Created by Jessica Mah, City Year AmeriCorps Recruitment Project Leader on the Bain Capital Team. For more info about City Year, click here. @JMahRecruits
The City Year Boston Recruitment gang is back again, this time taking a trip to Boca Restaurant in Waltham to meet with students from give-a-year partners Bentley and Brandeis University. Delicious food was served, raffle prizes were given out, a DJ provided backdrop music and there was even time to mingle and answer questions!
Written by Kevin R. Fish, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the Bain and Company Team at English High School.
I was curious to know what sort of impact I was having with one of my students, Darwell*. I figured that the best way to find out why he was making more progress than some of my other students was to interview him. I chose Darwell because this is the first year that he has had City Year in his classroom and he has showed significant progress. Right before I approached Darwell with my questions, I decided that it would be more authentic if I let him come up with the questions himself. This would prevent any bias that I would have subconsciously installed into my own questions. I was very impressed with the wisdom that he showed in the development of his questions and answers. I also thought an interview would be more interesting for him if he was the one making the answers and questions, since he loves to talk.
Darwell asks himself, “What did I first think of City Year?”
He states that, “At the beginning, I just thought City Year was ‘regular,’ like extra help in the classroom. I enjoyed having them for extra help, but didn’t really ask for it.”
I then ask Darwell what he means by ‘regular’ and his explanation turns into an interesting analogy. He tells me that his relationship with City Year is similar to when you like a girl and then she decides she likes you too, and then she becomes part of your everyday life.
My response: “So City Year is like your girlfriend?”
Darwell, after rolling his eyes, “Not exactly Mr. Fish”
“What are my thoughts of City Year now?”
“I think that City Year is okay, but sometimes aggravating. I know all of the CY people now, so I’m comfortable going up to anyone.”
“Do I think that CY has helped me?”
His response: “Definitely, they have helped me with my work and gave me wake-up calls and get me to class. I have a C+ in English now and was failing term 1 and 2.”
“What would I do without City Year?”
“I would fail. I would also be bored because I’d have no one to bother.”
I am so proud of the progress that Darwell has made in his school work and equally as proud of the progress that he has made establishing relationships with myself and other CY teammates. I caught him scribbling on his desk and instinctively told him to stop, until I realized he was writing “City Year.” I looked puzzled and he answered my confused look with confidence and stated, “City Year is going to save me.”
*names changed for privacy.
By Molly Brown, City Year AmeriCorps Recruitment Project Leader on the Bain Capital Team. @mollyrecruits
[First up, Volume 1: See items ten through six here]
5. T-Pass
Because you can’t afford to lose it. Literally, you cannot afford to lose your T-Pass, you’re on a stipend. (Thank you MBTA!)
4. Pencils
Because the pencils you gave out yesterday are already gone.
3. A Book
Because a headphone-free commute is a great opportunity to get caught up on your reading.
2. Patience
Because students may not always grasp every concept on the first try, and it’s up to you to get them there. Plus, waiting for the signal to change when you’re crossing the street can take a while.
1. Extra pair of socks
Rain or shine, you just never know when you’ll need an extra pair of socks.
What do you think? Anything missing from this list? Share your thoughts below!
By Jennifer (JJ) Javier, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the MFS Investment Management Team at the Dever-McCormack Upper School.
Working in Ms. Bryson’s classroom for seven months has been nothing short of inspirational. I have come to admire her drive to improve student achievement and, most importantly, her commitment to each student’s well-being. Hear from Ms. Bryson below!
Created by City Year AmeriCorps members Diana Mai, Erin O’Donnell, Nithya Prabhala, and Rian Yalamanchili. Read their full bios here.
“When I see City Year, I think I want to be one too!” yells a third grader excitedly.
The first thing that many of us look at in the morning is our City Year uniforms. Day in and day out, we all wear the same parts – white shirt, khakis, belt, bright red jacket and Timberland boots.
“City Year has mad stylish jackets,” claims a fourth grader.
Even though it is a uniform all corps members are required to wear, it is also representative of the unity we all feel while we serve. Despite the fact that we each come from different backgrounds and serve at different schools, we are all committed to City Year for the same reason – to serve full-time for a year in in schools and communities and to make a difference in the lives of others.
“CY is an inspiration for me to be a better me.”
