Members of the New 2010-11 Leadership Sulphur Springs Class, left to right, Chuck Sickles, Kristi Brewer,
and David Fenton, look over class outlines for the upcoming year and discuss the aspects of the course.

 

New Leadership Sulphur Springs Class
Begins Wednesday

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Lynda Hager, coordinator of Leadership Sulphur Springs, explains the
course to the class on Wednesday morning.

 

The Leadership Sulphur Springs program, which has enjoyed a 20 year success in Hopkins County, began with another class of individuals, that represent a cross-section of our community, on Wednesday morning, with a "get acquainted" meeting in the Southwest Dairy Museum. Class members were introduced to each other and program director, Lynda Hager, presented the class outline and answered questions about the program.

 

Class participants had to ask each other a number of questions to become
acquainted, on Wednesday morning.

 

Chosen for this year's program are: Bethany Ashby, Prime Lending; Julie Ashmore, SSISD; Kristi Brewer, Realtor; Merdith Caddell, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce; Kris Childress, Century 21 First Group; Tammy Feagley, Alliance Bank; David Fenton, City National Bank; Dan Hammitt, League St. Church of Christ; Chaney Johnson, Kramerica Outdoor Advertising; Hope Johnson, Hopkins County Memorial Hospital - Care Unit; Larry Lanham, Dentistry; Sheryl Paden, Farmers Electric Cooperative; Chuck Sickles, Interstate Body Shop; Brent Smith, Hopkins County Memorial Hospital - EMS; Cody Stewart, Eternity Creations; Jonathan Toliver, Brian Toliver Ford Lincoln; Jason Tully, Tully Insurance Agency; Emily Wilder, City National Bank; Brittany Wilson, Galyean Insurance Agency; Yvonna Womack, Guaranty Bond Bank; and Deborah Wright, Century 21 First Group.

 

 

 

These three students in the Leadership Sulphur Springs Class work on their own individual
personality profiles, on Wednesday morning.

 

The first exercise for students on Wednesday morning was the "Personality Profile," where students were asked a number of questions about themselves, as Dr. Ruth Riley, a retired Assistant Professor of Applied Sciences at TAMU-C, directed the self-evaluation. Students were asked to identify work behavioral styles, leadership strengths and weaknesses, conflict awareness traits, and motivational and learning successes.

"You can't fail this test!" assured Dr. Riley, as several of the class members "stressed" over the choices of answers. "There are no right and wrong answers!"

"Have you ever had anyone discover they didn't have a personality?" quipped one class member.

 

Dr. Ruth Riley, a retired professor from TAMU-C, led the group through a
self-evaluated personality profile.

 

Following the individual personaly analysis, students boarded a bus, provided by Sulphur Springs ISD and were on their way to their first field trip, a tour of the TXU Mining Facility at Thermo. Students were taken on a trip down into the depths of the coal mining operation and shown how the local unit mines coal, east of Sulphur Springs, and the many facets of converting coal to energy in Northeast Texas.

 

 

Following a lunch at the Sulphur Springs Airport, the group was presented a program on the local job market and employment needs in Hopkins County, by Glenda Bassham, with the Texas Workforce Commission. Then, three local business people, Craig English of Century-21 First Group, Joe Bob Burgin with Joe Bob's Convenience Stores, and Carrie Crowson, with Lou Nell's Fashions, gave their own assessment of the local economy, from their "windows" in the retail and real estate markets.

 

These class members were found "visiting" and the teacher may want to "separate" them
once school begins!

 

Wednesday's session ended with plans being made for the Ropes Course Weekend, when class participants will travel to Commerce for the team building exercises, on October 1st and 2nd. The Ropes Course remains one of the highlights of the local Leadership Sulphur Springs Program, encouraging individuals to work together to build strong relationships and to challenge themselves to great good.

 

Students were greeted at the TXU Mining facility and given a tour down into the depths of
the operation, east of Sulphur Springs, on Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the coming year the class will learn about county and city government, local schools, local law enforcement, tourism, economic development, and other facets of the Hopkins County community. Then, in May 2011, they will make a trip to Austin to learn about state government and conduct their graduation exercises.

 

Leadership Sulphur Springs students are encouraged to interact with one another and
develop team-building relationships.

 

Members of the class paused after touring the TXU Mining facility for a group photo, as they
headed for their next session.

 

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