One of Huntsville Main Street’s many successful programs each year is the “Downtown Christmas Festival,” and this year was no exception, attracting some 2,000 people to the downtown square. Ten of those 2,000 included the LEAP Ambassadors (and a few friends) to help with the festivities.
The LEAP Center students set up shop just across from the beautiful Roche Building…
…and we handled all the ticketed attractions at the Festival, under the direction of Lindsay Lauher (Main Street Manager), Jazmin Perez (Main Street Intern), and Rylee Henson.
The festival offered a moonwalk, numerous vendors for shopping, food, a train for kids, pictures with Santa, and–the star attraction–snow on the downtown square. Of course, as an event for kids, the children found their own way to have fun, including an impromptu “balloon parade.”
Even with the onset of Christmas, children seemed to have a mixed reaction to sitting with Santa Claus. Some seemed to suffer from parental separation anxiety…
…while others fully enjoyed the Christmas spirit.
For Beatriz and Brian, the latter spirit ruled the day…
…and even without the presence of Santa, the LEAP Volunteers had fun…
For the attendees, the train was also a big hit, with families having fun on the two-block trip provided by the engineer.
As previously mentioned, though, it is the snow that attracts the youngsters.
In between busy periods, the students ate at Farmhouse Eats and Sweets–several for the first time–and had fun around their volunteer posts, with Professor Yawn even getting in on the action.
Although the LEAP Center has several more events this semester, this is one of the last three for which all the members will be together, and we enjoyed it.
As the began to set and the day came to a close…
…we took one last picture of the square at sunset, and went home to prepare for finals, thankful for activities such as “Downtown Christmas Festival,” which makes the community a nicer place to live.
Ashley Stephens graduated from SHSU with a degree in POLS in 2000, but she returned last month as a Distinguished Alum. Since graduating, Ms. Stephens has worked for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and, more recently, President Barack Obama. Although she was a featured speaker at the Alumni gathering, she joined POLS students for a smaller gathering in the Holcombe Room.
She was introduced by Dr. Tamara Waggener and the LEAP Ambassadors, along with several other students, were on hand to greet Ms. Stephens and to learn from her experiences. In 2014, she moved from working with Representative Nancy Pelosi to the White House, where she serves as Special Assistant to the President and as Communications Director for the Cabinet.
She spoke briefly about these experiences before giving way to questions and meeting with students individually.
With political careers ahead of them, the LEAP Center students were eager to learn from Ms. Stephens and apply lessons from her success!
Here’s a riddle: What makes goblins and dentists both frightened and gleeful? The Answer?…. Yep that’s right you guessed it, its Halloween!!!!
Of course the LEAP Ambassadors and Pre-Law Cohort would come together to help the local community of Huntsville at the annual Scare on the Square event. Scare on the Square is an event sponsored by the City of Huntsville (by Huntsville Main Street) where local business, community groups, and even high school and college students come together to throw a safe but frightful and fun event for local children.
The LEAP Ambassadors and the Pre-Law Cohort decided to provide two games for the children. The first, is one that we named “Place the Bow on Mr. Bones”! This game gave children the opportunity to earn candy by correctly placing the bow on our honorary LEAP Ambassador member, Mr. Bones, while blindfolded.
The best part of the game is that before the children can be allowed to properly find Mr. Bones they must first be spun around five times; this was hilarious!
Our second game a bowling game with our googly-eyed bowling pins!
Surprisingly the bowling pins scared a lot of the children; especially when they eyes began to pop off of the pins from the beating they were receiving! The kids, however, were willing to overlook these eyes for a scoop of precious candy!
Austin of course came dressed for the affair as a farmer! What we all didn’t expect was for him to have a twin there as well!
As the Scare on the Square came to an end we were all very happy that we could put some smiles on children’s faces.
…and on the LEAP Ambassadors’ faces…
In thinking of this we were all reminded of the joy that the LEAP Team can bring to people of all ages in the Huntsville Community.
