Ty competes in FCA Victory Bowl

Ty, a recent graduate from the MCH School, joined other exceptional athletes from the Heart of Texas area for this year’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes Victory Bowl on June 14 in Waco. Ty was on the MCH Bulldogs football team that completed an undefeated season and made it to the state semifinals for the 2013 season.

The FCA Victory Bowl brings together area-graduated seniors from 92 high schools of every classification. The two teams are coached by local head coaches who select the players based on nominations from the athlete’s coaches or sponsors. During the week, the students participate in service projects, practices, clinics and entertainment. The Bowl is a service and fundraising event for the Heart of Texas Fellowship of Christian Athletes ministry.

“I think playing in the FCA Victory Bowl was a neat opportunity for Ty,” said MCH athletic director Kevin Henry. “He displayed great sportsmanship and teamwork this past year as a leader of all of our sports teams.”

  Ty’s team, the Blue Team, won the game 21-16. This game was special for Ty as his older brother and former MCH resident, Christian, played in the FCA Victory Bowl game in 2011.

Congratulations Ty!

Core Value Award for Hope - Ben Pinckney

Ben Pinckney, youth care counselor, received the Core Value Award for Hope.  Ben embodies the Core Award of Hope by role modeling how important it is to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically and intellectually.  During his tenure at MCH, Ben has made an effort to attend as many trainings as he can because he desires to be the best youth care counselor that he can be. The fact that he works the overnight shift does not deter him.  Ben’s desire to learn and grow is evident as he works hard to learn as much about TBRI as he can.  He can recite the MCH Life Skills and discuss the connecting, empowering and correcting principles.  He works hard to show the youth in his care that they should always have hope.  Ben spends time with youth in his care, getting to know them and helping them see their worth.  He encourages them to fight hard to reach their goals and to never give up.  The impact he has had on our youth is evident in the way they speak of him and how he encourages them.  We appreciate Ben for all he does but, most importantly, for his ability to give the youth in his care the desire to continue to work hard to reach their goals and always have hope. 

Flotilla raft contest

For the second summer in a row, teams of Boys Ranch youth went head-to-head in the “Flotilla” raft building contest on June 13. The boys in each home unit worked together to plan and build a raft that was able to make the trip across Slator Pond. All teams were successful in building an efficient raft to get all the housemates across the pond.

Ian Bracken, Boys Ranch recreation coordinator, brought this idea to the boys last year as a team building exercise for the home units.

“I hope that they learn some creativity, teamwork, competitive spirit and ingenuity from this activity,” Bracken said. “But most of all I want them to have a fun and imaginative summer.”

The boys were given 3 hours to build their raft and one hour to successfully cross the pond with all of their housemates. They could make one trip with all on board or several trips with a few at a time. They were given a small basket of supplies including duct tape, rope and a tarp. All other supplies had to be collected and scavenged by the boys from the community or ranch property.

Edwards East made it across the pond with the fastest time of 3 minutes and 49 seconds, improving the winning time last year by 24 seconds. They were followed by Slator North with a time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds. Coming in third was Edwards West at 5:57. Edwards West knocked off an amazing 41 minutes from their time in 2013 showing great improvement this year. Turner finished out the times with 6:22.

“The competition this year went really well,” Bracken said. “The rafts this year were quite impressive compared to last year’s rafts. The Edwards East boys will be able to hang the Flotilla trophy on their unit wall for the next 365 days and proudly claim they were the fastest across the pond!”

Core Value Award for Relationships – Judy Schmoeller

Judy Schmoeller, administrative assistant, received the Core Value Award for Relationships.  Judy has a genuine, cheerful, generous and willing heart and is highly respected by her peers.  Judy is a great thermostat in projecting calmness.  She is always willing to help, has a soothing voice, and has an amazing gift in knowing how to make a person still feel valued even though they may have made a mistake.  This is a rare gift for a person to possess.  Even new hires attending orientation who have had the privilege to interact with her speak highly of her.  She sets forth a standard when it comes to building and maintaining relationships among peers.  She truly is a vital member of the MCH family.

 

Core Value Award for Service – Steve Kruse

Steve Kruse, agricultural teacher, received the Core Value Award for Service.  Mr. Kruse shows compassion to each and every youth who participates in his programs with encouraging words, pats on the back and even a tear every now and then as he praises their hard work and dedication.  Being an Ag teacher for MCH is not just a job to Mr. Kruse, it is a calling.  The long hours spent at livestock shows, the last minute projects requested for special events from his wood working and metal shop classes, and even the cold days breaking the ice for the animals while the youth are on Christmas break are always done with a smile.  Mr. Kruse is continually thinking about how each opportunity will encourage, educate and enrich the lives of the youth at MCH.  There is never a question as to how much Mr. Kruse cares for each one of his students.

2014 College graduates

Congratulations to our MCH alumni who earned degrees and certifications in advanced education this semester! They are:

 Ben Heefner - Master’s in Social Work at University of Texas at Arlington

Lauren Mathews – Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice at Texas State University

Pablo Villanueva - Bachelor’s in Social Work at Tarleton University.

Clara Archibold - Certificate for CNA at McLennan Community College

Jackie Gonzalez - Certificate for massage therapy at Texas Center for Massage Therapy in Richardson, TX

Chad Neu - Will graduate from Texas A&M University in August 2014.

Each of these students has been working with MCH’s Transition Services department since their junior and senior years of high school. Transition Services helps our youth prepare for college, vocational school, or employment in order to make a successful transition into independent living. Former youth are also assisted by Transition Services through discharge planning, case management, counseling, crisis intervention services, independent living training and financial assistance.