By Josh Wucher
Hillcrest PDS Elementary School is welcoming Haley Dean as its newest principal. Dean is currently an assistant principal at Lake Air Montessori Magnet School, a position she has served in for the previous three years.
“It’s been my joy and honor to call Lake Air home for over a decade,” Dean said. “I’m very excited to continue my journey as the next leader of Hillcrest’s amazing campus. My wish is to lead with the heart of a mother, mind of an educator and spirit of a servant leader.”
Dean holds nearly 20 years of experience as an educator, more than half of which at Lake Air as a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. She began her career in Conroe ISD as a fifth- and sixth-grade math and science teacher at Travis Intermediate School and then began teaching seventh- and eighth-grade math at Peet Junior High. She joined Waco ISD in 2009 as a sixth-grade math teacher at Lake Air Intermediate School.
“Haley has done a superb job as assistant principal at Lake Air, and I am confident she’ll continue empowering our staff to meet the needs of students and families in her new role at Hillcrest,” Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon said. “She is well versed in supporting the professional growth and development of our teachers. And I’m excited to see the dynamic leadership that she’ll bring to Hillcrest.”
Dean received a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies at Lamar University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington.
“Waco ISD has tremendous, hardworking staff who all want what is best for our students,”
Dean said. “I look forward to furthering our commitment to provide spaces where students know they belong and will have challenging learning experiences.”
Dean, who is succeeding Jennifer Lundquist, will begin her role in July.
Joshua Wucher is Waco ISD’s executive director for communications.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
Kendrick Elementary’s Isabel Lozano also announced as Principal of the Year.
By Joshua Wucher
Waco ISD celebrated top educators in May during a special virtual Outstanding Teacher ceremony. The annual event honors all of the district’s teachers of the year for their deep commitment to student success.
“Our outstanding teachers exemplify excellence in the classroom,” said Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon. “They create unique, hands-on experiences that make instruction engaging for students and help them grow. They are shining examples of what it means to meet our mission to provide an educational foundation that empowers and values all.”
Among the educators recognized, were Bell’s Hill Elementary School first-grade teacher Lindsey Melancon and University High School ninth-grade Pre-AP biology teacher Lacey Merrifield, the district’s outstanding elementary and secondary teachers of the year, respectively.
“A successful teacher has to display a level of enthusiasm and passion for what is being taught,” said Melancon, who has taught at Bell’s Hill for eight years. “I strongly believe if we can motivate young minds, then we have created life-long learners.”
Bell’s Hill Principal Rebekah Mechell describes Melancon as an educator that “goes above and beyond to serve her students, their parents and other staff” and creates a warm and positive culture.
“I believe in immersive learning that places students in local cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences that can create cross-curricular connections,” said Merrifield, who coaches junior varsity softball and freshman volleyball and has been teaching for 13 years.
“Coach Merrifield continues to challenge her students daily,” said University High School Principal Dr. Ricky Edison. “She routinely engages the students in rigorous coursework and hands-on projects. She has so much passion and energy that students just gravitate to her.”
At the ceremony, the district also honored Kelly Miah, a third-grade teacher at Hillcrest PDS, and David Gerada, an assistant band director at Cesar Chavez Middle School, as the Virginia DuPuy First Year Teachers of the Year.
Like the district’s outstanding teacher awards, the recipients of the Virginia DuPuy First Year Teacher of the Year awards are nominated by their respective campuses. Named for the former mayor and advocate for public education, the awards recognize one elementary and one secondary teacher, who are starting their careers in education.
Jennifer Lundquist, principal at Hillcrest PDS, describes Miah as having “a passion to motivate students to learn and a drive to give 110% to everything she does.”
Similarly, Cesar Chavez Principal Alonzo McAdoo, says Gerada “is an incredible teacher whose actions, level of commitment and ability to be here consistently for our students encourages us all to be anchored in student success.”
Another exciting celebration happened this month at the district’s principal leadership meeting where Kendrick Elementary School’s Isabel Lozano was surprised with the announcement that she was selected as the 2020-2021 Waco ISD Principal of the Year.
“My parents instilled in me that hard work plus determination equals success,” Lozano said. “This is a humbling experience, and I feel blessed to live and work in a community that puts our kids first.”
Lozano is in her third year as principal of Kendrick Elementary School. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, instructional specialist, academic advising coordinator, middle school assistant principal, and high school assistant principal.