Aat the same time we were also reminded of the reason why too much candy can be a bad thing. However there are some things that we can never outgrow!
To help commemorate Veteran’s Day, the LEAP Center volunteered at the HEARTS Veteran’s Museum 16th annual Veteran’s Day Dinner to honor and thank Huntsville’s local Veterans on November 11, 2015.
The event honored veterans from all military branches with dinner, a silent auction fundraiser, and many thanks. This year, the LEAP Center assisted in greeting guests, among which many were familiar faces.
The event began with the posting of colors and pledges of allegiance along with a welcome from the HEARTS Museum Director, Mark Robinson. Following the welcome, a video of the Armed Forces Medley played where each branch of military stood while their anthem played. The medley was a wonderful way to recognize all the veterans in attendance and something guests look forward to each year.
This year, dinner was catered by City Hall Café and Pie Bar providing a tasty treat for all.
Feeling satisfied, LEAP students headed to assist with the silent auction. Many items were up for auction such as picnic baskets, jewelry, paintings, and many delicious desserts. To conclude the program, the silent auction was closed, awards were distributed
Charlotte gives award to the Fordyces
and the clean-up began.
The annual Veteran’s Day Dinner provided the opportunity for the community to show appreciation for Huntsville’s own local veterans and to raise awareness for the HEARTS Veteran’s Museum.
The LEAP Center would like to thank the HEARTS Museum for the opportunity to volunteer each year and to all veterans for their selfless service and dedication to protecting our freedom.
Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition that celebrates lost loved ones in a an intimate way, and it is celebrated at the Wynne Home Arts Center annually. For each individual lost loved one, family and friends build an altar that reflects the life they lived. The altar is composed of favorite foods, flowers, candles, and objects that they cherished. Those who celebrate this holiday believe that during the night the deceased will come and enjoy what they have left for them.
Similarly, the Wynne Home built two altars for the lost loved ones that made a great impact in Huntsville, Texas: Jesus Moroles and Barbara Tyson. The two artists have both done work for the Wynne Home as well as in the community. With both of the artists passing this year, the Wynne Home wanted to honor and commemorate their lives by building them altars. The altars will be on exhibit until November 12, 2015.
The Wynne Home provided tamales, traditional rice, and charro beans—foods that are popular for this holiday. There was also face-painting…
…coloring and art activities…
…and a showing of “The Book of Life” for children.
LEAP is very proud to volunteer at They Wynne Home—a place that advocates cultural diversity and art. It was a joy to see so many locals take part in this tradition that is cherished by many!
If you signed up for an event called the Great Muddy Escape, why would you care if it rained?! You wouldn’t! The mud and rain are part of the fun, and fun it was at the 5th annual “Great Muddy Escape.”
The Great Muddy Escape is a partnership between the YMCA and the Huntsville Memorial Hospital, with a threefold mission: (1) to increase awareness of fitness and health, (2) to offer a fun, healthy family activity, and (3) to raise funds for two organizations that promote healthy communities–the YMCA and the Huntsville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.
The LEAP Center has been peripherally involved in this fundraiser since its inception, offering volunteers and participants. So, while some of the LEAP Ambassadors competed at the Moot Court competition in Lubbock this weekend, a few members and friends endured the rain and mud at the fifth annual Great Muddy Escape 5K in Huntsville on Saturday morning. Arriving before sunrise and smiling…
…LEAP Center students checked in volunteers, set up tables and snacks, and made sure packets were ready for when runners arrived. Amidst volunteers from different student organizations and community groups–all led by the indomitable Margaret Gulledge– LEAP students worked hard to make sure everything was perfect before all 250 competitors arrived and began to tackle the course’s dozen obstacles.
Once snacks and packets were prepared, volunteers headed down to the starting point to see runners stretching…
…eager to begin the race. Twelve obstacles awaited them, including walls, slides, and huge mud pits, and from the looks on their faces, it appeared that LEAP Center student Bella Abril was much more excited about this than this than POLS major Paul Oliver…
After a few minutes of anticipation and a pep talk by Mayor Mac Woodward…
…runners began with the sound of the blow horn.
