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A group of 25 committed Magnolia West High School Interact members, led by club president Dakota (Cody) Stormer, have began an initiative to help the Magnolia Independent School District (MISD) become more eco-friendly, by raising the awareness of students and teachers to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprints.

This past August, Interact club members joined forces with National Honor Society members to work for a week at MISD’s J.L. Lyon Elementary. Their mission? To get the “go green” message across. They helped teachers create bulletin boards with conservation messages, moved furniture and placed stickers encouraging energy and waste conservation on lights, computers and even paper towel dispensers.

J. L. Lyon fifth grade science and social studies teacher Julie Sustala thought the work the students did was a “life saver for us teachers. They all worked enthusiastically and they did a great job.”

Connie Melton, fifth grade reading and language arts teacher at J.L. Lyon, was also appreciative of the help the students provided.

“They provided my room with a warm, cozy feel – it has never looked better,” she said. “Dakota was a student of mine here before and I saw the spark of leadership in him. I’m not surprised he has become such a good organizer.”

The Magnolia West Interact club plans a similar effort at Williams Elementary Sept. 29, with the students again donating their time and hard work. Stormer explained that projects like this are part of Interact’s environmental stewardship project for the national student organization Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

“We hope to add more MISD schools to our schedule throughout the school year,” said Stormer. “We want this project to help teachers educate students about their impact on the environment and make this a cleaner, greener year for our district.”

Interact “green” initiatives  include  recycling plastic bottles at Magnolia West, promoting water conservation and educating students about ways to reduce litter and pollution. 

The Rotary Club of Magnolia sponsors the Interact clubs at both Magnolia and Magnolia West High Schools.

 “Interact clubs are the high school version of Rotary – a service organization to help students give back to their communities,” Judy Bode, the club’s Rotary liaison, said. “It is exciting to watch these kids develop their own vision and leadership skills.”

Deborah Rose Miller, Rotary Club President agreed.

“We are so proud of what the Magnolia West Interact club has done,” she said. “It is truly helping to teach young people that life is not just about them but about helping others.” 

Besides being the Magnolia West Interact club founder and president, Stormer is also a board member of Keep Montgomery County Beautiful, so going green is something he is passionate about.

“We chose J.L. Lyon as the first school in our project, because I had heard that the school had been actively engaged in energy conservation in the past and thought they would welcome us,” Stormer said. “We believe this project will save the school thousands of dollars in electric bills.“ 

Magnolia West students wishing to join Interact or volunteer for the conservation project should contact Stormer at 832-533-0935 or faculty sponsor Connie Maddox at the high school. Any Magnolia or Magnolia West student is eligible to join Interact, and dues are about $15 per year.

The Magnolia Interact club’s conservation project is part of a national FCCLA competition. FCCLA comprises more than 200,000 members in approximately 6,500 chapters across the U.S. The organization focuses on helping students promote personal growth and leadership by addressing critical issues such as character development, creative thinking, interpersonal communications and career preparation. It encourages active student participation in community or family activities at local, state and national levels. For more information, visit www.fcclainc.org.

Three little girls at Magnolia ISD's J.L. Lyon elementary have had the burden of coping with Type 1 diabetes all their lives, but all three have managed their illness along with their studies. All are honor roll students and excited about their upcoming summer vacation. And they all receive help handling their medical needs by the caring staff at J.L. Lyon.

Fourth graders Lauren Williford and Lauren Weatherford, along with fifth grader Kylie Wilson, happily displayed their honor roll certificates and talked about managing their diabetes.

"Lauren and I have been in the same class each year and have helped each other," said Williford. "It helps to know you're not alone and Nurse Vickie (Cochran) works with us every day to make sure we are doing okay."

The two fourth graders met Wilson at Diabetes Camp Rainbow in Tomball over the summer.

"We love camp," said Weatherford. "We learn fun things like canoeing and get to share with others what we're feeling."

Wilson agreed.

"Camp has lots of fun activities but we also learn new technologies and how to better control our diabetes," she said.

J.L. Lyon registered nurse Vickie Cochran helps two to three students manage Type 1 diabetes every school year. Their blood sugar levels must be monitored several times a day. For those who take insulin shots, Cochran helps supervise and for those with an insulin pump, she ensures everything is working correctly. If their blood sugar levels get too low, she may need to administer an emergency shot or get emergency treatment.

"We work in tandem with the teachers and the parents, and do whatever we need to do to accommodate the student," Cochran said. "We often work with their doctors as well, since each student has individualized needs. Our goal is to help them through elementary school and get them self-sufficient by junior high."

She also emphasized that every school has a nurse to help with all the types of medical management issues the students face, from cardiac issues to seizures, to asthma to food allergies. All can be life-threatening if no one is watching.

Parent Paula Weatherford is glad that MISD maintains such a caring attitude.

"I have nothing but positive things to say about Nurse Vickie and the staff at this school," she said.

April Williford agreed.

"When they started kindergarten, we were terrified," she said. "We didn't know how it would work out, but they put the two Laurens together in the same class, so they could support each other. And they did – and the staff did, too."

Parent Meredith Fountain is also a fourth grade reading and science teacher at Lyon. Her daughter Kylie has only been in the school a year, but she appreciates how well-educated Cochran is and that she works with the girls to be independent about managing their diabetes.

"Everyone is knowledgeable about this issue at the school, which gives me great peace of mind," she said. 

The help-yourself-to-health program is good for the staff, too. Lyon counselor Jennifer Burnett also has Type 1 diabetes and she has met with the girls throughout the year to talk about handling the disease,  how to tell if their blood sugar is getting low and how to log that information.

"The kids are so good about keeping track that it makes me keep myself on track, too," she said. "We really help each other."

Lyon staffers are prepared to deal with most medical conditions that students might have. Principal Tammy Haley explains that they are prepared to meet students' medical needs.

"Whether they come in with a scrape or a serious medical issue, they are treated for it. We don't take anything lightly," she said. "If the students have a medical issue, we want to know that. We meet with the parents even before they start kindergarten to talk about how we can help."