MISSION – A 25-year-old man was arraigned Wednesday morning for the theft of cell phones, wallets, credit cards, backpacks and cash. The items were stolen from the Sharyland High School Field House beginning May 14 until just recently.

Arnel Gonzalez was charged with three counts of credit card abuse, one count of theft and one count of criminal trespass. He received a $255,000 bond for the charges. The theft charge alone was $100,000 because of two previous thefts and advanced to a state jail felony theft.

According to the affidavit, surveillance video from Sharyland High School shows the suspect driving in to the parking lot and walking into the field house. The suspect then talked to a student about the whereabouts of coaches. The video then shows the suspect walking out of the field house with a white backpack, getting into his vehicle and leaving, the document states.

Read more: Sharyland High School field house burglar arraigned

MISSION—With some tight timelines in place, the process of finding a new superintendent for Mission Consolidated Independent School District is well underway. The Board of Trustees has hired George McShan to assist with the search process.

The job announcement has been posted locally and in statewide sources. The application deadline is June 25.

McShan is currently working to develop a leadership profile for a new superintendent that describes the preferred qualities and skills. To develop the profile, McShan has begun to meet with groups of district and community stakeholders that include every aspect of school district operations, community leaders, business leaders, parents and others.

Read more: Town hall meeting scheduled in superintendent search

MISSION—George McShan, the consultant hired by Mission Consolidated Independent School District to conduct a search for a new school superintendent, made a presentation to the school board Wednesday evening, May 15, outlining the details of his responsibilities. McShan also presented a tentative timeline for the search process, with a deadline of August 1.

Superintendent Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez will be moving to his new position as the executive director for the board of Region One Education Service Center in July. The MCISD board plans to begin the search process immediately, and to sign a contract with a new superintendent before the beginning of the new school year.

Read more: MCISD board begins superintendent search

MISSION—The Mission Boys & Girls Club has started to move forward with its adaptive baseball program for children with special needs. Boys & Girls Club board member Norma Cruz said they currently have a total of 20 children signed up to participate in the adaptive baseball league.

The participants who have signed up will be divided into two teams to practice and compete against each other. Children will have a buddy to help guide them through batting and running the bases.

Read more: Parent meeting planned for special needs baseball team

MISSION— Sharyland Independent School District Board of Trustees discussed building a $3.2 million natatorium during a special meeting this week. The discussion comes after the district could not come to an agreement with the City of Mission on a contract for the use of the newly constructed Bannworth natatorium, located just north of the Sharyland High School campus.

Wednesday, the Sharyland board discussed financing plan options and construction design for the proposed natatorium. One financing option involved swapping dollars from the $55 million bond issue for construction of the new Pioneer High School and using a portion of those monies to pay for the natatorium. Some board members expressed concern that this was not what was presented to voters when the bond was approved. However, they were assured it could be done legally.

Read more: SISD Board considers $3.2 million natatorium

MISSION—Mission Police Department held a ceremony Monday to commemorate National Peace Officers Memorial Week, honoring officers and firefighters who passed away in the line of duty and after retirement.

City officials, Mission Fire Department personnel, and officers with the Mission Police Department and county, state and federal agencies were present at the ceremony.

“It’s really a celebration of heroes that have gone before us,” said Polo Sandoval, master of ceremonies. “To know that their lives have not been in vain.”

“It is a sad day when we get together to remember those that we’ve known that gave their lives to protect us,” said Mission Mayor Norberto Salinas. “It makes us work a little harder to make this town a better place to live.”

Read more: Mission honors fallen officers, fire fighters

MISSION—The Mission Consolidated Independent School District board heard presentations on May 8 from high school principals, discussing the possibility of creating magnet schools at each campus.

Superintendent Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez stated high schools in the district are planning to have magnet programs and work under the Texas-Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) program. He added that a magnet program is a school within a school, offering students choices in career related fields.

Read more: MCISD discusses magnet school implementation

MISSION—Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort, which won national recognition last year for its customer service, activities and operational excellence, has earned three more awards from the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).

The awards, presented April 28, include “Park of the Year” in recognition of Bentsen Palm Village’s operational excellence, customer service, guest reviews, directory ratings, employee training techniques, community service, and association involvement.

“We have these awards every year and Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort was selected as the best in the large park category, which involves parks that have more than 151 campsites,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO.

Read more: Bentsen Palm Village sweeps Texas awards