NaNa Atkins scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Tigers.

Krista Ford also had 17 points.

The Tigers will play tomorrow in the championship at 7:30 p.m. at the Rip Griffin Center on Lubbock Christian University’s campus.

The Lady Tigers (16-4) will take on Shallowater, No. 4 in Class 2A, in the semis at 1:30 p.m. today at the Tiger Pit. Cooper, which earlier in the day beat El Paso Franklin, falls into the consolation bracket and will face the winner of this morning’s game between Pampa and Guyer at 6 p.m. at Lubbock High.

Brittney Bednarz led Cooper with 10 points in the loss.
Earlier in the day, Krista Ford scored a game-high 23 points, and Frenship opened its play in the
Caprock with a 65-26 win over Lubbock High.

Lindsey Palmer added nine points for the Tigers, while Hollie Gurrola paced Lubbock High (2-16) with eight points.

Frenship was led in scoring by Scott McInness who had 20, and Kyler Pool with 18.

Chas Quisenberry came off the bench to score nine and Jordan Merchant added nine. Jade Hughes and Zach Kittley had six points each.

Frenship’s next game will be at 6 p.m. tonight at Monterey as they face off against Abilene Wylie.

El Dorado outscored the Tigers (10-6) 20-4 in the third quarter, breaking open a two-point halftime game.

Kyler Pool led Frenship with 16 points while Jordan Merchant added 11 and Scott McInnes 10.
Talon Morris led El Dorado with 13 points.

Librarians like Nelms because she helps out in the library without being asked.

“The first time I ever met her, she was back in the stacks. I was wondering what she was doing in there, but she had found some trash, and she was cleaning. It’s just her nature, to be that way,” said Frenship High School Librarian Dawn Smith.

Smith nominated Nelms as a student of the month, and introduced her to Frenship Independent School District board members when Nelms was named the freshman of the month earlier in December.

“She is an amazing kid. She comes in here every day and helps out,” Smith said. “She’s never been asked to do any of it, she just does it. She’s just got a kind heart, a gentle spirit. She cares about other people… She wants to make sure they get their things done and are in good standing.”

Nelms, 17, said she likes to read, especially anime books and her current read, “Twilight”, but she likes the quietness of the library the most.

“People really shouldn’t trash the library. It’s there for a good reason. I’d rather clean up the library, because the librarian shouldn’t have to pick up after us. They’re not our maids,” she said.

She helps special education students to negotiate the library regularly without being asked as well.

“They’re fun to be around. I make sure they have them (their books) in on time, make sure there’s no late fees,” she said. “They’re fun to be around, and whenever you’re sad, they just know how when to make you happy.”

Nelms hopes to be a pediatric nurse someday because she likes working with children – particularly babies. In her free time, she enjoys fixing up cars.

New Year’s could be either the finale to an eventful year or a freshly wiped slate.

It could be an excuse to indulge or the starting point of a healthier lifestyle.

Some will gather in large crowds to watch a ball drop. Others will tuck in their babies and celebrate in front of a fire with friends or even just family.

But for those who want to throw a party, there are many resources to make New Year’s Day a memorable start to 2009 in Lubbock.

Rebecca Hamilton, an events coordinator and owner of Chloe’s Kisses, has many party ideas on her Web site, www.chloeskisses.com. She has a variety of ideas for parties that include children or those for just the adults.

Hamilton specializes in balloon decorations and centerpieces. Before starting to decorate for a party, she recommends considering whether there will be children present.

“If they are, you need to make sure the decorations are going to be kid-friendly,” she said. “Make sure it’s not going to be something they can put in their mouth and choke on.”

Floral centerpieces are always nice, she said, but in an area with less space, she recommends a floating centerpiece that hangs over the table, leaving space on the table for food. The balloons can be similar to chandelier, and add to a festive atmosphere.

“It’s a great conversation starter,” said Hamilton. “That gives your table all the space you need. It’s also something that can be used in living rooms, corners.”

“For décor, everything can be around a theme,” she said. Some people choose to do a luau, while others might celebrate the New Year with a Chinese New Year theme. Partygoers can also be told to dress for a theme, such as the 1980s, she said.

“With it being very, very late, people can order kits for New Year’s. Or they can go to several local party stores and purchase hats and blowers,” she said.

At Party City, located in the South Plains Mall, assistant manager Derrick Prieto said it seems hosts and clubs are planning earlier for a New Year’s blowout this year.

