Talk of the Neighborhood highlights Central Texans’ achievements.

* Class Acts *

* Kyle Mathews, a 2008 Midway High School graduate, made the dean’s list with a 4.0 grade-point average during the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos. The business finance freshman is the son of Jeff and Christine Mathews of Hewitt.

* Four members of the China Spring High School Jazz Band placed at the state level. They each earned area-level honors after auditioning at the regional level, then professionally taping an audition for consideration at the state level based on their position in the region band.

Placing were: Katie Loudermilk, 1st piano in region, 6th in state; Ronnie Vaughn, 1st bass trombone in region, 8th in state; Cody Ackors, 1st drumset in region, 13th in state; and Thomas Sharpe, 4th trombone in region, 20th in state.

* Seven Midway Middle School band members received first-chair positions on the Region VIII North Zone All-Region Band.

Those named to the all-region band were: Joshua Aragon, Joseph Bennett (1st chair trombone), Amanda Braswell (1st chair bass clarinet), Lauren Brown, Brandon Dzamba, Kristin Eickenhorst, Caleb Elmore, Victor Evins, Matthew Ferguson, Natalie Guess (1st chair oboe), Cameron Hensley, Jacob Heppell (1st chair trumpet), Mikayla Hileman, Mason Hill, Matthew Hilton, Abigail Hoffman, Mary Julian, Kalyn Kelbly, Trey Kelly, Karen Kempenich, Johnny Knight, Canon Lankford, Breanna Loberger, Julia McKnight (1st chair bassoon), Nason McKnight, Rowan Meyer (1st chair euphonium), Chip Peeples, Christian Perez, Joshua Powers, Amy Prado, Ashley Prather, Rachel Riel, Bryan Rhodes, Christian Sellers, Adrian Sigler, Bianca Stewart (1st chair flute), Campbell Thomasson, Ashley Tindle, Dustin Vasek, Hannah Watts, Stephanie Wayne, Jeremy Weaver, Stephanie Welch, Cayley Widmann, Addison Wilson, Chris Wohlschlag, Haleigh Woycheshin and Kyle Youmans.

* Applause *

* Five teachers in the Waco chapter area were nominated for the Texas Exes Award for School Teachers, sponsored by the Texas Exes and the College of Education at the University of Texas.

Nominated are: Alan Barkemeyer, Rosebud-Lott High School; Lisa Carpenter, McGregor High School; Susan Cummings, Crawford High School; Heather Scherr, Lorena High School; and Rosa Swearingen, La Vega High School.

* For the ninth year in a row, Scott & White has been named one of the nation’s 100 top hospitals for cardiovascular care.

The Temple-based hospital was named to the Thomson Reuters Healthcare 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular Benchmarks Award list for 2008. Scott & White is one of only two Texas hospitals recognized in the category of teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs.

* In the Military *

* Air Force Reserve Airman Stephen P. Hansen, a 2008 graduate of Lorena High School, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He is the son of Jeff and Karryll Hansen of Bruceville.

* Air Force Airman Selena A. Lara, a 2007 graduate of University High School, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. She is the daughter of Yvonne and stepdaughter of Shane Hernandez of Waco.

* Air Force Airman Tuesday C. Hughes, a 1999 graduate of Waco High School, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. She is the daughter of Cheryl Jones of Woodway.

* Air Force Airman Kirby R. Coker, the son of Erick Coker of Waco, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The 2006 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas also is the son of Tracy Keeton of Dallas.

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