School staff goes on the hunt Wednesday

Jacksboro teachers and other staff members made the rounds in Jack County Wednesday to help new faculty get acquainted with the area.

Assistant Superintendent Wade Wesley said there are 25 new staff members to the district this year and 55 total over the last three years.

To help the newcomers get familiar with Jacksboro, the district held a scavenger hunt Wednesday. Administrators visited local businesses beforehand to tell them packs of roving educators might pay them a visit.

Each group of teachers, comprised of some new to the district and some veterans, was given a list of 21 “items” to collect throughout the town and beyond.

For each stop, they took a picture, business card or some other proof of their visit and would receive points for each item they checked off the list.

All had to travel either to Antelope, Barton Chapel, Runaway Bay, or Post Oak and snap a photo of a particular mailbox or sign.

They each to visit a certain intersection in town and photograph the team, Fort Richardson and a Chamber of Commerce business of the month for the past year.

All visited Johnny’s Dock and had to be photographed holding a fishing pole — bonus points were awarded if there was a fish on the line.

The other items included visiting the hardware store, courthouse, fire station, pharmacy, dry cleaners, auto parts store, feed store and more.

Melisa Simmons, of Weatherford, will begin teaching first grade in Jacksboro this school year and was enjoying the hunt Wednesday morning.

“It’s great to see the town and find businesses I can use if I have car trouble, places to eat or get flowers,” Simmons said. “It’s helped to get to know the town and meet people. It’s nice to see the community support.”

To read the complete article, see the Aug. 11 edition of the Herald-Gazette.