By Katie Schaeffer
On Aug 22nd 2017, Mission Waco celebrated the grand opening of Urban REAP (Renewable Energy Agriculture project). It was the culmination of a dream to create a place that would grow food for the North Waco neighborhood in a sustainable way, which emphasizes and teaches “creation care”. Urban REAP has an aquaponics greenhouse, run by the energy collected from 36 solar panels, and filled with water from a 3,000 gallon rain water collection tank. It also has an industrial composter, demonstration beds and garden plant sales area. The project was funded by a large grant from Green Mountain Energy’s Sun club, as well as the Seth Dorrell Memorial Fund and private donations. Since the Grand Opening, we have been busy growing produce, collecting food waste, growing plants from seed, giving tours to schools, businesses and individuals, building relationships with our neighbors, and learning so much about how to run each of the many components that compose Urban REAP. It’s been an exciting and exhausting year. As with any new venture, we have had successes and set-backs. Below are some of the highlights of the last year for each component.
Our aquaponics system has done very well growing produce this year. It can grow between 1,400-1,500 plants at a time on floating trays in nutrient rich water which is derived from fish waste that circulates throughout our system. We used around 300 Hybrid Striped Bass in our system this year. The system is able to grow a large variety of plants, but we chose to focus on Kale, Swiss Chard, Basil, Collard and Mustard Greens, Parsley, Cilantro, lettuce and tomatoes. 
We primarily sell our produce next door at the Jubilee Food Market, and across the street at both Mission Waco’s World Cup Café and D’s Mediterranean Grill. One of the coolest parts of having an urban farm right next to a grocery store and 2 restaurants is that we don’t have to pack up our produce and drive it somewhere. We just harvest it and minutes later, walk it over. It doesn’t get much fresher than that, and our carbon footprint is zero!! This year we are hoping to add a few more local restaurants as regular customers to help sustain what we do. It will probably require using a vehicle, but hopefully for only 5 minutes! Our aquaponics system not only provides produce, but also up to 500lbs of fish and 720lbs of crawfish annually. Unfortunately, one of our big setbacks this year was that we lost our fish during a power outage in December. So we have not been able to harvest any fish out of the system yet, and have had to delay the adding of the crawfish. We got a back up generator in January, and were able to replace the fish. The Crawfish should be added by early October. Looking forward to our first fish and crawfish harvest in our second year of operation!!
Another component at Urban Reap is our industrial composter, which is designed for facilities that throw away a lot of food, such as grocery stores, restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, etc. The composter can take 150-180lbs of food waste a day, and in 24 hours, turn it into highly concentrated fertilizer compost for growing plants. This past year, we easily met that amount of food waste daily, by collecting from World Cup Café, Jubilee Market and the neighborhood’s Blue Bucket Brigade. The Blue Bucket Brigade (BBB) was an idea that Mission Waco founder and Urban REAP creator, Jimmy Dorrell, had as a way for neighbors to participate in our food waste collection. Anyone can be in the BBB, by picking up a 5 gallon blue bucket and lid at REAP to keep at home for collecting kitchen scraps. When it’s full or been under the sink too long, bring it back to our waste drop off area, rinse the bucket in our rinse area, and start all over. We provide helpful guideline handouts and bags of sawdust to keep the smell down. It’s been cool to see the community join in the composting efforts with such faithfulness and commitment. We have made many friends with members of the BBB who regularly drop off their waste. The highly concentrated compost/fertilizer is sold at REAP in 20lb bags, 1 gallon bags and even compost tea bags. Looking forward to another year of turning trash into treasure!
Another thing we do at Urban Reap is grow garden plants to sell to the Waco community. Most all our plants are grown from seed and sold in our sales area behind Jubilee Market. We grow many varieties of flowers, as well as unique heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Our sales plants are also growing in our demonstration beds so that customers can see what the size, shape and color the plants they are considering would look like fully grown. We have had the privilege and pleasure of helping many from the neighborhood with plants and advice for their gardens. In April, we joined the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, where we not only sold our garden plants, but our produce, compost, T-shirts and creative ventures. Our biggest hit at the farmers was our mini-aquaponics kits, which includes a coupon for an aquaponics plant from our system and a beta fish from the North Waco Fish store next door. Volunteer, Judy Butts, gets the credit for coming up with that fantastic idea, along with most of the cool creative products sold. We have so enjoyed helping people make their homes, yards and lives beautiful and bountiful. We taking a break from the Farmer’s Market during the summer months and hope to be back in the fall.
Urban REAP’s first year is almost in the books, and all the above couldn’t have happened without the amazingly generous Waco community, Mission Waco Staff and the many, many, wonderful, faithful volunteers who have given their time and talents to make it so special. Two volunteers who went above and beyond in more ways than there is space to write are Tony Allen and Shelley Meyers who were at REAP from the beginning, and volunteered 6 days a week, at least 4-5 hours a day. They became the aquaponics managers and even received “Volunteer of the Year” awards at Mission Waco’s Annual Banquet. We also had two wonderful work-studies during the school year, Fischer Heibel and Courtney Doucet, who we couldn’t do without, working 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. Lastly, our first intern, the delightful Lili Zertuche, has joined us this summer. She is going into her junior year at Cornell as a sustainable agriculture major.
