Rebecca tried to locate the family by doing some detective work, so she could return the photos. Guessing the film was from Norman, Oklahoma, since that is where her sister purchased it, and noticing the house number 1321, she traveled to Oklahoma to find them. Her trip, unfortunately, was unsuccessful.

Rebecca recognizes that her photos are very different from modern photos. “There is a lot of art in the world that is meant to be about something and makes a statement. Or it’s supposed to be shocking,” she explained. “I’m not into all that. When I discovered these alternative processes, I felt like I didn’t have the burden anymore of trying to make my pictures about something. I just wanted to capture something I saw, and I saw something beautiful. I wanted to capture it and share it. The alternative processes are a statement in themselves.”

Written by Betty Tryon.

Man on a Mission

marshallhinsley — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:22:28 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — Going back to the late 19th century in America, the education profession has been dominated by females. Through decades where women were often unable to work outside the home, teaching has long been considered the job for a lady. Even in recent years, people generally assume male teachers are coaches outside of the classroom setting. But more and more, men are pursuing jobs in education, and even more notably, men are filling roles in elementary education. What was once rare to see, has now become commonplace. Kyle Chambers, vice principal of J.A. Vitovsky, is a man with a purpose. He is, in fact, a man on a mission.

Kyle graduated from Red Oak High School and then went to college at Cedar Valley and Tarleton State University. While studying wildlife biology at Tarleton, Kyle had some interesting opportunities. “I had a professor with a brother in Idaho,” he said, “so I volunteered to study grizzly bears during the summers.”

Kyle started out working as a wildlife specialist, but had some experiences within education as well. “I also spent some time as a lab tech aide, so I got a bit of the teaching experience,” he explained. “I enjoyed that, so I went ahead and got my teaching certificate.” Kyle went from working in the field as a biologist to teaching science in the classroom. Once he started, he knew he was in the right place. “I realized I had a talent for teaching,” he admitted. “I still have the passion today. You don’t let that passion go.”

As a classroom teacher, Kyle loved to tackle the challenge of helping science come alive for middle school and high school students. “I think that because of the way I understood the content, I was able to relate it with passion,” he said. Kyle loved imparting his passion for science to his students, and he still hears evidence of his work from years past. “Every so often,” he added, “I hear about one of my former students working or going into a science field. It’s fulfilling to know they’re keeping that passion.”

After eight years in the classroom, Kyle felt it was time for a new challenge. “I knew I had leadership qualities,” he said, “and I wanted to see them working.” Kyle earned his master’s degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and transitioned once again, this time going into administration in Midlothian. Kyle immediately relished the work he was doing. “I used to have a classroom of kids to lead. Now I have a school full of teachers to lead.” Kyle started as a vice principal at T.E. Baxter, moving to the then-new campus, Vitovsky, when it opened in 2001.

After several years as a vice principal in Midlothian, Kyle had a promotion prospect that would take him and his family west. He talked about it with his wife, Leslie, and their three sons, Phillip, Mitchell and Timothy who are 17, 13 and 11, respectively. “We decided as a family this would be a great opportunity for us. We liked making the move to a smaller town, and we had a great experience out there.”

After three-and-a-half years as a kindergarten through eighth-grade principal in Menard, Texas, Kyle and his family were brought back to this area through family circumstances. In describing his move back, Kyle exhibits the faith that is vital to his family. “It’s hard sometimes to find a job midyear,” he confessed. “It was time for a change, though, and God once again opened doors for us. It worked out that there was an opening. I moved out of this office, and moved right back in a few years later.”

Kyle enjoyed and learned from his time in Menard. “Everything I learned here, I took to Menard. I learned things being in charge of the campus there, and a lot of that has helped me now that I’m back.”

Kyle enjoys his job, and he loves the various duties he performs each day. He typically starts the day greeting students as they arrive for school, which is often his favorite thing. “Where else do you get 1,000 hugs in 15 minutes?” Along with morning greetings, Kyle makes it a point to eat lunch with the students. He and Principal Cherie Wagoner eat at various, times so they can see different children throughout the week.

Kyle knows that greeting and being around the students is one of the most important tasks he has. “In those times, you find out what happened last night or last weekend. You know about dogs dying and kids losing their lunch money,” Kyle explained. “You are able to
connect with the kids and try to help improve their day.”

Kyle also has appointments with kids in more deliberate settings. He plays a big part in assessing and providing for the needs of each child at the school. He both deals with special education students and helps kids who are struggling. He is happy that discipline

is only a small part of his schedule. “I would say four or five discipline issues would be a heavy day. I spend a lot of time in the classrooms, so I know why the kids behave,” he said. “The teachers have high expectations. They don’t accept anything less.”

