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OURGUNTER H ISTORY | V ALUES | F UTURE

May 2019 | OurGunter.com

OurGunter.com | May 2019

ESCAPE THE VAPE ESSAY WINNERS Congratulations to Daniel Dominguez and Alexis Marks. Daniel and Alexis are the winners of the Escape the Vape Essay Contest. Their essays were picked from a committee of teachers at GMS. Each were well written, detailed, and very impressive! The Dangers of Vaping by: Alexis Marks, 8th grade winner Vaping is the world’s newest and most critical epidemic that has quickly spread through a time span of four years. It has become particularly very popular among many teens nationwide. Young people in high school and middle school are all breaking the law by using this nicotine filled device and easily get addicted by the amount. Most people who use vapes or JUULs don’t even know the dangers that lurk inside just one pod. E-liquid is not just water vapor, that was just a lie told to many by the company so that people of all ages would buy and use their products. It includes harmful chemicals such as nicotine, Benzene, and diacetyl, and medals such as led, chromium, cadmium, tin, and nickel are all included in a tinny pod. Nicotine is a highly addictive poison which makes you crave more and more until you get very sick. That tiny pod is equal to twenty cigarettes, or a whole pack, and 30% of people who do vape will start smoking in six months. So some vapers or JUULers will eventually start to smoke, which is so much worse than just vaping or just smoking. Vaping doesn’t help cure the addiction of smoking either, it just makes their situation worse. Scientists say that vaping doesn’t just affect your lungs, but it also affects your teeth, brain, and your heart. Vaping can also cause cancerous tumors leading to an earlier death. In doing vaping, you shave fifteen years off of your precious life, fifteen years worth of living wasted because people let vaping and juuling rule their future. All they think about is the next time they can take a hit. People using these devices at such a young age experience stunt in brain development which causes dropping grades, mood changes, lose in impulse control, and even a failure in memory. Since the brain is still developing during middle school through high school years, the nicotine practically reprograms the human brain into craving more and more nicotine, and the amount of nicotine in a vape or JUUL pod is absolutely and completely outrageous! They used to contain as little as one percent of the poisonous chemical but soon after raised to a little over six percent! The companies just keep adding more and more of the addictive chemicals until young people get hooked and will keep buying their products until they die. The companies are even making flavors such as cinnamon, vanilla, buttered popcorn, green apple, strawberry, pear, banana, coffee, banana nut bread, tobacco, Black Mamba, watermelon, cherry, lemon, raspberry, sea freshness, blueberry, honey, peach green tea, pink spot, fanta sodas, skittles, cucumber, blue raspberry cotton candy, rootbeer, gummy flavors, rip tide, swagger, peach pit tobacco, pineapple, cream, mint, peppermint, and even fruit loops. Most of these flavors are kinds that adults wouldn’t want to buy, but look very appealing to teenagers all over the globe. Paid influencers on Youtube and other social media sources can be found influencing under aged kids but claim to only advertise to people of age, but since they post on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and other media apps that are looked over by people of all ages, of course under aged kids are going to view it and think it’s okay because someone online said it was completely okay. It’s inevitable that teens will try something their role model said was alright to do. Ad commercials also look kid friendly so of course a curious teen is going to try it because the ad makes it look appealing and cool. Friends might also influence people into smoking or taking a hit. Some clueless tenager could walk into the bathroom and see their friend using one and their friend asks them if they want to use it. Not knowing what it is, they try it and in a matter of seconds, they’re addicted. That’s a main reason why vaping is so dangerous, because teens don’t know what they are getting themselves into. Once they try, within ten seconds, the nicotine enters the brain and that’s when you are addicted. Within ten seconds, a person can get addicted to a device that can easy take away a person’s life. Vaping is like a robber, the robber takes and takes until there’s nothing valuable left to take. Vaping can do the same exact thing, it can take your money, your