Daniel Hiatt and Katie Schaeffer
As we look forward to our second year, we are hoping to add classes for the community, lead by master Gardeners and experts on at-home composting, rain water catchment, aquaponics, gardening projects and more. There are also hopes to eventually have a curriculum on creation care and gardening for youth. I am so grateful for the privilege of being a part of this beautiful project and the Mission Waco community. My time as the director is quickly coming to an end on June 30th. My husband and I are moving on to another ministry we feel called to in Austin at the end of the summer. We are very sad to say goodbye to the many dear people in Waco who have become sweet friends and like family to us. So many have left impressions on us that will last a lifetime. I am so happy to know that Urban REAP will be in the capable hands of its new director, Daniel Hiatt, starting on July 1st. Daniel lives close by in the neighborhood with his wife and kids, where he has a large parcel of property that he has aspirations of developing an urban farm on. He is a Truett Seminary graduate, and had Jimmy Dorrell as a professor of a class on Community Development. He is a deacon at Calvary Church only a few blocks away, and has been involved in exploring avenues to revive and develop the community garden across the street from the church. He has also been involved with, and a board member for the Heart of Texas Urban Garden Coalition. His passions and direction in life align with those of the Urban Reap Director position, and we are so grateful that God brought him at just the right time. Looking forward to what the Lord has in store for REAP in it’s 2nd year with Daniel at the helm.
If you haven’t already, come check us out! Urban REAP is open to the public Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm, Saturdays 9am to 2pm, and closed on Sundays. Our address is 1505 N. 15th street, Waco, TX, 76707. If you would like to volunteer or set up a tour, we can be reached by email at [email protected].
Katie Schaeffer and her husband Rick consider it a real privilege to be managing Mission Waco’s amazing Renewable Energy Agricultural Project (REAP). Katie and Rick came to Waco at the end of 2015, from CA. Katie is happiest being in nature and tending to plants, and eating good food with friends and family. She and her husband Rick are also grateful for the privilege and deep joy of raising two sets of twin boys, who are now amazing 23 & 24 year old men.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Christine Holecek and Scott McClanahan
Preparing local students for a successful journey through school and college to careers is critical to the well-being and growth of our community. The Heart Of Texas P-20 works to promote streamlined, transparent degree pathways for students to move quickly and successfully through their education and onto college and/or a career. The Heart of Texas (HOT) P-20 brings together representatives from the independent school districts (ISD), institutions of higher education (IHE), Region 12 Education Service Center, industry and government across six counties: Bosque, Hill, Falls, Limestone, Freestone and McLennan to work towards this goal.
According to The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website:
“By 2030, 60 percent or more of all new jobs will require some level of higher education. Today, only 42 percent of young Texans between the ages of 25 and 34 have an associate degree or higher.
Rapid innovation and technological progress are changing the face of work in Texas. Higher education must prepare students for this reality. It must also prepare them to adapt as the job market changes. This calls for new ways of thinking about higher education. We must look at how colleges and universities can meet the civic and economic needs of Texas not only today but in the future.
As Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes said in 2016, ‘We are going to have to innovate – to come up with creative ideas about how to address our needs and achieve our goals.’
It will take energy and creativity to reach the goals of 60x30TX. And everyone in Texas will have a role to play. Success depends on taking bold actions and working together to create and expand promising higher education practices. Together, we can fulfill the four student-centered goals of 60x30TX and make higher education possible for the greatest number of Texans!”
The Heart of Texas P-20 Council met this past week to set the goals and strategic priorities for the next school year. The Council reviewed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) state goal entitled 60X30TX. The Council decided to align our activities to the states goals. Dr. Scott McClanahan, Chair, Provided the list of priorities for the upcoming school year. (Click here to see presentation on 60X30TX.)
Priorities for 2017-2018 include:
- Analyze (using TSI scores) and improve quality of high school college readiness course (Career Prep).
- Analyze high school reports developed by MCC to identify focus areas for TSI preparation and other college readiness needs
- Utilize the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce to facilitate definition of marketable skills by local industry
- Continue to grow internship and job shadowing programs and expand the number of participating districts and employers.
- Restructure Annual State of Education Event to speak to businesses about workforce readiness of local graduates and opportunities for employers to participate in P-20 efforts like internships for students and externships for teachers.
- Use lessons learned from Project Link to develop a local College Access network that will partner high schools, colleges, and local college readiness programs in helping students transition to post-secondary education.
- Reengage the AVATAR project to continue Vertical alignment between Secondary and Post-Secondary.
If you are interested in attending the quarterly HOT P-20 Council Meetings they have been scheduled from 8:00-10:00 at Education Service Center Region 12:
- September 5, 2019
- December 12, 2018
- March 20, 2019
- June 12, 2019
Christine Holecek is an Education Specialist at Education Service Center Region 12 in Waco. She has worked in the area of Adult Education and Career & Technical Education for the past 25 years. She earned an AAS degree from MCC, a BAAS and Master’s Degree from the University of North Texas and is currently enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Tarleton State University.