Looking at the uniform from the lens of our students, we wanted to see what the City Year jacket symbolized and what kind of difference City Year had personally made to them. All across the spectrum of younger children to teenagers at the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy, The Jeremiah E. Burke High School, The Holland Elementary School and the Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, we asked students from elementary to high school what the red jacket’s significance was for them.
“The City Year uniform means you have to be responsible and trustworthy because people look up to you,” says a fifth grader.
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Click here to view slideshow. This is the third installment of a monthly collaborative project. See last month’s project here - We ask incoming Boston Corps, “Why did you choose City Year?”
By Jordan Frias, City Year AmeriCorps member on the National Grid Team serving at the Blackstone Elementary School.
Marleen* is an exceptional fourth grade student at the Blackstone. She has one of the highest test scores for English Language Art assessment in her entire grade level. Considering that this is her first year out of an SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) classroom, she’s come a long way. I was curious to hear about how life is going for Marleen at the Blackstone.
Q: How long have you been at the Blackstone for?
A: Since Kindergarten (K-2).
Q: How do you like the Blackstone this year?
A: I like it because we got a new principal to tell us to stay focused, do our work and tell teachers to encourage us.
Q: What else do you like about the school beside the principal?
A: The teachers! They’re sweet, they’re nice and they help you when you need the help and so do the City Years!
Q: What’s different about fourth grade from third?
A: The work because right now we’re getting deep deep into the fractions, multiplication and division.
Q: What do you want to be or do when you grow up?
A: Something that includes math because I love all numbers. Ms. Peralta (my third grade teacher) used to say that all math numbers used to be naked without their story problems.
Q: What do you think Ms. Gorman (your current teacher) and Ms. Peralta have in common?
A: Ms. Peralta is the sweetest lady. They’re both like grandmothers. Sometimes when they have to be tough with their learning they are and that’s awesome!
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: Dance with my cousin. She has the other half of this (heart shaped) charm bracelet.
Q: Do you like to read?
A: Yes. My dad’s worker at his job always gets me books. My favorite is “Bunnicula.” It’s about bunnies that they think are vampires because they suck all the juices out of tomatoes.
*name changed for privacy
By Nicole Chandler, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the MFS Investment Management Team at Dever-McCormack Lower School.
I have the pleasure of working in a 4th and 5th grade Spanish-English Immersion class. My students are either improving their English speaking skills or learning English for the first time. I’ve found that my young students learn best through innovative ways like watching videos, working on the computer, playing games, conducting experiments, and my favorite method – taking field trips!
The boys enjoying their first trip to Harvard Square
Since January, I’ve been able to join my students on three field trips. We’ve visited Continue reading
By Molly Brown, City Year AmeriCorps Recruitment Project Leader on the Bain Capital Team.
10. Cell phone with internet access
Because you’ll need to look up the definitions of words you were only pretending to know in front of your students. For example, it’s a good thing if you’re “the bomb-dot-com” and a bad thing if you’ve been “salted.” And answer emails from your Program Manager, of course.
9. Hand sanitizer
Because you only get 10 personal days, and when you work in a school, germs are everywhere.
8. Stickers and/or candy
Because a good corps member understands that a little positive incentive can go a long way. Especially for a child that won’t do their homework.
7. Nametag
Because without it, all the youth in Boston would probably be calling you “City Year.”
6. Scissors
Because according to Team Leader Emily Bekenstein, who deliberately carries scissors in three different sizes, “There is always a bulletin to put up and letters to cut out, and you never know what size letters they might be.”
To be continued…
Have any of your own suggestions? Leave your feedback below.
By Elijah Fanelli, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the Bank of America Team at Young Achievers Science and Math K-8 Pilot School.
As I was browsing around online for photographs of my service site – Young Achievers – I ran across the City of Boston Archives Flickr account. Along with scores of historical photographs of schools within the Boston Public School system, there are also hundreds of photos from all over the city! Below, I compiled a collection of historical photographs of some of the buildings that City Year serves in. I encourage you to check out more photos here.
Young Achievers, formerly the Solomon Lewenberg School | Source
Continue reading Written by Gabriel Solis, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the Deloitte Team at the Washington Irving Middle School.