freedom, and eventually your life. A starter pack is 50 dollars, a refill of four pods is fourteen dollars. So an addicted person can easily spend thousands of dollars per year on a device that just brings them harm and eventually death. Even if you try to stop and get away from this habit, you will go through withdrawal symptoms which makes it harder to stop. Symptoms include things such as headaches, mood swings, anxiety, frustration, low mood, sweating, waking up at late night hours, restlessness, tremors, increased appetite, abdominal cramps, digestive issues which includes constipation, wanting more nicotine, and difficulty concentrating. This leads to people going back to their bad ways that they were trying to avoid. Vape and JUUL pods come in all different shapes and sizes. The companies that produce this device are making the devices look like things such as a USB flash drive, fidget spinners, pens, and many more everyday and school supply items. In my opinion, I think they are making them more disguisable so teens can hide them from their teachers and/or parents. An adult vape user is not going to be interested in buying these sorts of styles of vapes, so that just shows who the styles were truly made for. And of course the companies that are making billions are going to make keeping a vape easy for under aged kids because sixty percent of the JUUL and vape buyers are under aged kids. If their main supply of money had stopped buying their products, then their company would go out of business because they aren’t making enough money. That is just one piece of evidence that supports that the companies just want money and don’t even care about the children’s health. In conclusion, vaping, juuling, and smoking are all bad ideas and professionals highly suggest that you don’t use them. Escape the vape! Dangers of Vaping by: Daniel Dominguez, 7th grade winner “Curiosity killed the cat,” I’m sure you've heard this famous and well known quote before. This quote applies to vaping because we as humans are curious creatures, and vaping can literally kill you. Vaping is bad because it’s very addictive and destroys your body from the inside. Vaping is an epidemic, and we need to take action against these big companies like JUUL that control the vaping industry. Let me tell you what makes a vape so dangerous. A vape contains a lot of chemicals that alone are harmless. JUUL is not lying when they say the chemicals in vapes are harmless. Well, they technically aren't lying because it’s not the chemicals that are harmful it’s the compounds that the chemicals make that are harmful to the body. Sure a few pods can't hurt you that bad right? WRONG! One pod turns into two pods, then two to four and so on. One thing you really need to know is vaping is very addictive, and this is because of the addictive substance known as nicotine. What's worse, is that a whopping 63% of people don't even know there's nicotine in vapes. What disgusts me even more is that they advertise to children. Their ads are colorful and pop out to appeal to younger people. JUUL advertises to children because they know that if they get them hooked and addicted, they will have a long term customer, meaning they get more money. JUUL claims that they are trying to provide a safer alternative to smokers trying to stop their addiction. Most of the time, they will just stop smoking and start vaping because just one JUUL pod contains the same amount of nicotine as 20 cigarettes. Not only does this affect people trying to quit, it affects children that have never smoked once, and research says that young people who vape will start smoking cigarettes within 6 months. JUUL acts like they care, but they really do not. They are only in it for the money and are not concerned about your health. Vaping can hurt your developing body and brain. It also brings negative long-term effects. Now you know about all the negative effects of JUUL and the side effects that come with it. Furthermore, there tons of young people that are hooked on nicotine, but that does not mean it is the end. You can get help if you are addicted, and you should get help if you are addicted. There are many great people out there who would love to help you out and care for your health. As you know, in the beginning I used the famous quote “curiosity killed the cat”. What many people don't know is that there is a second part to it. “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back”. That means that we trying new things as the curious beings we are can go barking up the wrong tree. Although this can happen, and it does, that doesn’t mean it's the end. If you're addicted, it's not over. You can get help. OurGunter.com | May 2019

