Through the “Explore Your Community” exercise, I got the opportunity to discover some assets in my community that I had never known about before. While I have lived in or around Nazareth for most of my life, I have never paid any attention to the foundation and commonwealth.
The first key asset is education and this one seems pretty obvious to be related to the school. We have one school building for pre-k through 12th grade.
The next is heath, and while our rural community does not have a hospital or nursing home, we do have local farmers that grow crops without chemicals, and we have a fitness class called P31 for people searching for a healthy body.
Another one is leisure and recreation. Nazareth hosts many events throughout the year including German Fest, Labor Day, and Faith Fest. We also have a newly built Yellow Rose Inn for visitors who need a resting place for the night.
For spirituality, we have many organizations within our church that connect the community. Holy Family Parish has daily mass and weekly catechism class. The youth group also gathers monthly.
For people interested in history, our small town has quite a bit. We have a museum with many stories and memorabilia from the past, but the community is also home to 3 historical markers at the church, the Home Mercantile Building, and the cemetery.
I think the sense of place is something special in this community. The school is well known for its dedication to educations as several students compete at the state UIL academics competition each year. The town is also known for sports, as the girls’ basketball program holds the national record number of state championships. The citizens are all closely knit through committees and organizations that work together to put on all of the events in Nazareth.
Arts and Culture can be found in our Home Mercantile building through the various exhibits that it holds throughout the years.
The water cycle in our community is regulated by local playa lakes as water from the Ogallala Aquifer is used.
Wildlife and the Natural World is exhibited in the Nazareth Park with many plants, trees, and flowers. We also have many dairies and feed yards in our area, and other citizens raise cattle.
As for the Soil and Mineral Cycle, our small town doesn’t have much, however we do have a business that is ran by a local family that sells organic soil products.
For foodshed, we have a local garden that is taken care of to be used in our local food pantry. Each month, the food is donated to those in need.
The last is Renewable Energy. Our school currently used two wind turbines that make use of wind energy. Several other turbines have been build north of our community. We also have two stop signs at our main intersection that use solar energy to display flashing red lights.
