New School Year Underway for HOPE Coalition

Members of the HOPE Coalition gathered for the first regular meeting of the new school year at the Lincoln School on Monday, September 17^th.  Under New Business, Wendy Buxton Andrade and Byron Hall switched their roles as Coalition President and Vice-President, respectively.   Due to various scheduling conflicts last year, the traditional Chili Dinner and Auction was not held.  Coalition members are reviewing dates for a potential October event.

Coalition Executive Director, Lori Hammer told the gathering that Lamar Police Officer Tanisha Clevenger has become their new Special Resources Officer and has made it a point to become more integrated into the daily operation of the students at Lincoln School.

The HOPE Center, Helping Hands clothing distribution center, still has plenty garments on stock and continues to remain open the third Saturday of each month. The Center is open for all residents of the region, not just limited to Lamar.

Enrollment is up at the Lincoln Alternative School, headed by Anthony La Tour. Hammer said enrollment is now at 30, with six Middle School students attending.  One project being conducted is to teach students how to purchase, plan and pay for meals with a series of shopping trips to local grocery stores, working with fixed budget.

Lori Peterson and Laura Misenheimer are new tutors at Lincoln School and there has been a good response among volunteers from the National Honor Society and other high school students who are assisting for the new year. Members of the LCC’s girls’ softball team are also assisting as tutors.

Lamar Community College has hired a COSI, Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative representative who will meet with every junior and senior student in the district and work with them to provide and prepare them for future college admission programs with an emphasis on funding and applying for scholarships. ESL, English as a Second Language classes have resumed at the Lincoln School, meeting every Tuesday evening between 6:30 and 8pm.

Hammer said the student numbers for the start of the year are approximately 170 per day. Hammer and Coalition members were involved in Philanthropy Days, held in Lamar for the first time this past summer.  She said the community received excellent reviews on the effort made to provide a smooth running event during the three days of meetings which accommodated upwards of 250 visitors.  Lamar should be eligible to host the southeastern region in another four years.

By Russ Baldwin