Public perception may be that Kyle is a man in a woman’s world. But he sees it in a different way. “We’re at a time when so many kids are raised by mom or grandma, often without a male figure. In junior high or high school, sometimes there is a coach. But for kids this age,
I feel like I can be a positive male in their lives.” Kyle stops short of calling himself a father-figure, but he clearly sees his opportunity to offer advice and encouragement that many of his students may be lacking.

Kyle has had success throughout his education career. In 2006, he was voted Region X Assistant Principal of the Year. When he moved to J.A. Vitovsky with Cherie in 2005, many of their teaching staff chose to come along. “Even though we were coming to a school that is classified as Title I (meaning that a high percentage of students are deemed low income), we were honored that most of the teachers wanted to come,” he shared. “That showed faith in Cherie and me.”

Kyle hopes to one day be the principal over a campus in Midlothian, but he knows he has to keep an open mind. He is content right now to wait for God to close one door as He opens another. In the meantime, Kyle works hard to be a man on a mission.

Written by Zachary R. Urquhart.

Local Man Spins Electric Meter Backwards, Collects Check Instead of Bill

marshallhinsley — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:08:47 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — Like most people, Craig Monk of Midlothian hates high electric bills; but, unlike most people, he didn’t just sit around complaining about it — he did something about it!

In this short video, see how he made his electric meter spin backwards to collect a check from the electric company instead of a bill.

Produced by Marshall Hinsley for Now Magazines.

A Level Head for Leadership

marshallhinsley — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:56:51 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX – As a young child, while watching the TV show Adam-12, Carl Smith, police chief for Midlothian, made the momentous decision that he never wanted to be a police officer. The actors on the show were always writing, and as a little boy who did not like to write reports, that was the deal breaker for him. However, the life of a police officer was his destiny, and it began to point in that direction in the early ’80s. “I went to work as a manager in a food store chain in Oak Cliff,” Carl explained. “We always had security. Back in the ’80s, there was a lot of gang activity, and I found it intriguing to watch the law enforcement officers at night as they dealt with these kids. A friend of mine said, ‘Look, you have the right attitude to be a cop. Why don’t you try?’ So, I took the entrance exam in 1987 and, as they say, the rest is history.”

The right attitude, according to Carl, is having a level head. As he defined it, a person with a level head is “someone who is faced with a situation where there is a lot of volatility involved and keeps a calm head while thinking on their feet. There are always multiple routes to take when dealing with people, and when you can de-escalate a situation by talking to someone, then you have a well-rounded approach to dealing with conflict. On the rare occasion where we have to use force to make an arrest or intervene in a fight, you still want that level head prevailing.”

Carl started policing in 1987 and spent 20 years in DeSoto. Five of those years were as assistant police chief, before coming to Midlothian four-and-a-half years ago. “When I came to Midlothian, my goal was to re-brand and remake the organization,” he stated. “I also wanted to increase the standards of operation.”

Carl was a perfect fit, notwithstanding his aversion to writing reports. He has proved that writing reports and policies is something in which he excels. “My history has been in policy making,” he recalled. “In DeSoto, I was always one of the policy writers for the department. I had a strong background in an organization called CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies). One of my goals was to come in and establish good, strong policy procedures for the officers that would be used on each shift. I also worked on training to increase their competency and confidence in the field.”

One of the chief’s goals is to get every officer to the highest level of training possible within the department. The Midlothian Police Department not only does a great job training its officers, it is also a satellite training provider. “There are very few organizations out there that have training classification.
We can bring in training to the police department, and we can host training,” Carl explained. Many topics increase the officer’s awareness and proficiency in the field. Force on force training or firearm training is one area.

Because both Hwy. 67 and Hwy. 287 cross Midlothian, the police department must deal with a variety of circumstances on the highways. Interdiction and DWI training are critical for law enforcement work on the highways. Interdiction is the concept of locating and intercepting illegal drugs. “Theoretically, we assume there are a lot of narcotics moving up and down the highways, and the officers want to be very good at identifying the characteristics of those dealing in narcotics,” Carl stated. Highway management is very complex with FEMA and state guidelines that must be adhered to. “We are writing policy right now to reflect national standards. With a small police department of 30 officers, many of the officers are wearing dual hats. They’ll have an expertise in DWI enforcement and a strong training in interdiction because of time spent on the highway.” Carl gives the staff and officers at Midlothian Police Department credit for high standards and professionalism. “If I am considered successful as a chief, they are the reason.”

