Schools - page 10

The West Orange Cove Consolidated Independent School District is planning a variety of upcoming sports camps. All camps are free of charge.

For girls, the Lady Mustang Basketball Camp will be held on July 10, 2023. Register online here.  The Lady Mustang Volleyball Camp will be held on July 11, 2023. Register online here. The deadline to register is Sunday, July 9, 2023, for basketball and July 10 for volleyball.

For boys, the WOS Mustang Basketball Camp will be held on July 12, 2023.  Register online here. The Summer 2023 Mighty Mustang Football Camp will be July 26-27. 2023. Register online here.

Bridge City Independent School District (BCISD) has appointed Tim Woolley as the BCISD CFO.

Tim’s successful career in education spans nineteen years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Ag Economics with an emphasis in Macroeconomics from Texas A&M University and earned his Master of Education in School Administration from Lamar University. Tim continues his commitment to lifelong learning through his memberships in the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, Texas Association of School Administrators, and Leadership Southeast Texas.

His educational career embodies a passion for leading students, mentoring faculty and staff, and building relationships within the community. Tim served as a high school teacher and coach for four years at LCM HS and seven years at Atascocita HS. In 2015, he started his three-year administrative role at LCM HS as an assistant principal, and in 2018, he returned to his alma mater as the principal of Bridge City High School. Tim has continued to lead the Bridge City High School campus over the past five years, during which time he was named the Region V Outstanding Principal of the Year (2021).

Tim was influenced greatly by his parents, Tom and Sharon Woolley, who were both longtime educators in Bridge City ISD. He is a BCHS graduate (class of 2000), married to Sally Woolley (librarian at BCMS), and they have 4 children all attending schools in BCISD: Addison (class of 2024), Carter and Callie (class of 2033), and Reid (class of 2034).

Lamar State College Orange will be the recipient of the domed Greek revival brick former First Baptist Church on Green Avenue. It will become a reception center for Lamar State College-Orange.

Dr. Tom Johnson, president of LSCO, said last week that the Stark Foundation will donate the building to the college. The former church at 800 Green Avenue is near the college’s new $38.1 million academic building under construction. The former church building is across Fifth Street from the LSCO Wilson Building, as well, where industrial classes are being held.

In 2008 Hurricane Ike flooded downtown Orange, including the basement of the historic First Baptist sanctuary and other buildings. The church congregation decided not to repair the building and moved the church and built a new facility at 7637 Martin Luther King Dr., which opened in 2013.

The Stark Foundation bought the complex in 2013, five years after the flood waters had receded, leaving mold to decimate the buildings. The Foundation demolished all the buildings but the historic sanctuary and restored it.

Despite the Stark Foundation’s announcement that the building could be used by its venues, it never was. Dr. Johnson said LSCO has remodeling plans to put the building to use for the community once again.

Bridge City Independent School District (BCISD) has selected Dr. Tara Fountain as Bridge City ISD’s Assistant Superintendent beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. Dr. Fountain is married to her high school sweetheart, Tip Fountain. Together they have two girls. Taylor, BCHS class of 2019, who is studying to become a Doctor of Pharmacy; and Tatum, BCHS class of 2022, who is studying to become an educator.

Dr. Fountain is an accomplished and student-centered leader who has been in education for a total of 25 years, with 19 years in Bridge City ISD. Dr. Fountain possesses a strong academic foundation, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Master of Educational Leadership, a Superintendent Certification, and a Doctor of Educational Leadership from Lamar University.

This educational background serves as a solid base for her professional journey that began in West Orange Cove CISD, where she taught and served as a Reading Coach and Assistant Principal. She then came to Bridge City ISD, where she served as the principal of Hatton Elementary for 2 years, the principal of Bridge City Intermediate for 13 years, and the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Administration for 4 years.

Dr. Fountain has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to education. She was nominated two times for the HEB Excellence in Education Award, which honors outstanding public school professionals. She is a member of the Texas Association of School Administrators and Leadership Southeast Texas. Her educational research has also been published in the TEPSA Instructional Leader Magazine, presented at the Southwest Educational Research Association, and at the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration conference.