Dr. Scott McClanahan is the Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction for the Waco Independent School District. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Dr. McClanahan moved to Texas to earn both his Masters degree and Doctorate. He has been a middle school and high school teacher, a community college professor, and a university adjunct professor.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Micah Weaver
As my friend and I drove up Franklin, away from Valley Mills, Rosa’s, and Chick-fil-A, I saw a gathering of people dancing and jumping in a building with the sign “Spin Connection” on it. A year into my audio engineering degree at McLennan Community College, I love music but have very little knowledge of the music scene in Waco. What’s this little shop about? I stopped by the next day and had a talk with the owner.
I freakin’ love Spin Connection! Tucked away in a non-descript strip center at 3703 Franklin Ave., it is a hidden treasure in Waco. They offer great vinyl, profound knowledge about vinyl and music in general, and a great experience in a family-owned store. They also host exciting concerts for young people in the community. I haven’t found or heard of another business in Waco doing anything like it.
The feeling that you’ve stumbled onto both history and a new experience overwhelms you the moment you walk in. I couldn’t stop searching through the huge collection of music at Spin Connection, and couldn’t believe all the different music available. There’s over 150 years of music history held within its walls! The analog music connects you with incredible events and performers from history such as Woodstock and Frank Sinatra, as well as iconic moments of the last couple of decades such as Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and the One O’Clock Lab Band. I love all those artists and their music. It’s music I jam to while driving with my friends and hanging out. To me, Spin Connection feels like a music lovers’ clubhouse (or garage).
The first major benefit of getting to know Spin Connection is getting to know the owner, Stan Wojciechowski. (Click here to hear how to pronounce his name.) Whether he’s helping you with your Lana Del Rey album or giving you a history lesson about Pink Floyd, interacting with Mr. Wojciechowski gives you a warm feeling. He makes you believe that everyone is accepted in Spin Connection and in the Waco music scene. He makes you feel like it’s never too soon or too late to chase your passions, realize your visions and help the community. Mr. Wojciechowski gave me incredibly smart, invaluable tips and pieces of wisdom through our conversation. It’s always awesome to stop by and chat.
Mr. Wojciechowski describes his love of classic rock and jazz passionately. That’s a testament to the genre(s) he listened to in his late teens and into adulthood. He’s an avid indie, classical and old-school swing fan. We vibed really well over our mutual tastes in music. Overall, he’s a fan of creativity and uniqueness. [Clip of Mr. W. talking about weird unique eclectic stuff].
Music transports you through time. Every time I find a song I love, it’s usually a combination of the setting I’m in, and the people I am with that can make or break a song for me. Mr. Wojciechowski understands that the experiences we have through music transcend genre. They connect people and cultures. [Clip of Mr. W. being inspiring and saying deep stuff about music] Spin Connection is an important pillar in Waco’s community. It is a musical place filled with integrity, history, and passion.
Mr. Wojciechowski gave me a crash course in how to check a vinyl album record for scratches, marks, chips and dings. He gave me tips on buying records from third parties, and taught me how the record physically plays (the needle falls into the groove and there’s a series of microscopic bumps inside each and every groove that the playhead needle scrapes as it goes around the record). If you have questions about records, record equipment or a particular album, you can bring it in to be inspected.
Spin Connection also supports local music by hosting live in-store concerts including local bands I love like The Doubting Thieves, The Morticians and The Pitchforks (Check them out). Local bands and people like Mr.Wojciechowski make Waco what it is today.
Spin Connection has incredible sales and discounts. They buy back certain “Special” items of interest. They send out alerts on Facebook and Twitter asking about people’s favorite albums. Following the Twitter and requesting your favorite song or album is a great way to show your support of music and local businesses. I highly recommend following them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I do and it’s been an incredible resource to know what new things they have in, what sales they have going on (Awaken My Love), and when the concerts are gonna happen (Par-tay). All the Deets!
Spin Connection is Mr. Wojciechowski’s legacy. It means a lot to him, his wife, and to many others that are infatuated with music and dedicate their lives to supporting music in Waco. His store gives young adults in Waco somewhere to sing, dance and discover new awesome music. It also gives adults somewhere to explore their musical youth. Spin Connection is growing an awesome community of music loving maniacs in Waco. Come join the party!
Micah Weaver is a die hard Wacoan of 21 years. He is studying Mass Communications at McLennan Community College. While at MCC he Studied Audio Engineering and has completed his A.A.S. in Audio Engineering Studies, as well as a General Academic Associate Degree. He plans of transfer to Texas State in the Fall to pursue his Bachelor’s and Masters in Mass Communication with a focus in Electronic Digital Media. He loves music, video games, Tex-Mex, and Youtube. He enjoys learning and introspection and wants be an influential voice for his generation.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Mia Thomas
Planning a budget, balancing a checkbook, developing a business idea and a marketing plan…is that what you did on your summer vacation when you were a kid? What if you had?
Waco get ready! Road to Damascus, Inc. (a local non-profit) and Mommy & Me Dream Bigger Tour have teamed up to bring Kidz Biz in a Box Summer Camp 2018 to the Waco area.
