Citizens of the Week at Port O’Connor School
Week ending April 17: PreK- Laela Aranda; K- Kyndra Carriles; 1st- Cole Spicak; 2nd- Antonio Gloria; 3rd-  Ayden Brown; 4th- Adalia Gossett; 5th- Tarah Munsch
Week ending April 24:  PreK- Abygail Gonzales; K- Shelby Wheat; 1st- Anthony Flores; 2nd- Maddix Delgado; 3rd- Kyle Doggett; 4th- Jayden VanDusen; 5th- Jordan Blevins
Week ending May 1: PreK- Tristan Griffith; K- Leland Carriles; 1st- Justin Gossett; 2nd- Stephen Bowman; 3rd- Dylan Rameriz; 4th- Ashton Albrecht; 5th- Maddie Hawes
Week ending May 8:  PreK- Bradley Eure; K- Gracie O’Shields; 1st- Blake Bowman; 2nd- Aiden McClelland; 3rd- Sergio Sanchez; 4th- Damian Guzman; 5th- Madison Stringo

The Teachers and Staff at Port O’Connor Elementary would like to thank Kim Dickens, the PTO and all the parents who made their child’s teacher feel so special during Teacher Appreciation Week.  Thank you so much.

Students of the Week at Seadrift School
Week ending April 17: PreK- Christopher Barcenas; K- Brice Petrisky & Marisol Banda; 1st- Jada Dean & Matthew Morgan; 2nd- Ethan Saenz & Ariel Henson; 3rd- Natalia Zarate & Braeden Ragusin; 4th- Blake Bundrick & Nate Saenz; 5th- Iliana Jaramillo & Destiny Garza  Junior High: Henderson- Ireland Williams; Cady- Ms. Brewer; Parnell- Karley Gregory; Coach Anderson- Canion Epley; Coach Sternadel- Michael Sachtleben; Charnetski- Rebecca Barrera; Smith- Karley Gregory; Coach Lillge- Nadia Vallejo; Mrs. Sternadel- Mina Harrington; Mr. Anderson- Sabrina Nguyen
Week ending April 24: PreK- Saige Carter; K- Shaneesa Mallory & Cash Shirhall; 1st- Logyn Middaugh & Sarah Armbruster; 2nd- Mina Harrington & John Jacobs; 3rd- Alissa Blevins & Penelope Wymer; 4th- Tim Pham & Hector Perez; 5th- Cassandra Vallejo & Mrs. Canales  Junior High: Henderson- Logan Whitaker;Cady- Mrs. Henderson; Parnell- Coach Anderson; Coach Anderson- Abigail Vallejo; Coach Sternadel- Mrs. Sternadel; Charnetski- CJ Morales; Smith- Heather Glover; Coach Lillge- Penelope Wymer; Mrs. Sternadel- Kidron Lehtinen; Mr. Anderson- Jackie Cedillo
Week ending May 1: PreK- Brylie Penney; L= Callum Taylor & Keegan Goode; 1st- Jeremiah Mayorga & James Ledesma; 2nd- Alexandra Mallory & Kidron Lehtinen; 3rd- David Cano & Derrick Youngblood; 4th- Jacob Nguyen & Anjelica Cleary; 5th- Cassandra Vallejo & Alex Chavez  Junior High: Henderson- Jairo Castillo; Cady- Coach Lillge; Parnell- Danielle Morales; Coach Anderson- Gatlin Wimbish; Coach Sternadel- Fernie mendez; Charnetski- Chloe White; Smith- Anhi James; Coach Lillge- Julissa Banda; Mrs. Sternadel- Brianna Cruz; Mr. Anderson- Will Helms
Week ending May 8:  PreK- Kailey Treumer; K- Alexis Green & Luis Zarate; 1st- Gunner Evans & Cody Castillo; 2nd- Nevaeh Rangel & Kaedyn Floyd; 3rd- Mileidy Anzaldua & Trinity Morgan; 4th- Zach Moreno & Harley Peeler; 5th- Luis Casas & E.J. Olivarez  Junior High: Henderson- Mrs. Charnetski; Cady- Coach Anderson; Parnell- Will Helms; Coach Anderson- Antone Nguyen; Coach Sternadel- Rayne Lamphier; Charnetski- Ms. Victory; Smith- Kellie Blevins; Coach Lillge- Eric Jaramillo; Mrs. Sternadel- Ashton Sternadel; Mr. Anderson- Sierra Callaway

Last day of school: May 27! Happy Summer Vacation, Students!

