Wright Charter Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.

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8^th grade students share facts about MLK’s early life with the 4^th graders

When planning how to celebrate the life of MLK this year, it was a goal of mine that every staff member on our team would have the chance to participate in helping share his story. That can be a very difficult task when you are attempting to incorporate MLK into Healthy Behaviors or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tutoring. With the help of my trusty Team Leader, Megan Waring, we went about brainstorming a plan. What ended up transpiring was a truly unforgettable day.

--> The 3^rd grade STEM tutoring groups MLK decorations.
We came up with the plan that each of the after school classes would participate in a mini “March on Wright.” Our HB tutor took her students around the school and mapped out 0.8 miles, the exact distance of MLK’s “March on Washington.” Our 7th and 8th grade students planned out stops along the walk that were major points of MLK’s life: early life, pastor years, Montgomery Bus Boycott, March on Washington, Voting Rights Law and assassination. The after school classes walked the March and stopped at each station to learn a little something about his life. The March ended at our school cafeteria that had been decorated with “Paint by Numbers” posters created by the STEM tutoring students. Parents awaited the students’ arrival where we all enjoyed songs and poems inspired by the life of MLK.

--> A Dream Catcher created by our CalPREP mentor, Cherilyn Smail, and her 5^th and 6^th grade students complete with feathers of each students dream for their future.
Once the final applause had died down, a parent approached us and said “Thank you for all that you do. We’re so lucky to have such a wonderful program like yours.” It was the perfect cap to an incredible afternoon at #thefarm.

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The 2^nd graders perform “Martin Luther had a Dream”.

by Taylor Ford, Site Supervisor at Wright Charter

CalSERVES Makes a Difference:

This is the second post in a series of 4 in which we will be highlighting the amazing efforts of CalSERVES Programs in their Make a Difference Day projects. Each project involved a host of AmeriCorps members and volunteers and provided needed services to the communities in which are programs are hosted.

As the sun rose over sleepy Wright Charter School, it found AmeriCorps members rising too- to the occasion that is! They stood shivering in their sweatshirts and coffee mugs staring over a patch – nay, a boundless field – of weeds that needed to be disposed of. It wouldn’t be an easy job, nor a clean one, but the members knew it was up to them to do it…for America.

Fueled on by the inspiring lyrics of TLC and the Spice girls, the sun watched as KC Balagey, Rebecca Stewart, Augustine Stav, Emily Thiebold, and Megan Waring battled against the weeds that threatened the beauty of their beloved tutoring site. Their fearless leader, Taylor Ford, fought through a torn ACL to weed, rake, and hoe alongside them. Throughout the day, AmeriCorps Leads, Elizabeth Sheffer and Chris Rogers, stopped by to journalize the event. When their arms began to feel weak and no one wanted to see another dandelion again, CalSERVES Counselor, Clare McGuire, joined them-working her hands to shreds. Lauren Loeffler, Site Supervisor of Kawana, appeared picking up her own shovel. Alongside her was Wally, the faithful dog, who lifted everyone’s morale to continue the grueling work of beautifying a forgotten plot.

The hero of the day would have to be Auggie Stav, who worked tirelessly to clear more then his share of stubborn weeds. His hard work and dedication to the project was extremely appreciated and it is doubtful it would have been half as successful without him. 

At the end of the day of service, everyone was sweaty, covered in dirt, and sore. However, twelve wheelbarrows full of weeds had been exported to compost piles. The place looked tidier, healthier, and significantly emptier- ready for new seedlings to grow.

 
The day was an overall success with the only causalities being exhaustion and slight sunburn. Wright (and America) was left having taken a slight step forward to becoming their best selves and making a difference for this school on this day.

Also, we saw a mouse.

By Megan Waring, Wright Charter AmeriCorps Team Leader

Wright Students Get Nutritious!

 Every year, students within the CalSERVES program participate in what we call Nutrition Olympics. They spend the afternoon playing games designed to help them learn new facts about fruits, veggies and healthy lifestyle choices.

