Emily Nagel, AmeriCorps Mentor at Wright Elementary
Mmm... fall time, like I know it, has finally arrived to my new home of Santa Rosa. I once again feel like I am back in the Midwest with crisp, cool air, vibrant trees, and hot apple cider. I was almost certain that this comforting feeling of fall would be forever absent during my time away from home. And although my favorite season has slowly approached us I have been reminded of what I do on a daily basis that can provide more comforts than those of fall time:
First grader Joe, whom I pick up first thing in the morning, is always eager to sport his perfectly gelled hair, giggling as he calls me Ms. Bagel.
Selomie's curiosity exhibits her eagerness to learn and continues to shine in all of her accomplishments.
For Bianca, creating a rendition of the material from High School Musical is a guarantee that she will earn her sticker for the day.
Grayson graciously throws me high fives and excitedly shares his childhood adventures of exploring the city "Francisco" with me.
Fredy, whom I have nicknamed the "Fredster", initiates conversations about animals, the universe and how the human race could potentially survive without the sun.
And how could I forget Shawn. A student in my afterschool class and a guarantee to brighten my day, he repeatedly tells me about his aspirations of becoming a professional NASCAR driver and his future plans of traveling to Florida to see Jimmy Johnson win the title for another year.
I have realized that I am teaching more than phonetics and sight words, I am being a role model and a mentor. Perhaps my students might not always remember the material but they can count on Ms. Nagel to provide encouragement and instill confidence that will ideally stay with them for their lifetime.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Making A Difference at Wright Elementary
Katie O'Looney, Supervising Teacher at Wright Elementary
Wright students Jesus Rosas and Jazmin Gomez hold a sign they made for Make a Difference Day.
On October 24th, the Wright CalSERVES mentors and 100 eager after school students participated in Make A Difference Day, a national day of service. This year at Wright our students participated in a trash clean-up of the entire school, weeded areas by teachers classrooms, planted over 100 bulbs in planter boxes that will come up in the spring, swept and mopped the stage area, cleaned out lunch bins for teachers, wrote thank you letters to all of the teachers at Wright, wrote letters to elderly citizens and made 2 signs to help people get to Wright School.
Mentor Jay Harris and student Jesus Rosas put up their sign
Last year, our 5th and 6th grade students who were in our Service Club painted the "Wright School -->" sign and finally this year after getting approval, we were able to put up the sign on the corner of Price Avenue and S. Wright road. After our day of service, the teachers and staff of Wright school were very appreciative. Our school secretary told me that she "put up the old sign 20 years ago and was waiting for the day someone would replace it. It looks wonderful". We really did make a difference!
Wright students Jesus Rosas and Jazmin Gomez hold a sign they made for Make a Difference Day.
Mentor Jay Harris and student Jesus Rosas put up their signLast year, our 5th and 6th grade students who were in our Service Club painted the "Wright School -->" sign and finally this year after getting approval, we were able to put up the sign on the corner of Price Avenue and S. Wright road. After our day of service, the teachers and staff of Wright school were very appreciative. Our school secretary told me that she "put up the old sign 20 years ago and was waiting for the day someone would replace it. It looks wonderful". We really did make a difference!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Kawana Knows How To Party
by Cyndie Granato, Team Leader at Kawana Elementary
5th graders with pumpkins they carved
Halloween festivities were in full swing at Kawana's CalSERVES programs last week! Promise Fellow Jenny Gibson worked nonstop to make sure that this Halloween would be one that Kawana kids wouldn’t soon forget. CalSERVES entire room was turned into a haunted house, and mentors got into the act by dressing in costume for the day of Halloween. Even in the rain, kids and mentors all had a blast this Halloween!
Some of the costumed Kawana mentors
Additionally, earlier in the week, students painted/carved pumpkins that had been donated from generous farmers and stores across Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties.
3rd graders with their mentor, Alli Campfield, show off their pumpkins
1st grade Daniel paints his pumpkin
5th graders with pumpkins they carvedHalloween festivities were in full swing at Kawana's CalSERVES programs last week! Promise Fellow Jenny Gibson worked nonstop to make sure that this Halloween would be one that Kawana kids wouldn’t soon forget. CalSERVES entire room was turned into a haunted house, and mentors got into the act by dressing in costume for the day of Halloween. Even in the rain, kids and mentors all had a blast this Halloween!
