In addition to its focus on education, KLRN also goes “beyond the television”
and into the community with a variety of special events, including screenings, workshops, and town hall meetings. These efforts, conducted in collaboration with local agencies and organizations, reflect KLRN's unmatched ability to convene community members and raise public awareness.
Current Projects
Pet Tales
Pet Tales is a project to bring families together in ways that build learning and understanding. Beginning in January 2010, KLRN will air a Pet Tales "program-of-the-month" (each with a responsible pet ownership theme and chosen from our programming library) that will interest and engage families with young children. Programs will air the final Friday of each month at 1:00 PM and will be introduced with a special, locally-produced segment. The accompanying website contains suggested family discussion questions, family activities, and related books for each program.
For a schedule of Pet Tales episodes,click here.
For more information, contact Lisa McGrath at 210.270.9000, ext. 2254
South Texas SciGirls
KLRN is bringing SciGirls to the girls of South Central Texas through this online website. Girls can register to be a South Texas SciGirl, and share ideas, do fun experiments, and get together for special activities with other girls who also love science. South Texas SciGirls is made possible through the generous support of the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation. Look for the launch of the SciGirls website later in February. For more information, contact Lisa McGrath at 210.270.9000, ext. 2254.
Highlights
Celebrating Under The Stars
On Saturday, September 19, KLRN and the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park held a night “under the stars” at Mission San José. The outdoor event featured booths, music, and a special preview screening of the Ken Burns upcoming documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Families were greeted by the music of the Mariachi Monterrey band and were treated to a special performance by the Ballet Folklorico de San Antonio. With picnic baskets and blankets, families enjoyed the sneak peek of the film in one of San Antonio’s most beautiful historic settings. Kids received live trees to plant, and adults were given re-useable bags. Special thanks to Park Rangers Al Remley and Susan Snow for their help in making this event possible. Be sure to watch the film when it premieres on KLRN this Sunday night at 8 pm! Click here to learn more about the documentary and all of the local efforts surrounding
the launch.
Back to School Bash!
Families zoomed into the San Antonio Children’s Museum on Saturday attending the Passport Back to School event. Over 1,100 people entered the doors and ventured to the Tooth Booth, the kid-powered elevator, and the H-E-B Kids’ Market, making new friends and having fun along the way! As children were engaged in play, they were learning! Any time is learning time and what a perfect location for children and their families to play together. It was amazing to see children pushing along their shopping baskets choosing their purchases and it was just as fun watching the parents observing and engaged too. Children stood in the middle of a large bubble in the Bubble exhibit, they dug for treasures and manned a front end loader. A special treat was the Fetch lab where they made catapults and released cotton balls; Ruff Ruffman made special appearances too.
Community partners shared important program information with parents and caregivers; they learned more about parenting programs, home-visiting programs, the important role they play as the child’s first and most important teacher, and about resources that are available for them in their communities! Children walked away with school supplies, backpacks, books, and smiles.
We’re really excited that the event was such a hit and we look forward to the next time where we can help kick-off a new school year!
Paws at the Library: May 2, 2009
KLRN and the San Antonio Pubic Library celebrated responsible pet ownership with “Paws at the Library” on May 2 at the Central Library. Furry friends ranging from pets ready for adoption to celebrity animals like Martha from the PBS series Martha Speaks series and the Library’s Libro the Lion were “on-paw” to interact with guests and encourage them to read about pets, learn about caring for animals, and find out about pet adoption. The event featured the debut of
The Pet Place, a one-stop computer kiosk with animal information—which will be housed in the Central Library before embarking on a tour of several branch libraries throughout San Antonio.
Star Party
On Saturday night April 4, KLRN teamed up with the San Antonio Astronomical Association for an evening of star gazing. KLRN used the opportunity to promote the program, "400 Years of Telescope."
Ken Burns
Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns visited San Antonio March 24-25, 2009 to promote his upcoming documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, airing on PBS/KLRN this fall. His visit included a tour of Mission San José, a public screening at the Lila Cockrell Theater, and a visit to Brackenridge High School. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a six-episode, twelve-hour series filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales. For more information about the series, click here.
Spring Break Events 2009
Spring Break events in the neighborhoods were a HIT! We visited McCreless Library, Guerra Library, Thousand Oaks Library and Carver Library meeting children, their parents, and their caregivers! Everyone had a wonderful time as we decorated paper plate hats, made popsicle stick puppets and straw/bead jewelry! Over 500 people met Dog and Duck from Word World! (They stole the spotlight.) Children were quacking and giving Dog BIG hugs. The energy was contagious as great grandparents joined in the fun! One caregiver exclaimed, "She was so excited to come. I didn't think that I would have more fun than she did!" The staff did an amazing job and we had a very successful week as we met new people (some people even followed us to multiple sites!).
College Call -In 2009
The 2009 College Call-in hosted over 50 callers and emails during this live show production. Callers asked questions ranging from financial aid needs to concerns regarding international status and returning to school after a break. Take a look at our Flickr page to see shots from the studio and come back soon to see the studio interviews streamed here.
NOVA Science Now Café
On Nov. 18, 2008, KLRN partnered with the Guadalupe Street Coffee to present a NOVA scienceNOW Café. Facilitators Dr. Elizabeth de La Portilla of UTSA and Ramon Vasquez of the American Indians in Texas guided a lively conversation on Maya: Discussing the Value of Understanding Past Cultures. Nearly 45 people from the community packed the coffee house to ask questions and add comments. The café provided great coffee, food, and most importantly, an engaging environment for learning.
A special thank you to our facilitators and the Guadalupe Street Coffee.
Past Projects
The Principal Story –KLRN taped and aired a local town hall forum addressing the changing role of the principals in today’s schools.
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea –KLRN partnered with our local San Antonio Missions National Historical Park to bring to light personal stories about our historic missions. Local activities included special story-gathering events at each of the four Franciscan missions built along the San Antonio River in the 18th century and a special screening “under the stars” of Ken Burns documentary on national parks.
Botero- Beloved Artist of the Americas – A community-wide celebration that focused on the work of one of South America’s most best-known and well-loved artists, Fernando Botero.
Take One Step – KLRN teamed up with students at Laredo ISD to promote healthy eating and exercise.
Aging Out - Looked at the difficulties foster youth face as they “age out” of the foster system.
Offender Reentry National Media Campaign - Examined how former prisoners can be successfully reintegrated into society.
Youth Mental Health - View student-scripted public service announcements concerning the topics: depression, self-injury, and binge drinking.
Join the KLRN Kids Club or play games with your favorite PBS character.
Can't get KLRN's digital channels? Call us at 210-270-9000 during business hours or visit klrn.org/dtv for some specific steps that might help!
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THE NATIONAL PARKS UNTOLD STORIES PROJECT:
The Untold Stories project brings to light stories focusing on the role of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in the creation and protection of individual parks. Five original short films were created, and one of those films is about the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Click here to watch the film.