This year, the students at Wright Charter got even more involved in the fun. During “Pepper Push Relay” students had to find creative ways to roll a pepper to the finish line. “Celery Javelin” found our students seeing how far they could throw the celery “stalk.” Even the Middle Schoolers had fun “Citrus Relay” where they raced to see which team could fill up their baskets the fastest.

Overall, Nutrition Olympics was another successful event for Wright Charter!

It is in Giving that We Receive

 I came to the CalSERVES program as an AmeriCorps scholar with the intent to serve my community. Because I moved to Sonoma County straight out of high school, I wanted to be part of a localized movement and see what this place was really all about. Little did I know that this job would soon change my entire outlook on life.

I wake up each morning with send of purpose, pride and belonging. It has been my time spent serving others, particularly the youth in my community, which has brought deeper meaning and fulfillment to my life. Being able to support kids in their academic and emotional needs has helped me to better define my own personal values and goals in life.

 After the short year I have spent working within this community, I am sure that my direction in life has completely changed---and for the better too! Through this experience, I have realized that being of service to others and my community will always play a huge role in my life. I wouldn’t trade the last year of my life for the world and I am grateful to know that working for CalSERVES AmeriCorps has completely transformed my life.

by Samantha Bereman, AmeriCorps Literacy Scholar at Wright Charter

All Are Welcome at Wright "The Farm"

An AmeriCorps member reads to a child as part of the CalSERVES program.

If I’ve learned anything at CalSERVES, it’s how to be “inclusive.” Deriving, undoubtedly from the Tribes curriculum, it’s one of our favorite buzzwords. The word encourages not only students but also adults to make one another feel comfortable in a group setting. For new comers, it’s always awkward to insert themselves into an established group. “Inclusion” efforts take the stress and anxiety out of this equation. Why in the world does this matter? Is this even relevant to our year at CalSERVES? I would like to take a minute to thank each and every member of Wright's CalSERVES (#thefarm’s) team for putting this into practice.

 A few months ago, we were lucky enough to gain two new members. Prior to that, in October we adopted another new member. During both of these occasions, I was so gratified to see the rest of the team rally around our new members. They introduced themselves, participated in their training, allowed the new girls to shadow them, anything! At a point where it seemed that one extra thing would break us, these new additions made us stronger. The girls added energy. They kept everyone on their toes.

Thank you, Wright team. You’ve all impressed me to no end. It’s incredible to see, even though you’re stretched to your limits, you all still extend a hand. Wherever you all end up, never forget the power of kindness.

by Lauren Loeffler, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Charter School

Meet the Team Leaders: Lauren Loeffler

Lauren Loeffler, CalSERVES Team Leader at Wright Charter School

Having first joined the CalSERVES family last year as a V.I.P, Lauren Loeffler is now the Team Leader at Wright Charter School. Her belief that that every person, whether they are tall, small, young, or old, deserves a chance to learn and have access to the proper tools that will enable that learning, is what first led Lauren to apply at CalSERVES and is what keeps her involved in the program.

After graduating from University of Minnesota, Duluth and suffering from what she calls an early quarter-life crisis, Lauren went to live in Florence, Italy where she worked as a travel guide for a travel company. While she enjoyed the job and loved traveling and experiencing the world, she knew something was missing in her life; she wanted to fill her time and put her energy into something more substantial and worthwhile. This desire and her interest in the education field led her to the CalSERVES program.

Lauren initially joined CalSERVES because the field of education not only interested her but concerned her as well. That is, she was, and still is, worried that due to budget cuts and other reasons, the United States has seen a decline in the quality of its education. Dedicated teachers are working hard to bridge the gaps and give children the education they deserve and need. However, there needs to be more resources and people willing to commit themselves to improving schools and learning for kids to thrive. Lauren, during her time at CalSERVES, wants to gain further experience so that she may continue working with those striving to improve the academic lives of America's students.