Police officers in Midlothian do a lot of community service. They make many visits to local school districts for exhibitions and career days. “We encourage our officers to be involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Carl said. “I’ve volunteered at Vitovsky Elementary School for the last three years as a mentor. We start new programs all the time with retailers, informing them of what they can do to protect themselves and their businesses. Our biggest outreach is our Citizen’s Police Academy and our CERT program (Community Emergency Response Team). We try to equip our community not only with an understanding of law enforcement, but with how they can assist through volunteerism.”

Part of community involvement is awareness from the citizens of possible crimes being committed. “If you see something suspicious, call us. So many times, when a police officer catches someone in the act of committing a crime, it is because someone has called. People say, ‘I didn’t want to bother you.’ Well, bother us. We want that interaction,” Carl said.

Another aspect for necessary training is a realization that Midlothian is in a unique position for a massive emergency crisis. Carl recognizes the need for emergency preparedness. “Our ultimate goal, as always, is saving lives and protecting property. My concern for emergency management is probably more so than most municipal police chiefs because we have such large industry, major highways and major railways surrounding us. We have the potential for a perfect storm in the event of a catastrophe,” he stated.

Working in law enforcement is one of the most stressful jobs there is. Officers must find healthy ways to relieve that stress. For Carl, it is his family. He explained, “Over the years, when I am not at work, I immerse myself in my family and other activities. I have always been athletic, so I do a lot of fitness activities. When I go home, I try to focus on my family. I’ve been involved with youth groups with a local church since the early ’90s, so a lot of my grounding comes from just knowing that we are in public service. There are some people whose badge is their identity, but it’s not mine. I occupy the position of being chief of police, but I’m still Carl Smith. As much as I like that position, and I enjoy being associated with it, I’m still Ginger’s husband and my kids’ dad.”

Written by Betty Tryon.

Full-time Student, Full-time Star

marshallhinsley — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:00:37 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX – Lauren Tryon is now one of music’s bright rising stars, but when she auditioned for American Idol, she never made it past the first round. Though she sang well, the judges never even glanced at her. “It was awful,” Lauren recalled with a shudder. “One of them was texting the whole time.”

Fortunately, Lauren realizes her future was not in the hands of a few judges from one television show. She had been singing before audiences at church since her middle school years but never gave thought to a career in music. She began school choral music during her sophomore year by adding a cappella choir to her track and cheerleading pursuits.

In 2010, her father’s friend, who is a pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, heard Lauren sing and suggested she could break into professional Christian music there. The possibility interested her. “He and his wife even invited me to stay with them, but then those doors completely closed,” Lauren said. Between that and the American Idol fiasco, she concluded, “Maybe singing is not what God wants me to do.”

Last spring, Lauren’s friend, Chelsie Pierce, persuaded her to record a short demo performance and post it on Facebook. Lauren chose “If I Were a Boy” by her favorite artist, Beyoncé Knowles. The 95-second audio clip soon caught the ear of artist manager Stephen Fraser, who tagged the video to draw the attention of Ira Dotson to it. Ira, president of Faultline Music Group, had managed Beyoncé’s early music career.

Skeptical at first, since Stephen insisted, Ira finally listened to Lauren’s demo at home. As it played, his daughter heard it from upstairs and came to ask him who the artist was. At this unprecedented response, Ira later told Lauren, “I knew I had to sign you.”

When Stephen called Lauren about the offer, it caught her off guard. As she learned how well- connected Ira is — “He’s worked with everybody” — she decided, “It would be stupid to turn down such a huge opportunity. I wasn’t looking for it. It was completely brought to me,” Lauren said.

Shortly afterward, Ira arranged Lauren’s first performance — a June date in the House of Deréon at Houston’s Music World. This was the venue where Beyoncé got her own start. Lauren sang “If I Were a Boy” again, this time in full and with Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, in The following month, Lauren performed at Houston’s “Freedom Over Texas” Independence Day celebration as one of the opening acts for three top Country & Western acts: Rodney Atkins, Chris Young and Jack Ingram. Lauren sings pop, rhythm and blues (R&B) and admitted, “Even though I wasn’t going to sing country, I had to do some research before I went.”

In developing her skill as an artist, Lauren works with a producer to build performance and writing credits, make connections, choose music — all the elements of making her name more widely known. When traveling for a performance, she said, “I get extra- special treatment. I have a driver, an assistant making travel arrangements and a photographer taking publicity shots.” A few people, seeing the fuss surrounding her, have asked for her autograph, despite having no idea who she is. Though Lauren enjoys the celebrity treatment,
she said, “I don’t take it personally, and it doesn’t go to my head. Really, I think it’s funny.”

