Home > Out and About — A Wireside Chat > Archives > 2007 > December
December 2007
Going to MARS….
No, not the planet, but the land of Starbursts, Skittles, and Snickers to be exact….
Last week, our LEAD program visited MARS Snackfoods in Waco, and it was a great time for local WISD students to be exposed to one of our major businesses and its employees.
The LEAD program (Leadership, Education and Development) is a business and education partnership that is being sponsored by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce to develop business leader-student relationships for educational improvement and life success. The relationships are expected to educate and expose students to the various business fields and applications that businesses are successful at doing.
MARS is a great place for anyone with a sweet tooth. But more importantly, it was a place where students learned why obtaining an education is important.
“We enjoyed having the students and mentors in the factory last Friday. Our hope is that the students take away some information that will help them in their future education and/or careers,” Larry Todd, vice president of personnel and organization said.
We are trying our best to make a difference in education - exposing students to new opportunities. Our LEAD program believes in relationships, exposure, and helping our students to graduate and pursue a higher form of education.
“My girls had an amazing time. One of my students is interested in marketing and she said she would look to that as a career,” Sarah Collins, LEAD mentor and WISD employee said.
Everyone is in this thing together: making a difference in education. I, for one, appreciate all that our school teachers do for each student in McLennan County, and they should be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. I am appreciative of the mentors, our chair Joe Nesbitt, and others who are involved with the LEAD program. Their devotion is significant, and it is making a difference.
We hope to grow our program next year and continue to be positive role models to students. Let me know if there are other businesses or opportunities to expose our students to in Waco.
Please check out this website about our LEAD program.
Be Out and About. Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
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Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
What is that saying….time to get back to the basics.
In education, it’s time to get back to the basics, and one of those basics is reading. We must encourage reading on all levels from students to adults.
When I restarted One Book, One Waco, I knew that we needed to start a community discussion about education, reading, and literacy. What better way to start a communitywide discussion than to select a community book to engage students and adults.
You see reading is the common denominator…it is the common ground that we can come together. No matter what one’s political or religious faith, reading is a universal constant that seeks to engage one’s faith, political stance, and life.
Communitywide reading programs and other initiatives are trying to combat the lack of reading in our country. Please check out this website for more information about the general lack of reading in our country.
So, I ask you as I am out and about: why is reading important from a community’s standpoint? Let’s chat…..
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REMINDER! ONE BOOK!
Just a friendly reminder for the holidays….
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore is a great book for a holiday read. I recommend this book, and we have selected it as the community wide reading selection for the Spring.
So, when you have a chance visit our local bookstores and libraries and purchase a copy! Trust me, it is a great story.
Remember, One Book, One Waco…..
Let’s Chat and Read too…
'ONE BOOK, ONE WACO'
I’m Allan Marshall, and I hope we can have a wireside chat.
I’m passionate about education, the town-gown relationship, and what we can do together to make a difference in our community. I invite you to leave comments, questions, and concerns that you have for me. I value your input and your suggestions.
On another note, we restarted the community-wide reading program, One Book, One Waco, and we selected Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore as the community book for Spring 2008. It is a great story about an unlikely friendship: an international art dealer and a homeless sharecropper.
So, let’s chat and read too…I look forward to hearing your responses from the questions below.
Two questions:
- What are your thoughts about our selection?
- Have you had a an unlikely friendship that you would like to chat about?