As a Team Leader, Lauren hopes to encourage independence by giving her students the tools they need to succeed. Despite how much she cares for the kids, Lauren doesn't want them to need the scholars or classroom leaders; she would rather see them do able to do everything on their own and help others in a similar situation. Additionally, Lauren loves how the entire team (AmeriCorps members, classroom leaders, and the school staff and administration as well) at Wright is so supportive and eager to help the students succeed. Lauren says she is proud of them and the work they are doing and absolutely loves working with them everyday.

As for advice for future Team Leaders or Service Scholars, Lauren says to get ready for an elaborate juggling act. The job requires you to do, and be, so much more than what is stated on the job description, but it is worth all the stress and tiredness you feel when you know you are helping students learn more and live better lives.

By: Jacquelene Bennett, AmeriCorps Content Leader and Lauren Loeffler, AmeriCorps Team Leader, Wright Charter School

Make a Difference Day Part 3: RL Stevens and Wright Schools

Make a Difference Day, October 27th, 2012, saw some amazing projects around the CalSERVES school sites as AmeriCorps members joined together to provide a day of service. What follows is the third post in series of 3 outlining the projects competed by CalSERVES AmeriCorps members. Each post is written by a Team Leader who worked on that specific project.

In my twenty-four years, I have been lucky enough to travel. I've seen the world. Indeed only a tiny fraction, but I've toured Europe, hitting the highlights: Italy, France, Switzerland, Ireland, etc... And let's not forget that for the past two years, I have been hiding from my frosty Minnesota home in Sunny California, which is where this story takes place.

As I mentioned, I've seen the world. Most importantly for this blog, I have become cultured in those countries: Donatello, Rafael, and Leonardo are more than just Ninja Turtles. They are brilliant artists. And I have seen work from each of them. After Make a Difference Day though, the Renaissance has nothing on Wright Charter or RL Stevens.

The Wright District Dream Team was together at Wright Charter School to work on a beautification project. We had the lofty goal of repainting benches, weeding out the garden, adding a map of the USA onto the blacktop, and oh yeah, painting a mural of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in our main hall.

AmeriCorps member David Ortiz puts on the finishing touches of the newly painted benches in front of the school.

When the ideas were conceived I knew how necessary it was to spruce up our old school, but I didn't know how realistic the goal was. Were a handful of AmeriCorps members going to have the capacity or, not to mention the resources to pull this off?

What we didn't consider is that we work with some of the most thoughtful, caring, engaged, and responsible kids, teachers, parents, and staff in the world. That is, several students, a handful of teachers, and representatives from Wright's PTC all showed up to shine up our old classrooms. Last, with a generous donation from Kelly Moore Paint, we made our goals a reality.

Students at Wright came out to help with projects at their school.

 No cartographer could have stenciled the United States like the RL Stevens team did. Our newly weeded garden is practically Zen-like now that our middle schoolers tore into it. 15 hours later, a cadre of CalSERVians, 2 Wright Mentor Teachers, and of course a dozen of our finest 7th and 8th grade artists immortalized Ellen Nanni's rendering of MLK.

AmeriCorps members were working hard on tracing out the 50 states and painting them in.

Like I said, in my short twenty-four years, I've seen a few things. I've been around. But it wasn't until this Saturday that I've witnessed a community come together more seamlessly than this one did. The school, especially the mural, is, thanks to hard work, and most importantly, extra hands a masterpiece. I'll even go out on a limb and say that Wright is on its way to becoming the new Sistine Chapel. Eat your heart out, Michelangelo!

Classroom Leader at Wright, Ellen Nanni, puts the finishing touches on the MLK Jr. mural.

-By: Lauren Loeffler, Team Leader at Wright Charter

Kindergarten Superstars

For kindergarteners, their first school experience is a time of intense learning, and there are some that need a little extra help to master the curriculum. Kindergarten is a huge foundation and starting point for every student going into the academic K-12 institution and it’s crucial that a student is successful. The skills learned, confidence gained, and the love of learning that is created are necessary so that the rest of their schooling can continue in a positive upwards progression.

