On April 5th, 2016, I attended a Morgantown City Council meeting at City Hall on Spruce Street. The chamber is similar to a courtroom. Dark, wooden paneling with the state crest embedded into it comprises the walls, with a minty colored carpet for flooring. The desks occupied by officials are similar to podiums. The mayor sits in the front, surrounded by the city manager and city clerk. Council members sit at desks on each side of the room, facing one another. Though seating is provided, it is not adequate, so some people had to stand for the duration of the meeting. An American flag and West Virginia flag are present in the room. The meeting began with roll call, taken by the city clerk, Ms. Linda Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a Caucasian woman with short, brunette hair. She appears to be middle-aged, and …show more content…
This proclamation highlighted the value of volunteerism in communities, and Mayor Shamberger declared April 5th as National Service recognition day, urging residents to give back to the city. Mayor Shamberger attempted to recognize several students for helping clear sidewalks during the harsh winter, but very few students showed up to collect the certificates. Mayor Shamberger returned to her podium, ready to close the correspondence section. There was a discussion between Mayor Shamberger, the city clerk, and Ms. Nancy Ganz, a council member. Ms. Ganz appears to be a middle-aged blonde. The discussion revolved around recognition. Ms. Ganz questioned if other students who contributed to the community service but were not recognized would be able to receive recognition, but the city clerk was somewhat short. While Mayor Shamberger is gentler and her voice is lower, the city clerk is very sure and less empathetic. The discussion was awkwardly closed, because the city clerk said “no” and the issue was resolved. Then, Mayor Shamberger declared that the meeting was moving into the public hearing
In a short story called, “Thank you ma’am”, the author is trying to convey the theme, or message, of the importance of showing random acts of kindness towards others to help institute change. Mrs.J show one act of kindness when she washes his face. Another when she makes Roger food at her house. Mrs.J is kind and shows multiple examples throughout the story.
“Making a Difference” by June Callwood is an expository essay created to inspire the reader to make a change in the world around them, and to stand up for what they believe in. By just doing simple, positive things, people can make a huge impact on their lives and the lives of people around them. June Callwood, author of “Making a Difference”, changes the way many people see the world by describing scientific research and telling the stories of people who performed small, random acts of kindness that made a huge difference in people’s attitudes and the community around them.
...ieve life goals. The community should encourage continued community service from college students that receive scholarships and or some type of financial aid to volunteer, with the existing programs. This could increase the amount of people available to these after school and summer programs, while saving the city some money. This could prove to be a major step in continuing to improve the city and make it a desired place to live and prosper.
On Monday, April 13th, 2009, I visited the Culver City city council meeting, and found that they operate using a council-manager form of government. For a city with a population of about 38,000, this type of governmental structure is fairly common, and I was not surprised to see it in action in a community where the median household income is around $56,000 a year. Culver City is also a culturally rich community with a 60 percent Caucasian population, and a quarter of the residents are either of African American or Asian decent. The mayor, D. Scott Malsin, is one of five members on the council, and his term as mayor is on a rotating basis. Having been to a Hermosa Beach city council meeting with a similar council-manager structure, I knew what to expect.
Growing up, my parents and other influential figures around me modelled the importance of community service through their continual volunteer work and dedication to improving the world around them. Whether it be participation in a well-attended project or persistent contribution to a helpful organization, those aforementioned individuals were formative in guiding me towards a path filled with opportunities for having an impact on my community.
The Phoenix City Council meeting stood packed with attendees ranging from council men and women, lawyers, (basically elderly) interested citizens, neighborhood representatives, owners of businesses, and many others firm on playing a undeviating role in the due process of local government. The meeting began with an invocation from the pastor of a local church invited to pray by the Mayor Stanton. Then following was a pledge to the flag and then the mayor carries the motion. The Mayor reads for the council while passing them several agendas. This series of formalities set the tone for the arrangement and flow of the summit as a whole. Things steered quickly and professionally thanks to the succinct language of both the City Clerk and the Mayor, who led the agenda of the assembly. In general, each agenda entry was introduced by the Clerk, and then led through the agenda by Mayor, who asked for each item’s approval by the Council. The executive order of the agenda acted mostly as a general guideline, as the meeting swerved from the stated order with relative occurrence. Instead of a stringent order, the items seemed to be litigated first, in terms of how straightforwardly they might be permitted. Entire swathes of application were approved if the Council did not obtain any requests for dialogue concerning the item, and if the Council was expected to endorse the item unanimously. In theory, most of these items had already been hashed out in the various other committees through which any agenda item must pass before reaching the City Council.
