Life in the CalSERVES Office

Ah, the elusive office. Many in CalSERVES have heard about and visited this pristine space. Some come here every few weeks for meetings. Few know the reality of working in the office. Often, my fellow members at school sites ask me about my experience thus far in the office. Coming up with a suitable answer proves difficult because working in a setting like this is not so novel to me—most of my prior work experiences took place in an office setting, besides my term as a full-time mentor at Wright last year.

For this blog, I offered to write a piece on life in the office. In order to best articulate my feelings on this subject, I wrote a poem encapsulating my time here. I hope you enjoy it.

A Cube with a View 

My head bobs unconsciously to the 
cacophonic taps of fingers upon keyboards; 
our joints read the notes of an unseen composition, allegro. 
I devour another email, rich in its text, a signature like cupcake frosting. 

I blink; the resulting image is a mishmash of right angles, 
algorithmic in their precision. My cubicle is lined with interwoven threads 
of charcoal and peach, of granite quarries and southwestern dust. 

I sit, stare, and I forget other people exist here. 
Everywhere. My own vacuum of productivity. 
Then someone calls me. I text them. They fax me. I email them. 
We engage in the electric slide, the techno tango, 
making up the moves and songs as we go along. 

A child appears and people swarm like ducks to an open palm of breadcrumbs. 
My spreadsheets have replaced my students: I protect them, 
teach them new formulas, respond to error messages and data disagreements; 
cells tattle on each other, but with a click, everyone is friends again. 

I get up; the grey carpet is now crimson, a runway lined with adoring fans. 
Strutting to the kitchen, I wave and smile and pretend the fluorescent bulbs 
flash at me; coworkers scream my name as I pass by, asking for my autograph 
on a timesheet. A Starbucks mermaid is my Oscar trophy; 
my supervisor hands it to me and I tear up during the acceptance speech. 

It was once an enigma, a maze of plastic and frosted rectangles,
where the cogs of CalSERVES hid and hashed out. 
I often heard “the office” uttered as if it were an individual. 
“That’s what the office said.” “Let me ask the office.” 
However, I’ve infiltrated the inside and have come to spread 
the juicy gossip: behind that voice on the phone, 
behind those glossy glass doors, behind the privacy screens of cubicles— 
there is no false wizard, no other-worldly entity. 
There are people. Smiling. Answering questions. Laughing. 
Finalizing the fiscal. Besieging the budgetary. Caring. 
They are the instructions to our IKEA bed, 
the plumber to our leaky pipes, 
the heart to our tin man. 

by Patrick Link, CalSERVES Local VIP Leader

Loving Science at RL Stevens

3rd graders testing their parachutes.

The mentors and kids at RL Stevens LOVE our new KidzScience kits. It is easy for me because I just hand the kit to a mentor and I know they are well supplied. The mentors appreciate having the lesson plans to use as guides for leading and setting up activities.

We have had several classes use the Falling and Flying kit to make parachutes and build rockets. The students had a lot of fun testing their parachutes and racing them against paper clips without parachutes to see how parachutes help to slow objects as they fall. They also built rockets, working in teams to see which constructions worked best and helped their rockets fly the farthest.

With the help of the KidzScience kits, we have had a lot of success introducing our students to different scientific principles by using just one or two of the lessons.

by Lauren Alpert, Team Leader at RL Stevens Elementary

Happy Holidays from CalSERVES!

Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season! As you spend time with family and friends, take time to remember the many things in your life for which you are grateful. Enjoy peace and contentment.

Kids Love Dogs

Sadie and three of her biggest fans. These brothers all received awards at our
fitness assembly this week and they asked for Sadie to be included in their picture.

Bringing your dog to work every day may seems a little unconventional to some, but for me, it’ a dream come true. When the kids ask what a therapy dog is, I say “Her job is to just to make you happy.” Sadie is a one year old Catahoula mix that loves kids; one thing is for sure, the kids love her even more! Whether it’s the 3rd grader that spends his mornings, recess, and lunch time in our room visiting her, or the 6th grader that asks to take her for a walk when he’s feeling upset, her presence has made quite the difference here at Kawana.

When I visit Ms. Garcia's Kindergarten, she asks the students as I’m leaving the room, "Say goodbye to Ms. Williams." In perfect harmony the kindergarteners yell "Bye Sadie!!” If that isn’t proof that she’s doing her job, then I don’t know what is! 

by Jackie Williams, After School Team Leader at Kawana Elementary

Healthy Food for Families

Fresh produce from the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Every Friday I go to the food bank and get hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables to give out to the families. This past Friday I got over 600 pounds of produce. I picked up 150 boxes of strawberries (1 per family), 200 pounds of potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and celery. In the past I have also gotten sweet potatoes, carrots, parsley, green onions, apples, oranges, asian pears, and more. Although I do this every Friday, the parents still ask me how much I am charging for the produce. The families are relentlessly shocked and grateful for the copious amounts of fruits and vegetables I provide.

This is by far one of the most rewarding things I have a chance to do. Giving healthy food for the families to put on the dinner table, and knowing that my students aren’t going to go hungry tonight- that’s all the thanks I need.

by Melissa Collins, VIP Fellow at Kawana Elementary School

Learning Science by Exploring

Students exploring science at the RL Stevens "Build It Science Festival"

The R.L. Stevens CalSERVES after school program would like to say a special thanks to the Lawrence Hall of Science for supporting our students’ learning with the “Build-It” science festival. The instructor and festival coordinator, Jeff, did a fantastic job explaining each station to volunteers, and also kept students engaged.

The activities included constructing an arch out of wooden blocks, recognizing patterns, making a pop-up book, making structures out of newspaper, and making 3-dimensional shapes. Each class had an hour to explore the stations at the fair. Jeff emphasized that the goal of the festival was not to teach students facts, but instead to encourage exploration and creativity. CalSERVES staff and students appreciated this approach, as it led to a successful and enjoyable event.

This event also relied heavily on adult support, and would not have been possible without the generosity and involvement of our parents and volunteers. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped!

by Tyler Rockey, VIP Fellow at RL Stevens Elementary

Fun with Tennis

Last year, I was fortunate enough to have been in the right place at the right time to be introduced to Michelle Skipwith, the USTA Tennis Service Representative for Sonoma County. She was giving a presentation on bringing “QuickStart Tennis” into elementary schools to get young students more involved with the game of tennis. We placed an order for our school sites and for a very low cost we were able to supply our school sites with over 160 tennis racquets of various sizes for our students! We also received numerous types of tennis balls, tennis nets, and curriculum that will show our AmeriCorps members how to teach our students in tennis.

This Fall we had 3 tennis trainings, 3 hours each, for all of our school sites. At these trainings, mentors were taught the basic fundamentals of tennis and how to make it fun and interesting for kids. Now our AmeriCorps mentors have the tools and supplies to teach our students tennis and with this wonderful 75 degree December weather in Santa Rosa, we are fortunate enough to be able to continue playing tennis in the beautiful sunshine.

by Katie McCormick, CalSERVES Coordinator