Civic Engagement – Page 2 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Multi-Platform Media Exposure with LEAP

The LEAP Center works hard to provide students with skills that will be beneficial to them in myriad careers. This includes soft skills such as punctuality, interpersonal, teamwork, and collaboration, but it also includes skills such as software, writing, and media relations.

Of course, part of the media experience is running our own blog and social media platforms, but we also rely on outside news agencies to assist. In the past, media relations has included interviews with print media, such as Postcards…

….or television…

…but every semester, the LEAP Center also sits down with KSAM’s News Director Larry Crippen, for an “Around Town” episode.

This semester was no different, and this past week, we met with Crippen to discuss our experience at Chilly at the Lodge, as well as upcoming events such as our 20th Anniversary Celebration, the Wynne Home’s Empty Bowls, the Wynne Home’s Easter Egg Hunt, the 10th Court of Appeals, Citizenship, and some hoped-for trips.

You can hear the whole program below.

It’s always nice to meet with Mr. Crippen and to help get our events out to the public, but a key aspect of this is to teach students the skills they will need in the working world.

Many thanks to Larry Crippen and KSAM for covering our events!

The Rise of Africa’s Youth: Insights from Ambassador Michelle Gavin

By Allie Plunk

On February 2, LEAP students Zackery Isaacks, Mikaela Baires, Luke Hempfling, and I accompanied Professor Yawn and former Junior Fellow/LEAP Ambassador Ademide Adedokun to the Junior League of Houston to hear Ambassador Michelle Gavin speak about the rapid changes occurring in African politics– and what that might mean for the futures of African youth.

After Jahan Jafarpour, the Director of Programs, offered a brief introduction…

…our favorite moderator, Ronan O’Malley, began the interview, discussing some of the ideas Ambassador Gavin explores in her book, The Age of Change. One of these is the concept of a “demographic dividend,” which means a big boost to national productivity due to the increase of labor force and decrease of dependents, and this is occurring in a large number of Africa’s 54 countries.

While young people are gaining power in numbers and entering the job market, older generations are still running the government. Ambassador Gavin highlighted the example of Paul Biya, the President of Cameroon, who has been president for forty-three years, and he was just re-elected in October for another seven-year term. While some may political stability, others may see the potential for corruption and a stale–rather than dynamic–political culture.

Such regimes, according to Gavin, may not last much longer, as the African youth are becoming increasingly urbanized and have more resources to be connected. Under such circumstances, political organization becomes possible and real change can occur.

There are models of successful democracies in Africa, and if young people use countries such as Botswana as models, it is realistic to think that democracy can spread. Botswana has maintained peace and stability by electing good leaders, preventing corruption, and using their greatest natural resources (diamonds) wisely. In terms of governance, they use “Kgotla meetings,” something akin to “town halls,” which allow citizens to bring questions and concerns to community leaders. This provides for a sense of interconnectedness, promotes accountability, and allows for clear and frequent communication.

Following the talk, Maria Guarache swept us up to see Ambassador Gavin, and we were able to get photographs and our books signed, capping off a wonderful program.

And, to further enhance the evening, we joined Ms. Adedokun at ChopnBlok for some African food. Many of us had never tried African food before, so it was a nice way to add even more educational aspects to the field trip, while also learning more about Ms. Adedokun and her career, her perception of African politics, and a little bit of LEAP history, all wrapped into a top-notch meal by a James Beard Award-winning chef.

Fun and Flavor: Chilly at the Lodge Festivities

It was a cold and windy day, but that didn’t stop LEAP students from doing what they do: volunteering, having fun, and learning a little. Over the course of a thirty-hour period, students helped organizers of “Chilly at the Lodge” set up their two-day chili competition, did an afternoon tour of vendors and chili cooks, and also served as chili judges.

Chilly at the Lodge–Set Up

Chilly at the Lodge was founded to provide community fun, while also raising funds for the Josey Scout Lodge, one of a small number of Huntsville structures on the National Historic Register.

The more money the organizers save, the more funds can go to the good cause of maintaining the structure. Thus, LEAP students–Jacob Wessels, Luke Hempfling, Michelle Cardenas, and Brittlyn Jackson–found themselves on the grounds of the Lodge at 6:30am in 28-degree weather.

This early morning stint involved assisting cooks with moving equipment and items from their vehicles to the grounds.

The effort soon warmed us up, and the friendliness of the cooks enhanced the warmth further.