“Everyone’s starting early, especially the clubs and sports bars,” said Prieto. Party City has a variety of hats, tiaras and lampshades for those wanting appropriate New Year’s headgear, as well as decorations, beads, special cups and glasses, noisemakers and confetti.

“If you want people to converse, you have food. People will talk over food,” said Hamilton. But if the party includes football, she warns that men typically will not converse as much during the game.

“If it’s a family party type of thing, nothing is better than bringing out old photo albums,” Hamilton said. This also works for parties that have groups of people who have participated in an activity together, such as a softball team. Women like this more than men, she said, but men would enjoy watching video footage of the season.

If there are kids at the party, Hamilton recommends having a space or room designated for their activities, which could include movies, board games, video games or even sports activities like dodge ball or volleyball.

For children and teens, there should be plenty of activities, but also some downtime. If the children are particularly young, they may really want to stay up, but be unable to make it until midnight, so Hamilton recommends that there be a quiet place for young ones to rest if necessary.

Some hosts may not want to deal with the setup and cleanup, Hamilton said, and could opt for renting a hotel ballroom or party site.

Although most people might think all possible off-site party locations are fully booked for the New Year, Hamilton said she knows of many that were still available as of Monday.

One advantage to having a party in a hotel is that hotels often offer rooms at a discount to those taking part in such a celebration, and that eliminates the concern about people getting home safely. Partygoers can also get a jump on their celebration during the cocktail hour at a hotel, she said.

But Robert Whittaker, owner of Party Paradise, said one big reason to plan a party at your own home is to avoid drunk driving.

“Planning a New Year’s party at someone’s house is probably safer,” he said.

“How you’re offering this party will determine a lot of where you’re going to have it,” said Hamilton.

Champagne still tops the list of celebratory drinks
Some will remain sober, but many will partake of alcohol to see in the New Year.

“If you are going to be the host of a New Year’s Party, usually alcohol is involved. Not always, but most of the time,” said Hamilton.

There are many drinks, she said, but eggnog is always popular during the holidays, whether or not it has alcohol added.

Champagne is popular because it is a celebratory drink, Hamilton said, and it is also better for those who are health-conscious.

“There are several different punch recipes with alcohol and without alcohol that could be used,” she said.

Robert Whittaker, owner of Party Paradise, which rents party supplies from margarita machines to foam machines, said a favorite for New Year’s among his customers is the Peach Bellini, which contains champagne. Hosts purchase the champagne and his business can supply the margarita machine and syrup mix.

At Cujo’s Sportz Bar & Grill, bartender Chase Streitz said there are two favorite holiday drinks. The Skyline cocktail contains rum, vodka, peach schnapps, Triple Sec, Blue Croco, orange juice and 7-Up.

The Golden Apple, a shot, contains Gold Schlager, Apple Pucker and cranberry juice.

For those who don’t want to remain home over the holiday, Streitz said bars like his offer a countdown and disc jockey to ring in the New Year.

Remember, don’t drink and drive
The number one rule to hosting a party, said Hamilton, is that it is the host’s responsibility to make sure everyone has a way to get home safely.

“Make sure there will be some designated drivers,” said Hamilton. “If their whole purpose is to get drunk, obliterated drunk, you just need to make sure you have accommodations for them somehow, whether it’s a taxi or whatever.”

Another way to help partygoers is to serve food that will absorb alcohol, Hamilton said, such as Chex mix, cheese, pretzels or crackers.

The spa, owned by Julie McMahan and Rigel Randolph, is an extension of McMahan’s pet boarding business just up the road, Four Paws Pet Resort. That business has been running for seven years, McMahan said.

Four Paws Day Spa will offer packages designed to bring peace and serenity to pets.

The spa package is just $10 more than a regular pet grooming session, which Randolph said is usually $30-$40 for an average size dog. With the grooming spa package, pets will receive a hot moisturizing towel wrap, an aromatherapy facial scrub, premium shampoo and conditioner, paw pad balm, teeth cleaning, nail cut and file, premium perfume or cologne and a gourmet doggie treat.

The Four Paws Day Spa will also offer packages of half-day and full-day treatments, which will include doggie rubdowns, the grooming spa package and play time.

When the pets treated to a day at the Four Paws Day Spa are not being spoiled, they will be assigned to their own private waiting room – not a cage, emphasized groomer and manager Mary Ann Deatherage. While there, the dogs will be treated to classical music, homemade treats and water.