Kincannon said: “With a heart for children and their families, Mrs. Lozano represents the best
kind of leader in Waco ISD. I have no doubt that many of our students can see themselves and
find inspiration in Isabel’s journey to the principalship.”
A recording of the full ceremony is available here.
Joshua Wucher is Waco ISD’s executive director for communications.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
The district’s school board will now consider whether to replace Waco High, G.W. Carver Middle, Tennyson Middle and Kendrick Elementary with new buildings.
By Joshua Wucher
For the past five months, a committee of more than 60 parents, educators, and other community members has been studying Waco ISD’s long-term facilities needs. Monday night, May 24, that group concluded their process by recommending that the district consider replacing four campuses with new buildings.
Early in the committee’s process, members began focusing on some of the district’s oldest buildings: Waco High built in 1961, G.W. Carver and Tennyson middle schools built in the 1950s, and Kendrick Elementary built in 1952. While all four campuses have had some renovations in the intervening decades, the committee concluded that the buildings do not meet the educational needs of today’s students and that it makes more sense to replace the existing campuses with new buildings at their current location than to incur the high maintenance costs anticipated over the next 10 to 15 years.
In some cases, the committee also discussed replacing existing campuses with larger buildings that could serve more students and, in doing so, offer more academic programs while reducing administrative costs. One possibility discussed was to build a replacement for G.W. Carver Middle that would be large enough to accommodate the students currently attending both G.W. Carver and Indian Spring middle schools. Another was to build a larger Kendrick Elementary that could also serve many of the students now attending Alta Vista Elementary.
The architectural firm hired by Waco ISD to advise the committee estimates that building a new high school, two new middle schools and a new elementary school along with renovations at an existing elementary school could cost $376.1 million. The district’s financial advisor told the committee that issuing bonds to pay for those projects would increase the district’s tax rate about 12.49 cents per $100 of assessed valuation or $12.23 per month for the average homeowner in Waco ISD.
Architects will present the community advisory committee’s recommendations to the school board in June. This summer, the school board will review the recommendations and decide which projects to move forward as well as whether to seek voter approval to issue bonds to pay for the construction of new schools. For that question to appear on the ballot this November, the school board would need to call a bond election by mid-August.
“I am deeply appreciative of the community advisory committee members who volunteered their time to take an in-depth look at our school buildings and whether or not they are meeting the needs of our students,” Angela Tekell, board president, said. “As school board members, we are stewards of the investment that our community has made in our schools. The schools don’t belong to us; they belong to this community. That’s why it is so important for the board to hear from a broad range of voices as we develop a plan to guide our facilities work in the years ahead.”
“Education has changed since the 1950s and 1960s,” said Dr. Susan Kincannon, superintendent. “We need to prepare all of our kids to compete in the modern workforce, and we need modern schools to do that. In their discussions, the community advisory committee expressed a deep commitment to making sure that every student in Waco ISD has access to a safe learning environment that truly meets their needs. These recommendations are an important step in that direction.”
Joshua Wucher is Waco ISD’s executive director for communications.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Hermann Pereira
I have spent the past 15 years in public education, and I never really realized how much our economic future hinges upon post-high school enrollment and completion rates. But when you break it down you realize that how well we prepare our students today directly impacts the economics of our community.
We must focus on getting students to and through post-secondary education and into our local workforce. A recent data set that I received from an education-focused organization named Commit shows the unemployment and two-year institution enrollment for the past 20 years. It is amazing to see the rates run parallel up until 2019 when those two lines invert. Many factors have caused this, but what we know is that the pandemic will only accentuate these trends.
This data is not meant to scare anyone but to show that this is an issue we need to embrace. We, as a community, must find new and innovative ways to partner with our higher education institutions. Getting students to and through higher education will lead us to more robust workforce pipelines in our community.
At the state level there is legislation that is attempting to support these efforts. SB2111 and HB 2030 are companion bills that are focused on creating regional talent pipelines. This will give incentives to local partnerships and institutions of higher education that would support students to and through higher education and into the workforce. HB 2030 has passed the house, but we are waiting for SB 2111 to receive a hearing.
Waco Foundation and Prosper Waco have embarked on a journey to complete a landscape analysis of college access and success in McLennan County. This quantitative and qualitative data analysis will provide a picture of the current state of the local support system for college access and success. Our goals are to:
- Identify strengths, challenges, and areas for strategic improvement of the local support system for college access and success;
- Identify which service areas are strong and where there are gaps; and
- Bring together community stakeholders to collaboratively address systemic issues.