Following a short break to hear competition regulations from Don Cullum (a champion chili cook and one of the organizers of the tournament)…

…we continued our work helping vendors move their equipment to the grounds. In all, there were approximately 80 vendors and chili cooks.

We capped our 2.5-hour volunteer stint with a surprise tour of the grounds, led by Gene Roberts. This tour included a visit to the Caretaker’s Cabin, which not even Professor Yawn had seen! It was a fitting end to a rewarding morning.

Fun at the Chilly Fest

With a bit of a break in the morning, some of us returned with a new crew to enjoy the chili, the food, and the entertainment that is the hallmark of Chilly at the Lodge.

All of us–Victoria McClendon, Stephanie Fors, Mike Yawn, Gavin Dimen, Kayla Fleming, Michelle Cardenas, Isis Hollis, Allie Plunk, Robin Houghton, Marley Hendrix, and Nathan Barron–enjoyed the different vendors, with a special fondness for honey, baked items, and, for a couple of us, leather goods.

We also really enjoyed the music, especially the work of Steve Idlett, who performed a nice mix of music, including a “A Good Day to Die.”

But, of course, what we most enjoyed was the chili…

…(with the exception of Victoria, who, as a judge, could not interact with the cooks, lest she form opinions that might bias her “blind judgment” in the official contest). In all, we had about 80 samples of chili, trying almost all of them: the good (a lot), the bad (very few), and the chili with skittles (thankfully, only one).

When the day was over, we had a nice surprise, a tutorial from Don Cullum on how to cook chili, adding an educational flair to an afternoon of fun.

The Judging

The serious side of the chili contest is judging, and fortunately, you don’t have to be a chili expert to be a chili judge. This is a role LEAP Ambassadors have enjoyed for the past three years, and we continued the tradition this year.

Following a training by the ever-present Don Cullum, we began our judging process.

In all, we judged three categories: two rounds of Traditional Red and one round of Vegetarian. The Vegetarian was the easiest because there were only eight entrants, which means that a judge can get by with about 15 spoonfuls of chili.

The Traditional Red, however, had 18 entrants, which meant that, at a minimum, we were consuming at least one spoonful of a dozen and a half different bowls of chili. But this first foray into the chili tasting is really just to rule out bowls. A second round of tasting is necessary to taste the five or six bowls you think are in the running for first, second, or third place. And then, at least for some judges, a third round of tasting is needed to help suss out the top three in order. So, we had quite a lot of chili!

And this doesn’t even count the palate cleansers that are mandated between each sample–tortilla chips, sour cream, and water.

Of course, this is only part of the fun. While we were judging, we had a chance to run into some of our favorite people: Thomas Leeper, Dr. Gene Roberts, Mandy Dunbar, Judge Tracy Sorensen, Derrick Birdsall, Paul Trevino, and Jennifer Alexander, not to mention event organizer Karla Christian.

It was, in all, a wonderful way to spend a winter weekend in Huntsville, TX.

LEAPing into Learning with the HISD School Board

By Kayla Fleming

The spring 2026 semester has begun, and it didn’t take long for LEAP students to be back in full swing. After a week of planning for upcoming events, volunteerism in the community, and promoting “Empty Bowls,” we made our way to the January meeting of the Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustees.

President Ken Holland kindly met with us more than half an hour ahead of the meeting, providing insight into the Board, its operations, its annual budget (approximately 117 million), and what was on the agenda for the evening.

While the agenda didn’t formally include us, President Holland did introduce us as “special guests” to the audience, which was a nice way to begin the evening. What was nicer, however, was to see faces familiar to us from our other work in the community. Shannon Hollis, HISD’s PIO was there, as was Assistant Superintendent Paul Trevino, both of whom we had worked with during M*A*S*H*. Tom Waddill, with whom we work on the Lions Club Flag Project, was there with his team of young journalists (Huntsville High Yearbook and “The Hive”, who were recognized for their productivity.

Other recognitions included Ms. Shotwell (Educator of the Month) and Ms. Tiffany Matchett (Employee of the Month), as well as recognitions for campuses with best student attendance and best faculty attendance; a group of student leaders–all of whom, we were impressed to see, stood up to receive their award and walked up to trustees and shook their hands.

Stewart Elementary was recognized for having a 92.41 percent student attendance rate during December…

…and Principal Ashley Fisseler accepted that award. Huntsville Elementary received recognition for having the highest staff attendance (more than 96 percent!), and Principal Natalie Barrett accepted the award.

