Archive for year: 2026
Women’s Life Roles: Sourdough
Author: Katelyn Wissinger| Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2025-26
When we first entered the kitchen, we saw a slew of unfamiliar baking supplies set before us. The excitement began to build as we realized this was to be a hands-on class time learning about an intimidating subject. SOURDOUGHS!
The ladies were introduced to the concept of sourdough bread, how to make it, and why it is a better nutritional choice in the first class Mrs. Wayne gave. Students took turns adding the necessary ingredients in a demonstration of the process. By the end of this first class our anticipation for tasting the delectable sourdough bread got to us all and we readily devoured a whole loaf!
In her second class, she explained how sourdough discards can be used to make other baked goods such as waffles and pancakes. We all intently listened as we discovered that making these items from the discard was even easier than making the bread! It just requires a bit of patience for the discard to leaven the batter. All of us took turns cooking the waffles and pancakes, patiently waiting for the warm, golden brown delights to be ready for us to enjoy.
Both classes were hands-on as the instructor demonstrated the recipes with the students’ help. All the students found these classes interesting and beneficial as they learned about sourdough, a concept many had previously been intimidated by.
Mr. Michael Keesee: A Look Into Project Management
Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education
These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.
Mr. Michael Keesee is a Project Manager serving in the IT department at the Charlotte headquarters office. In a recent forum to the Living Education-Charlotte students, Mr. Keesee shared some of his background in the project management field, as well as important principles that you can use in your own life.
The Profession of Making Things Happen
Put simply, project management is the process of overseeing and managing projects. Mr. Keesee described project management as the profession of making things happen. This is a basic principle that can reorient a professional tool into a method for approaching things in our own lives.
We use project management on some level every day. Whenever you make a to-do list, create a system for yourself, or take on a task, you’re managing a project. Sometimes the ideas you or I have can be broad, nebulous, and hard to apply to reality – the skills project managers bring to the table helps turn visions into fruition.
Why Make a Project?
There are plenty of instances where you might undertake a project. Whether you’re in school, a career, or being given a particular responsibility in some other area, at some point you’ll likely find yourself being given a major project to accomplish.
Some important first steps would be:
- Find out who the experts are in what you’re trying to do and get their input.
- Meet together.
- Determine constraints such as time, money, and manpower.
- Narrow the scope of the project as needed. What might contribute to or hinder your success?
- Anticipate potential roadblocks.
- Create a timeline for the completion of the project.
- Build your team.
It’s important to build strong bonds of cohesiveness within your team, and to delegate when possible. Being able to share ideas and work well with people is an important trait of an effective project manager.
Family Weekend Games
Mr. Keesee shared anecdotes from many years of helping to organize winter Family Weekend games. When organizing a Church activity, it’s important to ask:
- How can we facilitate building bonds of brotherhood in the Church?
- How can we include everybody?
By applying the steps from the previous point and applying them to these specific questions, it’s easier to keep the big picture in mind, especially with Church activities. An effective Church activity should foster bonds of brotherhood and honor God. Mr. Keesee stated that although he hadn’t expected to help out in this capacity, he has grown to enjoy coming up with ideas for these games, and his experience in project management has helped simplify the process of organizing them.
Lessons From Project Management
Mr. Keesee’s past experience in software development has helped him adapt to his role in IT at headquarters, and like him, we all have opportunities in life to take responsibility for different projects. A project manager is someone who takes a vision and is able to make it happen by using the tools at their disposal, and especially by working well with people. The application of these principles is not merely for working professionals, but can be applied to all areas of life.
T
David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.
Field Trip: Winter Kick-Off Weekend
Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education
The Spring semester is now in full swing, and this year’s Living Education-Charlotte students are hard at work with their studies. This semester began with a special kick-off weekend in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. After regrouping from winter break, the students, accompanied by director Jonathan McNair, his family, and other staff, traveled to a beautifully-situated rental home in the Smoky Mountains.
Lasting from Thursday to Sunday, the itinerary included a pleasant balance between fun activities and relaxation time. On Friday morning, the students enjoyed snow tubing for several hours before returning to the house just in time for a lively game of Bible Jeopardy. As we entered the Sabbath, we enjoyed a Sabbath brunch before Mr. Jonathan McNair led the students in a Bible Study. After sunset, the students were divided into two teams captained by the men’s and women’s RAs. Their objective: work together to create honey taffy. While messes were made, each team enjoyed the delicious fruits of their work, and as we headed for home on Sunday morning, the students were rejuvenated, enthusiastic, and ready to take on the remainder of this new semester.
David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.
Mr. Jonathan McNair: How to Use Powerpoint
Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education
These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.
In a recent forum to the Living Education-Charlotte students, Mr. Jonathan McNair shared key principles of using Powerpoint for effective presentations. These steps can lead to an elevated, more professional presentation that reflects a higher quality of design.
Death by Powerpoint
It’s easy for a good presentation to be sidetracked by too many details. The colors, graphics, images, and transitions you apply to your presentation can either add to or detract from your presentation. It’s important to keep basic design principles in mind, avoiding overly complex or visually overstimulating elements that distract the audience.
The Basics
Mr. McNair offered a few basic points for the students in their presentations:
1. Create your content first and think about your slides last.
2. Create a consistent look and feel
3. With text, less is more
4. Use photos that enhance meaning
When it comes to the more technical elements of Powerpoint, Mr. McNair reminded the students that it’s important to:
- Use effects and transitions sparingly
- Direct the audience’s attention in images
- Don’t use autoplay when embedding videos
- Use handy QR codes to share your slides for the audience to follow along as you go
- Reproduce simple charts and graphs
Powerpoint presentations can be powerful tools that can aid in your presentation, and chances are that we all will need to use it at some point in school, our careers, or other areas. Having a firm grasp of basic design principles and knowing how to create smooth, professional presentations is a step to being a more skilled communicator.
David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.