Looking Back, and Forward
By
Megan England, Intern Coordinator
This summer has been a busy one for
the OC staff as the Community Internship Program took off like never before.
Throughout the summer, we have had 43 interns working, and several more
internships will continue or begin in the Fall semester.
Ogallala Commons has an internship
presence in nearly 30 communities throughout the Ogallala Aquifer region. States
represented this year include Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, and
Kansas.
Starting early in May, our interns
began counting hours, and to date, have logged over 7,150 hours in addition to over 250 hours of
volunteer time. They have posted over 150 blogs and around 300 photos—some of our best blogs ever!
Ogallala Commons is incredibly proud of our 2013 interns,
and we look forward to keeping up with them as they build on experiences this
summer in sustaining and revitalizing all the aspects of the Commonwealth.
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Wilson ISD Engages Youth Through Internships
By
Julie Hodges, OC Education Coordinator
Since the summer of 2012, Wilson ISD has hosted eight OC
Community Internships. The small
community of Wilson, TX (population 487) is located on the Santa Fe Railroad
and Farm Road 400, thirteen miles northeast of Tahoka in the northeastern
quadrant of Lynn County. The agricultural based community has experienced as
steady decline since the 1980s -- losing
both population and businesses. The
school is the largest employer in town, and by adding interns they are
encouraging youth to explore career options in the community and to become
leaders in community enhancement.
The 2012 crop of interns produced quite an impact, writing a
grant for and then planting 50 trees around the school campus, removing trash
from the streets, teaching grade school students the benefits of good nutrition
and physical fitness, exploring science during a summer academy, proposing a
plan for improving the city park and demolishing a vacant structure.
This year’s interns – Joey Pope, Coby Villarreal, Mayra
Gonzalez, Peggy Jackson, and Jenna Autry – are focusing on helping to
provide an enhanced learning environment for students at Wilson ISD. They have cleaned out, organized and removed
three classrooms from “storage” status. The classes of 2013- 2014 will enjoy a
new science lab and two new computer labs.
Jenna Autry, a student a South Plains College, has been working closely
with teachers. She has helped teach summer school classes and is assisting
teachers with preparations for the coming school year. Jenna hopes to return to Wilson as a teacher
once she completes her degree.As the summer wraps up, Wilson ISD is already planning for next year, hoping to have a new crop of interns and meaningful projects for them to complete.
Google+ Hangout=Success!
By Simone Cahoj, OC
Board Member
On July 29, five interns plus Intern Coordinator, Megan
England, and OC Board member, Simone Cahoj, participated in the first ever
Ogallala Commons Community Internship Google Hangout. Beto Rincon presented on
integrating development of local food systems into sustainable community
development. Though there were a few
technical glitches such as feedback, low volume and screen sharing issues,
overall the event proved to be quite a success. It was a unique way of connecting
interns over vast distances and sharing the knowledge and expertise that each
intern brings to their community internship. The best part of all is through
using Google Hangouts on Air, each session is recorded and posted on Youtube,
creating a record of the Ogallala Commons Community Internship program and the
knowledge of interns on varying subjects. We will be hosting another Hangout at
the end of September, so be on the lookout for information on the date and
presenter. If you missed Beto’s presentation and want to check it out, you can find
it here! 
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