As the runners sprinted past the starting line…
…all one could see were the teams…
…in a blur of tutus, tennis shoes, and tight pants on athletes enthusiastically running towards what could end up being their demise.
Paul Oliver (Orange Shirt) Dashes Onward
Would they escape? One could only hope to see an equal number participants cross the finish line after withstanding all that the obstacle course had to throw at them.
LEAP students Megan Chapa and Brian Aldaco had the opportunity to photograph runners as they climbed walls…
…trucked through the mire, and swung across perilous pits of doom, or simply mugged for the camera.
Meanwhile, Constance Gabel and Karla Rosales checked runners in as they crossed the finish line, covered in mud, making sure to count the amount of wristbands they acquired at each accomplished obstacle. Little did we know, runners took their effort very seriously and much competition made our jobs difficult to say the least. Students Bella Abril and Paul Oliver ran the race with fierceness and completed with all wristbands intact. In fact, Bella even videoed herself with a gopro camera!
Meanwhile LEAP President Megan Chapa trudged with her boyfriend, Taylor Martin…
…through the mud…
…where even superheroes fear to go…
Even more fun was the waterslide, where some tried to traverse by running…
…some by sit-sliding…
…some by diving head-first…
…actually, a lot of people diving head first!
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Some by being pushed…
…but mostly by falling!
But always smiling while doing so…
The smiles reflect the event’s mission, to “test your resilience, strength, stamina, quick decision making skills, and ability to laugh in the face of adversity.”
The smiles did, in fact, reflect the immense fun of the event, but perhaps no photo captures the fun better than Bella’s gopro video.
Despite holding a gopro camera for the duration of the event, Bella managed to finish the 3.2 mile event, through mud, rain and obstacles, in about an hour. Paul Oliver finished 7th in the men’s category, completing the course in under 40 minutes. Megan Chapa and Taylor Martin opted for the untimed event.
Overall, the male winners in the 5K were Will Butler (27:26), Ty Stubblefield (28:20), and Bryan Cruz (29:50). The female winners in the 5K were Angelina Santos (33:16), Stephanie Brock (33:24), and Angie Pecina (33:29).
Win or lose, though, it was a great day for both the participants…
…the super participants…
…and the volunteers…
…and for the Huntsville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and the YMCA, the recipients of the money raised. Over the past five years, more than $40,000 has been raised for these worthy causes, and the LEAP Center has been proud to be a part of the program over this span.
About Huntsville Family YMCA
The Huntsville Family YMCA strives to provide families a safe outlet for their children with special needs where they can experience the joy and benefits of participating in sports and physical activities. Programs are available for youth ages 4 and up in baseball, volleyball, basketball, flag football and soccer.
About Huntsville Memorial Hospital
Huntsville Memorial Hospital is a 123-bed, private, non-profit community hospital, providing health care services for the residents of Walker County and the surrounding area since 1927. We are devoted to the health and well-being of our regional communities by providing exceptional care to every patient every day with a spirit of warmth, compassion and personal pride.
The LEAP Center opened up the doors to all interested SHSU students in September, inviting them to come in, learn more about LEAP Activities, meet faculty, or to attend upcoming events.
Megan Chapa, Kaitlyn Tyra, and Constance Gabel–LEAP Ambassador Officers–did a great job setting up the Holcombe Room, with decorations
…giveaways…
…and ice-cream sundaes…
It didn’t take long for SHSU’s students to dig in.
One of the nicer aspects of the events was the presence of faculty members and staff., including Dr. Ashley Ross, Kristin Trojacek, and Kelly Brown…
…and Dr. John Domino with students Connor Manning and Austin Taylor.
Of course, the event was mostly for the students, and about 100 or so showed up.
