Former Alvin teacher remains busy volunteer

Alice Sloan, second from left, and her fellow volunteers at Keep Alvin Beautiful attend a statewide conference earlier this year.

Alice Sloan has been teaching in Alvin for more than two decades, and she hasn't let retirement stop her.

The former teacher remains an active volunteer and finds many reasons to continue her work with the community.

She works primarily with Alvin Area Retired School Personnel, or AARSP, a group of former educators of which she used to be president, and Keep Alvin Beautiful, a community beautification effort she now heads.

"I love books, and I love reading to children," she said. "And I love the fellowship with other teachers and the new people I meet."

AARSP has gathered together retired education professionals from around the Pearland area for the past 40 years and currently meets once a month at the Alvin Senior Center for talks ranging from health to history to gardening. It also emphasizes community service projects, including bake sales, to raise money for scholarships for high school seniors.

Sloan found volunteering to be a natural extension of her career.

"We're all still on the same wavelength. We can talk about lesson planning. We can ask, 'Did you see so-and-so's picture in the paper that he's graduating? I had him in third grade; I had him in kindergarten,'" she said.

After moving around the country for much of her life, Sloan and her family settled in Alvin when her husband got a job with the local phone company. She taught physical education and health for kindergarten through third grade for 22 years until her retirement six years ago. Her affection for the city motivates her work with Keep Alvin Beautiful.

"We've lived here for over 30 years. I want it to be a beautiful city, and I want to attract other people to come here to visit and to live," Sloan said.

Keep Alvin Beautiful has worked for the past decade to plant trees, install flowerbeds and otherwise add touches of beauty to the city. The group is currently working to spruce up the underpass on Texas 6 and plant 100 live oak trees to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Alvin's women's civic club, among other projects.

She was asked to join the beautification effort because of her background in education. Sloan has led recycling programs, including recycling contests at Manvel High School.

"That's sort of my favorite thing, recycling, so I do what I can to help out," she said.

NAME: Alice Sloan
AGE: 68
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: She lives in Alvin, and before her retirement, she taught at Alvin Primary School for 22 years.
FAST FACT: Sloan has three children, including a set of twins, and nine grandchildren, also including twins.

Will Livesley-O'Neill is a freelance writer. He can be reached at neighborhood@chron.com.