Table of CONTENTS 12

FEATURED Decoration Day

OURGUNTER H ISTORY | V ALUES | F UTURE

May 2019

VOL 1, Issue 3 Published By 4CMEDIAGROUP, LLC

On T

4 Gunter Prom 2019 5 Escape The Vape Essay Winners Gun 6 Letter from Publishers t Softb er Base 8 Tiger Alley: Baseball, Softball, head all progball & into ram s pla yof Bass Fishing fs 9 Luke Osburn: Alumni Shout Out 10 School Zone: GISD Tiger Times 11 School Zone: Gunter ISD Calendar 12 Gunter History: Decoration Day 13 GISD Gift Reception 2019 14 Gunter Library Programs 15 Gunter Library Calendar

Cov

Editorial & Design Renee Marler Renee@4cMediaGroup.com Production Jimmy Marler James@4cMediaGroup.com Contributing Editor Lisa Ferguson Contributing Writers Renee Marler | Juanita Hazelton | Jackie Kruzie Contributing Art & Photography 4CMEDIAGROUP Marion Cole | Juanita Hazelton | Tishtrya Cama Editorial Submissions Please send editorial considerations to Renee@4CMEDIAGROUP.com Advertising Information Contact us at

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Letter From The Publishers What a month we have had! From fine arts to athletics, we have covered it all! May will be a month of excitement and anticipation as we celebrate our graduates and watch them as they begin their journeys into the future! Bittersweet. Thank you for allowing us to share in these moments with you. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

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From our Family to Yours, Jimmy, Renee, Chase, Colby & Camden Marler You don’t have to wait all month to see what’s going on! Make sure to folllow us on social media to stay up-to-date on all the happenings in Gunter, Texas! www.facebook.com/ourgunter

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Gunter Bass FISHING

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Luke Osburn: Alumni Shout Out Alumni Shout Out! Congratulations to Luke Osburn who will be graduating from The Military College of South Carolina better known as ‘The Citadel’ with a degree in Political Science International & Military Affairs. He will be graduating with an impressive portfolio! We are proud to still call you a Gunter Tiger! Rank in the Corps of Cadets: 1st Battalion Human Affairs Officer, Cadet Captain Rank Description: Serves as the Human Affairs Officer of a battalion of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets consisting of approximately 500 cadets. Responsible for the overall management of the cadet human affairs education and training program to include maximum awareness of and compliance with federal, state and college regulations on issues of equal opportunity, hazing, and all forms of haras ment. Keeps the commander informed of the status of the social climate within the battalion. Promotes the various seminars, panel discussions and guest speakers scheduled during the year to educate the Corps about social issues. Responsible for the overall planning and organization of community service days and blood drives. Liaisons with The Citadel Ombudsperson and Regimental Human Affairs Officer to maintain awareness of potential human affairs problems within the battalion. Performs other duties as required. Accomplishments: • Graduated Air Force Leadership Evaluation And Development (LEAD) Training 2017 • Contracted with United States Air Force (2017 - present) • Military Order of the Purple Heart Leadership Award 2018 • Selected for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) for the United States Air Force in 2018 • The South Carolina Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots Award 2019 • National Society United States Daughters of 1812 National Defense Committee Award 2019 • Superior Delegation in the Nuclear Planning Group representing Canada at the 34th Model NATO conference Washington D.C 2019 • 3 Semesters of Dean’s list 3.25 GPA or higher • Commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Air Force May 3, 2019 • Graduated The Citadel on May 4, 2019 Plans After College: • Entry to Active Duty (EAD) May 12th, 2019 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force • Will attend UPT at Columbus AFB, Mississippi May 12, 2019

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GUNTER Independent School District

SCHOOL ZONE The following were taken from the May 2019 issue of The Tiger Times, the online newsletter for Gunter ISD. You can find the complete newsletter on the Gunter ISD Website and Facebook pages.

OurGunter.com | May 2019

MAY 2019 GISD CAMPUS CALENDARs GUNTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL May 11

