Commonwealth is important to any community. Commonwealth is the foundation for building new careers and enterprises in communities big and small. There are twelve commonwealth assets: education, health, sense of place, water cycle, arts and culture, wildlife and the natural world, soil and mineral cycle, foodshed, renewable energy, history, spirituality, and leisure and recreation. These all balance out for the good of the community.
One asset I have been up close with is education. Not only from being in school, but from teaching, tutoring, and working at Tulia Head Start this summer for the internship. Head Start is a preschool program, and helping organize the new school year has given me a great insight into the education program and how important it is to start educating children as young as possible.
While working at the city, I had the privilege to tour the water treatment system of Tulia. Water treatment helps to conserve the water in aquifers, such as the Ogallala, by making water safe for crops that will be fed to livestock. This year, we have seen a lot of the natural water cycle through rain. Heavy rains can replenish water sources and lower citizen use of water. This causes a drop in water use, further preserving the underground aquifers.
Preserving history has been extremely important to the community of Tulia. The county has been working tirelessly to organize the many records of Tulia, such as their court minutes, juvenile records, cattle brands, road work, prison records, laws and ordinances and almost anything you can think of that can be cataloged. Many of the books were falling apart and had to be individually placed and sealed into plastic sleeves to preserve them