Prosper Waco is committed to the success of all students in McLennan County. If you have any questions or want to discuss education in our community please reach out to me at [email protected].
Hermann Pereira is chief program officer for Prosper Waco and leads the nonprofit’s efforts in education and workforce development.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Madison Black
This month, the first group of students completing their Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies at Texas Tech University at Waco received their degrees. On May 4, these eight students were recognized at a ceremony at the Conference Center at McLennan Community College.
Graduates received an abundance of guidance from Texas Tech University Site Coordinator Dr. Brandi Ray, who worked with La Vega and Lorena ISDs to pair students with mentor teachers.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to work with these school districts to prepare students to become exceptional teachers,” Ray said. “The benefits from this will have a lasting impact on the community.”
For the past two years, these students have taught alongside their mentor teachers in the classroom, learning what it takes to successfully teach middle school math. These mentors, as well as additional school personnel and family members, joined graduates as they received their graduation cords at the ceremony.
Dr. Lewis Snell, director of Texas Tech University at Waco, said of the milestone, “I am always looking for success stories to share with our administrative team and the graduates in Cohort 1 are all success stories. I can’t wait to see where they end up teaching next year.”
Several graduates of the program have already signed teaching contracts with local school districts for the upcoming school year.
For more information, please contact Dr. Snell at 254-299-8324 or visit www.depts.ttu.edu/waco.
Madison Schick is social media and communications specialist at McLennan Community College. A literature enthusiast and graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Madison studied environmental science, English, and history, and still loves all things related to reading and writing.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Lisa Elliott
The McLennan Community College Board of Trustees decided during its February 2021 meeting to take advantage of the low interest rate environment in both the taxable and tax-exempt bond markets and to refund several of the MCC’s outstanding bonds. The refunding transactions will save MCC and taxpayers a total of $2.6 million over the remaining life of the bonds.
The limited tax refunding bond transaction provided the majority of the savings. The College refunded $24.5 million in outstanding limited tax bonds. This refunding generated gross savings of $2.26 million, which has a net present value of $2 million. This savings directly impacts MCC’s property tax rate, which is comprised of two portions: a maintenance and operations rate, which helps operate MCC, and an interest and sinking fund rate, which provides revenue to service tax-backed debt.
The revenue-refunding bond transaction was a smaller refunding with $2.38 million. This refunding generated gross savings of $352,395, which has a net present value of $333,555. Revenue bond debt service is paid by MCC from a combination of resources — tuition and fees, auxiliary revenues, and interest income. Savings on revenue bond debt service allows resources to be directed to other programmatic priorities of the College.
MCC prides itself on being financially responsible, and with the guidance of our financial advisors at RBC Capital Markets, this decision shows a continued commitment by the Board of Trustees for the responsible use of financial resources.
For more information, please contact Dr. Stephen Benson, Vice President of Finance & Administration at MCC, at [email protected] or 254-299-8679.
Lisa Elliott is director of marketing & communications for McLennan Community College.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Hermann Pereira
Everyone is feeling the fatigue of all that we have been through this past year. In our fatigue, it is easy to overlook things, but I want to bring something to our attention as a community that is important for us not to get fatigued about.
Every student graduating from high school deserves an opportunity to move on to their post-secondary plans of choice. In our community we have great higher education choices and growing industries that our students should have access to, but the data says otherwise.
I would like to bring your attention to just the enrollment data, which shows the rate at which high school students enroll in higher education. The numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center are staggering. It compares the data from the class of 2019 and the class of 2020, remember the class of 2020 is the one that graduated in the midst of the pandemic.
| Overall enrollment in higher education | High Poverty Schools | Low Poverty Schools | |
| Class of 2019 | -1.5% | -1.6% | -1.4% |
| Class of 2020 | -6.8% | -11.4% | -2.9% |
In Greater Waco, we have six larger school districts which total 35,000+ students. Three of the six districts are in that higher poverty range, and they have more than 20,000 students. This growing gap in higher education enrollment is a major opportunity gap, and it is only getting bigger.