After this whirlwind start, Lauren had to adjust to a new schedule. It was time for her sophomore year at The University of Texas at Austin (UT). She registered for 12 hours in the fall semester, arranging to have Fridays free for travel. Now she must squeeze her business the audience. matters and rehearsals in between her sophomore-level courses as a speech pathology major. “Nothing to do with music,” she acknowledged with a smile.

How does Lauren manage her time? “It’s definitely hard. I wake up, do music in the morning, have class all day, do more music, and then I’m in the library until it closes at 2:00 a.m. And I start all over the next day.” She carries an iPod and sometimes has to listen to music samples in class, should Ira need a quick decision. “He tries not to bother me during classes, though,” she added. She is also currently on the praise team in a church right off the UT campus.

In the future, Lauren may have to take a semester off school or do online courses to allow for touring. But she plans to finish her degree. “Education is very important,” she said.

Lauren credits God for the way her career has taken off. As to the secular genre, she believes pop offers a greater chance to be a positive role model for young girls than does Christian music. “Most girls don’t listen to Christian music,” she pointed out.

While Lauren’s initial opportunity came to her through little effort of her own, she now works very hard to make the most of it. Besides her relentless daily school and rehearsal schedule, she spends a great deal of time recording in the studio. “And studio work takes forever,” she groaned. “Once I spent two hours on just the first line of one song.” However, after making the many tiny adjustments, the producer demanded, “It’s worth it when you hear the finished product.” Occasionally, she polishes her skills with a lesson from Midlothian vocal coach Matthew Fisk and Tom McKinney, in

Houston, and feels confident that studio recording will become easier as she gains experience. Despite Lauren’s hard work, sometimes discouraging things happen. At the “Freedom Over Texas” concert, held outdoors in 100-degree heat, her mouth and throat became very dry. She also forgot the lyrics during one song but managed to cover for it. Last fall, while singing the National Anthem before Midlothian’s homecoming game, she had to contend with the echoes in the stadium. “I slowed down the tempo to prevent losing track of my voice.”

But already, the highlights have more than counterbalanced every setback. Her greatest moment, so far, was singing Beyoncé’s song in front of Mr. Knowles, then getting to meet him and hear his comment: “You did honor to the song and to my daughter.”

To others who dream of an entertainment career, Lauren offers a little advice. “Put yourself out there; no one will find you if you don’t. Get on Facebook, put up a fan page and post videos on YouTube. Don’t be shy.”

Lauren cautions everyone to know the demands of a singing career before committing to it. In her opinion, “If you mind losing your sleep, then it’s not worth it to you.”

Written by Janice C. Johnson.

Bethlehem in Midlothian

marshallhinsley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:13:14 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX – Cries of, “Get your bread here!” and, “Slaughtered pigs sold here!” rang out over the bazaar. The marketplace was abuzz with activity and people. Vendors hawking their goods approached any likely passerby. A young boy wandered by leading a pet goat on a rope. Welcome to Bethlehem by way of Midlothian!

Jason Exley, pastor of Life Church in Midlothian, and his congregation have constructed a slice of history in their Real Life Christmas production. “We want to make them feel like they are in the middle of all of this commotion in Bethlehem,” Jason said.

This will be the fourth year for Real Life Christmas. It all began in the parking lot of Longbranch Elementary School. The church met there before moving into their current building and received permission to use the parking lot over the weekend.

“We started on Friday when the kids got out of school, because we couldn’t be on the premises until the kids

left,” Jason explained. “We started building sets until we lost daylight and ran the first Real Life Christmas that Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend in December three years ago.”

The church decided to name their production Real Life Christmas because, “We bring it to life,” Jason explained. “Our church is Life Church, and we try to use the word life as much as we can. One of the things we are passionate about is engaging our community outside the walls of the church. We try to touch people where they live, so we wanted to bring the Christmas story to life.”

In order to do that, the church does a great deal of work. “We try to bring the story to life with all the sets that are built with live actors in costume, with animals, sheep, cows, goats, chickens and camels,” Jason shared. “We do whatever we can to make you feel as if you are right there in Bethlehem and then carry the story all the way through the life of Christ and to tell the story of why Jesus came.”

Real Life Christmas gives the families in the church an opportunity to volunteer together, and that includes Jason’s family of three boys — Ethan, a third-grader, Landon in kindergarten and Preston, 20 months old. “In a lot of our scenes, we have mom, dad, kids all in costume and all working together,” Jason said. “It’s a neat thing to see the whole family unit come out to serve. A lot of times, a mom will be involved in the church, the dad may work as an usher and the kids just kind of are there. We really want moms and dads to pass on a desire to serve to their kids. Real Life Christmas is one of those opportunities our families have to volunteer together.”