The focus of this camp is to teach kids about life and interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, basic money and budgeting concepts, and entrepreneurship. By the end of the week-long camp the kids will learn the fundamental skills to start their first business. The program is built around a structured curriculum,that will introduce camp participants to various business concepts. Each camp week will conclude with a tour to a local bank. Campers will be able to meet the tellers, step inside the vault, and open their very own kid’s savings account. The teaching is invaluable as they will learn the value of money, planning a budget, creating an investment, how to balance a checkbook, and the difference between saving and spending.
Camp breakout sessions will be led by local Waco entrepreneurs in the areas of Marketing, Branding and Business Start-ups. Every child that attends Kidz Biz in a Box Summer camp will gain a clear understanding on how to develop a business idea/or concept, market their plan and establish relationships with other businesses and organizations throughout the community. In addition campers will build their logo, website, and have their very own business cards. Each kid will walk away with a business plan that will help them to continue to grow their business.
The idea for “Kidz Biz” summer camp was conceived by “Mompreneur” Sherrie Walton, who has spent the last 3 years traveling and teaching kids how to start their businesses. She took adult concepts about entrepreneurship and broke them down in a way a child could understand it. She first started with her own 7 and 10 years old children:”Kidpreneurs” Kai-Milan Walton ( CEO of Kai’s Cupcakes) and Christopher Walton II (CEO of CJ Speaks).
10-year old Chris Walton is a motivational speaker and is currently working on completing his first book that will launch in 2018. The brother and sister duo from Houston will be teaching a class at the camp, showing children how simple business can be with the right knowledge and how to be fearless and tap into their dreams at a young age.
The camp will wrap up on July 13, 2018 with a showcase and awards ceremony program. This ceremony will be open to parents, relatives, friends, and City Officials honoring all camp participants who have completed Kidz Biz in a Box. The children will present their finished business plan and be awarded certificates.
There will be ongoing support for the Kidpreneurs after the camp has ended as well. In the Fall (September 15, 2018), Kidz Biz in a Box will host its 1st Annual Kidpreneurs Fall Expo for Central Texas Kidpreneurs. The expo will include a business pitch contest for children, the opportunity to market and sell their product, and to learn how to network with other kidpreneurs by building positive relationships. Families will be able to have a fun filled day full of various family activities.
Road to Damascus, Inc. is the lead Waco organization, supporting the initiative and working to create awareness about the program. But, we are quick to emphasize that with any successful project, it takes a team of committed, like-minded, and driven people to see it to completion. We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with community partners, such as Family of Faith Worship Center, Independent Bank, and the Centex African American Chamber of Commerce. As a nonprofit organization, we understand the importance of helping future leaders to be successful. Our passion is to teach families and children the importance of building legacies and truly tapping into their dreams. Kidpreneurs have become the new wave, they are our future.
Details
If you would like to be a part of this initiative and sponsor a child, make a donation, or have your organization represented at Kidz Biz in a Box, please feel free to contact me at (505) 402-0199 or email [email protected].
For any adult that would like to register a child, please go to www.thekidzbiz.com.
This unique business camp for kids ages 6-13 will be held at Family of Faith Worship Center, located at 4112 Memorial Drive, Waco, Texas on June 11-15; June 18-22; June 25-29; and July 9-13. The camp will be held for children ages 6-13. The hours will be Monday through Friday from 7:30am-5:30pm. The cost of the business camp is $199.00 per child and includes 2 daily meals, camp supplies and camp t-shirt.
Mia Thomas is an Author, Certified Life Coach, Empowerment Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She is the CEO/Founder of Road to Damascus, Inc., a non-profit organization that connects at-risk children and families to various resource throughout Central Texas. She is the mother of three gifted and talented adult children, Mara, Tyrell, and Vincent Jr. Thomas. She has two beautiful grandchildren, Masen Alexander Waggoner, age 2, and Jadience Thomas, age 1. They are her heart and joy. To get more information or to reach out to Mia, you can contact her at www.pathwithmia.com or [email protected].
By Luann Jennings
Think about your favorite place and imagine you’re there. Although this place may have special smells or sounds, the odds are good that the first thing you thought about was how your favorite place looks. After all, you were using your “image-ination.”
Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit that helps communities create great places. One of the features PPS looks at in a great place is Comfort & Image, including whether it is safe, clean, green, walkable, sittable, spiritual, charming, attractive, and/or historic. How many of those words describe your favorite place?
How it looks probably isn’t the main thing, though, that made it a favorite place for you. My favorite place is the sanctuary of a church I attended before moving to Waco. It is safe, clean, sittable, spiritual, attractive, and historic; but so are a lot of other churches I’ve been inside. My experiences there, combined with how the space looked, felt, and worked, made it my favorite place. This is why PPS’ other three criteria for a great place are Sociability, Uses & Activities, and Access & Linkages. You can find more information and a graphic here.
PPS developed the concept and practice of “placemaking,” which is “strengthening the connection between people and the places they share.” Waco is doing a lot of placemaking work right now, particularly in the downtown area. The 2010 “Imagine Waco” development plan describes a vision of a downtown that would be an “attractive and convenient place” with “comfortable and inviting” streets that would also create opportunities for people to socialize, promote activities, and be easily accessible.
