Schools

It’s time to roll out the red carpet! The 3rd Annual St. Mary Catholic School Gala will be held Saturday, September 10, 2022, at the Orange County Convention & Expo Center, 11475 FM 1442 in Orange.

This year’s theme will be “Old Hollywood Magic.”  Guest speaker will be Mr. Paul Trevino, President & CEO of CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System,

Reserve a table early so you don’t miss out on a special night out on the town. Individual open seating tickets are available for $125 per ticket, as are sponsorships and underwriters. Tickets and sponsorships are available here.

All proceeds from this black-tie optional affair will benefit St. Mary Catholic School.

For more info, please contact the Gala committee at( 409) 893-2194 or by email at Stmarycatholicschoolgala@gmail.com.

Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) shared progress this week on the construction of a new Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training facility, made possible by a grant from the Office of Governor Greg Abbott.

The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund awarded LSCO an $800,000 grant to build a 54,000-square-foot driving pad and a covered area with a concrete base for seating and instruction, all with enhanced lighting.

“In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, we at LSCO have already trained and graduated 120 individuals in our CDL program, but as the demand in this industry is so high, this new CDL facility funded by the Governor’s grant will allow us to put even more people to work immediately,” said LSCO President Dr. Tom Johnson.

Due to the incredible demand for truck drivers, this enhanced training facility will help address the driver shortage affecting the national and Texas economies.

“Well-trained and qualified CDL candidates are completing LSCO’s program and entering the workforce every day,” said LSCO Dean of Health, Workforce, and Technical Studies Kristin Walker. “Our new CDL training area provides a stable, reliable, and safe training ground for our CDL Program. It is a statement to both our students and business partners that LSCO is committed to CDL training and to creating a pipeline of well-trained potential employees,” Walker said.

In fact, a recent graduate of LSCO’s CDL Program is now employed by the construction company completing the project and works on-site driving the heavy machinery required to complete the grant-funded construction.

The new facility creates an acre-and-a-half training ground that allows for simulating backing maneuvers and other critical driving skills on expressly-made training lanes. The expanded lighting will also allow for evening classes that are not currently possible.

The project will be fully completed by the end of August.

For more information on LSCO’s CDL Program or to get started with classes, contact LSCO’s Community and Workforce Education Department at workforce@lsco.edu or call (409) 882-3321.

Dr. Ricky Harris, superintendent of the West Orange – Cove Consolidated Independent School District, has announced that the press box at the football stadium and the Event Center will not be ready for football season.

He noted, “As with many other things affected by supply shortages due to COVID, we are experiencing the same issues. The press box and the Event Center have large curtain walls that are only made by one company in the US and number one in the world, Conair. The company experienced a supply shortage and now is experiencing a back order to go back to at least February of 2021.

We are hoping that they will arrive soon. In the meantime, we have no choice but to use the press box on the visitor’s side of the stadium again this year. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to prepare these facilities so our students, staff, and community can enjoy what they voted for.”

Granger Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram will be hosting a Fill the Jeep School Supply Drive on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 5 PM at the patio ofRikenjaks, located at Exit 862 off of Interstate 10. This school supply drive benefits area schools for kids in need. All new supplies are welcome, as they will stuff the Jeep to the top.

The family-friendly event will have a raffle for a gas card giveaway, a rubber duck derby with prizes, gift bags, and MORE! They will even have something for those that bring their own Jeep.

The 3rd Annual Backpacks and Cuts event will be held Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM at Destiny Church, located at 3423 Martin St. in Orange.

Backpacks, supplies, shoes, headphones, and more will be distributed to children in grades K-12. Limited to one backpack and items per student present.

Haircuts will be provided by Hair & Co.

For more info or ways to partner, please call 409-332-7514.