Tag Archives: Ohrenberger

City Year Boston and Playworks: an AmeriCorps Partnership

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City Year is not the only AmeriCorps Organization working with kids in Boston Public Schools. Playworks is a national nonprofit that provides safe, healthy playtime at low-income schools to create a positive environment for teaching and learning. Playworks receives funding and training from AmeriCorps, and many of their coaches are AmeriCorps Volunteers. 

  The 11 City Year Corps Members at Ohrenberger assist volunteers with 3rd-5th grade recess by playing noncompetitive games which reflect Playworks’ philosophy. Recently corps members served food and supervised kids at Parent Night, an event organized by the Ohrenberger Parent Council which raised funds for Playworks. 

City Year Boston and Playworks have been working together since 2007. Playworks has trained City Year staff in noncompetitive play and provided support for City Year for Kids, City Year’s annual day camp held in February and April. City Year has hosted Playworks meetings at their National Headquarters in Boston and assists some of the 22 Playworks sites in the Boston Area.

Captain Comeau: Back For Year Two!

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“I had fallen in love with The Ohrenberger School and it’s students, and realized I would be happiest at the school” answered Comeau when asked one of the main reasons he decided to return to City Year as a second-year corps member. Matt was able to realize that “the spirit of idealism and positive change permeates every level of the organization” from corps members at schools to staff members at City Year Headquarters. This uniform dedication is special at City Year and would be hard for Comeau to find elsewhere.

“Captain Comeau” was nervous to step into his new team leader shoes in August of 2009. Matt was able to undertake this responsibly by upholding the relationship with The Ohrenberger School, engaging his corps members, and staying on top of responsibilities.

Matt has a new perspective. As a team leader, Comeau is not in a classroom, and he definitely misses the daily interaction that he had with his students last year. Twice a week during after school, Matt does interact with the students for homework help or to play a chess game. With his new role, he is able to truly appreciate the work that corps members do with students each day.

Matt has been able to grow as a person and as a leader, and the year is not even over! He appreciates his team and Program Manager, Ben Horskins, for consistent efforts and engagement. Matt says, ” From the start this team has understood the honor it is to serve at The Ohrenberger School, and that the students deserve nothing but the best.”

Ohrenberger Starfish Take the Pledge

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Led by The Ohrenberger School’s Principal, Eileen Nash, the Starfish Corps students were all smiles as they wowed parents in the audience with their poise and commitment to excellence as they took the “Starfish Pledge”, stating their commitment to the afterschool program and their promise of excellence.

The Starfish Program is City Year’s afterschool program based on the Whole School, Whole Child Model. The mission of Starfish is to impart City Year values of service and community to elementary students as well as provide academic support in a safe, fun learning environment. Our current Starfish Corps of about 40 children in grades 3-5 just completed their first month in the program, and parents were invited to come and watch them recite the Starfish Pledge, perform physical training, or “PT”, and hear a message from the principal.

The Starfish members proceeded onstage to perform “PT.” Students were filled with positive energy as they demonstrated the three exercises that they had been practicing.

Remaining engaged, the students listened intently to the words of their principal, Eileen Nash. She highlighted the fact that “Starfish members have this opportunity to be the role models and should spread the values of service, teamwork, and community back to their classrooms and neighborhoods. The students are now eager to live up to the expectations that Principal Nash laid out. Principal Nash inspired and challenged the Starfish to use the valuable lessons and ideals that they will take away from the program.

Starfish fingers grasped onto Corps Members shoulders and smaller arms weaseled into the center of the clump for a “spirit break.” A City Year “spirit break” is an opportunity for a group of people to come together to set the tone for a certain event. This spirit break officially commenced the beginning of the Starfish Corps afterschool Program at The Ohrenberger School.

Introducing…6th Grade Afterschool Math Tutoring!

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Adam hands in his multiplication tables written from 0-10, only to walk away with most of his 8s times tables marked incorrect. Deflated, Adam sits at his desk with a stack of equations in his hand. He flips through the cards, looking at the back of each flashcard to drill the answers into his memory.

The next morning, Adam walked into class feeling confident; the night before, he had studied his flashcards. Most math classes in Ms. Wachman’s 6th grade class begin with a multiplication quiz. Coincidentally, this math class began with a multiplication quiz on the 8s time’s tables. Adam looked up, smiled, and got right to work.

This afterschool program is a new initiative at The Ohrenberger School led by corps member, Hanna Atwood. Students with low confidence and low scores in mathematics were asked to join this small group tutoring session. These 6 bright students benefit from small group work and 1 on 1 attention. Each Monday and Wednesday, the group meets from 2:30-4:30 and focuses on the fundamentals of math, on the concepts they are currently studying in the classroom, and on their math homework for that evening.

Students have already shown progress. Each tutoring session the students are timed when they write their multiplication tables out. The minutes have continued to be cut down from the previous session and their confidence has steadily begun to rise. This confidence trickles into their schoolwork during the next day during math class. The after-school kids set a tone for the other students emulating hard work, and a commitment to success.