Another side of placemaking is “creative placemaking,” or “projects in which art plays an intentional and integrated role in place-based community planning and development.” Creative Waco, our local arts agency, has several creative placemaking projects going on, including a Sculpture Zoo and a mural project. Learn more about creative placemaking here.
Some people think of placemaking as just the job of planners, architects, and designers, but PPS emphasizes that, “As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community.” (emphasis added)
The Imagine Waco plan also envisioned “seamless connections between East and West Waco” and an East Waco that is “alive with historical, cultural and arts facilities, farmers markets, art shows, mixed-use housing and retail and restaurant destinations.” East Waco’s Elm Avenue will soon be the site of a new placemaking project that has started out by seeking input from the community. Tami Nutall Jefferson will tell you all about it in our next post: Placemaking in Waco – Part 2!
Luann Jennings works part-time for Creative Waco and in various other arts-related project. She also started InSite, a creative placemaking project that produced two plays this past winter at sites around Waco. She moved to Waco two years ago from New York City to be part of all of the exciting things going on here in the arts!
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Jordan Payne
I have lived in Waco for most of my life and I have driven down LaSalle countless times. I regularly pass the flea market, a few taco stands, some vintage resale shops, a couple gas stations, some used tire places – but if I want to stop somewhere and hang out, I can’t. It’s time to make LaSalle a place to actually stop instead of just a place to drive by.
The City of Waco desperately needs a social gathering space for college crowds and young adults in the community. A place where friends can meet to have lunch, dinner, or maybe even a couple of drinks. A place that can be located easily and is a relatively short distance from everything. LaSalle Avenue has that exact potential. It is time to make LaSalle a place that encourages groups of different people to come have fun — day or evening — sit down with friends, and expect to see other people they know.
Where to start? The younger college crowd needs a classy dance club or lounge in a great location with up-to-date music and acts and good service. There are plenty of vacant lots and empty buildings along LaSalle that could fulfill this need. A simple karaoke spot or hookah lounge would be nice.
LaSalle in my opinion is also overdue for some nice restaurants. Waco is home to some wonderful locally owned restaurants like Sascee’s Kitchen, but most of that kind of development is focused around downtown Waco. LaSalle is reasonably distanced from downtown and Baylor, and has enough through traffic to support some good restaurants. Some franchises like a Bar Louie or even Bush’s Chicken could really invigorate the area.
I do not think it would be much of a stretch to organize groups of students and get them active in projects to improve the area, not only for themselves but for other locals and tourists as well. In addition to simple volunteer work, concerts and charitable events could also increase interest and entice improvement to the area. A music festival consisting of local talent is a good method for getting interest and activities started.
The powerhouses of industry in Waco should come together to take advantage of the opportunities that the LaSalle area presents. This would mean more jobs for students and young adults in Waco. In some ways the work has already started.
Baylor University chose to place the Ferrell Center on LaSalle. Housing has started growing and expanding in the area. At the other end of LaSalle along the Waco traffic circle, the Magnolia brand has started the Magnolia Table Restaurant. The Magnolia Brand is already a huge presence from their stores and TV show, and with this implementation of a restaurant I hope that others will follow their business model and capitalize on LaSalle’s potential. However, Magnolia draws older people and tourists. LaSalle needs businesses in the area that will bring in a young, vibrant, diverse crowd to come and stay.
Reinventing LaSalle could also usher in a new era of cohesion for the city as well. The various demographics of Waco historically have not come together for any one event or to any one place. Something new and exciting along LaSalle could change that.
This project will take the efforts of not only businesses but effort from the local community as well. We have the tools to build something great to add to our city and community. It’s time to re-breathe life into this deserted strip east of Baylor.
Jordan Payne is a longtime resident of Waco and graduate of McLennan Community College. He is currently completing his Bachelors in Marketing Design. Jordan has been a part of various groups like the Men of Color Association which promotes community leadership.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Hermann Pereira
As I watch my hometown Houston Rockets play in the Western Conference Finals, I am reminded of one of my favorite memories of growing up in Houston. There is nothing better than to look out at the different views from the downtown buildings. What fascinates me the most is how the perspective changes as you climb to the top. As you go up you see more and more of the surrounding landscape, busy streets, neighborhood parks, and houses. When you get high enough you start to appreciate the view because in Houston you can see for miles.
This perspective change very much aligns with what we do as educators. We are nearing the end of the school year and teachers and students are all fatigued from the year. We gave it our all, learned a lot, and grew as a campus, but what I hope is that our student’s perspective has changed due to the supports and systems that are in place at Connally ISD. This perspective change hopefully becomes a catalyst for a shift in overall attitude towards post-secondary plans. As a principal of a CTE focused Early College High School, our mission is clear and our focus is to change our student’s perspectives about their post secondary plans. We hope to engage them in rigorous coursework that is centered on the career ready skills that they will need as they enter the workforce. One thing I forget at times is that all students need to be career ready. Their path might be straight to work, a technical school like Texas State Technical College, or maybe a 4 year university, but once they complete that step they are entering the workforce.