May 15: Wanda Lewis; Ashley Smith

May 16: Sean Hardegree; John Causey; William Storenski

May 17: Jack Miller; Mike Raby

May 18: Sherry Gregory; Paul Pitonyak Jr.; Whitney Fisher

May 19: Crystal Moncrief; Joey Lane; Sheila Mayes

May 20: Kathy Yearwood; Lorrie Gonzales

May 21: Roy Clark

May 22: Caleb Esneault; Chris Poth; Holly Dyes

May 24: John Yearwood

May 25: Russell Bourg; Christopher Gretchen; Chelsea Longoria; Amber Salvatico

May 26: E.V. Galicia; Savanna Bowman; Stephanie Smolik; James Santoff

May 27: Michelle Finster; Freddie Hawes; Gail Cleaver; Bill Yost; Brandon Smolik

May 29: Julia Carriles; Amy Pfeiffer; Eugene Scott Jr.; Leah Richter-Griffin; Krislyn Joy Key

May 31: Adam Price

June 3: Leigha Lopez; Stephanie Villarreal; Candice Stryker; Shayla Teel

June 4: Hong T. Nguyen; Charles DeLoach Jr.; Clay Sparks

June 5: Charles R. (Chase) Carter; Dakota Novak; Leanne Patillo; Tucker Sonnier; Arnold Martinez; Stephen Bowman; Pat Turk; Waddie Stringo

June 7: Sarah Williams; Crystal Bullock; Bertice Wiggin; Mike Gonzales

June 8: Homer DeLoach

June 9: Robert L. Gregory III; Jose N. Liguez; Nguyen Ni Vu; Ken Finster

June 10: Valerie Adams

June 11: Doug Henderson

June 12: Rosa William; Lynn Rhodes; Cameron Klein; Michelle Rodriguez

June 13: Rachal Reed; Jeanine Bricker; Amanda Whitehead

June 14: Cortney Johnson; Harlen Terry; Ed Mouser

June 15: Tracy Sears; Carrie Reed; Lydia Rodriguez

June 16: Stanley Christy; Steve Rhyne

June 17: Jaime Soliz Jr.; Brianna Weathersby

June 18: Bob Byers; Joyce Raby; Jordan Briann Goldman

June 19: Gary McCauley; Irene Sorrow; Logan Ross Hobbs

AA meets each Saturday night at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Port O’Connor.
POC Lions Club meets the second Wednesday of each month, 4:00 p.m. at Port O’Connor First National Bank
Seadrift Chamber of Commerce meets the third Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. at First National Bank meeting room, Seadrift
Commissioner’s Court meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10 a.m., 1st Floor of the Court House, Port Lavaca.
Crossroads Astronomy Club meets at 7:00 p.m., third Mondays, at U of H, Victoria, Room 223 info: wes81461@yahoo.com   935-2016
Calhoun County Quilt Guild meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Building.
Calhoun County Democratic Club meets the last Thursday of the month at IBC Bank, Port Lavaca, at 5:30 p.m.
CASA (Christians Against Substance Abuse) meets each Thursday from 7-8 p.m. Call 361-652-7451 for meeting place.
Friday Night Youth every Friday except the first Friday of each month, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., Fisherman’s Chapel, Port O’Connor
First Baptist Youth Group (Port O’Connor) meets every Wednesday night from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Grades 6th – 12th; Team Kids Grades 1-5
Port O’Connor Cemetery Association meets 3rd Thursday of each month at POC Community Center
Ladies Bible & Book Study is held every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Port O’Connor
VFW Post 4403 meets first Tuesday of each month. 552-3886
Open Mon-Friday; Closed Weekends R. Guitierrez 210-872-1198
Sat., May 16    Warrior’s Weekend
Sat., May 23    Kids Fishing Tournament 9:00-11:00 am    King Fisher Beach
Sat., May 23    Kite Contest 1:00 pm        King Fisher Beach
May 25        Memorial Day
Thurs., May 28    Seadrift Welcomes Combat Marines Outdoors 12:00 noon
Thurs., May 28    United Way Listening Session 12:00-1:15 pm    Port O’Connor Community Center
Mon., June 1    Republican Club 11:30 am        Beijing Buffet, Port Lavaca
Tues., June 2    Seadrift City Council 7:00 pm        Seadrift City Hall
Tues., June 2    Bunco  7:00 pm POC Community Center
Thurs., June 4    Port O’Connor Service Club 10:00 am    POC Community Center
Sat., June 6    Port Lavaca Market Day 8:00 – 3:00    Bauer Community Center
Mon., June 6    Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce 6:30 p.m.    POC Community Center Meeting Room
June 8-11    Vacation Bible School  Seadrift United Methodist Church
June 12    & 13    Shrimpfest
June 15-18    Vacation Bible School  Port O’Connor First Baptist Church
Sat., June 27    Benefit for Debbie Scott Gayle  Contact:        361-649-0343 or 361-903-0387

Welcome Our Wounded Heroes to Port O’Connor

Saturday, May 16 – Warrior’s Weekend

• To take a warrior fishing, please contact: www.warriorsweekend.org

• To assist with night fishing at The Sanctuary, contact Linda Hundley at 361-920-3427.

