W
hat does it mean to be a community? The definition of community is “people with common interests living in a particular area.” But a community encompasses so much more than just people living in a general area. Communities play a significant role in people's lives, as they provide social connections, support systems, a sense of belonging, and opportunities for collaboration and shared experiences. Hamilton ISD’s third-grade teacher, Hamiltonian, Tiffani Logan, looked at Homecoming week as an opportunity to learn about communities. “With it being homecoming week, it was a perfect time to discuss how traditions have or haven’t changed through the years.” Her third-grade social studies focus was “How Communities Change.” The students read and discussed how their grade had changed moving into a new school year. New teachers, new students moving in, and new classmates different from previous years make for a different dynamic. Then the focus turned to the community that they live in. Tiffani expressed “The students were very interested in what changes have been made to our community due to natural disasters, changes to the school, courthouse, downtown, and local businesses. They also discussed how communities changed over time due to ideas, technology, and inventions.” There were several questions over when the courthouse was built. The students learned that the first courthouse of Hamilton County was built in only 8 short months and opened March 11, 1878. That building was destroyed by fire only 8 years later. The second courthouse was built in 1887. In 1932, the addition of wings and a bell tower made up the center of the building. The Hamilton Courthouse is the only one in
60 Our Hometowns | Volume 5 Issue 1
the state to have crenelated towers. In 2013 it was fully restored to its 1930s art deco form. Tiffani asked several different volunteers to speak to her students about the Hamilton community. They ranged from newer transplants, such as second-grade teacher, Brittanie Clevenger, Assistant Principal and Coach, OJ Kemp, and lifelong Hamiltonians such as Paula Faust, Harmony Thompson, and Heather Hansard, in addition to those that moved in over 35 years ago, like Elementary Special Education and Inclusion teacher, Nicki Lamb. Nikki enthralled the students telling them that her current home was one of the first homes with a telephone in Hamilton. The house was originally owned by a banker in town. His home and the bank were two of the first places in the community to have a telephone line installed. They particularly enjoyed it when Mrs. Lamb explained how copy machines used to work, that the ink was purple with an oddly satisfying smell! Coach OJ Kemp spoke about her experiences moving into Hamilton. She expressed to the students how she got involved with local committees to learn how to make Hamilton better. She conveyed to the kids how important it was to find ways to bring value to your community. Brittanie Clevenger said that Hamilton had changed in the short time she had been there. Brookshire Brothers grocery store had moved into its present location after another store closed, and they had built and opened up the Dollar Tree/Family Dollar. She expressed how history is kept