As part of School Board Appreciation Month, Matt Lahey, the Director of Media at HISD, presented a video featuring interviews with the School Board. We had a chance to learn things such as Trustee Amanda Burris’s favorite teacher was Debra Dean (Calculus) ; Ken Holland enjoyed listening to the Downton Abbey soundtrack; and Sherri Odom had lived in both Hawaii and Panama growing up; Tracy Stoudt’s philosophy is, “I can’t make a difference from my couch;” and Rissie Owens could sneak to her grandmother’s house, which was across the street from her school, allowing her to “take recess anytime I wanted to…”

This was a great way to learn about the sitting board members, and to see examples of what motivates people to civic leadership.

Following a short recess, the Trustees got down to the serious business of governing the School District.

This involved a lengthy consent agenda, dispatching items such as the minutes in a quick vote; updates by Asst. Superintendent Dr. Nkrumah Dixon on partnerships with SHSU’s College of Education and grants;

…a vote on whether to adopt SB 11, which involved carving out school time for “religious text reflection” (the Board voted no, unanimously); and a year-end audit report by Celina Cereceres of Whitley Penn. In the latter update, we had a chance to learn about the different funds the District relies, operating reserves, and the different categories of compliance. We also learned that HISD received excellent marks!

With their primary business complete, the Trustees went into recess for Executive Session, with a planned evaluation of Superintendent Scott Sheppard. Before their recess, however, we had a chance to speak with several of the Trustees who thanked us for coming. It was a perfect end to an educational and welcoming introduction to the Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustee meeting!

Highlights from the Senior Center

Just before classes began, LEAP students took advantage of their last moments of free time to volunteer at the Walker County Senior Center and to learn more about the Meals on Wheels Program, while also contributing to their ongoing work on the Empty Bowls program.

Stacey Loll, the Director of the Walker County Senior Center, introduced the students–Mikaela Baires, Jacob Wessels, Katie Wilson, Brittlyn Jackson, Nataly Elizondo, and Crystal Hearren–and Professor Yawn, and shortly after, they began enjoying various games.

The games soon gave way, however, to the bowl-glazing, when Angela Robinson of the Wynne Home dropped off dozens of bowls to be glazed.

As noted elsewhere on our blogs, the bowl-work is part of the Wynne Home Arts & Visitors Center’s “Empty Bowls” program, which encourages the arts while also feeding the hungry. It’s a multi-stage process, with City staff and volunteers getting grants to pay for supplies, for artists to lead classes on ceramics, and then a glazing and painting process.

These bowls can then be purchased–along with lunch–on March 4 at the Wynne Home, with the funds going, appropriately enough, to Meals on Wheels!

This type of work exemplifies intergenerational bonding or, in social capital terms, “bridging capital.” Basically, it brings people of different backgrounds and ages together for a common purpose. And while bowls, bingo, and other games were part of the fun, the common purpose was simply to enjoy the day and each other’s company.

Whatever the importance of bowls, we learned that nothing gets in the way of Bingo, so promptly at 10:15am, we set aside our bowls for the moment, and with Katie and Mikaela volunteering to serve as Bingo callers, got down to some serious business.

We soon found out how serious: several of the participants offered helpful suggestions on how better to fill the role of Bingo Caller. The suggestions helped, and Katie and Mikaela soon proved to be expert callers.

While Katie and Mikaela toiled away, the other LEAP students got to sit back, enjoy the games, and make new friends.

No matter their role, however, it was fun for all the volunteers, and we hope, for the regulars as well.

Following the games, we engaged in various activities: finishing bowls, playing more games, doing interviews for Postcards Magazine, and having lunch.

But our day wasn’t over, because we were also there to learn more about the Senior Center. We got a tour of the building, where we saw the impeccable cleanliness of the kitchen (they get one of the highest health-inspection ratings in the city), the offices, and their conference room.

Beyond the daily games and fun, the Senior Center utilizes volunteers to drive meals to more than 200 people who face food insecurity. The volunteer drivers follow the same route each “shift,” which allows them to provide not only a familiar and friendly face to individuals who may be lonely, but it also gives them the opportunity to notice apparent changes in health. “Our drivers,” notes Loll, “may be the only person our seniors see over a period of days or even weeks, and it’s important they have that interaction.”

The interaction and the education was also important to us. We learned a lot about the mission and operations of the Senior Center, the community groups and volunteers that support it, and the Center’s current needs–all while making new friends and having fun.

The Senior Center can always use volunteers or donations. To learn more, contact Stacey Loll at staceyloll@mowwctx.org or call (936) 295-6151. To donate, go to this site, where you can support a worthy cause!

