Field day

Julian Gomez smiled as he peered through the gates of the chute.

The 6-year-old gripped the rein on his “bull,” complete with stuffed head and a wooden stick.

On “go,” the first-grader tore out of the pen, twirling and winding around in circles.

“That was awesome!” Julian said later, as some of his classmates took a turn.

Julian was one of about 150 Dowling kindergarten to sixth-grade students who participated in the school’s celebration of top accelerated readers and perfect attendance children for the second nine weeks period.

Each nine-week period, Dowling teachers and administrators reward students for attaining a certain amount of points at each grade level and for not missing class.

For example, first-grade students had to accumulate 10 points, or read 20 books, to be called an accelerated reader and have an 80 percent grade-point average, teacher Freda Shepard said.

The second nine-week period was from around Oct. 19 to Dec. 21, she said.

Dowling principal Sherry Palmer said the event lets the students recognize they’re being rewarded for being successful at school.

“They understand that reading is really important,” she said, noting their perfect attendance doesn’t go unnoticed either.

The students also learned about the rodeo at the event by “calf” roping a bale of hay and riding a “bull,” Palmer said, noting some students have never been to a rodeo.

Odessa College rodeo coach Jim Watkins introduced the students to 2008 Rodeo SandHills Queen Rachel Oates and 2008 Miss Rodeo SandHills Teen Brianna Sloan.

Oates, 21, said she told the students to never abandon their dreams and to aim high.

“In rodeo, giving up isn’t in our vocabulary,” she said, as she watched students compete in a stick-horse relay.

Many of the children said they plan to apply the same thinking to their classes, like reading.

“We just never give up and do our best,” Julian said.