Right at HOME e-Magazine

By Amy Morgan

No one could have anticipated the unprecedented conclusion of the 2020 school year, but Ronald Reagan High School rising senior Halle Burton has faced circumstances with her trademark optimism and good humor.

“Quarantine may have been unexpected, but it’s taught me to keep a positive mindset and be grateful for all the blessings in my life. It has given me time to plan for the future and create new goals for myself!”

Characteristic of her upbeat personality, Halle started a blog in the eighth grade promoting volunteerism. Titled, “Do Something Positive,” Halle features encouraging acts to inspire peers.

Like those she highlights, Halle enjoys the opportunity to give back to others. She’ll begin her third year as a Student Council officer in the fall — taking the helm as president. Part of her responsibilities involve fundraising to provide support for the students at Reagan’s sister school, Camelot Elementary.

“We raised almost $1500 last year to bring socks, hoodies and beanies,” Halle said. “It is one of my favorite projects!”

Halle Burton will perform as Reagan’s featured twirler for the fourth consecutive year. As part of the color guard, she accompanied Reagan’s band when they marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last fall.

Halle will perform as Reagan’s featured twirler for the fourth consecutive year. As part of the color guard, she accompanied Reagan’s band when they marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last fall. She was also one of the 150 students on the trip selected to perform on NBC’s “Today Show.”

Halle started twirling when she was six years old and began competing two years later. Last year she won nationals in her age category representing the competitive state of Texas. Halle loves to perform, but she also enjoys traveling to competitions and connecting with friends from across the country. Sadly, her national competition was canceled this summer. One of her goals is to continue to compete and twirl in college.

Typical for Halle, she has applied experiences learned through twirling to other areas of life. She created an Instagram account that promotes positivity through twirling that has grown to reach 5250 followers. A recent video featured the theme of getting up after you fall down, she said, which she hopes will motivate younger performers to persevere.

She also gleaned from her competition experience to develop her submission for Reagan’s DECA club competition. DECA is a national organization that “prepares emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe,” according to the organization.

Halle’s 20-page business solutions paper describing technology integration into the sport of baton twirling qualified for state completion and earned her a place at nationals in Nashville. Unfortunately, that competition was another casualty of the COVID-19 outbreak. But her practical suggestions to develop an app to streamline online registrations for twirling competitions may have long lasting impact.

Halle’s brother DJ, a 2018 Reagan graduate, also participated in DECA. Halle’s younger sister, Addie, is involved in choir at Lopez Middle School.

By Amy Morgan

June 2020 felt like a new beginning for many of us in Stone Oak, with restaurants and businesses reopening and a return to a version of normality. For Joanne and James Smith, the month heralded a new beginning as it marked her retirement from a career in higher education that spanned four decades. Joanne spent the last 28 ½ years in student services administration at Texas State University, serving in several positions that culminated as Vice President of Student Affairs.

Joanne described her responsibilities as encompassing everything outside of the classroom — 11 departments such as campus recreation, police, career services, student health, counseling, and diversity. She created the office of retention management and planning, as her primary focus was to retain students and make sure they successfully graduated, she said. She increased the retention rate at Texas State from barely 60 to a highly regarded 78 percent during her tenure. James and Joanne Smith met 36 years ago as students at Kansas State University. Joanne was pursuing her doctoral degree in Student Affairs Administration and Joanne developed the Paws Alert Program to help faculty and staff identify at-risk students and created a Bobcat Preview week that James was completing a dual undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting, after retiring from the U.S. Army, where he served eight years as a military pay combined just-in-time orientation with college resources and spirit supervisor and twelve years as an auditor. building activities. Her motto at Texas State was “Big but Small,” which describes the school’s goal to create a sense of community among the 6,000 freshmen students, while also showcasing the university’s growing population and influence.

“We wanted to make sure students knew we cared about them and wanted them to succeed,” she said. Joanne and James devoted much emotional capital to the Texas State students – considering them their children.

“We were the last stop before the ‘big adulthood,’” Joanne said. “It was awesome to see their transformation.”