Glazing-A-Trail with Lauren Clay

The spring session hasn’t yet begun, but LEAP students are learning–thanks to the dedication of Professor Lauren Clay.

Following a December session of bowl-making–all in preparation of Empty Bowls–LEAP students gathered again to “Glaze a Bowl.”

Under the tutelage of Professor Clay, our advanced students did excellent work and our slow students (Yawn) made acceptable work.

Over the course of a couple of hours, we learned how to anticipate the “look” of a color on a ceramic bowl, the number of layers to add, and where to paint and where not to paint.

In addition to learning how art works, we also enjoyed the benefits of building social capital. While many of us are SHSU students, we also had professor, and we also had friends–Roxana Alvarado Martinez and her daughter, Gabriella, we met during our citizenship preparatory course, and we have stayed in touch! It is bridging social capital at its best.

Following the glazing, the bowls will go into a kiln (again) and they will be available to their creators on March 4, when the “Empty Bowls Fundraiser” takes place at the Wynne Home Arts and Visitors Center. Between 11am-2pm, the Wynne Home will be offering lunch and a hand-made bowl, available to all comers for a suggested $15.00 donation. Additional bows of the highest quality (not Yawn’s) will be available through silent auction. And what’s best, all of the funds will go to the Senior Center’s “Meals on Wheels.”

We hope everyone will join us in the fun and promote a good cause this March 4!

A Culinary Education: Champion Chili

As part of its annual “Chilly at the Lodge” event, the Josey Scout Lodge Board of Directors hosted a “Chili Master Class,” featuring cooking lessons from Don and Karen Cullum.

The class, attended by five LEAP-affiliated individuals including our newest LEAP Ambassador (Jacob Wessels) and a total of about 45 local residents, was a deep dive into red chili style chili making.

Hosted at the Josey Scout Lodge, organizer Karla Christian…

… introduced Don and Karen Cullum–both champions on the chili circuit–and the instructors for today’s crash lesson.

While even amateur cooks might be able to manage a solid pot of chili, championship-level preparation requires attention to nuances.

Have you considered that the wind may affect the heat of your flame and, accordingly, considered buying a wind guard? At your last cookout, did you think of the humidity level when considering how much water to add?

These are some of the nuances described by Don Cullum as he went through the chili-making process.

We also learned, of course, of ingredients, the preparation, and he even offered the recipe he used (or a close approximation to it) when winning the ICS National Championship.

Upon completing the class, we all had a chance to sample Don’s small-batch chili.

And, pleasingly, while he was preparing his small-batch chili (which is what is used to compete because the cook has much more control over the variables), his wife, Karen, was preparing a large batch–large enough for the audience!

Thus, we ended our Saturday morning with a lunch-time meal of chili, courtesy of the Chilly at the Lodge event. You can join the fun on Saturday, January 31 from 11am-3pm, when chili-cooks, vendors, and musicians will come out for a day of food, wares, and entertainment. Visitors can tour the Josey Scout Lodge, stop by booths for all sorts of goods, and with the purchase of a $5 sampler kit, get six spoons to try different versions of Texas-made chili!

A MASH Wrapup

As Christmas approaches, some children will find more gifts under their trees thanks to KSAM’s annual Make A Smile Happen (M*A*S*H*) event, which works with local community volunteers (i.e., the LEAP Ambassadors) to collect toys, food, pet supplies, and necessities for families in need.

For the sixth year, LEAP students assisted with the event, covering 21 hours of shifts, participating in “sign and wave…”

LEAP Students with HISD Asst Superintendent Paul Trevino

…help with unloading vehicles…

…and organizing, sorting, and counting items donated…

…doing some radio interviews…

…while also having fun with social media to help advertise the event.

Over the course of a cold and rainy day, this led to a lot of fun, spurred on by a lot of generosity by sponsors and local residents. Indeed, the community’s generosity kept LEAP students busy and resulted in full tents!

Over the course of the two days KSAM’s event generated 1,628 food items, 1,057 toys (including what was probably a record number of bikes!), 300 pounds of pet food, and $6,149 in cash.

These items were distributed to local non-profits and government agencies, including Santa’s Helpers, Boys & Girls Club of Walker County, CASA of Walker County, HISD, Good Shepherd Mission, Rita B. Huff Animal Adoption Center, and the SAAFE House.

Thanks to KSAM for spearheading this event for the 19th year and for asking the LEAP students to assist with a worthy cause.

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