Pete Sessions Fulfills Promise to Latexo Math Team
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Pete Sessions made good on a promise he had made during a visit to Latexo High School to support their math team and teacher Audrey Cravens by getting Dell Computer involved in procuring new resources for the program.
In an online video, Sessions presented four new laptop computers which he will send to the school, to be used by the team for their practices and competitions.
“I received a special delivery at my Washington, D.C. office this week! Dell Computers generously donated four high-powered, supercomputing laptops to support the Latexo High School Math Team, a team that has earned the title of state champions 13 consecutive times. Under the exceptional leadership of Coach Audrey Cravens, this team has been an unstoppable force in math competitions, showcasing not only incredible skill but also remarkable determination and teamwork. My good friend and former district director, Kevin Burnette, first brought the Latexo Math Team’s unique success to my attention, and since then, I’ve had the privilege of meeting the team on several occasions. Their dedication and achievements continue to impress, and I’m excited to see what they will accomplish next. A huge thank you to Dell Computers for their generous donation—these laptops will undoubtedly help the team continue their winning streak. I can’t wait to watch the Latexo Math Team achieve even greater success in the future,” Sessions said.
The donation came after an official visit Sessions made to the school in mid-August, telling how he learned about the school’s successful program.
The congressman told the story of how Kevin Burnette, one of his aides happened to run into Latexo students on a road trip and asked Sessions if he would visit the school before Burnett passed away shortly after. Sessions came to the school and excited by what he saw, asked Cravens what he could do to help the program.
“Cravens said, ‘We need books. We need things to help our students talk about math equations and calculus,’” Sessions recalled. “So we went to the Library of Congress and asked if they had any books about calculus and could be used for quantum physics. They gave us these books and we would like to present them tonight.”
An exuberant Cravens accepted the books on behalf of her students, the school and the math program. Sessions, however, was not quite finished. Joking Cravens also requested money for the program, Sessions did not disappoint.
“I have committed to donating $1,000, each year I continue to serve in Congress,” Sessions said. “We also contacted Dell Computers about working directly with the program and they like what we presented. It’s just a guess, but I think Dell Computer may come and work with you in this program!”
The opportunity to help local students, show off their laptops and probably thanks to a nudge or two from Sessions, proved irresistible to the company who provided the computers for the Latexo students.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
