The Mighty Hawk Jazz Bands ended their season triumphantly. After winning first place at the Sweet 16 Rio Grande Valley Jazz Festival in April, the ensembles went on to play outstanding performances at their final competition in McAllen.

Harlingen High School South Jazz Ensembles received multiple recognitions at the McAllen ISD Jazz Festival on May 7.

The four competing groups received straight ones for their performances and won their overall categories at this event. The Varsity Jazz Ensemble was awarded Outstanding Band and senior Cole Allex was named Outstanding Performer for the second time this year. Several of the players were also recognized and named to the All-Star band.

The HHSS Jazz Bands will play their final performance for this school year at their Spring Concert on May 19.

All-Star Band Results Listed Below:

Alberto Rodriguez, 12th Grade-Timbales

Cole Allex, 12th Grade-Alto Saxophone

Daniel Rodriguez, 11th Grade-Drums

Kevin Perez, 11th Grade-Tenor Saxophone

Michael Garza, 11th Grade-Bass

Ryan Mowers, 12th Grade-Trumpet

Football players and Track and Field students from Harlingen High School South were recently named to the Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State Team for the 2015-2016 school year.

For football, Adey Awah, Anthony Garcia, and William Ernst are receiving 2nd team honors while Fabrizio Miltos, Manuel Leal, and Steven Rodriguez were awarded Honorable Mention.

In Track and Field, William Ernst, Adey Awah, Christopher Reyna, Aaron Gomez, Jonathan Rozeff, and Manuel Leal were named to the 2nd team.

Each year, high school senior athletes are nominated by their head coach to be recognized with this honor. His or her GPA, class rank, and SAT score determine the team on which each student is placed.

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Harlingen High School Track and Field athlete Travis Barnes will continue his athletic career and academic pursuits at the University of Houston next fall.

He signed his letter of intent to throw shot put for the Division I Houston Cougars on Tuesday, May 10.

Students, coaches, community members, college representatives and members of administration came out to share the excitement during the office.

The National Weather Service has issued an area flood advisory for parts of Cameron County until 4:45 p.m.

Forecasters say Doppler Radar indicates the thunderstorms are producing two to three inches of rain.

Heavy rain is making its way through southwestern Cameron County in the areas of San Pedro, Rancho Viejo and the surrounding communities. Hail the size of quarters is reported in the storm that is moving north at 15 mph.

An additiona one to two inches of rain is possible this afternoon.

Hoping to respond to, like someone said, a bunch of propaganda.

First, someone calls a writer a fullblown liberal for expressing her views.

Like to respond with he, as a Republican, being a full blown white supremacist, KKK, neo Nazi sympathizer by his reasoning.

He’s the only privileged one to voice his opinion.

Yep, Trump supporters embrace his racial, bigoted and hateful way of life. Another writer writes about compromises where our dysfunctional Congress flatly refuses to work with the President.

Compromises are made where both parties agree to some worthwhile solution.

The do-nothing Congress, for the last seven years has not lifted a finger in all the progress and success that our country is enjoying.

I know that listening to your selective channel has influenced your minds in every which way, except the actual facts.

Just think, we are enjoying the longest sustained job growth, economic growth has outpaced every advanced nation, no inflation, interest rates at their lowest. and the wealthy getting wealthier.

The GOP still intends on lowering corporate taxes, boosting their welfare through the roof, which keeps ending up in off shore accounts. Does $32 trillion ring a bell.

Ask yourselves, wouldn’t this $32 trillion help make this country greater than it already is.

Full-time working people on welfare are not the ones bleeding the taxpayer, but their employers.

Trickle down economics ring a bell, but again, only as far down as their CEOs.

They also like using the pro-life card, looking for sympathy as if they really cared for humanity while only caring about the fetus as long as it remains in the womb.

After the fetus is born, the baby better not require medical attention, cause their only solution is to deny it affordable care and would rather it just die.