In 2005, James retired from his second career as a national bank examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and became a pillar of support for Joanne while her professional star rose.

James and Joanne met 36 years ago as students at Kansas State University. Joanne was pursuing her doctoral degree in Student Affairs Administration and James was completing a dual undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting, after retiring from the U.S. Army, where he served eight years as a military pay supervisor and twelve years as an auditor.

The two met when Joanne sought James’ help with a finance project. The Smiths participated in counterpart service organizations — Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., with which they continue to serve as alumni. The March of Dimes has been the primary beneficiary of their philanthropic efforts.

The Smiths look forward to rejoining the San Antonio Chorale Society, with which they sang from 1993-2007. They also sing in Trinity United Methodist Church’s choir. They look forward to adding their alto and baritone voices to the chorus at Independence Village’s sing alongs, which they hope will soon be resumed. They moved to their home there two years ago and are delighted with the freedom from maintenance the community affords.

Since Joanne’s retirement, the first activity in which the couple participated was a hotdog lunch in early June. Staff members on golf carts personally delivered the picnic to each resident’s home. Many set up lawn chairs on their driveways to share a social time with friends and neighbors over lunch.

By Courtney Crowley

Although it may have seemed that we’ve been stuck in an endless rerun of Groundhog Day during the COVID-19 shutdown, many have used the time at home to bond with their furry family members or even add a new one to their pack. Pictures of #quarantine puppies have been flooding people’s social media posts. But is the change in your routine also stressing your pup?

Just like with the people in your pack, make sure you take occasional breaks from spending 24/7 with your furry family member. As your schedule continues to evolve, so will his. Eventually, you’ll return to being away from your home, and you want to help Fido make that transition without suffering from separation anxiety. This is especially important if you have added a new puppy to your household. While he’s been fun to hold and cuddle, make a point to teach him to kennel train throughout the day so he’s not shocked when you get back to normal activities.

While you have time to devote to your pup, why not teach him something new? Canine enrichment is a great way to give your dog a constructive outlet. You can find dog puzzles online, get creative with a towel or hide his food around your house. Not only does training your pup instill discipline, it builds skills, stimulates him mentally and burns off extra energy. Winning ideas all around!

Outdoor activities are another option to add fun and offer a change of scenery. Take Fido for a run, hike, bike ride or swim. Exercise is important for the health and wellbeing of all your family members – furry or otherwise.

At first we all enjoyed seeing everyone’s pets photo bomb our Zoom meetings, but the appearance (or sound) of your distracting pup may have grown stale. Doggy daycare is open and can help your pup work out his wiggles while you take care of business. Companies have been careful to use safe practices like social distancing and curbside pickup and drop off. You can catch a glimpse of your precious pooch playing via “nanny cams” and complete your work without interruptions.

As the dog days of summer approach, continue to use this time to bond with your pup, but also plan for the day when your world expands beyond the four walls of your home. You’ll want Fido to remain happy and healthy when you are no longer available to be his perpetual playmate.

JustPots is our cover featured business in the July 2020 issue of the Right at HOME video e-magazine. JustPots, located just south of Loop 1604 on Redland Road, has more than 13,000 pots in their inventory, which is one of the largest displays in the country.

John and Gina Bellinger, owners of JustPots, have always loved pottery! From the brightness and shapes, to quality and workmanship, pottery has filled their home and their outdoor spaces with cheer. A few years ago, they were on the search for another perfect pottery piece. They were walking through the rows and rows of pottery and could not find the right one. They realized there had to be a better way to find the one...the perfect pot. The Bellinger's dream started simple, to provide a place where people could buy nice, quality pottery at reasonable prices. With that vision, JustPots was born. Now, with quality and customer service in mind, they import containers of beautiful, vivid pottery to their location in San Antonio to be delivered to you.

To help them with their vision for JustPots, John and Gina asked Mandy-Jo Laurent to serve as our Director of Sales and Operations. Her entreprenurial spirit and go-getter attitude was the perfect answer for putting into action their plans for JustPots. The Bellinger's desire is to serve you with the same love and excitement that started their search for pottery years ago.