Margaret Campbell: Mapping success for every student

Margaret Campbell: Mapping success for every student

MAPS TELL stories of possibility. Not the kind printed on paper but the invisible routes we chart through life’s most challenging terrains. Some journeys are straightforward highways; others are winding, unpredictable paths that require a different kind of navigation....
Julie Miller: Stitching a community of care

Julie Miller: Stitching a community of care

AS YOU wait in the car rider lane for your student to emerge from one of Lincoln County’s schools, it’s hard to see. The double doors burst open, and students pour out, run-walking to their rides, whether it be the bus or a waiting vehicle. Some laugh with friends,...
Makayla Martin: Dreams Set Free

Makayla Martin: Dreams Set Free

ON THE beach of Playa Junquillal, Costa Rica, Makayla Martin gently releases baby sea turtles one by one onto the beach. The tiny creatures, no larger than the palm of her hand, instinctively scuttle toward the crashing waves. Each hatchling represents a fragile hope...
Charlie Sullivan: Piloting a Spirit of Empathy

Charlie Sullivan: Piloting a Spirit of Empathy

BILL SMITH broke the surface of Tims Ford Lake, his uncle, Bobby Smith, in one numb hand, and his 3-year-old son, Jess, clutched desperately in the other. The 48-degree water bit into their skin through their soaked layers of clothing, dragging them down despite their...
Tonita Thompson: From yard sales to a heartfelt mission

Tonita Thompson: From yard sales to a heartfelt mission

Open the door at 1622 Huntsville Highway and step over the threshold into Kaylee’s Korner. Vintage olive green stemware, opaque carnival glass, depression glass, teapots, coffee mugs, and snow-white hobnailed milk glass line the shelves. Hardbound books in muted grays...
Keith Syler & Becky Priest: A restoration of history

Keith Syler & Becky Priest: A restoration of history

The house was set way back from the road, old, run-down, and covered in weeds and poison ivy. Its roof had holes, the floor had deteriorated, and the basement was full of trash — but Keith Syler and Becky Priest saw something beautiful. For the past 2 1/2 years, they...