There are just as many Democrats that believe in pro-life, only one major difference, Democrats care before and after the baby is born.

The Pope is opening many people’s eyes with the GOPs way of life, and GOP is now declaring him Public enemy No. 1.

Yep, the one following and leading by example, the way Jesus instructed.

We also have the transgender problem, that was not ever considered a problem, until the“Do as we say, not as we do” party decided to make it a problem.

Wonder where these people went to do their business before all this publicity.

There have been no known cases of any mistreatment or abuses from these people in bathrooms to minors or others.

Thepartyhascomeupwithextreme punishment for child molesters, but the ones making the laws are the ones doing the molesting, alas the last speaker of the house, molesting and paying off millions to keep his victims quiet.

Now his congressional members are fighting to reduce his sentence cause they’re the privileged ones.

I would rather my kids went to the bathroom with a transgender than GOP congressmen.

Another writer criticize the President for listening to music by a recently deceased musician and assumes the President doesn’t stand up for the National Anthem.

Really, is that the best they can do.

Again, sounds like that select channel’s propaganda. Now they are also criticizing the President’s black daughter for getting accepted into Harvard.

Boy, the KKK must have taken over Harvard’s administration. Trump is the one they should worry about as he doesn’t even know the difference between 7-11 and 9-11.

A wealthy, spoiled brat that thinks only of himself.

He also bilked millions in donations, meant for veterans that ended in his own accounts.

Probably hasn’t even opened the Bible as he can’t quote from scripture. He brings great family values.

A Democrat with Trump’s qualification would already have been hung. Have a good day.

Juan Gonzales Harlingen

As the last few weeks of the school year approached, the teacher began to look over her check list for student paper work. She needed to make sure that the IEP, AU supplement, FBA, BIP, PWN, STAAR testing, Personal Care, Transportation, Testing and Progress Reports were all in each child’s file.

Plus, the parents needed a final progress report from the teacher for the last six weeks of the school year. Like any parent, they wanted to know how their children had done throughout the year. Did their child master the goals and objectives for the school year or not?

Unlike general education children, children in special education programs receive both a report card along with a detailed IEP progress report. Sometimes these progress reports can be a dozen pages or more in length. To better understand what the progress report means, a parent needs to learn how to read their child’s individual education plan (IEP). The report should explain a child’s progress according to the individualized goals and objectives for each subject throughout the school.

Typically in late spring, transition ARDS (Admission, Review and Dismissal) are also occurring.

Two of the teacher’s students were going on to sixth grade. Just like the children in general education, the middle school program is very different for special education students. Her two students had to choose two electives which included band, choir, art or dance. Brett and Sarah varied in their choices. One selected art and choir, another chose dance and art.

Both children had a new course on their daily schedule called Applied Technology/Health. The routine classes of English, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies still appeared on all their schedules. Sixth grade would be a time of many changes for any child moving on to middle school including entering into adolescence.

Preparing the documents and the parents for the change to middle school is as important as preparing the students for their new environment. The parents need to understand the IEP and what it says. Does the student have a goal and objectives for each subject in the special education class? Do the subjects state the expected skill level and percentage accuracy? Is the child requiring hand over hand assistance, verbal direction or can he do the skill independently. Does the child have an array of three choices or just two choices at a 70 percent accuracy? What is the length of time acquire a skill such as letter identification? Can the child participate in a higher level of academics such as resource reading, math or writing? Reading the IEP to understand just what skills your child is learning is important for every age level.

Some special needs children may qualify for EYS, extended year service. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to qualify for summer programs such as ESY from what it was years ago. A child must show at least eight weeks of regression from the beginning of the school year in skills or behavior. Summer can become a major challenge for parents. Ideally school would keep going throughout the year so children could gain more skills and new skills. That is not the case today.

Fortunately, there are some extended summer activities for special needs children, though they are limited. These may include the local college’s community extended service program for summer fun and in Brownsville. Check the local park activities for such things as swimming.

Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher can be reached at [email protected]

“To leave behind what was in reality a hell, and immediately have good green earth revealed in more glory than most men ever see it, was one of the compensating privileges which make me feel that my suffering was worthwhile.” Clifford Beers (1876-1943).

The National Mental Health Month, through the efforts of the National Mental Health Association and the Jaycees, was established in 1949 to promote awareness and education about mental illness.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Month is “Life with a Mental Illness,” with an invitation for all of those with a mental illness share their stories on social media of what their mental illness feels like.

Each year at this time, as I have done for many years, I write about this most important event with hope that others may also take part in whatever way they can.

After suffering years of mental illness, termed “insanity” in his day, Clifford Whittingham Beers recovered from his illness and went on to become the first advocate for the mentally ill in the United States, and founded the National Mental Health Association.

He penned the story of his mental illness, his many hospitalizations, and subsequent recovery, in the book “The Mind that Found Itself” in 1908.

According to the latest statistics from the National Mental Health Association and the National Institute on Mental Health, (of which the 2015 statistics are not available as of the date of this article), today one in four adults — approximately 61.5 million Americans — experience mental illness in a given year. One in 17 — about 13.6 million — live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. Approximately 20 percent of youth ages 13 to 18 experience severe mental disorders in a given year. For ages 8-15, the estimate is 13 percent.

Yet, with all the progress made for treatment of the mentally ill, 60 percent of adults and 50 percent of youth with mental illness received no mental health service in the year. Additionally, untreated mental illness costs our nation approximately $200 billion yearly due to unemployment, unnecessary disability, substance abuse, and other factors. Even after these 67 some years of yearly Mental Health Month observations, the process of the general population being observant and aware has progressed very slowly; even most of the overall media we currently have does not run articles or air broadcasts of the observation, despite the ever-growing numbers of persons with mental illness in our community, state, and nation.

If we look at the picture of the plight of the mentally ill in Texas and our community, the figures become much more meaningful to us. The latest National Census Bureau estimates of Texas population is 25, 631,778. Cameron County and the City of Harlingen give us a population of 406,220 and 66,122 respectfully. Extrapolating the percentages of mentally ill would give us approximately 6 million in the state, 16,000 in the county and 1,530 in the city of Harlingen…those experiencing serious mental illness (classified as Schizophrenia, Major Depression, and Bipolar Illness).

The numbers are much higher if other mental illnesses are included, such as Anxiety Disorders, etc.

Texas ranks about average among all the states in respect to the percentage of persons with overall mental illness and severe mental illness: 14.66 percent and 17,78 percent respectively.

When one looks at Treatment for mental illness in the State and locally, in the amount of monies spent by the State of Texas, the outlook has remained bleak for many years. The cost to treat the mentally ill remains quite high, but the budget for mental health treatment in our state has actually decreased. In 1983 Texas was number 45 of the fifty states in monies provided per capita toward the mentally ill (around $10.00 per capita). In 2012 Texas was number 50 of the 50 states in monies provided per capita toward treatment of the mentally ill, and currently ranks at number 49.

The monies provided by the state mostly go into the penal system, with the state run treatment facilities divvying up the rest. The “trickle down” of these funds have had a serious impact on our community. Treatment access and treatment provided in Texas has been given “D’s and F’s” by national tracking agencies. I have often been approached by colleagues from other states asking: “Dr. Jones, tell me why is your state so backward with treatment for the Mentally Ill.” I want to tell them that I believe that most legislatures of this state are not really concerned about the mentally ill, but I always respond by saying, “Treatment providers and personnel are doing the very best with the tools they are given to do their jobs with.”

The therapies and treatments afforded patients and clients today in our community is representative of other hospitals and clinics of mental health throughout the nation; individual and group psychotherapy, psychotropic medication therapy, community living groups, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, physical medical care, work-study programs, dual-disorder education, etc. Yet, there is so much more that needs to be done, as many individuals and their families are in states of frustration…particularly with an adult family member with mental illness and/or an accompanying personality disorder and/or substance abuse disorder…often times all three together.