Another nice aspect of the event was the presence of all the LEAP Ambassadors at the same time and same place. With only six Ambassadors, we have to split up to have as much coverage in the community as possible, so it was nice to see Karla…
…and Alex and Austin…
…assist Megan, Kaitlyn, and Constance. Interestingly, Constance’s family came up (it was family weekend), and a family pic ensued on the balcony of the Holcombe Room.
Thanks to all the students who came by–especially the freshmen, who are getting an early start on success! And make sure you enjoy our upcoming events:
For those sufficiently skillful and fortunate to be chosen for Saturday’s matches, it was a big day. The top sixteen teams squared off at 9:00am, followed by matches at 10:15am, 11:30am, and 1:00pm–with the last being the final.
The morning began much like a typical class day, with students pointedly not listening to Professor Yawn.
Brian Aldaco, however, maintained an interested audience.
All were interested in the early rounds and the ability to watch some of the teams that the SHSU students had competed against yesterday. In the “sweet sixteen” round, the variance in speaker ability was still somewhat high. All the competitors were average or better, but there were teams in which one of the two teammates was clearly superior. By the “final four,” all the speakers were considerably above average.
During a lull between contests, all but one of the students took a quick tour of UNT Law. After a somewhat formal beginning…
…much fun ensued…
The students spent a considerable amount of time in the library, with some genuine interest in the type of reading law students do, such as here…
…and here…
…and here…
…while some of the fun and interest was a bit staged…
…the giveaway being the idea of two guys spending this much time reading.
The girls, meanwhile, didn’t even pretend to read.
Constance spent most of her time posing, such as here…
…and here…
Nor did the folderol stop when adults came back around. Kimi King, pre-law advisor from UNT (and a Ph.D. and JD and the prime mover of the tournament) joined in the fun, albeit a bit distractedly….
With time for just one more selfie…
…the students hurried off to lunch, so that they could get back in time to see the finals.
The finals consisted of a team from Howard Payne University (HPU, Team 20) against a team from UNT (team 40). The competitors (Alexis Rickmer and Kristen DeWilde from UNT; Isaac Sommers and Rebeca Puente from HPU) were excellent, with Sommers and Rickmer turning in particularly impressive final performances.
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Some 65 people watched the final round, a group that included interested observers, friends, former competitors (such as SHSU’s teams), and family. Even more impressive was the team of Judges, with former District Judge Royal Ferguson (currently Dean of UNT Law) as the Chief Justice. The final was held in the UNT Courtroom, a nice touch that added verisimilitude.
Alas, the finals were extraordinarily even, with our group leaning toward the UNT team as the winners. The judges thought otherwise, albeit by only a three-point margin! With that, HPU won the scrimmage championship.
Aftermath
Following the tournament, Dr. Kimi King gave the Tournament Director, Andrew Sommerman, an award in recognition of his efforts on behalf of TUMCA. Indeed, he is the founder of the American Undergraduate Moot Court Association.
The winners, too, were given awards for their excellent performances.
As were the runner ups.
And all the individual winners…
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And even the SHSU students, both the moot court competitors…
…and the LEAP Ambassadors and prospective competitors….
It was a long morning and afternoon, but immensely educational. With the real tournament in two weeks, at Texas Tech, it was especially good to get feedback from judges and compare yourself to the competition. The competition was impressive, but we’ve made much progress, have laid a foundation for future tournaments, and we still have hope for our upcoming tournament in Lubbock!
Postscript:Top Twenty Performers
Conor McElroy 379.56 (out of 400 possible points)
Eryn Mascai 374.54
Matt Sayre 374.33
Isaac Sommers 373.7
Kristina Smith 373.33
Taylor Ledford 371.27
Alexis Rickmers 371.1
Rachel Reon 370.3
Reagan Williams 370.2
Myles Chaney 369.9
Mindy Vo 369.2
Kirsten Koschnick 369
Kris Harrison 368.9
Ian Klein 368.78
Justin Adofina 368.41
Rebekah Mercer 368.2
Karina Laigo 366.44
Emily Stewart 366.3
Bimbola Omsile 365.56
Julieta Hernandez 364.67