At Connally ISD we have made a conscious effort to give our students skyscraper perspectives and thus their attitudes about their futures have evolved. We have put a high premium on offering more dual credit courses all while giving students the support structures they need to engage in college coursework. There are a variety of reasons why we are promoting dual credit courses more with each cohort of students. We live in a city that has 2 colleges that are willing partners with all area high school students, whether that be on the college campus, the high school campus or online. Texas State Technical College and McLennan Community College have some amazing folks that want nothing more than to help public school educators offer dual credit courses that can truly change a student’s perspective. They understand that in order to change the landscape of our great city, education has to be attainable, so why not in high school? Another reason why our district and others are pushing for dual credit courses is the Texas Education Agency has made them an integral part of our accountability system. Out of House Bill 22 the A-F accountability system was birthed and now school districts will be given a letter grade based on standardized test performance, graduation rates and how many students are College, Career and/or Military Ready. Therefore, one of the many measuring sticks are the amount of students that have taken dual credit coursework in their high school careers. Offering these types of rigorous courses is also aligned with our district mission, so lots of resources have been put towards preparing students for these kinds of steps. Programs like Connally Career Tech ECHS, Advancement Via Individual Determination, and grants such as Gear Up and Upward Bound have helped give students a broader perspective to their future. This is for sure a process that takes slow and deliberate steps but so does climbing the stairs in a skyscraper in downtown Houston.
Recently we received a technology lending grant from the Texas Education Agency. We are very excited about what this will mean for our students who are trying to see a broader and higher perspective for their lives. All high school students that are taking a dual credit course will have the opportunity to check out a Google Chromebook for the entire school year as well as check out mobile hotspots as needed. Making our dual credit courses 1 to 1 will allow our students to now have tools as they engage in college level coursework. Due to our socio-economic constraints as a campus we would not typically have the ability to give students this kind of access, but now with this grant we will be able to give them the necessary tools to be successful.
I am proud to work for a campus and a school district that takes the typical barriers such as schedules, money and/or time and treats them like opportunities. These perspective changing efforts, paired with the right tools, are already yielding positive results. We don’t gauge our success based purely on data; we gauge success on how prepared our students are entering a college or career field. If at the end of the day we as a district can say that we adequately prepared our students for a college or career of their choice then we have been successful.
Hermann Pereira is the Principal of Connally Career Tech Early College High School, CTE Director and AVID Coordinator and has been in education for 11 years. He is a Houstonian who roots for all Houston sports teams but has called Waco home for the past decade. He is married to Kristi for 14 years and has two children, Hudson who is 9 years old and Ruby who is 7 years old.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Josh Caballero
One thing most people seem to agree on is that it takes strong leadership to turn things around at a school. If you’ve paid any attention to the Waco Trib recently, you may have read that Waco ISD currently has 5 campuses on the Improvement Required list. Superintendent Dr. Marcus Nelson and his team have proposed a bold plan to begin making improvements on these campuses which includes a partnership with Prosper Waco.
Brook Avenue Elementary School is one of those schools on the IR list and the faculty, staff, parents, and students there are also working hard to turn things around. Principal Sarah Pedrotti and her staff have implemented numerous things on campus to improve student achievement, teacher satisfaction, and parent engagement and they are already seeing success.
One thing that seems to be bringing together the leadership of the many different campus stakeholders is the development of an outdoor classroom. According to a recent article in Teacher Magazine, learning outdoors in nature not only has a positive impact on student learning, but also increases student engagement once they’ve returned to the traditional indoor classroom. (Earp, 2018). The idea for an outdoor classroom was first mentioned by a parent who really wanted to see the old school garden revitalized. Over the past year, campus administration, teachers, community members, parents, and students have all helped make this idea become a reality. Administration at the school was able to cast a vision to secure and utilize grant funding for the creation of an outdoor classroom. Teachers have brainstormed ideas about ways they could utilize the space to enhance their current lessons. Community members have offered support by giving their expertise in gardening and other needed areas. Parents have organized work days and students have already started planting in the garden area. Everyone has been hard at work planning, building raised beds, building benches, moving soil, and planting and the space is almost finished.
I believe we have strong leadership in Waco schools. I believe Dr. Nelson will get things where they need to be for Brook Avenue Elementary and the other schools in the district, but I also believe in the leadership I’ve seen on this campus over the past year working on this project. I believe in leaders like Principal Sara Pedrotti and Assistant Principal Jessica Torres who are dedicated educators who do everything they can to make sure their teachers and students have the tools they need to succeed. I believe in teachers like Mrs. McMeans, Mr. Jimenez, Mrs. Schuler, Mrs. Reeves, and so many more who are finding creative ways to help their students learn. I believe in the support staff like Carole Meriwether and Wade Mackey who are finding ways to provide additional resources to the campus. I believe in community members like Columbus Avenue Kid’s Hope USA Mentors, Klaras Center for Families, CIS, Antioch’s Star Mentoring Program, and the Garland School of Social Work’s BEAR Project who are finding additional ways to support the campus. I believe in parent leaders like Christy Perkins who are helping to organize efforts for the outdoor classroom space and I believe in the students at Brook Avenue Elementary. All of them are doing their part and each of them are leaders.
