Titanic achievement to be recognized over weekend
Published 5:45 pm Friday, March 16, 2018
By Lorenzo Salinas
Accomplishment deserves recognition, and a certain basketball team hailing from a certain port town is no exception.
To celebrate Memorial Titans’ basketball 5A state championship, Port Arthur Independent School District is holding a celebratory parade Saturday and a community reception Sunday in honor of the basketball team.
The Titans’ state championship win is a first in a long time for any team from Port Arthur — 23 years to be exact — and it’s one that won’t go without recognition.
“The championship win is a picture of what the Memorial Titans are made of,” Mark Porterie, PAISD superintendent, said. “The basketball team is a sample of what our students are — they are focused and, if given the opportunity, they will shine in the midst of challenge. Our students do not give up. They have heart.”
The Titans’ victory comes as another feather in the cap for a school district that has had an outstanding year, minus a natural disaster or two.
“This year has been an unusual year for our community,” Porterie said. “And our school district and I give credit for the strong leadership at Memorial High School and all of the other schools in our district that were able to get back to normalcy as quickly as possible.”
A tax ratification election that passed early in the school year assured school employees the highest starting salary for a region 5 school in the area and gave experienced faculty a pay raise.
Additionally, later in the same month, the district received news that all PAISD schools met state standard according to the Texas Education Agency, something the district had not achieved since 2013.
“We are certainly proud of Memorial High School and their efforts to ensure quality education for their students,” Porterie said. “I think we would agree that Memorial High School is the flagstaff school of this Port Arthur community, and that the success of the school is paramount.”
Local pride from the community seemed to play a big part in encouraging the Titans to championship gold and beyond.
“The support of the entire community has proven that it has pride in its city and school district,” Porterie said.
He cited the chants and cries of support from Port Arthur fans at the Alamo Dome Saturday as being so loud he was surprised “we could not be heard outside of the dome especially when we started to yell ‘PA.’”
“The support from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” Porterie said. “Since August our community has proven like never before that when we are faced with challenges we will band together and create a stronger unity.”
Porterie expressed confidence that Titans’ gold would reflect well on the school and surrounding community; though, he was more optimistic about the positive effect it would have on its own members.
“I am sure that others will look positively at our district; but, better yet, we as a community will start to look at ourselves with a positive eye,” Porterie said. “Pride begins with us first and then others will follow.”
The parade starts at 3 p.m. Saturday near the Dollar General in the Jefferson City Shopping Center on Twin City Highway. The route will head south then make a left on 32nd Street by Burger King followed by a right onto Twin City Highway (State 347).
The parade will continue to Memorial Stadium and enter through the second entrance.
Twin City will be closed heading south, but the northbound lanes will be open. Officers will be at every intersection.
The reception will be held Sunday at the Carl Parker Center at Lamar State College Port Arthur. The meet-and-greet with the basketball players and coaches will begin at 4 p.m. The ceremony starts at 5 p.m.
