The Friday Finish - Hot Air Balloons, Gardens & Cooking - Walk Your Way - Promising Season - Reducing Stress - Shadowing
- Tim Crawford
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
January 9, 2026
Hot Air Balloons, Gardens and Cooking
When the clock struck midnight and we said goodbye to 2025, the world didn’t magically reset itself. The calendar flipped, the fireworks went off, and the ball dropped in Times Square—but real change doesn’t work like that. Change doesn’t show up all at once just because the date did. It comes from preparing, planning, setting goals, and being brave enough to try something new, even when it feels a little uncomfortable. That’s how we grow. At Red Bird Christian School, our students are stepping into 2026 with that mindset. We’re starting this new semester with a bang—fun activities, hands-on projects, and for some grades, brand new classes.
One group really leaning into this “new year, new opportunities” season is our 8th grade class. This semester, they’re diving into the world of STEAM and rotating between three very different, very practical classes: Civil Air Patrol, Agriculture, and a Cooking Class. They’re not just talking about change—they’re living it. In Civil Air Patrol, the 8th graders kicked off the year by learning about the art of flying, focusing on one big question: what makes a hot air balloon actually fly? Instead of just reading about it in a book, they rolled up their sleeves and got to test it out. Using garbage bags, paper clips, and hair dryers, the class designed and launched their own “hot air balloons.” There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of adjusting and starting over, and a whole lot of laughter in between. But that’s the good stuff—that’s where real learning happens.
At the same time, these students are also spending part of their first week back in
Agriculture class out in the fresh air, getting our school garden ready for spring. They went outside to really look at the space with new eyes. The class observed the garden, took photos, drew a diagram, and measured it out. Then they started dreaming together—talking about which plants they would like to grow when the weather warms up and even discussing what kind of crops they could cultivate for their Cooking Class. Fresh cucumbers to make pickles, "taters" to make French fries, the suggestions kept coming and the possibilities are endless.
Remember friends: growth doesn’t happen overnight. Hot air balloons don’t fly without planning, testing, and sometimes failing first. Gardens don’t bloom without measuring, digging, and planting ahead of time. And students don’t grow without opportunities to try, to mess up, to try again, and to see their ideas take shape. As 2026 begins, I want you to step into a new year with curiosity and courage. Change isn’t about a moment on a screen in Times Square—it’s about all the small choices we make every day to keep learning, keep building, and keep moving forward.
- Kayla Smith, Development Gifts & Media
Walk Your Way Challenge
Red Bird Mission and Clinic partnered with the Clay County Cooperative Extension Office to enroll Red Bird staff in the Walk Your Way Challenge this fall. The Challenge is a 12-week, self-paced physical activity program with the goal of engaging participants in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. Staff from Red Bird began logging their steps or hours of walking in October and received weekly tips and health education from the extension office.
Tracy Nolan, Red Bird Mission Community Outreach Director, coordinated the program linking Red Bird participants to the tips and education info weekly, but it was difficult for them to attend support meetings held in Manchester due to the distance from southern Clay County. Tracy said,
“I appreciate Brandy Napier, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent at the Clay County Extension Office, for reaching the entire county with her wellness programming.”
Red Bird participants' names that finished the challenge were entered into a drawing at the end of the challenge to win one of 2 pedometers provided by a donor. Two Red Bird Christian School teachers, Angela Crawford and Natasha Howard, were the lucky pedometer winners!
Natasha said,
“This program helped motivate me to be more active and get back into a healthy rhythm,“
while Angela added,
“I realized after doing the challenge that I get a lot of steps during the school day because I didn’t have as many steps during the weeks we didn’t have school for the full week.”
Tracy added her personal satisfaction as a participant saying,
“I was able to jump start healthier lifestyle choices during Thanksgiving and Christmas that have now followed me into 2026. My New Year goal for 2026 is to be more mindful about my health, and this program aided me in successfully having a walking regimen that will continue to improve my health. I was also able to enjoy the holidays a little more guilt free because I had started to walk regularly and make better choices.”
Preparing for a Promising Season
Even in the chilly depths of winter, the Red Bird Mission Grow Appalachia team, is hard at work prepping for an exciting 2026 season. Since partnering with Berea College in 2010, and thanks to generous funding to Berea College from John Paul DeJoria, founder of Paul Mitchell hair products, the program continues to thrive.
This year, Tracy Nolan, the Grow Appalachia Grant Coordinator, has tirelessly worked on the grant proposal to ensure they can support 55 members once more. Excitingly, from January 2nd, applications have been coming in steadily, with many new faces eager to join.
Team members Kelton Adams and Nathaniel “Pino” Brock are also gearing up for the year. They have been busy ordering supplies, preparing equipment, and reaching out to both potentially new and old members.
In addition, the Red Bird Christian School STEAM Agricultural class is offering invaluable assistance by helping plan the Mission’s Grow Appalachia Gardens. This collaboration is modeled after the Grow Appalachia program itself, making it a perfect fit.
As things move forward, it's an exciting time for all involved, promising another fruitful year ahead for the Grow Appalachia program.
- Kelton Adams, Director of Economic Opportunities
Reducing Stress over Tax Filing
As the New Year begins, Red Bird Mission is getting ready to walk alongside our neighbors in a very practical way—by helping take some of the stress out of tax season. This year, Community Aid Coordinator Judy Napier is completing certification through the AARP Tax-Aide program so she can join Community Outreach staff and volunteer members Tracy Nolan and Lois Smith in offering free tax preparation to our community.
This service is especially important right now because there are several new deductions this year that families and seniors may not know about. Having trained, trusted, local faces to walk through the paperwork with you can make a real difference. With Judy, Lois, and Tracy working together, Red Bird Mission will be able to help more households file accurately, claim the credits they qualify for, and hopefully breathe a little easier when it comes to their finances.
Shadowing for Better Health
Tammy Adams, Red Bird Mission Elderly Ministries Coordinator, was shadowing Candace Collins, Community Outreach Women and Children’s Coordinator, this week as part of training to become a ELEVATE Community Health Worker (CHW). In addition to classroom training, ELEVATE CHW’s must complete 40 hours of shadowing a Certified CHW as part of a year-long apprenticeship.
Certification for ELEVATE (Educate, Lead, Empower, Value, Access, Train and Equity) CHW’s is a special program of the University of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Rural Health that enables trained workers like Tammy to connect and access services, equipment or medicines that community members dealing with chronic disease management need.
Comments