We hope you can join us to see our outdoor classroom space and meet some of our fantastic Brook Avenue leaders for a Ribbon Cutting Celebration on May 22nd at 6:00 pm.
Josh Caballero is a community organizer in North Waco for Grassroots Community Development and works closely with local schools, churches, businesses, and residents in the Brook Oaks and Sanger Heights neighborhoods. Originally from the panhandle of Texas, Josh has been a Wacoan for 12 years and enjoys living in the Sanger Heights neighborhood with his wife Jennifer and daughter Millee Grace.
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 [email protected] for more information.
References:
Earp, Jo. (2018, January). Outdoor lessons boost classroom engagement. Teacher Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.teachermagazine.com.au
By Vivek Paudel
“Makerspaces like Maker’s Edge have great promise for the 21st-century economy.” – Jessica Attas, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce.
A hidden diamond in a coal mine can only get its worth if people who know the value of a diamond reach to it.
Located at 1800 Austin Ave, The Maker’s Edge is, to me, one of Waco’s hidden diamonds. Maker’s Edge is Waco’s “makerspace.” If you are not familiar with the concept of a makerspace, it’s like a big community workshop for making things.
Maker’s Edge provides a space for creation, customization, innovation, and experimentation in our community. It’s a place where people from nine to ninety-nine go to make their imaginations real. Whether you are an artist who wants to do some customization on a personal item or a student who needs to build a science project, Maker’s Edge provides all sorts of guidance and an expansive variety of equipment.
This is no small room with a few LEGO sets and a 3D printer. Maker’s Edge provides a full shop experience with more machines and space than many might realize is available here in town. Equipment available includes a CNC Router, 3D printers, plasma cutter, drill press and much more that makers can use for purposes from customizing a cell phone case to building a prototype of a new product.
Melissa Pardun, the owner of Maker’s Edge, calls it the “democratization of heavy machines.” Through Maker’s Edge, and other makerspaces, anyone can use expensive tools that otherwise they would not be able to afford. Anyone can make a prototype of the idea they have been carrying around in their head. This opens up the possibility of making tons of money as well as benefit to the community.
Not only does Maker’s Edge make the machines available to customize items and build prototypes, it also provides a place to connect with others and share ideas. For example, if different people take advantage of this space to customize their stuffs — which can include anything from improving the look of their cell phone case to building a bookshelf — this will not only increase the creativity of those people, but can simultaneously help in exploration of new ideas for customizing.
All these options and machines may seem overwhelming. But, I encourage anyone who has something in their mind to head over to Maker’s Edge and create it. The people at Maker’s Edge will provide the guidance and help to help you create your prototype. I have seen people create remarkable objects from lightsabers from Star Wars, to Harry Potter wands and much more. When people participate and work on a project, that builds up and improves creativity. At Maker’s Edge people are able to polish their arts and imaginative skills. The people at Maker’s Edge provide a helping hand and help in cases of failure because they believe in learning through failing. When people carry that perspective into the workshop, great results will follow.
It’s even a stress reliever. Taking a pottery class at Maker’s Edge and getting your hands into some clay and mud is a great way to relieve the daily stress. Getting involved in a class can also help you meet new people; some nice small talk with a new person can be a good stress reducer too. If you are dealing with anger, use that anger and put it into building something that will be productive. If nothing else, Maker’s Edge is a place where slamming a hammer on a wooden plank is considered a productive task!
Maker’s Edge is a treasure chest for Waco, and more Wacoans need to know about it and take advantage. We, as a part of community, need to invest our time in understanding about them and utilizing the things they have been providing. They provide free classes where anyone can test it out without risking finances. An engine of creativity like Maker’s Edge should be booming in the center of our community rather than being at the unfamiliar edge.
Vivek Paudel is a student at MCC pursuing an Associate in Arts for Digital Media. He is an expert when it comes to eating and travelling, and he listens to rock music whenever he feels low. He loves to write stories that are posted on his blogspot account. He likes to interact with people about different stuff, and he knows how to fill those awkward silences.
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 [email protected] for more information.
By Chelsea Phlegar
May is National Bike Month! According to the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month was established in 1956, and is a chance for communities across the country to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try!
Fostering bike culture and expanding opportunities for bicyclists in Waco is important for a lot of reasons: riding a bike is cheaper than driving a car, and a bike is sometimes the primary mode of transportation for those who don’t have access to or can’t afford a car; riding a bike promotes individual health; bicycling instead of driving helps to reduce emissions and preserve clean air in our community; and exploring our community by bike is a way to discover the hidden gems in Waco that you may otherwise miss while driving a car. Whenever a person chooses to ride their bike they potentially free up a parking spot for someone else. That is Waco Friendly!
Last year, the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) issued an online survey where we asked people to tell us about their transportation and travel habits. Unsurprisingly, when asked how they usually travel around town, over half (56%) of respondents answered “drive by myself,” as compared to 13% percent that answered “ride my bike.” However, when asked how they would prefer to get around, the percentage of car-based trips decreased substantially, and trips made primarily by biking (or walking) increased, such that the preference for driving, walking, and biking was fairly evenly split (between 25% and 27% each).
