Course Part of Historical Development Center’s Growth
By GARY STALLARD
AC News Service
Nigton is a tiny, unincorporated area sitting just outside Apple Springs, with fewer than 100 residents listed. The area itself lies off the beaten path of FM 2262, so it certainly qualifies as “rural.”
The residents there take great pride in their community, and a little more than a year ago, they banded together behind Elonda Lee’s idea to erect the Nigton Historical Development Center – a central location providing activities and events for the local populace. The center provided everything from after-school care to homecoming celebrations for former residents. Dr. LaToya Hernandez, executive director of the facility, said it all came about through “grant writing and selling turkey legs on the corner.”
In a partnership with Angelina College, one of the new activities now includes a phlebotomy course in which students can earn their certifications in a high-demand field.
Kim Meshell, Health Careers Training Specialist Manager at AC, said the idea for holding classes at the center originated from a conversation with Hernandez, who served as a driving force behind the facility’s growth.
“Dr. Hernandez approached me and said she was thinking of ways to bring their community together, to help put them on the map,” Meshell said. “I figured it would help Angelina College as well. They’re going to hold actual Phlebotomy classes right here in this Development Center.
“When she approached me, I ran with it. I set it up, and we got the students together. I have an instructor (Chris Dickens) who’s going to teach the class here two nights per week.”
Hernandez, a resident of the area with a long history working in education, said it took a measure of collaboration to see the project come to fruition.
“Of course, this is a group effort,” Hernandez said. “We started this as a project to bring resources to this rural area. We have people who don’t have the transportation or access to resources in Lufkin. So why not bring it here? Make it feasible for residents to attend and have the opportunity to earn a degree or certificate? Maybe build their boat to a degree in health care?
“The medical field is booming, and this helps bring something to [residents] related to that field.”
Hernandez said earlier partnerships with Angelina College helped foster the idea of even more potential for growth.
“We actually started with Cindy Neal at AC with the GED program,” Hernandez said. “So this is our first certification program, and we’re just kind of piggy-backing off the success of the GED initiative. We’re making great things happen here in Nigton.”
“I served on the board with LaToya on the Adult Learning Center, and that’s how we met,” Meshell added. “We started talking about what we could do. I asked her what we could offer, and she knew my role at AC. She started by looking into what we could offer this entire community.”
“We’ve been working on this since fall of last year.”
As always, one good idea leads to another. Hernandez said the community already is looking to expand its opportunities to educate and qualify those men and women looking to build their futures through Angelina College.
“Right now, Apple Springs has a four-day school week, so we offer after-school programs,” Hernandez said. “We would like to see more opportunities such as the truck driver program (AC’s Commercial Driver’s License program), forklift operator certifications, etc. We have these kids coming up, and when we ask them what they want to do when they grow up, they have no idea. We want them to see the different career fields available to them. We have career professionals come in to meet with them, and we’d like to see more vocational – hands-on – programs available.
“I was a Lufkin ISD Special Services Counselor for many years, and from that experience, I know that not everyone is set up for a typical academic approach to college,” Hernandez said. “We have people with hands-on skills, and they’re ready to work. We partner with the Texas Workforce Commission, as well as others.”
Charles Mark, president of the Nigton Historical Development Center, said the recent partnerships have been a pleasant surprise.
“We didn’t think at first it would grow to be this big,” Mark said. “We just wanted the center for the community, to have something for the kids to gather and have fun.
“We didn’t count on all this going on now, but we’re sure glad it’s happening.”
Gary Stallard’s email address is gstallard@angelina.edu.
Photo caption:
Angelina College president Dr. Michael Simon (far right), AC Health Careers Training Specialist Manager Kim Meshell (far left) and AC Director of Adult Education and Literacy Cindy Neal (center) pose with students and staff at the Nigton Historical Development Center. AC has begun offering Phlebotomy certification courses at the center as part of a community initiative to provide more educational resources to Nigton residents. (Gary Stallard photo for AC News Service)