Book club allows students to flip the script

IRENE DOMINGUEZ campus editor irene.dominguez370@my.tccd.edu

Mystery, true crime, drama and great conversation are what’s to be expected as a member of the Beyond Words book club.

Beyond Words was started during the pandemic as a way to keep students connected and engaged.

Upward Bound is a federally funded TRiO program that offers year-round support for students while still in high school and prepares them for entrance into college.

Mandy Hernandez is the Everman High School coordinator for Upward Bound.

“Our goal is to motivate and encourage the students to become more interested in reading,” Hernandez said. “To show students how reading can be engaging, impactful and fun. To promote healthy and powerful dialogue through different themed novels and to increase student vocabulary, reading skills and literacy.”

South student Deyanira Mendoza is on campus for the book club or the Upward Bound podcast every week. Beyond Words has caused her to get back into reading.

“On my free time I tend to read,” Mendoza said. “I don’t find it just as a hobby but something I’m passionate about. When you’re stressed, reading can help you focus on something else besides your issues.”

Beyond Words has given the students a way to relate to each other and the world around them.

Camila Valdez, a sophomore at Everman and South Campus student, enjoys books with familiar characters.

“The House On Mango Street shows a lot of Hispanic culture and we can relate to that,” Valdez said.

Meeting

She talked about “If These Wings Could Fly” by Kyrie McCauley, which is a novel about sisters stuck in a tough situation.

“In the book there are three sisters,” she said. “It’s like me and my sisters. The middle child, I could relate to her because I’m a middle child as well. We don’t get as much attention from our parents as our other siblings.”

The book club also gives the students a stage to speak freely amongst each other.

“When we have our discussions about the chapters, I get to hear the different perspectives from the different schools,” Mendoza said. “So you think about a new aspect, as to how they viewed the book and the chapters.”

Valdez said that she sees the book discussions as a safe space.

“Sometimes I’m scared to say something, or to share my own opinions,” she said. “I’m scared they’re going to judge me or ignore me, but in book club we’re all there for the same purpose.”

Since the book club has students from two other high schools, the participants have the opportunity to connect with a broad range of people.

Mendoza said she likes hearing other people’s opinions on certain topics.

“Sometimes when we have our discussions about the books and we take turns saying our opinions, someone else says something I was about to say,” she said. “It kind of makes me think that they have the same mindset as me.”

Mendoza is clear that there are no raised voices during discussions.

“We don’t get mad at every little thing if we don’t agree with the other person,” she said. “It helps us to be mature and considerate of others’ opinions.”

The Beyond Words members are having fun and want more students to join in their

(continued from page 1) just pick one person without interviewing or considering other options. Please take a minute, review the law and I think that you need to redo the process and start interviewing some additional candidates.”

Denise Linn, a Tarrant County resident, said she wondered about the timing and openness of the meeting where the decision for the finalist took place.

“There might be nothing wrong with the chancellor that you chose,” Linn said. “She might be a great person for the job, but the way that you did it makes us wonder.”

LeBlanc’s appointment as the finalist for the chancellor position was voted on in a special meeting on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The process regarding the chancellor’s appointment is currently in the statutorily required 21-day period where a contract is being

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(continued from page 1) drawn up to be presented not only to the board but to LeBlanc for discussion and possible approval.

All the items on the Nov. 17 agenda were passed except for an item regarding the move management services required for the construction on NW and SE, which was delayed to the Dec. 8 meeting.

Also during the meeting, some board members honored several members of the TCC community, past and present. One of them was a painter and former student, Fred Garza, who donated a piece of art to the chancellor’s office.

“Mr. Garza doesn’t know this about me, but I’m the daughter of an art and art history teacher,” said board secretary Jeannie Deakyne in introducing Garza. “So this has profoundly impacted my life, what I’m about to share.” book club and Upward Bound.

Camila said her sister has been a big influence for her.

“My sister got me into Upward Bound,” she said. “She just kept promoting it to me. It sounded fun.”

Her sister Viridiana Valdez joined Upward Bound right before high school. She is a senior now and already taking several classes at South Campus.

“Personally I feel like Upward Bound is like a second family,” she said. “I’ve created

The oil painting he donated, titled “Koi Pond at the Dallas Arboretum,” he said took about four months to complete. Garza said this “labor of love” was possible because of the instruction he received at TCC.

“The reason that I’m able to paint that way is because of the wonderful instruction that TCC gave me,” he said.

Garza attended art classes on SE Campus, and he said the quality of instruction speaks to his skill now. He said the teachers he had were exemplary and helped him and other students like him reach their potential, and now he is giving back with this donation.

“But I truly want for you to go ahead and have the opportunity to share it with all those that come into your office, and you can say, ‘Look what we did,’” he said. “Because it’s not only me that’s represented in that paint- relationships with the staff, and they have helped me throughout the years. I feel like I can rely on them for anything,” Viridiana said.

Viridiana Valdez wants other students to know the book club is a good way to try new things.

“I would say that it is a great opportunity to not only grow and learn but to have new experiences,” Viridiana Valdez said. “Beyond Words allows you to collaborate with new people and hear different perspectives.” ing. It’s each one of you, and each one of your decisions whether it’s financial or whether it’s based on faculty.”

Also honored were current NE students Tomy Huynh and Cristian Aponte, representing Phi Theta Kappa organization, and Avery Jones, a former student of NE’s GrapevineColleyville Collegiate Academy NE who now teaches algebra .

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for the amazing opportunity that you provided for me, and many of my friends and now my current students,” Jones said. “It provided a lot of support because I was not sure if I would be able to afford college even though it was something that I always knew that I wanted to do.”

“We’re at the end of our semester so our stress is already heightened, and it just feels like our fight has been beaten out of us,” the student said.

For him, Compass had an effect on not only his grades but also his stress levels as a whole throughout the semester.

“When we throw in Compass into our situation, and it is a 15-20 hour distraction from our exams, it really damages our grades,” he said. “Had I not had that, I feel I would not be in the situation that I’m in which is complete and utter crisis mode because I’m failing.”

He said that had the school remained fair and given this cohort the same points as the previous ones, not only would he be passing but he would be in the realm of an A.

The students’ only solace throughout this has been hearing the news that Compass will not be required for future cohorts, which while beneficial for the next group of students does nothing more for these students than to once again make them feel singled out.

“It’s just unequal treatment,” said one student. “We didn’t go into healthcare because we’re heartless, we just want to be treated with the same dignity and respect they want us to treat our patients with.” once you’re a student, you’re always a student. You can always come back on campus. You can always enjoy these things. It’s an open campus, so nobody’s really stopping you. I think it’s totally worth it.”

Construction on SE Campus started in June of this year and is projected to be completely finished in Fall 2025. The project involves two full new buildings as well as the renovations of the main building.

SE student DaShaun Ellis has felt as if the construction is taking forever and said he’s excited for it to be finished.

“It’s just annoying seeing the entire front of TCC blocked off with no progress and multiple cranes in the back with very little progress but I don’t blame the workers,” Ellis said. “They’re doing their job and they’re doing it well. They’re just doing it as fast as any other construction job in Texas.”

All the construction is being completed so that we create a great engaging and learning experience for our students.

Frank Powell

SE assistant to the president

SE assistant to the president Frank Powell said that these renovations are all geared to the betterment of the student’s campus life.

“The purpose of the construction includes: to create a better student onboarding experience, to increase the number of classrooms, from 42 to 84, showcase our Culinary Arts, Dietetics & Hospitality Management programs, to