Posts by Ashley Thornton
Construction Sciences Program Moving Forward at Waco ISD
By Scott Bland It has been about 16 months since I was approached about helping to put together a Construction Science program at the Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy (GWAMA). There has been an amazing the amount of progress that has been made since that time a year ago. We have received approval from the…
Read MoreLessons Learned: My First Full Year in Service Learning at Indian Spring Middle School
(A follow-up to https://actlocallywaco.org/2016/07/19/service-learning-at-indian-spring-helping-kids-learn-to-be-citizens/) By Travis Cheatham Last July I wrote a blog about what service learning looks like at Indian Spring Middle School (ISMS). I explained the structure, the value, and the potential of the program. Today I write about the rewards, challenges, and opportunities of this last year through a few stories. (Names…
Read MoreCollective Enthusiasm Makes our Community Thrive
By Kimberly Trippodo I moved to the Waco area from Austin two years ago July 1. Prior to that, I lived in Washington DC and other similarly large cities. I saw urban centers as a sort of adult playscape, featuring subcultures to try on for size and see if any stick as community. I care…
Read MoreOn the Occasion of Firsts
By Liz Ligawa There is something endearing about “firsts.” Before them, life is a bit different and requires our participation in a certain way. First words. First steps. Even our first crush- which sometimes ends up becoming our first heartbreak. Firsts are important. Perhaps the significance lies in how firsts introduce us into a new…
Read MoreMCC provides students access to free online financial education tools
by Candice Kelm Entering the “real world” is a major step in the lives of young people, and McLennan Community College wants to make it an easy transition for its students. Young people often struggle with personal finances. MCC has partnered with Inceptia to provide access to Financial Avenue, an online program, to give students…
Read MoreTami’s Big Do Over
By Tami Nutall Jefferson I don’t know the correct term for that awkward feeling you get when the light bulb flashes on and you suddenly realize “OMG, I’m going to be an Aggie — and an Aggie mom at the same %$@# time!”. It started off as pride. Then rounded the base to old. Then…
Read MoreParenting without an Owner’s Manual
By Kathleen Geiger Have you noticed that almost everything you buy comes with an owner’s manual? I recently bought a pasta maker and the manual was a 35-page detailed booklet describing the ways to use the equipment and what to do if I wanted a certain “noodle” outcome. In contrast, when we have children there is absolutely no…
Read More2017 Greatest Hits #3: Prejudice then and now…
(During December we will be reprising some of “2017’s greatest hits” from the Act Locally Waco blog. I couldn’t possibly pick my favorites – so I used the simple (cop out?) approach of pulling up the 10 blog posts that got the most “opens” according to our Google Analytics. It is an intriguing collection that…
Read MoreWaco History: Lovers’ Leap
By Prisca Bird A picturesque limestone bluff situated high above the Bosque River, Lovers’ Leap is as dangerous as it is beautiful. On June 28, 1917, the Cameron family purchased a tract of sixty acres featuring the cliff area known as Lovers’ Leap. Though it had been the site of many picnics and romantic excursions,…
Read MoreShare our Strength Youth Ambassadors Pour Energy into Waco
By Craig Nash Through the No Kid Hungry Campaign of Share Our Strength, the Waco Regional office of Texas Hunger Initiative has had the benefit of two Baylor Students serving as Youth Ambassadors (YAs), charged with the task of providing support for and increasing participation in the Summer Food Service Program. This summer’s YAs are…
Read More