The first couple of years, the church produced a CD describing the different scenes that patrons could play in their cars as they drove through the circuit. Last year, the church wanted to be more interactive and have their guests be up close and personal with the action. So in that vein, they sought to make visitors

to Real Life Christmas as comfortable as possible, while keeping the setting unique and authentic. However, before visitors make it to Real Life Christmas, they are treated to hot chocolate and cookies, pictures with Santa Claus (if they want it) and beautiful Christmas carols played by the church band. Blankets are provided and, bundled up cozily, guests are led outside for a hayride through the Christmas scenes.

The scenes are set up throughout the property of Life Church. “On the hayrides, we have a storyteller or narrator, dressed as one of the wise men, who narrates the story as you go through. People love that!” Jason shared. “We dropped crushed asphalt and made this huge path on the field next to the church. The circuit the hayride takes is physically one big U, and that’s where all the scenes are built. We are able to use the hillside to put the crosses and have the empty tomb at the bottom of the hill.”

Six different scenes tell the story of the life of Christ. The scenes begin with the angel telling Mary she is going to have a baby. The second scene demonstrates how there was no room at the inn. The third is the stable scene where Jesus is born in the manger and the wise men and shepherds keep the family company. The last few scenes move away from the Christmas story and finish out the life of Christ, beginning with Jesus’ trial in Pilate’s court. Jason described the remaining sets. “There is a scene of Jesus on the cross, and you drive by the three crosses that are seen off in the distance. We haven’t had a brave enough actor to be Jesus hanging on the cross in December, yet. Maybe this year we’ll surprise everybody,” he smiled. “The narrator tells the story — He came and was born to die. We talk about what happened on that Good Friday when Jesus died, about how the earth shook and the veil was ripped.”

The final scene is the empty tomb. Here, the organizers employ touches that are more theatrical. Jason continued, “We have a smoke machine pushing smoke out of the tomb and a big, bright light. Mary and Martha come running out of the tomb yelling to all of our guests on the trailer, ‘He’s not there! He’s not there!’ And they keep running off into the distance. Standing in the bright light is an angel, as the narrator on the hayride talks about the resurrection of Jesus. That is where Real Life Christmas ends.”

Keeping close to tradition to have the production early in December, this year it will be the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this month. The production of Real Life Christmas serves another purpose this year. “We decided to roll our sleeves up, work together and give
a message of hope to our community,” Jason stated. “In this economic recession, I know people are looking for hope, and I want them to know they can find hope in all the churches here in Midlothian.”

Written by Betty Tryon.

Caring on Wheels

marshallhinsley — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:34:12 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — The day held every promise of becoming blistering hot. Sitting in his open garage with a box fan catching the last cool breezes of the morning, Clarence waited patiently for his daily meal. It was not easy for him to get around in his wheelchair, but he managed. He did not have long to wait because Sheila Whatley, a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, soon arrived with a container of food for his lunch. Twice more during her weekly route, Sheila stopped to deliver welcomed meals for those who would have difficulty preparing food for themselves. Knocking on a door that is decorated with a festive Christmas wreath year-round, Sheila was greeted by Shirley, another recipient, who not only received lunch but breakfast also. The last delivery on Sheila’s route was always a treat. It gave her the opportunity to reconnect with Robbie who used to babysit her kids many years ago. Stepping into a room made brighter and more cheerful by the decorated pillows on the sofa and butterfly plates on the wall, Sheila was greeted with a big smile as Robbie received her lunch for the day.

The recipients of the meals were happy and thankful to see Sheila, and she was equally grateful for the opportunity to deliver to them, calling her time the highlight of her week. “Getting started is very simple,” she stated. “I introduce myself to them. The routes are easy because they give you directions on how to get to the person’s house. I just like to go out and deliver meals and see people!” Sheila began volunteering with Meals on Wheels several years ago. She became interested after her husband, Boyce, participated in a program called Mayors on Wheels.

Boyce represented Midlothian as mayors nationwide made the meal deliveries for one day. This was to bring more awareness to the plight of senior citizens’ hunger and encourage more people to volunteer for service. “Meals on Wheels has a full-time nutritionist who plans out the meals based on the calorie needs of each person. Some of them are diabetic meals, too,” Boyce stated. “It’s really pretty sophisticated. They are going to open a kitchen here in Midlothian that will make all the meals for Ellis and Johnson County. They work with the North Texas Food Bank to acquire goods and surplus vegetables. They will have a lot more quality control when it is done internally rather than using a vendor. In the end, it will be a much higher-quality product, and certainly the logistics of having it delivered right out of Midlothian will make it better for the clients.”

