The Nuessner family of Four Points: (left to right) Madison, Jennifer, Scot, Lauren, and, in front, Ridge.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Incoming Vandegrift senior and member of the Legacies dance team, Madison Nuessner was diagnosed with brain cancer in July. Madison has been walking through the biggest challenge she’s ever faced with her parents, Scot and Jennifer Nuessner, by her side.

“Everyone has been very supportive and loving through all of this,” said Madison, 17, of the diagnosis.

“I have found myself wanting to spend more time with my parents, they love me so much … but my friends have all been amazing support as well. Everyone has been just so good to me. The nurse at Dell Children’s said I set a record for the most visitors in one room! I am very blessed to have loving friends and family,” she added.

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By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

With the hiring of a new superintendent and the opening of a new high school, Leander ISD students will see a number of changes as they head back to school on Aug. 22.

The Leander ISD Board of Trustees recently announced Dan Troxell, Ph.D., superintendent of Kerrville ISD, as the lone finalist for the position of LISD superintendent of schools. The Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 17, to discuss and take action to approve Troxell’s employment contract, making him an official employee of the district.

Troxell’s first official day will likely be sometime during the second week of school, according to district spokesperson Veronica Sopher. At that point, she said Troxell will begin visiting each of the campuses and getting to know community members.

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Carol Kneisley, an acrylic painter, is new to Texas and said she finds longhorns to be “magnificent and challenging”.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Carol Kneisley and Carol Sue Witt both moved to Four Points four years ago and, after meeting at an art show, combined their creative energy to the benefit of local artists and art collectors.

Kneisley, an acrylic artist, and Witt, a watercolorist, oversee and instruct members of the Steiner Paint Group, an offering of the Steiner Ranch Young at Heart social network.

“Teaching beginners in watercolor allows me to share this form of expression with new artists and to recapture through their work the magic that happens when yellow, red and blue pigments blend with water on paper,” Witt said.

And for anyone with inclination to paint, Kneisley believes that acrylics can be a successful medium. “There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in technique. The expression of artwork comes from the heart,” she added.

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Dr. Green is a licensed professional therapist working in the Four Points community. As part of her work she treats a number of patients who engage in cutting, known in the medical and psychological professions as non-suicidal self-injury or self-mutilation.

Very little data exists about the number of people engaging in self-injury. Due to the private nature of cutting and the injuries sustained, which are in most cases non-life threatening and therefore don’t require medical care, there are no medical records to study for statistical purposes. It is known that self-injury affects more females, but males also cut. And it is more common in adolescents. Anecdotal evidence among mental health professionals, parents and students also suggests that cutting is happening in Four Points.

What is non-suicidal self-injury?
Dr. Green explains that, as the name suggests, cutting is, “not to kill themselves. It’s not suicidal. But it’s an injury… It’s a way to relieve tension.” Objects used for self-injury are typically very sharp: for example, a razor blade, hair cutting scissors or a knife.

While hurting one’s self to relieve stress seems counterintuitive, the body’s biochemical response to an injury, even one that is self-inflicted, does provide relief. “The purpose of it is (to release) that cascade of neurotransmitters, which give the feeling of being in control again.”

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