There are existing efforts that are looking to address this growing opportunity gap. I want to highlight two upcoming existing efforts:
- The McLennan County College Access Network is hosting a Drive Thru Event 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 24. The event will be for all high school seniors and their parents to get help with financial aid, college admissions, and enrollment. The event will be held at Communities in Schools, 1001 Washington Ave..
- Prosper Waco and Waco Foundation will begin a comprehensive study on the college and career continuum in McLennan County. We hope to capture who is providing what services to which students and to what affect in our county. At the conclusion of the study we will share results openly with the community.
Prosper Waco is committed to ensuring all students in McLennan County have equitable access to college and career resources. If you have any questions or want to discuss education in our community please reach out to me at [email protected].
Hermann Pereira is chief program officer of Prosper Waco.
By Madison Schick
The value of a college degree or workforce certificate has become nearly indisputable; its critical function within the national and local economy is further secured by the role of college degrees in society.
College degrees enable graduates to achieve a status that may allude others, and this points to an innate worth in higher education. McLennan Community College recognizes Community College Month and its goals throughout the month of April to advocate and support community colleges and their current and prospective students nationwide. MCC invites all to join in the celebration of equitable education in Waco.
In 2016 nearly one-third of community college attendees were first-generation college students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The American Association of Community Colleges reports for the same year, “two out of every three students at community colleges work[ed] while enrolled, with 20.6% of mostly full-time students working full-time jobs.”
In addition to demographic diversity, community colleges serve various populations of students, each with differing goals. MCC serves well over 1,000 high school students each year through Dual Credit courses – permitting students to receive college credit while keeping their academic and career goals forefront. Half of McLennan County high school valedictorians and salutatorians in 2020 graduated with an associate’s degree from MCC.
A recent Inside Higher Ed article examined results from a survey produced by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Over half of people earning bachelor’s degrees between 2008 and 2017 were previously enrolled at a community college, and one-quarter had received an associate’s degree prior to their bachelor’s degree.
Community colleges will continue to differ from four-year schools, partly due to the goals of the students they serve. Community colleges surpass the ability of four-year schools in supplying the local and national workforce with well-educated, certified, and trained workers. They do this in a shorter time frame while accommodating students’ availability for attending classes.
Community colleges use their multipurpose role within the economy, society, and higher education to meet the needs of students with diverse goals and backgrounds.
“You can go anywhere from here,” said MCC President Johnette McKown. “If you want to eventually graduate from Baylor, Texas Tech, Tarleton, Texas A&M, or anywhere, start here. If you want to be a health professional, first responder, or professional in any other field, start here.”
Madison Schick is social media and communications specialist at McLennan Community
College. A literature enthusiast and graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Madison studied environmental science, English, and history, and still loves all things related to reading and writing.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Rebecca Tucker Nall
Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex received a gold TAMMIE award Friday, April 16, at the Texas Association of Museums’ Annual Virtual Conference. The award is for Mayborn’s new school outreach program, Mayborn Connect.
“TAMMIE” is an acronym for Texas Association of Museums Media Innovation & Excellence. The award showcases museums that are doing innovative things with media and technology. Winning projects are chosen by a jury of media and technology experts in the museum field. Each category is eligible for either gold, silver, bronze, or honorable mention depending on the number of entries in each category.
“Congratulations to the Mayborn on raising the bar of digital media standards for the rest of the TAM community,” said Alex Freeman, TAM executive director. “We want to see how your museums are incorporating technology into exhibits and programs; how you are using technology to reach virtual audiences outside of the traditional museum space; and how you are using social media to engage with audiences in innovative ways.”
Mayborn Connect was developed in spring 2020 as a way to continue to reach schools and school-aged children during a time when most off-site informal education opportunities were limited by the pandemic. This virtual program delivers specialized labs filled with real specimens, artifacts, and real-world connections in both science and cultural history that help kids to explore and understand their environment.
As of April 2021, almost 200 Mayborn Connect programs have reached more than 5,000 students from 26 school districts. Programs have reached schools as distant as New Jersey and as close as Waco ISD through a partnership with the Junior League of Waco aimed at providing a Mayborn Connect program to every preK class in the district.
The award was accepted on the Museum’s behalf by Alan Small, STEM education coordinator. Small spearheaded development of the 12 programs offered within Mayborn Connect with support from other museum educators and graduate students from the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University.