At Wright Charter, we bring Kindergarteners into the CalSERVES program in January and even though they are only tutored for half a year, the leaps of academic progress that they can make are comparable to any of our other tutored students. Most of the kindergarteners who come for tutoring are having difficulty mastering the kindergarten skills. And no matter their skill level, all students benefit from a positive relationship that instills the confidence they need to succeed.

This was the case with two specific kindergarteners. They both entered our program as two shy little girls who did not yet know their ABCs. They scored low on their initial assessments and their tutors, Ms. Moran and Ms. Hammer, knew their work was cut out for them. Before any academic progress had even been made, the tutors started creating a strong bond with their students. Soon tutoring became happy, fun, and most importantly a place where they knew they could succeed. With their new motivation, these girls were able to build confidence within themselves, score incredibly well on their final assessments, and start reading their first books. 

I also tutor a couple kindergarteners, and the knowledge that I am able to set this little person on a pathway to success that can hopefully carry them for the rest of their lives, is one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt. Ms. Hammer and Ms. Moran agree.

Melissa Boni

Literacy Team Leader

Wright Students Have Their Heads in the Clouds

For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the sky. More specifically, our race has looked to earth's fellow planets as a way to expand. Is it possible for people to live there? Who else shares the galaxy with us? Are we truly alone? On April 18, Wright's sixth graders joined the millions who have pondered the same questions. Certainly the Wright Cougars didn't solve the universe's mysteries--our kids are smart, but if Galileo couldn't do it, maybe we could at least give them until next year--but they did have the opportunity to learn a little something about how our world turns at the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium.

During the weeks leading up to their trip, the sixth grade studied the sky. No, this does not mean that one of our Cool School classes stood with their mouths gaping open, gawking at the clouds and the sun. Rather, I was proud to see our mentors engaging the kids in discussion about where each planet was situated in the solar system, why days shortened in the winter and extended in the summer, and even how stars can navigate people. When the lights darkened on the "Observing the Sky" presentation, even though I couldn't make out faces, I could tell from their oohs and awes that our kids were familiar with the material! Further, I was never so proud than when they could rattle off answers such as, "Mercury is the planet closest to the sun!" Or when they asked why the planets were named after Roman gods and not Greek gods. While I'm gushing over our students, however, I would be remiss if I didn't throw our mentors a little viral recognition. Thank you to Ms. Lindsey Tanaka and Ms. Natalie Paraiso for creating such elaborate, creative, thorough lesson plans. The experience that your sixth graders had would not have been as meaningful without your cosmic brilliance--excuse the dorky pun. All joking aside, you may have inspired a future John Glenn or Buzz Aldrin.

Lauren Loeffler

Wright Charter VIP

Having Fun with Fruits and Veggies

This month, Wright held its annual Nutrition Olympics. Every year, students participate in activities geared toward learning fun facts about fruits and vegetables. Normally, the mentors lead the students in activities similar to fitness centers, but this year, members at Wright Charter took it to another level. Decked in fruit and vegetable costumes, they headed out to lead centers like Cucumber Javelin and Carrot Hop. The students cheered in excitement when they saw their mentors in costumes, which got them more interested in the games they were playing. Some students even wanted to get in on the action and wear costumes too. By the end of the event, students were asking “Can we play Coconut Bowling every Wednesday??” It was another successful event for Wright Charter. 

Making Sure Our Students Voices are Heard!

Coming in as a second year Team Leader at Wright Charter, I had thought a lot about how to make the 2011-2012 school year even better than the previous academic year. I knew that my best brainstorming came through collaboration. If I could find out students needs, wants and grand ideas, then I could help make things happen! I wanted students to be more involved and be a community in our after school and for them to know that their voices are crucial to our program. I realized that a great way for this to occur was through the creation of student council.

After School Student Council consists of 2-3 student representatives from our 5th, 6th, 7th and 7th/8th classrooms! We meet once a week for 30 minutes and discuss the items on our agenda. Opinions are always requested on every topic. Representatives have the responsibility of taking information back to their classroom. They are in charge of announcing upcoming events, collecting feedback about past activities and taking class votes in order to represent a larger class opinion on a particular topic. Every meeting, we go over the class responses and discuss how smoothly the transfer of information went. Providing information and conducting a voting session are not the easiest things to do with a classroom full of your peers!

