Bleyl students ‘boot up interest’ for House bill

May 18, 2007 —What started as an idea by a seventh-grade Texas History class at Bleyl Middle School has transformed into a bill that just passed the State House of Representatives.

A group of Kay Pechacek’s gifted and talented students watched last Friday, May 11, as a resolution they originally proposed to Rep. Dwayne Bohac (R-138) was adopted by the House. The resolution—HCR 151—would designate the cowboy boot as the official State Footwear of Texas.

“At the beginning of the year, we started talking about state symbols, and the kids wondered why we didn’t have a cowboy boot as a symbol,” Pechacek said. “I told them we’d find out.”

Nine of her students elected to participate in what became a year-long extra-credit project, and in November compiled their research on the cowboy boot and sent it to Rep. Bohac’s Austin office. The representative contacted Pechacek in January, and told her a concurrent resolution was in the works.

“They were kind of shocked,” Pechacek said of her students. “Originally they thought it would only be a small thing. After they found out it was for real, then they really became interested in it.”

They became even more interested on Thursday, May 17, when Rep. Bohac welcomed the group at the State Capitol.

Bleyl seventh-grade students Christen May, Lucas Bounds, Michael Pratt, Megan McGrath, Stephanie Aschbacher, Katy Johnson, Kory Lee and Joy Atkinson accompanied Pechacek and fellow teacher Toni Trascher to Austin to meet and present questions for Rep. Bohac, Sen. Dan Patrick (R-7) and Gov. Rick Perry. They were even recognized on the House floor.

“Rep. Bohac told them ‘You have made a difference,’” Pechacek said. “We had a private meeting with the governor, and he hiked up his pants and showed us his cowboy boots. He said that’s all he wears now. … We’re all still smiling.”

During their visit, the students pleaded with Sen. Patrick to try to generate votes for the bill within the Senate. As of Thursday, HCR 151 has been left pending in committee.

Seventh-grade students in Kay Pechacek’s Texas History class visited the State Capitol on Thursday to meet with Rep. Dwayne Bohac and discuss a resolution they helped push through the House that would make the cowboy boot the official footwear of Texas. Pictured are (back row, L to R): Bleyl teacher Toni Trascher, Megan McGrath, Katy Johnson, Joy Atkinson, Stephanie Aschbacher and Pechacek; (front row, L to R) Kory Lee, Christen May, Lucas Bounds and Michael Pratt.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry shows Bleyl Middle School seventh-grade students the cowboy boots he regularly wears underneath his suit pants.