As a corps member serving at a first-year partnership on the Deloitte Team at the Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale, MA, I have experienced a vast array of ups and downs. However, as I reflect on my corps year thus far with just a few months left to go, I have chosen to view these downs as necessary stepping stones on a path toward magnifying the many ups I have experienced lately. In all, it is these polarized experiences that have allowed me to take the utmost pride in the school I serve and in the students I get to tutor and mentor alongside a group of devoted and inspiring corps members.
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From a team perspective, our Extended Day Program has been a struggle, especially in the beginning of the year. However, through persistence and dedication, we have been blessed to see the fruits of the hard work we have put in. We are connecting with our students in special ways which have allowed us to create a deep bond within our small group. Not only have we witnessed the students open up to us, but we as corps members have opened up even more in an act of reciprocal devotion toward one another.
This display of devotion was seen just a few weeks ago at a Boston Celtics game. Some of our students from the Extended Day Program earned an opportunity to attend a Celtics game as part of the Step Your Game Up Challenge, a program that rewards student excellence in academics and attendance. At the game, I would look over to my students every few minutes. Each time I looked over, my heart jumped with joy at the sight of their smiles. They were so happy to be there.
Afterward, they were beaming. For most of them, Continue reading
Written by Thomas Story, City Year Boston Project Leader serving on the Comcast Team. City Year Boston Alumni Spotlights featured on the last Friday of the month.
“I grew up very poor,” says Mary Ward, ’99-’00 City Year Boston alumna, “Very poor.” Mary was born in Philadelphia and moved to central New York State in her childhood. But everything changed for her when she enrolled in Haverford College and received significant financial assistance from the government. “I was thinking about what I wanted to do after Haverford, I thought, well I wanted to give back to society in some way for allowing me to have access to such a great education.” Mary found just the opportunity during her college years.
In her first year at Haverford, Mary met three people who were City Year corps members prior to enrolling at Haverford. She laughed as she described her close friend Dan. “When he came to Haverford, he was in his (Timberland) boots.” After hearing more about City Year, Mary had found the perfect way to give back.
Mary applied to City Year Boston during her senior year of college, and after graduating from Haverford in 1999, she began her corps year. She served on the Chinatown Team at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in a kind of experimental, combined third-grade general education and fourth grade special education classroom. The third graders were all performing at grade level while their fourth grade classmates received extra support from Mary to perform at grade level. The third graders learned how to work with classmates who needed extra support, especially when to Continue reading
By Kevin Popovich, City Year AmeriCorps member serving on the State Street Foundation Team at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School. Photos by Nicole Clenney.
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As the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words. So, in September, when I found that I was to be in charge of blogging for the State Street Foundation team serving at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School, I knew that I would have to find a photographer. As pure chance would have it, my teammate Nicole Clenney considers photography to be one of her biggest hobbies. Thus, she became the unofficial team photographer. Nicole is rarely without her camera around her neck. She has been keeping a veritable photo-diary of the year and deserves to be appreciated for it. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a true photographer is priceless. These are some examples of Nicole’s recent work.By Kristen Meade, Service Leader on the Foundation to be Named Later Boston Civic Engagement team. Read more from BCE here.
As the only Civic Engagement team at City Year Boston, it is not often that Service Leaders on the Boston Civic Engagement team can meet with other corps members who share the same experiences and issues. Fortunately, this past weekend we had the thrilling opportunity to travel to New York City to attend the Northeast Civic Engagement Summit (NECES). Spearheaded by Ylia Wilson of City Year New York and attended by 22 corps members from City Year New York, City Year Boston, City Year Washington, D.C., and City Year’s Team Care Force, the three-day summit allowed us to share the unique facets of our programs, highlights of our service, and best practices in planning events and leading others in service.
Of course, a summit of Service Leaders would be nothing if we were not engaged in service! One of the stand-out moments occurred on the morning of St. Patty’s Day, when we were led to the basement of the Mosaic Preparatory Academy in Harlem.
Mosaic Preparatory School basement, before
The sight that awaited us was not a pretty one – mountains of water-damaged and moldy books that had been collecting for years, and it was our task to remove everything that was unsalvageable into a 20-yard dumpster. For most people, this probably doesn’t sound like a thrilling way to spend Saturday morning, but we got right to work Read more and see how the basement looks today…
