AGENTS for change: Humble ISD educator creates after-school program to inspire students to give back

HUMBLE, Texas – We’re celebrating our local educators with an inspiring after-school program out of Humble ISD. Dr. Andrea Barela started the after-school program Student Council AGENTS to give students the tools they need to improve and give back to their communities.

Barela’s colleagues Kathryn Henson and Sherry Grimes, both fifth grade teachers at Lakeshore Elementary in Humble ISD, are proud to work with Barela on the AGENTS program and are inspired by Barela’s idea and work ethic regularly.

“I think that the word that best describes Dr. Barela is learner. She is always learning more and she loves to share the new things that’s she’s learned with me,” said Henson. “It’s exciting to see how passionate she is about learning.”

Barela has a passion for teaching that is paralleled by her love of children. She forms strong connections with her students, something Grimes has observed in her eight years of working with her.

“So many kids come back to this campus just to visit with her,” said Grimes. “She knows who these kids are, and she’s made lifetime commitments to them as her extended family.”

Fueled by her commitment to foster the future, Barela traveled to India through a fellowship from Houston-based nonprofit Fund for Teachers. While there, she studied the teachings of Ghandi and how he strived to make the world a better place. Upon her return, she used what she learned to create Student Council AGENTS.

AGENTS stands for aware of issues, gain knowledge, empower others, navigate change, take action and speak out. Henson says the organization affected the community right away. Both students and teachers alike wanted to be a part of it.

“I really wanted to join this organization with her because I saw the impact that they have. They’ve done different fundraisers for hospitals. We collect toys for Christmas, and the coolest part is that it’s all directed by the kids based on what the kids are passionate about,” said Henson.

Through Fund for Teachers, Barela also traveled to Kenya where she studied under Wangari Maathai who founded the Greenbelt Movement, an organization focused on environmental conservation.

“She was able to see how planting trees in Africa had completely changed a community, and so when she came back after that trip she was able to start that up here at Lakeshore,” said Grimes.

AGENTS is currently paused due to COVID, but has plans to continue in the future. Henson is excited to see what the students will come up with under Barela’s guidance.

“I see the impact that she has had on kids years later, and I think that those teachers are important,” said Henson. “Kids remember them forever and it makes an impact on their lives.”