McMahan said she believes there is a need for pet pampering in Lubbock.

“Of course dogs like it (rubdowns) from their owners,” said Randolph. But he said what the dogs will experience at the day spa will surpass what an owner can do, with rubdowns lasting between 30 and 60 minutes.

Dogs can also be brought in for simple treatments, like a bath or a haircut, McMahan said. She envisions that the Four Paws Day Spa will be just like a salon or spa to which a doggy owner might treat herself, but said no one is required to take advantage of every spa when all they might need is a haircut.

Four Paws Pet Resort will continue to offer boarding services at 6319 19th St., McMahan said.

“All the haircuts and grooming services will be here,” said Randolph. “This is a little more specialized, a little more personal attention here.”

Hal Holder was an All-Region Band member in his senior year, 1978.

Now he is learning to play guitar and has a vast music collection ranging from Rascal Flatts to Ozzy Osbourne. He also sings in the First Baptist Church choir.

Few of his friends or former classmates would suspect that Holder, now a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service, has a basement that is covered in KISS memorabilia.

Following graduation from FHS, Holder went to Texas Tech, where he received a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1982. He first went to work as a Kmart manager, but when he met his future wife, Sharon, they decided to open a business together.

“We decided to go into the dry cleaning business,” said Holder. His parents had owned a dry cleaning business.

“They were already retired, so we started all over again,” said Sharon.

Six weeks after their wedding, they opened their business, Holders Dry Cleaners, near 34th Street and Frankford Avenue. They ran the business for 21 years, working together each day, before deciding to sell it in 2005.

Holder joined the U.S. Postal Service in 2006 and loves it, he said, emphasizing that it is less stress than owning a business.

Holder was on the Frenship Independent School District Board of Education from 1990 to 1996. He said he and Sharon made a decision to live and work in Frenship so their son, Joshua, could attend school in the district.

“We made it a point to move out to the district. We knew that this was the school district we wanted him in,” said Holder.

He still keeps in touch with some friends from high school, but meets more regularly with the ones who moved away. At a recent 30th reunion, he said he realized that many of his classmates never moved away.

“It’s the same school,” said Greg Hernandez, the principal of the Frenship Collegiate Preparatory High School and a vice principal at Frenship High School said. The prep high school is a school within a school, he said. The school was known before as Frenship Early College High School, a term that was too confusing with the regular dual credit courses available to FHS students.

Students are selected in their eighth grade year for the Frenship Collegiate Preparatory High School, which is funded by grants from the TEA. The students are chosen from applications if they meet one of several possible criteria. Qualifying students could have the potential to be a first-generation college graduate, or be at-risk after failing a class, the TAKS test. Students with a low socioeconomic background could also qualify.

The incoming freshmen are scheduled together in math, science, social studies and English classes.

“They’re only in other core courses with their prep peers. That way, the teacher can really concentrate on the skills they really need to hone in on,” said Hernandez. The students also have meetings with mentors on Mondays and what Hernandez calls “Saturday Opportunity” two out of every six weeks.

In their sophomore year, students can start dual credit courses. They can take as many as 60 hours of college courses through the program while still in high school, allowing them to graduate with an associate’s degree. The college classes and books will be paid for from the TEA grant.

The program is currently in its first year with 65 freshmen in the Frenship Collegiate Preparatory High School, so none are yet enrolled in dual credit college courses.

Some students will not get all 60 hours available, Hernandez said. But if the students can get some of their English and mathematics college coursework out of the way, they can see that they can be successful in college, he said.

“It’s not necessarily about the number of hours, but that they see that they can do the work,” he said. “If a student realizes they can fulfill the terms of the class, they’re willing to step out there a little further next time and take two classes, three classes, knowing they can handle the load.”

While students may not fully realize the value of completing college courses for free while still in high school, their parents do.

“Parents have been very, very supportive of us,” he said

Hernandez said he hopes as many eighth-graders will apply as possible, whether or not they believe they qualify.

“The grant says we can accept as many as 100 a year,” he said, but last year, just 70 applied. Sixty-seven incoming freshmen were accepted, but two had scheduling conflicts that kept them from participating in the program.

The deadline for applying for the Frenship Collegiate Preparatory High School will be March 13. Pamphlets and applications will be available Jan. 6. The program will have a Web site available in January, Hernandez said.