When Alfred Baca took a break from college after graduating high school, he said he intended to go back. Sixteen years later, he did.Baca owned and operated the Village Inn restaurant on Ben Jordan for 16 years before enrolling at the University of Houston-Victoria. After three years of hard work, he will graduate Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in general business and hopes to find a full-time job, possibly in management. more >>
Q:When is the UHV spring graduation going to be held? What happens if it rains? A: About 275 graduates, the most ever, will participate in UHV’s spring commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday in front of the University West building, 3007 N. Ben Wilson. more >>
Since 1987, most elementary school students in the Victoria school district eligible for the Gifted and Talented program have to transfer to Dudley GT Magnet Elementary School to enroll in the program. But next year, that will change. The district plans to expand the program to kindergartners through second graders at all elementary schools for the 2008 school year and then to grades third and fifth the next year. Since kindergarteners are identified as gifted and talented mid-year, they are enrolled in the program then and can now continue in the program at each of their campuses. more >>
Q: I heard the Gifted and Talented program will expand next year. Will this be for all elementary grades? A: Not yet. Beginning in August, Gifted and Talented programs will be available on all elementary campuses for grades kindergarten through second. The following year, all elementary schools will offer G/T programs for all grade levels. more >>
The Victoria Classroom Teachers Association will be awarding three scholarships of $250 each to 2008 graduating Memorial High School seniors or to college students pursuing a degree. The grants will be available for use for the 2008 fall semester. All applications are due by Friday, May 16. The VCTA scholarship committee will evaluate each application. Interested students may pick up applications from Memorial High School, Victoria College or the University of Houston-Victoria. more >>
YOAKUM – The Yoakum High School Journalism Department's yearbook and newspaper publications each received Star awards from the University Interscholastic League at the Interscholastic League Press Conference's 81st State Journalism Convention last weekend at The University of Texas in Austin. The newspaper was one of 29 statewide to receive a Silver Star. It places the newspaper in the top 5 percent of student newspapers statewide. The yearbook received a bronze star, which placed the yearbook in the top 10 percent of yearbooks statewide, according to a news release from the UIL. more >>
Students with the University of Houston-Victoria and The Victoria College can tutor high school students and get paid at the same time. A $25,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will allow UHV’s Letting Education Achieve Dreams program, in partnership with the Latina Forum, to pay students $10 an hour for up to 20 hours a week for tutoring high school students. LEAD is an outreach program aimed at helping first-generation college students gain access to higher education and is also working with the Bridge program at The Victoria College on the mentoring program. more >>
The Rev. Yvonne C. Gillar, was honored at the Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth at the Spring Awards Banquet on April 24. She received the Gilbert L. Farrell United Methodist Studies Award and the Barrett T. Moore Preaching Award. She is a 1983 graduate of Victoria High School. She will receive her Master’s Degree in May and has a G.P.A. of 3.943. She is the pastor of Crossroads United Methodist Church in Haslet. She is married to Randy Gillar and has two sons, Josh and Nate. They live in Fort Worth. more >>
Andrew Cole from Inez was inducted into the Bucknell University Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha honor societies. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to academic excellence, and recognizes and encourages both breadth and depth of knowledge as well as academic and personal integrity. Pi Sigma Alpha is a national honorary society for students of Political Science. Cole is a May 2008 degree candidate in Political Science and Philosophy. He is the son of Christopher and Kerry Cole of Inez. more >>
The Gathright Award was presented to Laura Erin Adian, a junior at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Zachary Adian, a junior at the College of Geosciences; and Michael Lloyd Arquisola, a sophomore of the College of Veterinary Medicine. all three students are from Victoria. more >>
Good times and good information will be the order of the day at the University of Houston-Victoria’s fourth annual Fiesta Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. The event will be offered in cooperation with The Victoria College. The daylong event will feature dancing, singing, food and valuable information about getting a quality education, said Daniel Ochoa, director of UHV’s Letting Education Achieve Dreams outreach program, which is organizing the event. more >>