The representatives have gained a lot of experience through their new position. They have done a spectacular job and have helped create and run successful events and activities. We have come up with class mascots, activities and awards to include in our upper grade assemblies, how to improve our fitness centers, and more. Our first big event was an after school dance for grades 5th through 8th. Representatives helped brainstorm themes, decorations, and music recommendations, as well as help things run smoothly during the dance and help clean up afterwards. Students and mentors alike had a wonderful time and many requested to have more dances!

Student Council Members at the dance they helped to create.

I am thrilled to be a part of After School Student Council at Wright Charter. I cannot wait to see what else we will improve and create during this second half of the year! I believe that the council’s success comes from our students’ drive to help make after school the best it can be and from the support that our fantastic mentors give to their students and staff on a daily basis.

By Jenna Rafalow, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Charter School

Tales of Wright Charter Tutoring

Ms. Peek and her tutoring student.

When pairing a student with a mentor for tutoring, you try your best to find a perfect match. However, not knowing every student makes matching more arbitrary and thus, the result can at times be more problematic. This was the case with one particular duo, Ms. Peek and a student I'll call *Trey. I knew that Ms. Peek was a very experienced tutor, but neither of us quite understood how challenging Trey would prove to be. Every day for the first month, Trey would loudly complain and hide when Ms. Peek would pick him up, he wouldn’t respond to her attempts at conversation, or if he did respond it was in a tone that one would think only an angry teenager could have mastered. In short, he hated tutoring and made sure everyone and anyone around him was aware of it.

After some of the usual suggestions for challenging students had failed, I decided to team up with his teacher, his tutor, our supervising teacher, his Cool School mentors and anyone else who had some sort of close relationship with him. We all started brainstorming ideas together and ended up with a fantastic solution. We incorporated physical activities, gave him control by allowing him to pick and choose his own agenda, set up a unique reward system. We also sat down and had an honest one-on-one conversation letting him know that we cared about him and wanted to all work together to make tutoring a success.

Fast forward a few weeks, and Trey has not only done a full 180 on his behavior but his reading is now at his grade level and he enjoys both tutoring and his tutor. Now when Ms. Peek and Trey walk to our tutoring classroom, instead of an angry silence he tells her about his weekend, even including his heartbreaking defeat at his basketball game. Reflecting back on the situation, I am so proud of Ms. Peek who never gave up regardless of so many initial failed attempts; so grateful for the community people who came together to help; and proud of Trey who also never gave up and was able to become a positive, productive student.

By Melissa Boni, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Charter School

*Name was changed to protect the student.

Super Snack Love

Before I became an After School Team Leader, I knew that one of my main responsibilities would be providing snack for the students. This year we started something brand new, the supper program. When I initially heard about the change I grew extremely nervous. Not only did the amount of food we had to provide change but it also changed the amount of time it would take for me to get everything ready. My fears were soon dismissed and over the past 4 months I have grown to absolutely love the supper program. It really allows for us to provide our students with many healthy options, and to ensure that they will go home feeling full.

When we began the supper program, my co-partner Ms. Rafalow and I realized how hard it was for just the two of us to hand out all of this food to 150 students. We brainstormed on how we could make the process as easy as possible, but the answer didn’t come from us - it cam from our students. We realized that our students wanted to be part of the process with us, so I developed a schedule in which different students from each grade are able to help us pass the food out each day.

Passing out Supper at Wright.

At first I wasn’t sure how many students would actually want to help us, but it has become very popular in the after school program. I have students who ask me during regular school if they can be my helper for snack. One day I even had a student cling to my leg and refused to let go until I told him he could help me. Many of our students also help us clean up snack and we have developed a very successful recycling system that students enjoy helping with as well.

Seeing my students want to help us is what has allowed for me to enjoy the supper program as much as I do. Seeing them enthusiastic to pass out food to their peers has given me the momentum I need everyday to ensure that the supper program is successful.