Some of the costumed Kawana mentors
3rd graders with their mentor, Alli Campfield, show off their pumpkins
1st grade Daniel paints his pumpkinThursday, October 30, 2008
Better than Coffee in the Morning
Jessica Pardue, AmeriCorps Mentor at Wright Elementary
Waking up at 7am has always been difficult for me. I arrive at Wright Elementary at 8am every morning to start a busy day of full-time mentoring. Not being a morning person, I may be guilty of being just a bit cranky and lethargic. Pulling out my tutoring box and setting up today’s Sound Partner’s lesson seems to take ten years. If only it would be brighter outside when I get up…if only it wasn’t so cold…grumble grumble grumble. At 8:20am, I go outside with the other three full time mentors to collect our 1st grade tutees. All the first grade classes line up together to be greeted by their teachers and checked in for the day. Sometimes they sing a “good morning” song that starts with “cloudy good morning” or “sunny good morning” depending on the weather.
On one particular morning, I came to pick up Eduardo. As usual, he was hiding behind one of his friends and giggling like mad. I told him it was time to go, and he came trotting out of line. I happened to be wearing eye-makeup that day, (not common for me) and Eduardo looked up at me and asked “Why are your eyeballs so crazy Ms. P?”. Naturally this was a very honest and serious question, but it cracked me up. I explained that I just felt like wearing makeup today and he took a minute to think about it. I asked him if he liked it, and he scrunched up his face and shook his head. “It looks too crazy” he replied. I accepted his opinion and walked to tutoring with a giant grin on my face. Thanks Eduardo, for being so much better than coffee in the morning.
Waking up at 7am has always been difficult for me. I arrive at Wright Elementary at 8am every morning to start a busy day of full-time mentoring. Not being a morning person, I may be guilty of being just a bit cranky and lethargic. Pulling out my tutoring box and setting up today’s Sound Partner’s lesson seems to take ten years. If only it would be brighter outside when I get up…if only it wasn’t so cold…grumble grumble grumble. At 8:20am, I go outside with the other three full time mentors to collect our 1st grade tutees. All the first grade classes line up together to be greeted by their teachers and checked in for the day. Sometimes they sing a “good morning” song that starts with “cloudy good morning” or “sunny good morning” depending on the weather.
On one particular morning, I came to pick up Eduardo. As usual, he was hiding behind one of his friends and giggling like mad. I told him it was time to go, and he came trotting out of line. I happened to be wearing eye-makeup that day, (not common for me) and Eduardo looked up at me and asked “Why are your eyeballs so crazy Ms. P?”. Naturally this was a very honest and serious question, but it cracked me up. I explained that I just felt like wearing makeup today and he took a minute to think about it. I asked him if he liked it, and he scrunched up his face and shook his head. “It looks too crazy” he replied. I accepted his opinion and walked to tutoring with a giant grin on my face. Thanks Eduardo, for being so much better than coffee in the morning.
Monday, October 6, 2008
KAWANA PRESENTS... Christian!
Cyndie Granato, Team Leader at Kawana Elementary
Christian Lugo, CalSERVES Tutoring and After School Student
Kawana has decided to profile one amazing student each month in a special section called KAWANA PRESENTS. And who better to choose for our first article than one of our star tutoring kids? So, Kawana is proud to present: Christian Avina Lugo.
Why Christian? Christian has been in CalSERVES Literacy Tutoring and After School programs for several years. Mr. Nyholm, Christian’s tutor, notes that he is “polite and down to earth; he’s a very clean cut and stylish kid.” He was known in After School all last year as one of the most polite kids in his class, and, just as importantly, for his style and dance skills. He is also a skilled poet, having performed his poetry live in the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, with an audience of hundreds. Christian dreams of being an NFL player when he’s older, but right now, his favorite things are math and cheeseburgers. Finally, Mr. Nyholm recalls, Christian “was the first kid to say hello to me at this school.”