• To offer lodging call Bill Tigrett at 361-983-2671.

• To help with anything else (and there’s lots to do) ask anyone already assisting. Find them at Port O’Connor Community Center beginning Wednesday, May 13.

The soldiers and heroes of Warrior’s Weekend will be here in just a few weeks. Having them here transforms our small town in a way that no other guests can or will. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to meet some of the few true good guys left in our country today. Many of you will be offering guest housing to some of our warriors. Here are some thoughts from one family who has done so for many years. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of this soldier.

When Mike first came to stay will us five or six years ago, he was in rehab after being severely burned and losing an arm in a roadside bombing. He was not progressing and did not care. He appeared frail, depressed and hesitant, but he was here because one of the directors told him it would change his life to come to Port O’Connor. He said he doubted it. He ate little, caught two or three fish, talked softly and sparingly, but was extremely polite and profusely grateful. After he returned home, we received a short note of thanks and a request that he might return next year, but we were unsure if we’d see Mike again.

The following year Mike returned to stay with us. He had gained a little weight, gotten a new prosthetic, and was much more animated. He caught several fish and excitedly took them home to grill. He quietly told of how Warrior’s Weekend helped him decide to try the new prosthetic. He hugged us before he left and asked if he was welcome to return. We told him of course.
That second year was a real turning point for our friend Mike. He began calling us occasionally. He wrote a note about some computer training he had decided to take, but questioned if he could do it with ‘one burned arm and one fake one. He is working at the top of his field in computer programming today.

Years 3,4,5 and so on brought a familiar stranger to our door as Mike grew and changed and recovered. He finished rehab, joined a support group, participated in an adaptive sports team, even dated a little. In one later year, he reconnected with his family. It was very emotional for him when he told us about it. He had avoided them for a long period of time.

At some point, He began volunteering with a veterans group and started meeting people socially. He wrote about a new girlfriend named Ashley in his Christmas card a year later. It was very exciting. Finally, we got an incredible phone call. Mike wanted to come again and he wanted to bring someone with him. We thought it might be Ashley, but we were in for a surprise.

Mike showed up, happy, healthy and full of life. He was driving, working out, and seemed truly happy. He quietly introduced his friend Sean, and when he opened the door to help Sean out, it took our breath away. He stooped to help Sean, a new amputee, out of the car and into his wheelchair. When introducing us, he said, “I brought Sean for a little POC Warrior’s Weekend therapy. I told him it would save his life. It sure did mine!”

Mike married Ashley this year. They have a baby on the way. We are blessed for having shared this journey with our soldier friend Mike. He feels like part of our family.

So, whether offering guest housing, cooking breakfast burritos, driving a golf cart, building a sandcastle, cleaning a fish or captaining a boat; don’t miss out on Warrior’s Weekend 2015. There are so many reasons to volunteer and lots of need for willing workers. You do not have to have special skills. You can call, come to the meetings, or just show up. I promise they will put you to work. You will be changed from the experience. And who knows, you just may impact someone who needs it more than they can ever say.

Our guests, those soldiers, the defenders of freedom, just ordinary men and women living extraordinary lives; they will leave boot prints on your heart. Guaranteed!

On April 11, following years of research and work, the Port O’Connor Cemetery received its plaque designating it as an Historical Cemetery. Pictured above are some of the Cemetery Committee with Mary Belle Meitzen (far left) of Calhoun County Historical Society.

Port O’Connor Cemetery

Text from recently installed Historic Marker.

Late in the 19th Century, a small settlement named Alligator Head, named for its particular landscape, developed on the coast of Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County. In 1910, the Calhoun County Cattle Company filed a plat for a town site and named it Port O’Connor in honor of Tom M. O’Connor of Victoria from who the land was purchased. With the establishment of the town, a cemetery site was needed for the rapidly growing community.

The first known burial in the cemetery is that of Lola May McCarty in 1913. The oldest marked grave is that of Juan Pena (1851-1919) but it is highly likely that there are many unmarked graves. Located on the Texas Coast, the cemetery is subject to the harsh effects of the elements. The Hurricanes of 1919, 1941 and 1945 swept the town of Port O’Connor and damaged the cemetery. High winds and rain during these storms destroyed the cemetery and many grave markers were displaced.

The cemetery is the final resting place for many key members of the community. Members of several lighthouse keeping families of the Matagorda Island Lighthouse are buried here. Some graves from Saluria on Matagorda Island were reinterred here due to erosion. Arranged in an east to west formation, the gravestones are comprised of marble, wood, granite, plastic and concrete. Tombstone decorations include ships, anchors, shells and driftwood, reflecting the saltwater heritage of the town. This historic cemetery reflects the determination and survival spirit of Port O’Connor.