The ECHO, Volume 92, Number 11, December 2020 - January 2021 Page: COVER SHEET
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published Since 1928
VOL. 92, NO. 11, DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021
Distributed Free to those whthin TDCJ
Windham teacher receives highest honor during pandemic
with
k.
and
at
RILEY continued on pg. 6>
Wenoca Stewart forecasts
■
William Hill—ECHO Staff
it
■
0
I
■
Message of encouragement
Holiday Blues
(
TDCJ closes
three more
facilities as
2020 ends
■
classes
students
element, is the management
of supply chains for a business
or organization.
new future in logistics
Iff Coi i fgf
STEWART
continued on pg. 6 >
I
n
j
Tdid it!” Wenoca Stewart
^enthusiastically procla irns
d uring a recent phone interview
with The ECHO. “No one did it
for me, I did it and I am very
proud of myself,” she says,
explaining how she continued
and used training in logistics
to land employment soon after
her 2020 release from the
Texas Department of Criminal
Justice (TDCJ).
Stewart had attained a GED
from Windham School District
(WSD) during a previous stint
in TDCJ and had vowed that
she was never coming back to
prison again. However, circum-
stances resulted in being sent
to Plane State Jail where she
once again sought to further
her education. She completed
a Construction Fundamentals
course offered by WSD and
received OSH A certification.
Stewart is a member of the
first graduating class of Lee
College’s new Logistics class
r |1 he Tex. xs Derartment of
1 Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
is permanently closing one of
its prison sites and shuttering
two more at least temporarily.
The Scott Unit in Brazoria
County closed Dec. 15, and
the Gurney Unit in Palestine
and the Neal Unit in Amarillo
are being emptied and tem-
porarily closed by the end of
2020. Residents and staff at
these units are being trans-
ferred to other TDCJ facilities.
TDCJ closed three units in
September, including Garza
East in Beeville and Jester I
in Sugar Land. The Bradshaw
State Jail in Henderson was
temporarily idled. The current
TDCJ resident population is
122,000, a reduction from
previous years and called
“the lowest prison population
for TDCJ since 1995,” in the
Texas Tiibune (Dec. 1,2020).
All of the shuttered TDCJ
units housed men. ★
■
His
offer
the opportunity
to earn indus-
try-recognized
certifications,
the
Center
Construc-
Education
Research
and
I
MW
Wenoca Stewart
=
A X
A large Texas colony of approximately 750,000 Mexican free-tail bats in Huntsville
has more housing options, thanks to the hands-on work of Windham School District
students. These Finished Carpentry students at the Lewis Uni: are binding two more
houses to provide roosts for the bats, which tend to live in large numbers. The bats can
be seen flying out at dusk to consume tons of mosquitoes, moths and other insects, and
then returning at dawn to roost near the Huntsville "Walls" Unit
NE of the most
touching moments of
my career was when
a former
TDCJ’s Volunteer Services:
FYo you find yourself frustrated? Are you currently
L-/looking for guidance? Do you find yourself asking if
there is a better way? Or what we — or you — can do to
help? During these unprecedented times we understand
that there are a lot of uncertainties. Life as we currently
know it is far from normal.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Volun-
teer Services team is here 70 help. We are actively doing our
part, reaching out to different communities, organizations,
churches, and sponsors to coordinate support. We have spread
the word and are pleased to hear so many people excited to
assist us during this time. Their positive attitudes, new interest
in volunteering, and creative ideas are nothing short of great
news—and all coming your way.
With COVID-19 restrictions currently in place, we have
strongly encouraged volunteers to incorporate new corre-
spondence programs and revamp current ones, hoping to
refresh and enlighten you. We plan to expand these programs
across the agency. This should help us share a newfound sense
of normalcy, while continuing to see growth as one big com-
munity of volunteers.
Individually, remember to stay positive, encouraged and
hopeful. Keeping a strong mindset is vital during this time,
and we are excited to share this message with you. We are
stronger together!
Editor's Note: In a recent issue of the Rehabilitation Programs Division Volun-
teer Services Newsletter, TDCJ Volunteer Services reports Certified Volunteer Chaplains'
Assistants have continued to support TDCJ staff and residents during the pandemic.
They fill in during the absence of a chaplain, make official phone calls to loved ones
that ease the mind of the residents and their families during facility lockdowns, and
help with other official duties.
The article said volunteers and organizations continue to support residents of
TDCJ throughout the pandemic using outside ministries and efforts. Those mentioned
include Jubilee, KAIROS, Universal Beyond Bars, Kolbe Ministries, Gateway Prison
Ministry, New Heart Living, Voices of the Streets Ministry, Rescued Not Arrested Min-
istry, Volunteer Organizations ^seventeen Ministries, CrossWalk, and others. Watch
for more details of Volunteer Service efforts in future issues of The ECHO. ★
John Walter Flagg — ECHO Staff
“O
a former student’s
parents called me. Their son had just
made parole and gotten a job in the
construction trade —and was doing
well. The changes in their son made
a huge difference in their lives,” says
Windham School District (WSD)
teacher Jerry Riley7. “That simple
phone call made such a difference
in my own life —it brought deeper
meaning into what I am doing here as
a teacher at Windham.”