5th & 6th Grade Spring Dance

May 21

Senior Parade at GES

May 23

LAST DAY / EARLY RELEASE

GUNTER MIDDLE SCHOOL May 11

5th & 6th Grade Spring Dance

May 16

MS Spring Band Concert

May 17

MS StuCo Field Trip

May 20

MS Fun Day

May 21

8th Grade to Six-Flags

May 23

LAST DAY / EARLY RELEASE

GUNTER HIGH SCHOOL May 2

Baseball Playoffs

May 3

Superintendent Honor Roll Trip

Softball Playoffs

Baseball Playoffs

May 4

Empty Bowls Fundraiser

May 6

Academic Banquet

May 10

Band Six-Flags Trip

May 11

5th & 6th Grade Spring Dance

May 14

Spring Choir Show

May 16

High School Awards Assembly

May 17

Senior Brunch

May 20

Senior Class Meeting

School Board Meeting

May 21

Senior Class Picture

Senior Parade at GES

May 22

Graduation Practice

May 23

Graduation Practice

LAST DAY OF SCHOOOL & EARLY RELEASE

May 24

Graduation

May 23 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL AND EARLY RELEASE @ 1PM Schedules subject to change, please check website and/or social media for updates www.gunterisd.org/calendars

OurGunter.com | May 2019

Decoration Day By: Juanita Hazelton

The first Sunday in May is Decoration Day, a southern tradition at which those who have family buried there gather in cemeteries to decorate the graves with flowers and in general hoe, rake and clean around the gravesites. Terry Jordan has researched A group gathers for Decoration Day. (Photo cour- the traditions of tesy of Encyclopedia of Alabama) Decoration Day across Texas and published the research in Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy. He points out in his book that the characteristics of traditional Decoration Days differ greatly from one ethnic group to another, and from one area to another. In some areas, the cleaning work is done by the men and later the women will bring baskets of food to share a meal with the workers. Decoration Day is also observed in some northern states to honor fallen soldiers. I don’t remember any such custom when I was growing up in the northwest, not in Washington, Idaho, or Oregon. According to Terry Jordan, it has been actively practiced in northeast Texas from the late nineteenth century to the present. It is sometimes confused with Memorial Day, but its purpose is somewhat different and it does not have a set date. In south Grayson County, Gunter Cemetery and Elliott Cemetery have Decoration Day on the first Sunday in May. To make it convenient for those with family in both cemeteries, one meets at 2:00 and the other meets at 3:00. Whitaker Cemetery, which is nearby, has its Decoration Day on the third Sunday of the month. My own parents, as well as Merrill’s parents are buried in Elliott Cemetery, just off FM highway 121, about midway between Van Alstyne and Gunter. The cemetery was named for David Elliott who died in 1909. The text of the historical marker at the cemetery identifies him as a pioneer settler in Grayson County. “David Elliott (d. 1909), for whom this cemetery is named, was a pioneer settler in the southern part of Grayson County. Born in Murphreesboro, Tennessee, in 1817, he joined the crew of a boat on the Mississippi River at an early age. He later served as a riverboat captain before his ordination as a Baptist minister. In 1847, two years after Texas became a State, the Rev. Mr. Elliott migrated to this area. Settling on land at this site, he noted evidence of early pioneers, including several graves with crude mark12

OurGunter.com | May 2019

ers of a sandstone not common to the area. The stones contained no inscriptions or identifying marks. When David Elliott’s daughter, Virginia E, died in 1855, he interred her near the pioneer graves. Later, as other settlers moved into the area, the Elliott Family Cemetery was opened for use as a public burial ground. From 1905 until 1950, it was maintained by Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church, of which the Rev. Mr. Elliott was organizer. Others buried here include longtime residents, early teachers, and military veterans. Still used, the site serves as an important historical reminder of the individuals and families who opened this area for settlement.” It is now maintained by the Elliott Cemetery Association. The cemetery has been transcribed and a list of those buried there is available at www.cemeteries-of-tx. com/Etx/Grayson/cemetery/Elliott.htm and also at Finda-Grave website. Some of the graves date back to 1905, 1906 and include names of Howells, Rottons, Brooks, McNeelys, Taylors, Elliotts, Burkes, and Pitts, and other longtime residents of Grayson County. On Decoration Day in Elliott Cemetery, the officers of the Cemetery Association meet with families of those buried there for a business meeting to make decisions about upkeep of the cemetery. The meeting opens with Cemetery (Photos courtesy of Juanita Haa prayer, and new Elliott zelton) officers are voted as needed. People decorate the graves with flowers and walk around the cemetery to observe the old and the new graves. Other Decoration Day celebrations take place at different times and even in different months. Notifications of these celebrations are usually printed in newspapers and on the Internet. Alan Jabbour, the author of the book Decoration Day in the Mountains, believes the southern tradition of Decoration Day was the inspiration for northerners after the Civil War who created Memorial Day. The literal definition of Decoration Day or “Decoration,” as it is sometimes called, taken from the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, is: “An occasion on which a family or a church congregation gathers … to place flowers on the graves of loved ones and to hold a memorial service for them. Traditionally this involved singing, dinner on the ground as well as a religious service.” Information for this article was taken from Internet sources, from Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy by Terry Jordan, and Decoration Day in the Mountains by Alan Jabbour.