The Meals on Wheels organization delivers about 1 million meals a day to seniors across the country who are unable to prepare their own meals due to mobility problems or illness. Even though the organization recently started providing meals for the senior’s pets, their purpose is to provide senior citizens with a nutritious meal once a day. “Another nice thing about Meals on Wheels is sometimes it extends an individual’s ability to stay independent,” Boyce said. “One of the things I’ve recognized being a part of Meals on Wheels is how fragile some people’s situations are.”

Seeing clients weekly gives Sheila an opportunity to observe them and possibly detect if anything is wrong. “I went into someone’s home and they seemed disoriented,” she explained. “That was very concerning to me, so I called Meals on Wheels to let them know. They have a list of emergency contacts for each person. If they [seniors] have any concerns or any issues come up, I can bring it to someone’s attention. I’ve heard of stories where a volunteer has actually

been able to intervene when someone was ill and get help.”

Many times, Sheila feels blessed by the people she sees. “A frail little lady named Odette had fallen while rushing to the phone and broke her hip. Whenever I delivered her meal on Tuesdays, she was having Bible study and the group would always offer up a prayer for me, if I had any prayer concerns. Another woman I delivered to was the type of person you want to give a hug to every time you see her. She was always sitting there in her chair reaching up to me to give a big hug. She was really sweet,” Sheila said.

Speaking about several of the seniors, Sheila remarked, “Sometimes when I’m feeling blah, they pick me up!” Smiling, she remembered a gentleman she delivered to for two years. “He called me baby doll! Whenever I saw him, he would say, ‘Hello, baby doll!’ I also delivered to a lady named Annabelle from my church. She was very instrumental in me coming closer to God. I used to go to Bible study with her. She always remembered me as being the baby Christian.”

Sheila’s concern for the seniors goes beyond her weekly visits, and she looks for ways to show them she cares. Sometimes on special days,
Sheila will make something special for them. On Valentine’s Day, they may receive a bag with candy and hearts. “At Christmastime, I will deliver an ornament along with their meal for something different,” she added. “When I’ve gone on vacation, I’ll send them a postcard as if to say, ‘Even though I’m not there, I am still thinking about you.’ One time,
I was delivering to several people who had dogs, so I would take dog treats with me. The recipients got a kick out of it, too, because they knew their dogs were looking for me. The dogs knew I was coming, and I had those treats!”
She laughed.

Sheila hopes to encourage others to give of their time to Meals on Wheels. “Hopefully, others will get an opportunity to come out and volunteer. It doesn’t take a lot of time. I can do it on my lunch hour and still have lunch. Most
of the time I am greeted at the door, or I just barely step into the house. If I can, I spend a few minutes with them. I never really have to set the meal up. There is no greater reward than going to see somebody who is homebound,
and you just offer them a smile, a hello and a comforting hand to hold. I’ve really enjoyed spending what little time I get with them. They are a part of the community who need to be looked after, even if it is to say, ‘Are you taking care
of yourself? Are you staying hydrated?’ It’s a great thing and a great gift to give someone else.”

Written by Betty Tryon.

For more information on Meals on Wheels, contact (972) 351-9943 or e-mail info@ mowjec.org.

Honored to Serve

marshallhinsley — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:15:08 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX – The life of a firefighter is perhaps one of the most exciting yet misunderstood, dangerous though methodical, funny but frustrating professions a person could ever hope to have. In one day, in one moment, a firefighter can save a life and lose one. The timing, the ability and willingness of a firefighter can literally change the course of history. No surprise, it is also reportedly in the top three most stressful jobs, following the President of the United States.

“But I can’t imagine doing anything else,” said Deputy Chief Dale McCaskill. Both McCaskill and Chief David Schrodt have seen tremendous changes within the department. As recently as 1987, there were only six members to the department. Today, the Midlothian Fire Department is now being called a leader in fire-base, pre-hospital care. In fact, due to the extensive training and demands on the paramedics and firefighters, Midlothian is the only fire department within Ellis County that offers ambulance transport to hospitals.

Other cities and towns use privately owned, for-profit services.

The pride that these firefighters have in their department, their leaders and their work was the motivation behind starting the first Citizen’s Fire Academy. The premise was simple: Offer a seven- week course to everyday citizens, and meet once a week to learn the ins and outs of the department. While the firefighters hoped to impart some knowledge about the equipment and day- to-day functions of the department, the first-ever Citizen’s Fire Academy walked away with far more.

