News

Article Image Alt Text

October--the Month of Food, Fun, and Careers

The month of October is filled with fun holidays that relate to the four endorsements that are available in Forney ISD for high school students in planning for their future readiness. The four endorsement areas are STEM, Business and Industry, Public Service, and Arts and Humanities. The days celebrate different elements of the culinary arts – pasta, coffee, dessert, vegetarian; areas of art and humanities – poetry, writing, books; different finance careers in business and industry – fair trade month and retirement security week; and in public service, different types of medical professionals – pharmacy tech, medical assistant, physician’s assistant; and different careers in education – teachers, coaches, and mathematics. How does the Forney Education Foundation fit into all of these different career pathways? By funding grant requests from teachers in all of these various educational areas, FEF gives the students in Forney ISD the extras that their teachers have researched to add to the classroom experience. From classroom novel sets in middle school English classes to mannequin blood pressure arms for medical assistant classes, the Foundation has funded these requests and have seen the students use these to learn skills that are directly applicable to being certified in their respective fields. Career and Technical Education certifications give students not only an opportunity for immediate employment, but they are also a way for students to begin earning and potentially paying for higher level education to further their career choices.

Article Image Alt Text
Article Image Alt Text

Dallas Arboretum Names Sabina Carr Incoming President & CEO

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Board of Directors voted today to approve San Antonio Botanical Garden CEO Sabina Carr as the organization’s incoming president and CEO. Carr will begin her role as Dallas Arboretum president and CEO at the end of November. “After an international search of exceptional nonprofit and public garden leaders, the Dallas Arboretum is thrilled to welcome Sabina Carr as our new president and CEO,” said Will Mc-Daniel, chair of the Dallas Arboretum Board of Directors. “Sabina has an incredible track record of growth and innovation – skills that will benefit the Dallas Arboretum as we build on our legacy of excellence.”

Article Image Alt Text

Corey Graves from Jackson Middle School was Honored at the October FISD Board Meeting

Corey Graves from Jackson Middle School was honored at the October Board of Trustees meeting. Last spring, Mr. Graves was selected as 1 of only 30 teachers to receive the Music Teacher of Excellence award from the Country Music Association Foundation. In September, he attended the official awards ceremony in Nashville. Congratulations, Mr. Graves!

Article Image Alt Text
Article Image Alt Text

North Forney High School Marching Band Places 2nd in Royse City Marching Contest

The Pride of Falcon Nation is proud to announce that on Saturday, October 14th, they earned second place out of 24 bands at the Royse City Marching Contest, narrowly missing first place by two points. The Pride Of Falcon Nation Colorguard earned outstanding 6A colorguard, and the POFN Drum Majors (Owen Whisenant, CJ Ganal & Makayla Gutierrez) earned Outstanding drum majors in both preliminary and finals competition. The POFN would like to especially thank our band boosters and parents. Thank you for your constant support and encouragement, for feeding us throughout the day, and for being the very best cheering section! The Pride of Falcon Nation also competed in UIL Region competition on Tuesday, October 17th at Mesquite Memorial Stadium at 5:00 pm. Our potential UIL Area C prelims performance will be this Saturday, October 21st at Mesquite Memorial Stadium at 4:15pm. We hope that you are able to see our production of “Dream World” during our competitive season.

Article Image Alt Text

Kaufman Man Sentenced to Life in Most Recent String of Child Abuse Convictions

District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced today that a Kaufman County jury found JACKIE ALLEN EASLEY, 68, guilty of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. After a three-day trial before Honorable Judge Casey Blair in the 86th District Court of Kaufman County, a jury found Easley guilty, and the Honorable Judge Blair assessed punishment at Life in Prison due to a prior conviction for sexual assault of a child. JACKIE EASLEY’s victim was only 11 years old when he began sexually abusing her.

Article Image Alt Text
Article Image Alt Text

Nancy Townsend Receives an Honorable Mention From Texas State Fair

Nancy Townsend is a retired Forney ISD art teacher. This week we congratulate this long time Forney resident receiving an Honorable Mention in the State Fair of Texas Photo Competition. Nancy is the second photographer recognized from Forney who proves the best camera you have is the one you have with you at the time. Nancy took the picture with her iPhone. A grandmother knows to be prepared when a grandchild is near. You never know when an award winning photo will present itself. Her image placed in the Children/Preschool Color Category.

Did You Know?

Interest rates have been headline news for well over a year. In an effort to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve has increased mortgage interest rates with regularity over the last year-plus. While the cost to borrow money has increased, individuals likely noticed that the reward for saving money has not increased along with it, as interest rates for savings accounts have remained low. In fact, the annual percentage yield (APY) as of February 2023 was 0.24 percent, while the average fixed mortgage rate in September 2023 remained well north of 6 percent. An assortment of variables have combined to lower savings account interest rates, but numerous analysts point to banks having more deposits than they require to issue loans. When that happens, banks do not need to attract additional deposits, which they typically do by offering higher savings account interest rates. Without that incentive, savings account interest rates have remained low, meaning account holders will continue to pay considerably more to borrow money than they will earn when they save it.

Article Image Alt Text

Eric Brenner, assistant director for the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development at a coffee farm in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Sam Craft)

Article Image Alt Text

Choosing the right coffee bean variety and brewing method can elevate the coffee experience. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

Article Image Alt Text

Experimenting with beans, brew methods and recipe is a good way to find your personal favorite cup of coffee. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

Article Image Alt Text

A Chemex brew method requires a coarser grind similar to a French press and use of a thicker filter for flavor extraction. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Michael Miller)

Top Coffee Questions Answered by a Texas A&M AgriLife Coffee Pro

Coffee shops are convenient but can also be expensive. The more you know about coffee and how to make it, the more inspired you may be to try brewing your favorite roast into a perfect cup of joe, espresso, cold brew, cappuccino or latte.

Pages

Forney Messenger

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 936, Forney, TX 75126
Physical Address: 201 W. Broad St., Forney, TX 75126
Phone: 972-564-3121
Fax: 972-552-3599