OurGunter.com | May 2019

The Gunter Library and Museum has been a part of the Gunter community for sixteen years. We are a 501 c3 non profit Library with volunteers who give their time and talents to serve our area’s business, academic, imagination, and reading needs. Visit us 110 S. Hwy 289 (next to the donut shop) and take advantage of our services • • • • •

Books in print/audio/e-books/DVDs Storytime, STEAM, and kids Summer Reading programs Book Club Free wifi and computer access with printer and fax services Visit our museum and featuring artifacts, picture, and stories about the history of Gunter

In April GLM hosted our first ever Window Painting Contest. We asked kids in the community to help make the library bright by creating cheerful depictions of spring and Easter. Over 100 children participated! Thank you to all brightened our library with your art, and a special thanks to Funovation Station, The Merchant, Hometown Roots, Sprinkle Donuts, State Farm, and Andrea’s Pizza for supporting this activity. Our next window contest will be in October so get those paint brushes poised to display your spooky creating for our Frightening Fall Window Painting Contest. GLM judges awarded ribbons to 18 of their favorite paintings, 3 in each age group: Preschool 1st Place Suzie L 151 2nd Place Madison G 138 3rd Place Ainsley S. 111 Age Group 5 & 6 1st Place Nick L 174 2nd Place Gracie K. 140 3rd Place Brittun 198 Age Group 7 & 8 1st Place Stratton B 147 2nd Place Melody M. 230 3rd Place Nora D. 223 Age Group 9 & 10 1st Place Ella B. 218 2nd Place Rhys S. 222 3rd Place Bella R. 211 Middle School Age Group 1st Place Katherine C. 285 2nd Place Colt D. 206 3rd Place Grace D. 221 High School Age Group 1st Place Karen M. 282 2nd Place Erin R. 244 3rd Place Ana 289

On April 25, GLM partnered with Gunter Elementary and Treeland Nursery honoring Dia de los ninos/dia de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) a celebration of diversity and culture through children’s literature. This event marked the 3rd and largest celebration of Dia in Gunter. GLM is proud to be a part a community that recognizes and celebrates diversity and the contributions of each community member. To learn more about Dia visit http://dia.ala.org/content/about-d%C3%ADa

OurGunter.com | May 2019

May 6

May 2019 Gunter Library Calendar of Events Tuesday

10:30 am

Story Time

May 9

Thursday

4:00 pm

STEAM

May 13

Tuesday

10:30 am

Story Time

May 16

Thursday

4:00 pm

STEAM

6:00 pm

Library Board of Directors Meeting

May 20

Tuesday

10:30 am

Story Time

May 23

Thursday

4:00 pm

STEAM

May 27

Tuesday

10:30 am

Story Time

May 30

Thursday

4:00 pm

STEAM

7:00 pm

Book Club – The Library Book by Susan Orleen

May 31

8:00 pm

Summer Reading Kickoff – Movie in the Park (Zathura)

Friday

Stay current on all library events and activities by visiting us at www.gunterlibrary.com Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Thank You To Our Sponsors Gunter Library & Museum 110 S. Hwy 289 (next to the donut shop)

Jackie Kruzie Library Director Phone: 903-771-3066 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, Thursday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sunday: CLOSED

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