Just as firefighters are depicted in the movies, Midlothian’s firefighters are funny and engaging. They play practical jokes on one another and revel in all embarrassing moments of fellow firefighters. But

these escapades generally come as stress relief following a difficult call in which someone was seriously hurt. “It is,” Capt. Kevin Lucia said, “the worst part of being a firefighter. Seeing suffering, loss and uncontrollable situations is the worst. Sometimes, there is nothing that can be done to help someone, and you feel their

pain.” While the firefighters have varied personalities, they share one common trait: “We like to help people,” Capt. Lucia said.

“We’re team players,” Capt. Jeff Silva added.

Team play is certainly something the students of the Fire Academy learned, whether they teamed up to hold the 70-pound “Jaws of Life” equipment or the hose. That seemingly harmless water hose can weigh hundreds of pounds and can easily throw an ill-prepared firefighter to the ground.

“I honestly had no idea how physically demanding this job was,” said Fire Academy graduate and Navarro College English teacher, Michelle Powe.

For Donna Collins, the academy offered a real reality check. “I know I was like a lot of people who had this perception that firefighters are always at the station doing nothing, and that life was so easy for them. I had no idea,” Donna said. As the administrative assistant to the fire chief, “I respect them now so much more, having gone through the academy.”

Few people understand that heart attacks among firefighters have been an issue. In one moment, they are resting; in the next, they are desperately trying to save a life! This is one reason that the Midlothian Fire Department now does annual check-ups and mandates that its employees take part in a progressive wellness program, including fitness routines and better nutrition. But the issue of fitness was not lost on the Fire Academy students who struggled with both equipment and gear.

In the academy, students learned that each firefighter is assigned a set of gear, including: bunker pants, coat, hood, boots, gloves and helmet, as well as breathing apparatus, to enter burning structures.

“The night we practiced putting on the air tanks was really fun but a little intimidating,” Michelle said. “Just standing there in a safe, controlled environment, you have a moment of panic when you start breathing through the mask. I can’t imagine doing that in the dark, with a fire and lives on the line.”

If you stand still too long, an alarm will sound. While Fire Academy citizens practiced crawling around on the ground in full gear, sweat filling their boots, an occasional alarm would go off, indicating that one of the “firefighters” had not moved in the last 30 seconds. While the citizens laughed and performed the “firefighter shuffle,” a move that requires the sudden wiggling and shuffling of legs and hips to stop the alarm, Lt. Brancato offered a sobering reminder. In film footage of the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, those same alarms can be heard in the chaos of people running from the Twin Towers. “I can’t watch it, because I know what it means,” he said. Brother or sister firefighters were down.

The Citizen’s Fire Academy students got to see the inner workings of an ambulance, a PHI air (helicopter) ambulance, and even used the “Jaws of Life” to remove car doors and cut off the tops of two cars. “You can’t believe how hot it is in the uniforms! And we were standing in the shade with a breeze,” Michelle laughed. A typical firefighter responding to a fire or rescuing a victim from a car on the side of the highway can lose up to eight pounds in sweat alone.

With so much sweating, one would hope that the department had enough gear to supply each of the 45 firefighters on staff. Unfortunately, the city does not have enough air tanks and regulators
for each fighter. As advanced as the department is, it still needs more equipment. This would include the Pac Tracker, an innovative device that is used by the Rapid Intervention Team (RIP).

It allows a team to locate one of its own downed firefighters and execute a rescue. It is here that Capt. Silva is most passionate about team play. “It is the team approach,” he said. “We have to have each other’s backs. Our lives depend on it.”

Once again, team play was a factor upon graduation day when the first ever Citizen’s Fire Academy cadets crawled into a burning building (used for training by the academy), dragging a hose line
to put out their very first fire! While the cadets erupted into applause after everyone made it through the fire house, Chief McCaskill was pleased to have new ambassadors for the department.

Understanding the joy and stress, the labor and knowledge required for the job is so important. And always, according to Chief McCaskill, the best part of the job is, “I get to serve the citizens in a time of need. It is an honor to serve.”

Written by Alex Allred.

