In the future I will try to make a habit out of posting daily, but for now a rehash of the week will have to suffice.
What did I do to make Anniston one of America's Best Small Towns this week?
On Tuesday I met with Charity Richey-Bentley of Northeast Alabama Center for Community Initiatives to discuss planning of the "Come As You Will Be in 2020" gala tentatively scheduled for October 23, 2010. We are currently looking for a place to hold the event, with the Anniston Museum of Natural History and The Victoria as front runners. The purpose of this event is to allow members of the community to imagine all their goals ALREADY ACHIEVED and to spend the evening acting as such. The will dress, act and bring props to show what they have done.
Then on Friday morning I made my first trip to Anniston High School to volunteer at the Welcome Center there. I was met by Bettye Presley of the Public Education Foundation of Anniston and we had a great time greeting parents, teachers and students. The campus itself is absolutely beautiful (and contrary to popular belief, there are no metal detectors on the doors). Everyone was friendly and there was excitement in the air with a football game scheduled that evening. There was a dramatic, educational production that morning related to suicide for the Freshman Forum that day.
Later that day I met with Erin Ryder and David Loconto of the Jacksonville State University Sociology Department to discuss the goals of the Anniston 2020 program and discuss possible curricular and extra-curricular tie ins to the program. Due to the enormity of the project it is expected that participation by the students will grow in future years.