Special to the Bulverde News

Bracken Christian School hosted Career Day on Nov. 14 during which each high school student chose four professions which they were interested in learning more about.

Classes were taught by professionals in a multitude of careers including government, law, journalism, medicine, firefighting, technology, and the military.

The professionals talked about job requirements, further education needs, the pros and cons of their chosen profession, and also their own personal experiences.

Career Day was organized by the Bracken Christian School National Honor Society.
 

The Bulverde/Spring Branch Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting on Nov. 1 for Mr. Electric, a nation-wide electrical service company. For information, call (830) 228-5885.
 

Special to the Bulverde News
 
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has been awarded a $100,000 grant which will allow it to move its Transitional Living program to San Antonio.

The program is currently run at the organization’s campus in Bulverde. St. Jude’s Ranch was among more than 80 South Texas organizations that applied for the grant from Impact San Antonio.

“This is a significant milestone for St. Jude’s Ranch, our Transitional Living Program, and our Bulverde campus,” said Christine Spadafor, St. Jude’s chief executive officer.
“Our Transitional Living Program has accomplished amazing advancements and growth in the past two years, and this award truly puts St. Jude’s Ranch on the map in San Antonio.”

Moving the Transitional Living Program to San Antonio will allow 12 teenagers to be closer to schools, jobs and public transit, giving them the opportunity to thrive in a real urban setting.

Additionally, by moving the program to San Antonio, St. Jude’s Ranch will be able to provide care for 12 more Basic Care children on its Bulverde campus.

The 2008 Impact San Antonio grant for $100,000 is the largest amount awarded by Impact to date and almost double the amount of the 2007 grant.

Impact San Antonio Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) foundation committed to expanding philanthropy in San Antonio.

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children rescues abused, abandoned and neglected children of all races and faiths from the vicious cycle of child abuse.

They provide healing and nurturing in a safe home-like environment where children can learn life skills to start new lives with new chances, new choices and new hope.

The Transitional Living Program is one of the most distinctive learning experiences that benefit eligible children ages 16 to 21 years old.

The program prepares its residents for integration into society by teaching them life skills to become self-sufficient, productive, civic-minded citizens.

For more information, visit www.stjudesranch.org.
 

Grey Forest’s Anna Mae Nichols, longtime NISD teacher, had a can-do attitude
 
By Meredith Canales
Staff Writer
 
Anna Mae Nichols’ last words might not have been “Sure you can!” but they are the words that remain most deeply ingrained in those who knew her. With the death in late October of the 89-year-old Grey Forest resident, many are left with an empty spot in their lives.

“I couldn’t have loved and respected Mas more if she were my own mother,” said daughter-in-law Sherry Nichols, using her mother-in-law’s long established nickname. “She was just a really positive influence on people’s lives. She never let anyone make excuses. If you had an excuse, she had an answer.”

The octogenarian, while not a native of San Antonio, taught x  in the area for many decades, establishing herself as one of the most widely respected teachers in the Northwest area. Sherry Nichols said she’ll always remember her mother-in-law’s story about her first teaching job and what that meant to her belief in the power of women.

“She told me the story about how she was going to marry her husband, Jack. The Alamo Heights administration told her she couldn’t be both a wife and a teacher, so she had to quit teaching there in order to marry him. She wondered why women had to be so limited. So she lived her life doing those things, everything she could do. She hardly ever said no,” she said.

Saying yes to a lifetime of service, Nichols, who served on the Grey Forest City Council, eventually spent a quarter of a century teaching at Helotes Elementary School and was the founding president of the FFA Booster Club at Marshall High School.

Indeed, the players in Northside ISD recognized how very special Nichols was, not only by praising her every time her name was mentioned but also by naming a school after her.

“I met her in 2002, when the school was just named after her and we were doing the dedication,” said Nichols Elementary School Principal Sylvia Swayne. “The last place she taught was at Helotes Elementary, and she had been there for 25 years.

“When she retired in 1990, she started a program called the GrandPals, which brings in senior citizens to read to kids and to mentor and tutor them. Because she was so involved in the schools, she was nominated to be a namesake for one of the new ones.”

Swayne said from the get-go, she realized what a dedicated educator and person Nichols was.

“She just wanted the kids to succeed, and everything was always about the students and what was good for the kids, what we could do that would be good for them,” she said. “She had a really good and strong spirit. She used to come to the school before she became too frail. She was like a celebrity. All the kids wanted to touch her, meet her.”

Because of Nichols’ great success as an educator and love of teaching, Sherry Nichols said she herself became an educator and then counselor.

“I went out to visit her class one day in college. I was going to become a physical therapist, but when I saw her with the kids, she was just very inspiring,” the Rayburn Middle School head counselor said.

“When I expressed interest, she told me I’d be a good teacher and that the system needed good teachers. She was very frank about wanting good people to come into the profession. Because of that, I became a science teacher and then eventually a counselor.”

Though her absence is felt, Sherry wants to ensure people honor the legacy her mother-in-law left behind.

“She is an inspiration, not only to educators but to all women. We should all make that time to volunteer and serve. If you think you don’t have the time, Mas would say, ‘Sure you can!’”

With obvious sadness, Sherry catches herself from time to time speaking in present tense about her beloved Mas.

“I think about her all the time,” she said in a shaky voice. “It’s horrible. It’s not like you forget she’s gone, but you see something and think, ‘I need to call and tell Mas about that,’ and then you realize you can’t, that she’s gone. It’s so sad. She’s just going to be missed by so many people.”