Community Partnering in Kansas
On November 3rd,
Ogallala Commons conducted a Community Partnering Meeting at the Community Building
in Leoti, Kansas. Community
leaders, agency personnel, growers from the area interested direct marketing,
and a group of high school students from Campo, Colorado comprised the group of
35 who participated in the gathering.
The morning session focused on OC’s Community Internship Program and
youth engagement strategies in general.
After lunch, the topic shifted to the future of agriculture, especially
the opportunities for new producers for the High Plains Food Cooperative in
western Kansas and eastern Colorado.
Playa Field Day
Ogallala Commons held a Playa Field Day at the OC Playa Classroom in Nazareth, TX on November 19th. It was a brisk morning, but landowners, Master Naturalists, university students, and kids clearly enjoyed seeing live amphibians and reptiles that depend on playa habitat, as well learning about migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. Another big hit was a presentation by science teacher Laura Wilbanks and four of her 5th Grade students from Whiteface, TX. The students demonstrated how to make a soft cheese using Silver-leaf nightshade berries as a rennant, and how to make jelly from the tunas of a cactus plant. In all, 35 people attended the Field Day, which concluded with a field trip to see geese and ducks at ponds in Hart, TX.
Youth Entrepreneur Fair in Plainview is a Success
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| Chris Sramek, OC Board President and Mark Nightengale of Heartland Mills, Inc. present at Leoti Meeting. |
Playa Field Day
Ogallala Commons held a Playa Field Day at the OC Playa Classroom in Nazareth, TX on November 19th. It was a brisk morning, but landowners, Master Naturalists, university students, and kids clearly enjoyed seeing live amphibians and reptiles that depend on playa habitat, as well learning about migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. Another big hit was a presentation by science teacher Laura Wilbanks and four of her 5th Grade students from Whiteface, TX. The students demonstrated how to make a soft cheese using Silver-leaf nightshade berries as a rennant, and how to make jelly from the tunas of a cactus plant. In all, 35 people attended the Field Day, which concluded with a field trip to see geese and ducks at ponds in Hart, TX.
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| Robert Martin of TNC, gave a presentation about amphibians and reptiles. |
Youth Entrepreneur Fair in Plainview is a Success
The fifth annual Ogallala Commons Regional Youth Entrepreneur
Fair was held at Plainview Civic Center on Tuesday, November 15th with students
from Plainview, Tulia, Dimmitt, Booker and Nazareth competing for
cash prizes totaling nearly $5,000.
The event was a collaboration between Ogallala Commons and several partners, including: Plainview Entrepreneur Guide Alliance
(PEGA), South Plains College, Wayland Baptist University's Students
In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, Plainview ISD, Plainview Chamber of
Commerce and Texas AgriLife Extension-Hale County helped with
make the fair possible for local and area students.
Winners of the E-Fair were:
1st Place Kristin True
($1000) Chance Rollins
2nd Place Kierra Proctor & Shayla Perry
($750) Brandon Hart & Devin Gunstream
3rd Place Brian Acker
($500) Jordan Smoot
Consolation Prizes ($100 each) went to Alex Duarte & Miranda Montgomery and Sierra Dubrule
Read more about the event at:
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| A student tells a E-Fair judge about her business plan and display. |
2011 Campo Youth Engagement Day: What’s Your Dream?
by Megan England
Campo High School was filled with the sounds of students being engaged in their future at the 2nd Annual Campo Youth Engagement Day on November 16th, 2011.
Hosted by the Campo Youth Advisory Council and sponsored by the non-profit community development organization Ogallala Commons, the event was attended by about seventy-five students from Campo, Pritchett, and Vilas schools.
This year’s fifteen presentations came from a variety of backgrounds and locations including multiple colleges (OPSU, OJC, LCC, and WTAMU), the Campo Emergency Services, the Southeast Colorado Hospital District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Campo Youth Advisory Council, the Southeast Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Ogallala Commons, local teacher and FFA Advisor Bill Carwin, 4-H extension agent Deborah Lester, and local teacher/personal trainer Cherilyn England.
The purpose of a Youth Engagement Day is to encourage students in rural communities to think about returning home in the future; whether it’s after high school, after college, or further down the road. That goal was accomplished throughout the day as students were shown in multiple ways how making their dreams come true is possible—right in their own backyard. There were presentations on careers in healthcare, business, technology and agriculture, as well as presentations about college rodeo, digital “footprints” in today’s world, volunteerism, leadership, exercise, emergency services, vocational jobs and more.
All in all, the day was rated an overwhelming success, and the Youth Advisory Council would like to thank the wonderful team of presenters and behind-the-scenes workers who helped to put the event together.
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| The 2011-12 Campo Youth Advisory Council |
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| Students "engage" in team-building activities during a breakout session. |
