Since its 2006 founding with funds connected to the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, the education nonprofit Window on a Wider World has been helping local children—especially those in rural school districts—visualize their potential beyond the classroom.
Last year, the organization served 69 schools across the top 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle, introducing nearly 13,000 students to wide-ranging arts, science and cultural experiences. Beyond the traditional field trip, these programs expose students to educational experiences at places as diverse as Amarillo Botanical Gardens, Don Harrington Discovery Center, Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the WT Enterprise Center.
Executive Director Mary Bralley took the reins of the organization nearly a year ago, and admits she was the type of student who would have benefitted from WOWW. “I was not a good student,” she says, laughing. “When I was in school, you learned by textbooks. I got lost in the words.” But an organization like WOWW takes those classroom concepts—like science or art—and adds three-dimensional context. “Now that you’ve learned abstract concepts in the classroom, let’s go out and see how it’s applied in real-life, concrete experiences,” Bralley explains.
That might look like a tour of the Globe-News Center with a focus on the math and science behind its acoustics. It might look like a language arts-focused writing program led by local authors, or in late October, a “Day of Ag” in Canyon, led by West Texas A&M University agriculture students. WOWW aligns that interdisciplinary focus with grade-level curriculum in order to give students alternative ways of learning.
And the program is growing.
“This fall, our teachers are going to have 10 more learning partners than what we used to have,” Bralley says, including Amarillo Police Department, Street Volkswagen, Texas Tech School of Pharmacy and Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. These partners will prioritize discussions about careers. “You have to start talking about careers in middle school,” she says. “That’s something that I think is really important.”
She also says local school districts have begun asking for a financial literacy focus and more content with a mental health component. That specifically has led to new WOWW programs using a Certified LEGO Therapist. “These will help students with resiliency, with changing, with how to deal with home and school life,” Bralley says.
She adds that WOWW needs community volunteers for a number of experiences, from judging its annual Youth Art Show to helping out with Globe-News Center tours. To get involved, visit woww.org.
