Lifestyle

   EDITOR’S NOTE: BCHS principal Estela Reyes read a letter to the Bay City school board Monday night seeking support for Blackcat football players enduring a difficult season this year.
   This is her letter:
   Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to speak tonight.  When I started working at BCHS last year, our scores were not where they needed to be.  I presented the data to the staff and achievement and executed the plans.  
   This was a total team effort! All staff came together- CET teachers, Fine Arts teachers and guess what.... even the coaches!  Without a school-wide approach of all of us working towards one goal, this would not have been a success.
   As you might know, our scores improved dramatically from last year and we are still working hard to improve them even more.

   Bay City will again test its resolve to shed past mistakes as it faces the Sealy Tigers there this Friday in a District 13-4A-1 contest. 
   Bay City is 0-7 going into this matchup against Sealy (1-2, 4-2). 
   The Blackcats lost to Brazosport 35-20 last Friday, while the Tigers were shut out by El Campo 28-0. 
   “Things haven’t gone our way and we are continuing to work on those things we’re not very good at,” said Blackcat Head Coach Patrick Matthews. 
   “Sealy is very good football team. Most people don’t realize they’re in a rebuilding phase as well and the (Sealy) coach is trying to put together a good football team,” Matthews said. 
   Sealy started the season strong, but had some upsets. 
   While Bay City and Fulshear are exceptions, the rest of District 13-4A-1teams have been ranked at some time in the state 4A division, Matthews said. 
   “We trying to be in position to make plays. 

   I grew up watching the original Addams Family black and white re-runs on TV and got another glimpse at the iconic family in the early 90s with full-color movies.
   So, I went into the animated version with high hopes and maybe some low expectations.
   After all, not everyone has seen either of the movies or the old show, so, this film was geared more towards re-introducing the Addams to a younger audience.
   Plus, it’s the spookiest month of the year, and of course I’m going to go see “The Addams Family” in theaters.
   The Addams Family is ranked second in box offices worldwide with over $30 million in revenue during its debut weekend.
   The film is rated PG for macabre and suggestive humor, and some action, but has a few jokes that only older children, teens and adults will get.
   It’s a 3D computer-animated comedy horror film based on the comics of the same name by Charles Addams.

   The Schulenburg Shorthorns used a ball control offense, and an opportunistic defense to outscore the high-potent Van Vleck offense in a 49-34 win last Friday night.
    With the loss, Van Vleck has to win out the rest of the way in order to have a chance to reach the playoffs.
   Things went Van Vleck’s way early in the game, with the Leopard offense attacking quickly. 
   After Van Vleck forced a Schulenburg punt on their first possession of the night, the Leopard offense needed only one play to get onto the scoreboard. 
   Van Vleck runningback Sam Bree took the first Leopard handoff of the night from the Van Vleck 47-yard line and raced untouched for a quick touchdown. 
   Slade Huerta booted the extra point through, and the Leopards were up 7-0 with 9:02 left in the first quarter.
   The Leopard defense forced another Shorthorn punt on the next series, but a Van Vleck miscue got Schulenburg going. 
 

   Tidehaven ISD trustees heard about the widespread vaping problem on the junior high and high school campus and discussed the safety of the intersection of Texas 35 and FM 1095 during their regular meeting, Oct. 14.
   “I’ve had a really big push for disciplining tardies and vaping has been an issue,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Patrick Talbert, who also serves as junior high/high school principal.
   “It’s been hard for us to keep up with the vaping. But for now, the first time a student gets caught it’s a phone call to their parents and three days in-school suspension, the second time it’s five days and third time you’re going to DAEP. 
   “And if you’re a high school kid giving it to a junior high student, I’m taking you straight to DAEP right away,” Talbert said.

   A Cedar Lane man is warning Matagorda County residents and officials to become involved in the proposed routing of a massive rail project from the Port of Freeport to the Rosenberg rail hub.
   The Brazoria County-Fort Bend Rail District narrowed a list of possible routes for the rail line from 15 to two final routes – one of which would go through Matagorda and Wharton counties, Louis Peter told the Matagorda County Rural Rail Transportation District board Monday afternoon, Oct. 14.
   “The Brazoria County Rail District is trying to sneak this railroad into Matagorda and Wharton County without our involvement, said Peter, a Matagorda County native who was plant manager at STP for six years.
   “Their citizen advisory panel and board didn’t want it run in their county,” Peter said.
   “They are proposing to build a heavy cargo and hazardous material railroad line from Port of Freeport to the Rosenberg rail hub.”