Kaeler Russell, a 2018 graduate of Albany High School, is a member of the Cisco College meats team that finished in seventh place overall at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Intercollegiate Meat Judging contest held on Saturday, March 2, at Martin Preferred Foods in Houston.

The team from Cisco College placed fourth in lamb judging, fourth in pork judging, fourth in questions, and fifth in beef judging. 

Russell also placed seventh high individual in pork judging.

He is the son of Keith and Kim Russell of Albany.

Representatives of local organizations and boards that award scholarships to Albany High School graduates are asked to contact Ann Riley at the AHS office by Wednesday, March 20.

The office will be closed next week for spring break, but will be open again for regular hours on Monday, March 18.

Riley added that the scholarship list will be uploaded to the district’s website and distributed to local seniors by Monday, March 25 informing them of the requirements for specific scholarships. 

Albany ISD students, faculty, and staff are scheduled to dismiss for the spring break holiday at noon on Friday, March 8.

Prior to the break, cheerleader try-outs will be held Friday morning, with the sixth graders bused over to the Albany High School gym for the competition.

Pre-kindergarten, Head Start, and kindergarten will be released at 11:30 a.m., with all other students leaving at noon. 

Spring break will take place March 11-15. 

Classes will resume at the normal time on Monday, March 18.

Albany FFA sent a team to the Panther Creek FFA Invitational Horse Judging Contest on Feb. 26.

“Most of our horse judging team members were at a tennis contest,” said advisor Chris Beard. “But we had already paid our entry fee, and Addie Beth Denton was able to go, so we filled in with members of our livestock judging team.”

Competing for Albany were Denton, Conner Clark, Brayden Sullivan, and Seth Hale.

The team earned 996 points for sixth in the Big Country District. Bangs and Cross Plains tied as the top ranked district teams with 1087 tallies each.

T-shirts, sweatshirts, and coffee cups, all sporting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes logo, are available in a wide assortment of colors from FCA Big Country East area representative Paul Johnston.

“I’m selling the stuff to get kids to camp,” said Johnston. “Money made from the fundraiser will be used to send Big Country East kids to an FCA camp that will be held at Hardin Simmons University on June 17-21.”

The $30 coffee cups are RTIC brand, stainless steel, double wall vacuum insulated, 20 ounce tumblers. 

Thomas Aly, CEO and founder of Live Missions and former Albany First Baptist Church youth minister, has once again organized a spring break mission trip to Uganda, and six local residents are among the group traveling to Africa.

“We have 21 people on our trip and will be leaving out today,” Aly said on Tuesday. “We will be doing door-to-door evangelism with Pastor Deo and his church in Namayumba, Uganda. We are not doing a specific project this trip but will be involved in street evangelism the entire time.”

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is underway, with junior market goat, market lamb, and breeding heifer classes taking place this week, market barrows this weekend, and market steers next week. 

Three local youth competed in the junior commercial steer show at Houston, and although they were not in the top four (the only ones placed out of the 151 contestants in the class), they are learning animal husbandry, nutrition, and business skills that will last throughout their lifetimes.

Jr. Commercial Steers

Can you believe it’s already March? It’s the month of celebrating spring breaks, warmer weather, and watching all of our trees and flowers begin to bloom again. I think we have all had it with winter.

I wonder if we will really have spring weather and spring temperatures during spring break. I’m sure all parents are hoping so.

I have always questioned why we depend on a GROUNDHOG to give the forecast as to whether we will have an early spring or late spring. 

The high school track teams got off to a slower than usual start last week due to weather conditions.

Albany traveled to Clyde for the usual first meet of the season, but field events were canceled and running events moved up due to cold and windy conditions.

The track teams will compete again at the Breckenridge meet set for Thursday (today) with field events starting at 4:00 p.m., followed by running events at 6:15 p.m.

The varsity Lion baseball team opened the season last week with three wins at the Hamlin tournament.

The varsity traveled to Anson on Tuesday, bringing home a 5-3 loss. Details of the game were not available at press time.

The Lions will play in the Windthorst tournament starting on Thursday (today) with a 12:00 noon game against Archer City. Albany is scheduled to face off against Gunter at 6:00 p.m. The team will return on Friday for a third and final bout at 12:00 noon game against Windthorst.