Polite, funny, outgoing, smart, and friendly: these are just a few of the many things Kawana loves about Christian.
Christian and his mentor, Mr. Nyholm
Christian Lugo, CalSERVES Tutoring and After School StudentKawana has decided to profile one amazing student each month in a special section called KAWANA PRESENTS. And who better to choose for our first article than one of our star tutoring kids? So, Kawana is proud to present: Christian Avina Lugo.
Why Christian? Christian has been in CalSERVES Literacy Tutoring and After School programs for several years. Mr. Nyholm, Christian’s tutor, notes that he is “polite and down to earth; he’s a very clean cut and stylish kid.” He was known in After School all last year as one of the most polite kids in his class, and, just as importantly, for his style and dance skills. He is also a skilled poet, having performed his poetry live in the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, with an audience of hundreds. Christian dreams of being an NFL player when he’s older, but right now, his favorite things are math and cheeseburgers. Finally, Mr. Nyholm recalls, Christian “was the first kid to say hello to me at this school.”
Polite, funny, outgoing, smart, and friendly: these are just a few of the many things Kawana loves about Christian.
Christian and his mentor, Mr. NyholmWednesday, October 1, 2008
No Place We Would Rather Be
Patrick McGrath, Full-time Mentor at Wright Elementary
Patrick McGrath and Emily Nagel, Mentors at Wright Elementary
The first two weeks of tutoring are done and I cannot begin to describe our excitement for this year. At times the planning seemed to be overwhelming, but our training and on-site support has proven to be more than helpful in preparing us to do our best.
All the students are great and have the chance to get out of class to do some one on one tutoring with us. It is a rewarding feeling to see smiles on the students' faces and know that we are making a positive impact on their lives.
Our After School program is beginning and our excitement has been raised to higher levels. With our own classes we can plan activities (whether it is lessons, literacy, group time, or games) and know we are keeping the students safe, educated, and entertained.
An additional perk in being part of CalSERVES is knowing that the site is full of committed mentors from all over the United States that want to help students learn. All mentors and students have been wonderful and there is no place we would rather be right now.
Patrick McGrath and Emily Nagel, Mentors at Wright ElementaryThe first two weeks of tutoring are done and I cannot begin to describe our excitement for this year. At times the planning seemed to be overwhelming, but our training and on-site support has proven to be more than helpful in preparing us to do our best.
All the students are great and have the chance to get out of class to do some one on one tutoring with us. It is a rewarding feeling to see smiles on the students' faces and know that we are making a positive impact on their lives.
Our After School program is beginning and our excitement has been raised to higher levels. With our own classes we can plan activities (whether it is lessons, literacy, group time, or games) and know we are keeping the students safe, educated, and entertained.
An additional perk in being part of CalSERVES is knowing that the site is full of committed mentors from all over the United States that want to help students learn. All mentors and students have been wonderful and there is no place we would rather be right now.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Joining the AmeriCorps Team
Jeremy King, CalSERVES Program Assistant
During the past few weeks, all the Leadership Team members and CalSERVES Program Assistants have been busy recruiting some great mentors for this year. Many professors at Sonoma State University and the Santa Rosa Junior College welcomed us to make brief presentations in their classes. We had many college students and staff come visit our table on campus and express their support for the work we are doing.
One day the JC team was even able to convince a student to play his saxophone near our table to attract more attention! I have seen the enthusiasm of our AmeriCorps Leadership Team members and am excited for the coming year!
Yesterday, the newly recruited half-time members joined in their first training - AmeriCorps 101. We are excited to have everyone on our team!
During the past few weeks, all the Leadership Team members and CalSERVES Program Assistants have been busy recruiting some great mentors for this year. Many professors at Sonoma State University and the Santa Rosa Junior College welcomed us to make brief presentations in their classes. We had many college students and staff come visit our table on campus and express their support for the work we are doing.
One day the JC team was even able to convince a student to play his saxophone near our table to attract more attention! I have seen the enthusiasm of our AmeriCorps Leadership Team members and am excited for the coming year!Yesterday, the newly recruited half-time members joined in their first training - AmeriCorps 101. We are excited to have everyone on our team!
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