“I’m so thankful to work with the team that brought the Mayborn Connect program to life in a time of crisis,” Small said. “When school buses parked and the Mayborn doors closed due to the pandemic, it created a chance to rethink how the Mayborn meets needs within the community. Over the last year, the Mayborn Connect team has honed the skills needed to safely deliver our collection out the front door, in living rooms, across school districts, and even across the country. This program would not have been possible without the entire museum staff working together to see it to fruition.”
About Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex
The Mayborn Museum Complex celebrates the natural science and cultural history of Central Texas. This 143,000-square-foot building on the Baylor University campus sparkles with numerous vibrant exhibits and compelling hands-on activities for the whole family to enjoy over and over again. For more information, contact the Mayborn Museum at (254) 710-1110 or visit http://www.MaybornMuseum.com.
Rebecca Tucker Nall is assistant director of exhibits, communication, and visitor services for Mayborn Museum Complex, Baylor University.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Madison Schick
What happens when homespun aspirations become well-earned, successful realities for Central Texas community members? The result is largely simple with impactful consequences — sustainable, higher-paying employment, heightened self-esteem, and a general upsurge in prosperity for all presented the opportunity of higher education.
At McLennan Community College; the University Center; and partner institutions Texas Tech University, TTU Health Sciences Center, Tarleton State University, Midwestern State University, and the University of Texas Medical Branch are celebrating 20 years of affordable and accessible undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in addition to the tangible markers of university education provided to the citizens and students of Waco.
The University Center at McLennan Community College released an online brochure to commemorate the significant 20-year celebration, with the front cover tagline, “Celebrating 20 years of affordable bachelor’s and graduate degree options in Waco.” Two decades of University Center operations encompass numerous historical events, the celebration of hundreds of graduates, thousands of instruction hours, and exactly 20 years to learn from, grow with, and welcome established Texas universities and equally exceptional programs of study to MCC’s campus.
Perhaps the word options rings the loudest to the aspiring people of Central Texas. To have options means to have the opportunity to choose. The University Center, MCC, and its partner institutions are committed to providing affordable education and bringing the opportunity of choice to those who once doubted they had any. The schools are also thankful for those who chose the University Center as a step towards their future.
As higher education proves to be essential to today’s economy and workforce, affordability claims strewn across billboards and magazines have allowed marketers and audiences to lose sight of the subjectivity of affordability. What constitutes affordable education parallels families, children, and individuals of Texas in the same pursuit of opportunity that range from varying degrees of financial need.
MCC and its university partners function to provide multiple opportunities for scholarships, financial aid, and tuition assistance to students in addition to the chance for caregivers, working parents, hopeful high school seniors, and those dreaming of a second chance for a better future to start anew in the city that’s called home.
Although not the first of its kind, MCC and the University Center operate systemically. Students first enroll in basic, or prerequisite, courses at MCC with the intent to transfer these courses into a bachelor’s degree plan with a UC partner. Upon transferring, the student will be considered a student of their selected institution. Students may begin attending a UC partner institution earlier than expected, as they may begin earning college credit through MCC while participating in dual credit courses.
While registered at MCC, students are invited to apply for hundreds of scholarships through the MCC Foundation during an application period that spans October to mid-January. The Highlander Restart program offers tuition-forgiveness to qualifying MCC students in an effort to ease the worry of indebtedness and fear of enrollment.
Once students are eligible for transfer, Texas Tech University’s Red Raider Guarantee monetarily covers tuition and mandatory fees for those students who qualify. In recent news, Tarleton State University officially announced its Transfer Guaranteed Award Program (T-GAP) that provides renewable scholarships between $500 and $2,000 to transfer students of Distinguished College Partners.
When homespun aspirations become well-earned, successful realities, many doors open. Events set into motion, printed diplomas, the relief of hard work well done, and the choice of education make up the first door for thousands of Texans. MCC and UC will continue to empower individuals with and through options – the option to fulfil their goals, to set an example, and to be proud of themselves through affordable education and a quality, merited degree.
For more information about how to become a student of the University Center, please visit https://www.mclennan.edu/uc/index.html. To explore other transfer opportunities, check out https://www.mclennan.edu/advising/transfer.html to view transfer and advising guides.
Madison Schick is a social media and communications specialist at McLennan Community College. A literature enthusiast and graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Madison studied environmental science, English, and history, and still loves all things related to reading and writing. Her other interests include connecting with old friends, trying new restaurants, and spoiling her two rescue cats, Remus and Chewy, with lots of love and treats.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].