They often have extreme behavioral problems associated with their condition, that brings undue hardship on the family, yet the family often cannot intervene unless the individual becomes a danger to themselves or others. This is a major on-going problem.

The present state of mental health treatment in our community, the State, and Nation; even with its imperfections, offers a most professional, viable service to the millions of individuals with emotional problems and mental illness, and continues to improve (despite financial and staffing problems) in research, prevention and treatment efforts.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. May we all increase our awareness of the individuals and families suffering from the effects of mental illness; to alleviate their pain and anguish, eliminate the myths and stigmas associated with mental illness, and promote treatment for the mentally ill.

Find out what you can do to aid in increasing awareness of mental illness. May you and your loved ones maintain concern and care for mental health as well as physical health.

BY LORI MURRAY

Early this year I learned the extent of the plight of the beautiful monarch butterfly whose presence in our yard has provided us with so much pleasure over the years. The statistic that impressed me the most was that the monarch population has dropped by 90% over the past several years, particularly when I read that in human population terms the drop was the equivalent of losing every person in the U.S. except for those in Florida and Ohio. (www.aquaorg/monarchs )

When I read that one of the actions we here in the Valley could take was to create a monarch “way station,” I decided to plant a butterfly garden in my back yard to provide some of the essentials for their survival. ( See www.MonarchWatch.org for order information and to download a guide in PDF format.) Monarch Watch suggests setting aside 100 square feet , and I only had half of that, but in reality, any space will help. I turned a spare flower bed into a butterfly garden that, unlike my previous efforts, would provide more than nectar plants. Although it was possible to order seeds for some of the important plants from Monarch Watch, I used the actual plants I could find right here at home.

In March, I started with mistflower and butterfly weed (asclepias tuberose), a milkweed common to our area; both are available at local nurseries like Grimsell’s. I knew mistflower’s nectar would draw monarchs to my yard, but I also planted butterfly weed because monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed, and the plant is essential to sustain the caterpillar. In fact, I learned that I should plan on one WHOLE milkweed plant for each caterpillar’s consumption. Little by little, I added to my garden over the rest of March and April. I had about 10 butterfly weeds until I attended a native plant project lecture in Weslaco and was able to purchase a Prairie milkweed native to Cameron County. I also knew from previous experience that monarchs liked penta so I added a couple of those for nectar and also for color to please myself. I also planted scarlet sage (salvia coccinea) from the Master Gardeners’ plant sale in April. Just for the fun of it, I put some dill and fennel and also some lantana in adjacent beds. Then I waited. Two butterflies showed up in April – probably first generations from Mexico – and occasionally I would see a third monarch dipping up and down in the yard. The plants were flourishing as the sun came around to warm the soil and encourage growth. Then one afternoon I went outside to show my husband where I’d planted the salvia and when I looked down, there they were!!! TWO Monarch caterpillars!! I ran for my phone and took several pictures. What a thrill!

The egg to adult metamorphosis occurs during warm temperatures in as little as 25 days, but sadly fewer than 10% of monarch eggs and caterpillars usually survive. I haven’t seen my caterpillars in a few days, although I can see that milkweed is being eaten, so I guess I’ll have to wait to see if I get a chrysalis or any butterflies. The entire experience has been rewarding, however, and even if I don’t get any adults, I’ve enjoyed looking outside and seeing those colorful creatures dipping and swooping across my yard. The milkweeds essential to our monarch’s breeding have decreased dramatically due to pesticides and land development. Their wintering habitat, a pine forest in Mexico, is being destroyed by logging. But we are can easily add a milkweed or two to our own flower beds and nurture these bright and beautiful creatures for the enjoyment of our children and grandchildren.

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