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Aggielife
Thursday, April 7, 1994
The Battalion
Page 3
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Three boys at the Still Creek Boys Ranch walk down to the barn to do their daily chores after their school is let out.
Local ranch gives boys second chance at life
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By Traci Travis
The Battalion
With a little help from the Still Creek Boys
Ranch, 18 troubled boys from broken homes
are putting the pieces back together.
Dan and Margaret O’Quinn, owners of Still
Creek, are year-round surrogate parents to boys
who come from various dysfunctional home
[atmospheres. Several were abandoned and
have neither a father nor a mother.
The ranch, located 20 minutes outside of
Bryan-College Station, has room for a total of
18 boys and remains full 95 percent of the
time, Margaret said.
Still Creek boys are taught the manners of
! old-fashioned America through church, school
| and various activities, Margaret said.
“They are taught to stand up when a lady
f comes into the room, to take off their hats in
public, to tuck in their shirts, to say ‘yes
ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am,’ to bless the food and
to pledge the flag,” she said.
Ten years before starting Still Creek, the
O’Quinns worked at another children’s home
in Houston that was state funded. There, the
couple made a decision to start a home for
children who would not be typically accepted
to a state-funded home.
“We try to avoid taking kids with emotional
problems,” Margaret said. “These kids are
good kids who have problems with their envi
ronments.”
While the O’Quinns were in Houston, the
current Still Creek was being operated as a resi
dential treatment facility. This type of facility is
geared towards children with emotional prob
lems who need daily counseling.
Because the facility was not prospering as it
should, the state had plans to close it down.
The O’Quinns heard about these plans from
their daughter, a College Station resident, and
offered to take over the ranch with hopes of
turning it into their “dream home” for chil
dren.
And with each year that passes, they take
one step closer to their goal.
Since 1988, the Still Creek Boys Ranch has
changed the lives of many unfortunate chil-
Patrick Garcia hopes to be called on
during an exercise in his math class at the
ranch.
dren.
“We have a boy now who, when he first ar
rived, only wanted to be a gang member,”
Margaret said. “Now, he just wants to be a
goat farmer. Praise God.”
The boys range from ages eight to 15, but
1 8-year-olds, by law, can stay at the home only
if they are in separate cottages from the others,
she said.
There is a small schoolhouse, two cottages
for the boys (younger and older), a home for
the O’Quinns and several pastures filled with
farm animals the boys raise themselves.
A typical day for the boys is packed with
various lessons and responsibilities.
They wake up at 6:30 a.m. and begin work
ing on individually-assigned household chores.
At 8 a.m., they leave their cottages and feed
their animals. School begins promptly at 9
a.m. at the schoolhouse in between the two
cottages.
The ranch has its own staff of accredited
teachers and Aggie volunteers who offer their
time as tutors for the boys.
There is a set study hall every evening from
7 to 8 p.m. and following this, the boys are al
lowed some free time. Bedtime is usually at
9:30 p.m.
The boys are involved in 4-H and have taken
home several awards for their pigs, goats and
chickens. Along with the rewards, Margaret
said, the boys learn important lessons.
Despite their busy schedule at the ranch and
in the community, the boys still manage to
spend time with various Aggie groups who
come to visit such as the Aggie Men s Club,
Aggie Sisters for Christ and Pi Beta Phi sorority.
This Sunday, the Aggie Men’s Club will
sponsor a concert at the Wolf Pen Creek Am
phitheater at 6 p.m. to benefit the ranch. The
concert will bring popular Christian artists Su
san Ashton, Wes King and Michael James.
“So many groups are looking for projects,”
Margaret said. “And we’re a project looking
.for a group.”
Because the ranch is not state funded, the
O’Quinns and the boys rely entirely on dona
tions for everything — including their most
basic needs.
“It is definitely a faith ministry,” Margaret
said. “No donation is too small.”
On average, each boy needs about $44 dol
lars a day. This pays for teachers, house parents
(caretakers besides the O’Quinns), electric bills
and clothing.
“We educate, feed and clothe the children
just like they were our own,” Margaret said.
The boys raise their own beef and have a
garden on the ranch for growing their own
vegetables, she said. And local merchants such
as Kroger and Appletree, provide the boys with
bread, chips, and dairy products. However,
they still need help with their medical and
dental needs.
See Still Greek/Page 5
WHOOKTOCK
Unity Fest '94
Festival organizers hope
event becomes tradition
By Jennifer Gressett
The Battalion
Did somebody say Woodstock? No, but the idea is the
same: music, people, bonding. That’s right, it’s time for
the second annual Unity Fest, also known as Whoopstock.
Sheri Schmidt, a student development specialist in the
multiculturalism department, is leading the event, which
originated on a whim last year.
R When we heard that the KKK would be coming to
campus last year, we decided to fmd an alternative event to
attract students,” Schmidt said.
“And it ended up being so much fun that we decided to
do it again this year.”
Although Schmidt only had two weeks to plan the fest a
year ago, she said about 650 students attended. More are
expected to attend this year, she said.
Barrett Fromme, RHA’s representative for the event, said
it was one of those classic April weekends.
“Youth Fun Day and Ring Dance were scheduled for the
same weekend, which may have contributed to our low
turnout,” Fromme said. “Our goal this year is to get more
students to attend.”
But better turnout isn’t the only goal, said Off-Campus
Aggie representative Shannon Bayer.
‘We really want to create a new Aggie tradition, but we
want to change the norm,” Bayer said. “By including a va
riety of talents, we are hoping to create an event that will
attract students from a variety of backgrounds.”
And variety is what they’ve got.
Entertainment this year will include Karan Chavis, a local
artist known for her jazz and R&B talents. Schmidt said
Chavis should be a big draw for Whoopstock; this year she
will perform with the Big Apple Trio.
Other bands include Direct Connection and The Interna
tional Music Club, a group made up of international stu
dents who will play music from a variety of countries.
Along with the bands, other student groups who will
perform include the Aggie Yell Leaders, Fade to Black dance
ensemble and the Aggie Wranglers. The Freudian Slip Ag
gie Improvisational Troop will also entertain between
bands.
But something no one should miss, Schmidt said, is the
step show. Popular among black fraternities and sororities,
this dance is sure to shake the stage, she said.
Unity Fest will be held this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6
p.m. at Simpson Drill Field. An alternative rain site is set
for G. Rollie White Coliseum and admission is free.
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