One of the issues that were brought up was an upset parent who mentioned that his child suffers from narcolepsy. He was addressing that he wants the school board to help him because he feels as if the principal is penalizing his daughter. He mentioned that the principal mentioned that he will penalize the girl because of her lateness. He also mentioned that the principal refused to acknowledge his daughter’s sickness and how the principal bullied him. Following this one of the members from the board address this issue by mentioning that this issue that the parent has addressed is a personal issue that really should not be mentioned in this meeting. The school board member also mentioned that this should not be acceptable from a principal to be uninvolved. And how no child should be treated like this. He would also mention that this issue will be
Through December 5th through the 7th, I performed in Thornton Wilder’s play of Our Town. The only sets or props that the actors or actresses used where folding chairs for us to sit in, umbrellas to hide Emily (Julie Dumbler), and flats on both sides of the stage to hide the people behind them. The reason for the lack of set is so the audience can use there imagination of what the town of Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire looks like. All the rest of the props that the actors had to use were pan mimed and acted out to the fullest to make it look real. The only other experience with no set was with Miss Henery in Neodesha and it was a disaster so I didn’t know how well this was going to work out. But with the help of our director Peter Ellenstein and the rest of the cast, the pan miming was very successful. Our performance space was a modified thrust stage. The shape of the stage served us well for this play, but the back stage was horrible. All of the chairs that we had to use were folding chairs that made a lot of noise even if you hardly touched one. One neat thing about the play is that all of the sound affects were made by our backstage manager (Lisa Mitchell) or other members of the cast. In exception for the clock chiming at the end of the play. People who have seen the play tell me that it is a very heart moving play. I did not get that feeling because I was always backstage or onstage. Ether way I didn’t get to watch the play so I couldn’t see what was so moving about it. The only humor I got was from lines and the funniest person I heard was Professor Willard (Gary Mitchell). The audience is led through the entire play by the Stage Manager (Cory Venable). He literally talks to the audience between every scene explaining what is going on in the story. I thought Mr. Wilder did a good job in having a Stage Manager do this. The Stage Manager tells and shows us a story a young girl growing up and facing death, even after death. He show us how Emily Webb (Julie Dumbler) first gets to know her future husband George Gibbs (Eric Cole).
Serving for the community and the school without compensation or recognition is a defining characteristic of the National Honor Society. I believe that I provide plenteous hours of service to my school and community. In my school, I am a member of Interact Club- a club that encourages volunteer work regarding the school and the community. I have participated in many Interact activities such as Make a Difference Day- cleaning trash at the Wildlife Refuge, Martin Luther King Day at Stockton University- helping organizations such as Circle K, and Project Green- cleaning trash and planting at the Atlantic City beach. In addition to these activities, I have volunteered at Seashore Gardens over the summer before my junior year. There, I was able to engage and interact with the elderly by coloring with them, distributing their lunches, and getting to know them. During my first day volunteering there, I had made a friend instantly as we bonded over gossiping and each other’s daytime activities. It was definitely an experience I will never forget. In addition, I volunteered my time by bagging groceries at ShopRite and washing cars to help fundraise for the Absegami girls soccer team as well as making Valentine's Day cards for the elderly, decorating classroom doors for Christmas, and helping my class with a cookie fundraiser. Helping the environment, aiding the elderly, bagging groceries, helping my class, and being
...evision. I feel there are several simple things could be done that would make the meeting more accessible to not only first time attendees but also citizens in general. First of all by giving a very brief introduction to who the Council members are and why they are on the Council, as well as the who the people on the side bars are and what their purpose for being there. Just a brief background, five minutes at the tops, would give a background enough for newcomers to have a basic understanding of what is going on. Another thing that could be done to make it more accessible would be to explain the purpose of the meeting or to give out an agenda at the beginning. By attending this public meeting, I was able to see that the grandeur that is portrayed on television is very fake, but the importance is vastly downplayed.
By cherishing his value, he became the Mayor of the MOVE members and not of their neighbors. The MOVE members mistreated their neighbors for a long time. Mayor Goode did not act until May13, 1978. This MOVE case teaches all of us, specifically present and future public servants that avoidance and hasty action after a situation deteriorates can result in a significantly worse outcome than proactive, thoughtful action at the onset of an
As a successful engagement in meetings depend on the access to information about the meeting, I would start from here. Firstly, as I sought for information regarding a public hearing in the website, I could not find their detail agenda. The City of Holladay was the only Planning Commission website that gave detail hearing agenda with particular time and contents of the discussion topics. Murray City Planning Commission mentioned
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
Farther down the hall I hear voices. The general court is in session. Inside the
It took me eighteen years to realize what an extraordinary influence my mother has been on my life. She' s the kind of person who has thoughtful discussions about which artist she would most want to have her portrait painted by (Sargent), the kind of mother who always has time for her four children, and the kind of community leader who has a seat on the board of every major project to assist Washington' s impoverished citizens. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of her enthusiasms. I not only came to love the excitement of learning simply for the sake of knowing something new, but I also came to understand the idea of giving back to the community in exchange for a new sense of life, love, and spirit.