Riley is the recipient of the 2020
Lane Murray Excellence in Teaching
(LMET) award —a point of profes-
sional achievement for Windham
School District (WSD) educators. The
honor was bestowed upon Jerry Riley
of the Neal Unit in Amarillo earlier this
year—even as the district rolled its pro-
Eat <|
t I
I I
Houses
J
at the Plane State Jail in
Dayton, offered in partnership
with TDCJ. Stewart earned
two employment-boosting
certificates in the course:
Logistics and Supply Chain
Management and Logistics
and Operations Management.
Since her release from prison,
she parlayed the training
she received to find employ-
ment with a company called
Instagram Logistics In her
current job, Stewart is part of
a logistical team ensuring that
products shipped from var-
ious companies arrive at their
intended destinations around
the country and around the
globe. The skills she learned
in prison have enabled her to
step in and become a produc-
tive member of the company.
To many people, the terms
logistics and logistician are
familiar, yet the meaning
of them may be unclear.
Logistics, in its most basic
—J
p=
r JIIIB
Holiday Blues
except forthose instances when of the front or ' X
weren't. For a Ions time 'while I nroferreriS R,d-thin MnM If t
evervone else was celebrating Its were' JfoJien X>n -PI . '
simplv endured them. ' ct*
The week before Thanksgiving 2rla3 if ftarf hid ever dimmed
1074 im parents receixeda phone on Iris bral es or he-rrn fnrhd
call from MeMaw, mv maternal Ju J], X ljr wi|j
grandmother, telling'them that would hw JWntnnX ,nPd into
they needed to get to Dallas as 6(1 i1llniM‘ lipPuiP
soon as possible. Pawpaw had It swmed like in no time at all
been admitted to Parkland Memo- UP VPrP ,i the Imsn tal Wil’
rial Hospital several weeks prior |„Jd t ’ n ' T a -1 f
and now the doctors were telling ' u ! I d i' to t e
they could do for him; they did tbe,e Kls sid. . Polllrt'.t fi„llrp
:;x “:a"d res
^SaT^XX^ XXlSXX
rrndhinlnthplwpitl^ncAtn WaS ROt a11GWed t0 !nside
’ i FT
Letters to the Editor...............Pg,2
WnrLinn In Drier™ Da 7
a .. ...............
Crime Stoppers.................... Pg 10
.................................Pg-10
Puzzles..................................Pg.ll
SPorts...................................Pg.12
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t-......-............/ / \...........................
I--------------7 < y--------------------------------
■“ -iig
lr |
.Bi
3 ^i
'< 'i't . 'Uv?:
D • J-x
SljCw
BIIL __
including
National
for
tion
and
(NCCER)
Occupational,
Safety, Health
and Adminis-
tration (OSHA).
NCCER cer-
tification is a
nationally-recog-
nizedcertification
that has a registry database. Once a
student has completed the career and
Technical education trade, they can go
to any NCCER employer and present
Their registered number, which com-
municates their training and skill
level to the employer.
This prerequisite comes
construction fundamentals.
“I am really proud of the CTE cur-
riculum that Windham is offering. It is
recognized nationwide,” relates Riley.
“When the students get out of prison
they will have a construction funda-
mentals certificate, NCCER credentials
and an OSHA card—valuable tools that
will enable them to get a job.”
For Riley, construction was his
passion from very early on. Raised in
a construction-oriented family, Riley
grew up learning how to frame and
remodel homes, and also building
custom homes from start to finish.
“By the eighth grade I was
already working on a construction
crew, and I am grateful for that
early exposure to the industry.
It has complemented my teaching
ability, because I have so much more to
bring to the classroom,” he says.
gra mining into
a positive pan-
demic response
with distance
learning.
“This
greatest
of my
and I
MUI
f. /
I .:.
is the
award
career
am very
appreciative. It is
Truly an honor,”
lie says.
Riley’s
personal
professional
integrity makes
aim a role model
for students
and peers
Windham.
For the past 28 years, Riley has
Taught courses for Windham’s
Career and Technical Education
(CTE) programming. He has taught
Building Trades 11 and Construction
Carpentry Level 1 since 1998.
IllffiU
t
I
1.7
.. .1 ■
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Texas. Department of Criminal Justice. The ECHO, Volume 92, Number 11, December 2020 - January 2021, newspaper, 2020-12/2021-01; Huntsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1364359/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.