When we asked more detailed questions about survey respondents’ experience with biking as a mode of transportation (as opposed to recreation), it became clear that lots of Wacoans want to get on their bikes but are prevented from doing so, or are hesitant, for a few common reasons:
- They don’t know safe routes to ride
- There aren’t many bike lanes or bike paths that are separated enough from vehicle traffic to make them feel comfortable to ride (either by themselves, or with their families)
- And they don’t feel confident that people driving their cars will know how to share the road in a way that is predictable and safe for everyone
One way to tackle these concerns is to build out our community bike network, and expand education and safety materials, with the novice bicyclist in mind. The novice bicyclist feels comfortable on lower-speed roads where motorists expect to see people on bikes, and prefers to be physically separated from cars when possible (such as buffered bike lanes and off-street bicycle/pedestrian paths or trails). The MPO is working on an Active Transportation Plan that will help to guide expansion of the bicycle network in the future. The plan will incorporate a lot of the feedback that was received from the online survey. However, in the meantime, here are some available resources that may help to address these common concerns:
I don’t know safe routes to ride! The MPO has developed a bicycle suitability index that is available online (here). This index rates arterial or collector streets in city limits (and several county roads) on a sliding scale, based on the potential level of comfort for a novice bicyclist. Rating levels include Easy, Moderate, Difficult, Not Recommended, Extreme, Under Construction, Prohibited, and Not Evaluated. Roadways in Waco city limits that don’t have a rating are usually “local” neighborhood streets, which are typically lower-speed, lower-vehicle-volume roads that may be comparable to an Easy or Moderate rating. The suitability index considers factors such as vehicle speed, traffic and truck volume, on-street parking, slopes/hills, land uses, etc.
There’s no place to bike! In McLennan County, we have 24 miles of bicycle infrastructure on the ground (including bike lanes, signed bike routes, and off-street multi-use paths such as the riverwalk and Cottonbelt Trail. The city of Waco has made a lot of progress over the past few years in expanding opportunities for biking in our community. For example, a new section of the riverwalk opened in late 2017, which means there is now a 5.5 mile continuous off-street loop for pedestrians and bicyclists along the Brazos River. Buffered bike lanes are available for use along Panther Way, and upcoming capital improvement projects will offer additional bicycle/pedestrian connectivity along Ritchie Rd and in the vicinity of Midway High School. In 2017, the City of Waco installed new bike route signs along University Parks and 11th/12th Streets. Also in 2017, the city was awarded two competitive grants to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. The first will include upgrading the newly signed bike routes on 11/12th Streets to striped bike lanes (construction expected later this year). The second project will include bicycle accommodations starting at University Parks Drive, heading up the Washington Avenue Bridge, and up Elm Avenue to Forrest St. This will include a combination of bike lanes and shared lanes with pavement markings (sharrows), and construction is expected to start in 2019. The city is also exploring the possibility of starting a pilot bike share program.
I’m scared of the cars! The MPO has been working with the Waco Bike Club to develop or distribute educational materials focused on bike safety. However, this is an area that will require more focused effort in the near term. In the meantime, the city of Waco has applied for recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community. As part of this application process, the city will receive advice on how to improve in areas such as education and safety training. However, one way that everyone can help is to build and promote bike culture in Waco. Bicyclists also drive cars too — so the more people we can encourage to get out there and ride their bike, the more informed drivers we will have on the road.
Another way to get more comfortable biking is to participate in a group ride. The Waco Bike Club is one organization that regularly sponsors these events and welcomes riders of all experience levels. You can check out their Facebook page (here), for upcoming events. Specifically for Bike Month, the Waco Bicycle Club is inviting you to participate in two events:
Ride of Silence, Wednesday May 16, 7 PM to 8 PM
Meet at the fountain in Heritage Square, View the event page on Facebook (here).
On May 16, Waco will participate in the national Ride of Silence ride to honor and remember those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways in our community, and increase bike safety awareness. The Waco ride will include a stop at the White Bike on Franklin Ave to remember David Grotberg.
Critical Mass, Friday May 25, 6 PM to 7 PM
Meet at the fountain in Heritage Square, View the event page on Facebook (here).
Critical Mass is a community bike ride occurring on the last Friday of every month. Rides start downtown at the Heritage Square fountain (in front of City Hall) at 6:00 pm. Generally the ride is about 7 miles long (approx. 1 hour). In the past, Critical Mass rides have meandered along the Brazos, explored Elm Avenue, and cruised through Oakwood Cemetery. Critical Mass is open to riders of all experience levels, although children should be accompanied by an experienced adult. If you’re bringing your kids, we encourage you to practice riding before attending (more biking, yay!).
We hope that our pleasant spring weather and longer daylight hours motivates you to get out and ride your bike during Bike Month!
Chelsea Phlegar, AICP, is a Senior Planner with the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization. She also serves as the MPO’s active transportation coordinator, and spends her days working to improve multi-modal connectivity in McLennan County. On the weekends you can find her snacking her way through the Waco Downtown Farmers Market or “running” along the riverwalk.
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 [email protected] for more information.