By Stacey Krywaruczenko, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Charter School

Day On, Not a Day Off at VOICES!

Getting things done! 

Wright Charter spent their Martin Luther King Day working with the organization, VOICES. VOICES provides support for youth coming out the foster care system. They are involved with other organizations in the Sonoma area and are a stellar example of how much we can accomplish when we come together as a community to help our fellow community members. VOICES helps teens and young adults get on their feet through their in and out of house resources as well as having a warm, loving environment to which they can come.

Time to Move.

VOICES decided to move from their original location on College Avenue to a building just two blocks down on Mendocino Avenue! The new building has significantly more space to better accommodate all who come through their doors. In order to make this transition smoother, CalSERVES AmeriCorps members from Wright Charter and CalSERVES staff members were there to help on moving day! Everywhere you looked there were people packing, cleaning, fixing up rooms, moving furniture and overall just getting things done! Both VOICES locations were well staffed and made big moves!

Home Depot Volunteers

 Everyone did a fantastic job and helped VOICES transfer their workplace in one go! A special thank you to the volunteers from Home Depot that came and made beautiful planter boxes for the new VOICES building. There is nothing more satisfying than coming together as a community to support local organizations and our specialty – helping youth!

By Jenna Rafalow, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Charter

Making a BIG Difference - the AmeriCorps way!

Meadow View Team Report - Christa Fox, AmeriCorps Team Leader

This year for Make a Difference Day, the CalSERVES Meadow View team  partnered with the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County and produced over 50 volunteers to beautify the campus of Helen Lehman Elementary. The projects at hand included organizing the school’s library, repainting lines, numbers and hopscotch squares on the black top, and, the most daunting of tasks, a complete overhaul of the garden!

Amongst the free bagels and coffee, we were greeted in the morning by Helen Lehman’s principal, Beverly Jones. After the initial introduction, our large group dispersed into three smaller groups and started on our projects. It was a beautiful day to be outside painting and gardening!

The amount of student and parent volunteers was very impressive! Entire families arrived with their own tools and went straight to work. Many hands were engrossed in the garden, as it required the most attention. The Meadow View team helped to pull weeds, organize the tool shed, and lay cardboard, compost and mulch. Needless to say, there was a lot of shoveling involved!

The painting committee revamped the entire blacktop to appear brand new! Paint was reapplied on benches, hopscotch squares, basketball hoop backboards, perimeter lines, etc. Once again, the blacktop has been restored to a wonderful place for students to play.

The overall atmosphere at Helen Lehman was incredibly positive! Thank you so much to all who came out to lend a hand!

RL Stevens Team Report - Richelle Andre, AmeriCorps VIP Fellow

On Saturday, October 22nd, the R.L. Stevens CalSERVES staff and a handful of fantastic volunteers teamed up for Make a Difference Day. During the course of the morning, we were able to put bark mulch over many of the bare-dirt areas around the school, as well as on the margins of the playground. This bark mulch helps keep weeds down and make the school look great!

We were also able to clean out the school’s garden, which was full of truckloads of old weeds as well as garbage. Everyone worked really hard and had a great attitude the whole time. Thank you to everyone who came out!

Wright Charter Team Report - Stacey  Krywaruczenko, AmeriCorps Team Leader

This past Saturday, I joined the fabulous team at Wright Charter as we picked up trash and pulled weeds at Cook Middle School. These are both things that I have done numerous times at different locations, but there is just something very special about completing these tasks with people that I see everyday, with whom I know that I am already making a difference.

I mostly picked up trash around the school and conversed with my team members, one in particular that I didn’t even know very well, but through this experience I was able to get to know her at a different level. We had some good laughs, not just from our conversations, but also by some of the strange things that we found all throughout Cook. While doing all of these things, there were also members of the community who were practicing their favorite sport, or watching a soccer game.

Seeing the community interact in that manner allowed me to feel a sense of accomplishment. Through our actions of beautifying Cook Middle School, it is now a place where not only just the students can enjoy themselves, but the community can as well.