When Mom Teaches

marshallhinsley — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:43:25 +0000

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — Just like most moms, Linda Hachat maintains a home, loves and cares for her children, prepares meals, completes chauffeur duties and is chief budget maintainer, as well as many other chores. However, unlike most moms, when it is time to send Caleb, 11, Lindsay, 8, Rachel, 7, and Joel, 5, off to school, she does not send them out the door but through the family room to their special classroom. Since the beginning of August, class work is in full mode. “Class starts at 9:00,” Linda stated. “We eat breakfast together, do our devotion time, and then we start our subjects. Because Caleb is getting older, he has more subjects and needs a lot more time with me. This coming school year, to his chagrin, he will have to get up earlier. That way we will have the teaching portion done by the time the others get up. He can then focus on his class work, and I can focus on the other children.”

Families choose homeschooling for a variety of reasons. For the Hatchet family, it began as a temporary solution because they were not planning to stay in Texas long term. When Caleb was in the first grade, he was already reading at a third- and fourth-grade level. Leon and Linda wanted to continue that progress. And probably the simplest reason they decided to homeschool was, “We just like being together as a family!” Linda said with a smile.

Having to homeschool four children of different ages and abilities can be a daunting task. It helps to have a support group surround you. Linda explained, “So we met up with our current homeschool co-op, and it has just been…” Caleb interrupted to add, “Awesome!”

Smiling, Linda continued, “The co-op meets at the Methodist church in town. There are about 25 families. With the Midlothian co-op, we meet at the end of the school year and decide what subjects we are going to cover the next school year. Homeschooling is something you can do really cheap and buy a lot of used curriculum. Or, you can do it real expensively where you buy a huge curriculum that comes with all the bells and whistles. We do a little bit of both. Some families choose one curriculum that works for the whole family, and that’s great. I pick curriculums that are tailored to each individual child.”

During the Hachats’ school day, many times they work together. Bible, history and science are topics they share as a group. Sometimes, they will work together with the other families in the co- op with the moms rotating to teach the lesson. “We teach the science curriculum with other families, and it’s broken down by age, Linda explained. We do every style of learning in there. You can help kids who need that hands-on work. They can be cutting, pasting, drawing, gluing and putting it all together in one book about your subject.”

One-on-one time with her children is necessary and welcomed by Linda. As Caleb grows older, his subjects become more complex. “With math, Caleb and I work together, and he has a math tutor,” Linda shared. “He has reached a point in math where I say, ‘OK, I’m done.’ I have another homeschool mom, and we trade off. I teach her high school daughter science, because that’s my strength and what I have a degree in, and she teaches Caleb math.”

Lindsay and Rachel do much of their schoolwork combined. Technically, Rachel is going into second grade and Lindsay into third grade. They did language arts at the same grade but stopped when Rachel began to struggle. Because of that, Linda said, “Lindsay is moving on, and we are going to camp out where we are with Rachel until she is ready to move on. That is the glory of homeschooling, we move along when we want to.”

As the youngest, Joel sometimes feels frustrated if mom does not get to him fast enough. “Last year, he wanted to do more in school,” Linda explained. “Once he brought books to me and, in a stern voice asked, ‘Is it my turn?’ It’s not easy to manage four kids when they all want your attention.”

Subjects are taught with the child’s comprehension level in mind. When Joel studied science, they made trash. “We watched our trash for a couple of weeks to see how it recycled itself back into soil. We got to see banana peels turn back into dirt and watched pieces of plastic,” Linda said. She asked Joel, “Did the plastic turn back into dirt?” Joel shook his head for a definite no. Through their studies, the children learn about respecting the environment and the things that live in it. For example, when studying endangered species, each child had to research his or her own endangered species, make posters and do a report on that species in front of their peers.

In learning about other countries, they take a unique approach. “We do Voice of the Martyrs. It is a curriculum designed for anyone. We can do a study on different countries throughout the world. We make crafts, read about the kids and learn about the religion in the different countries. Caleb has learned about Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s great for geography purposes but also for social studies. They also learned how the Christians are persecuted in other countries. They realized that America is a great place and that freedom in other countries is very limited,” Linda said.

This past summer, the family hosted an exchange student named Sara. Coming from Spain, she brought an entirely new culture into the home. “Our kids are getting to learn about her culture, and she is learning about ours. Sara is teaching us Spanish, and we are teaching her English! It has been a fantastic experience,” Linda said. Taking Sara to Costco was a great revelation for her. She wanted to know
if all supermarkets in America were like that. She had stated that there was nothing like that in Spain.

When you homeschool, the education of your children is completely in your hands, and they will succeed or fail by your efforts. “It takes a lot of motivation and prayer to homeschool,” Linda stated. “There are days when you get up and you think, Oh, I have to go face this again. Other days you get up and you are just thrilled to do it — days like when reading clicks and the lights go on in their eyes, or when they look at you, and they are reading a book by themselves! You think, This is why I do it.”

Written by Betty Tryon.