Mary on Art Club

I asked each of the mentors to write about a club. Mary wrote about Art Club, which is now in its second year:














The club that I have been facilitating is Art Club. Students meet every Monday after school to complete different art activities, while learning about artists and different techniques. We have done three different projects this year including art work influenced by music, a shoe still life, and a family tree collage. This Monday students will be decorating pumpkins in honor of Halloween. Attendance has remained steady and we average around seven or eight students per meeting. It has been a wonderful time for students of all language levels and cultural backgrounds to engage with their peers.

I am in the process of planning some exciting art-related events and activities for the students this school year. One upcoming opportunity is for the Vocational Literacy program at our main office. Students have been commissioned to create art work for the walls in the classroom. This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to share their creations with the public, while at the same time providing a more pleasant environment for the clients. We are also hoping to visit some upcoming exhibits at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as participate in the One Book, One Philadelphia event. It will be exciting to see where Art Club will go this school year.

Since Halloween is today, here is a picture of the pumpkin project:

Community service at Philabundance

Last week, we did our first community service project of the year at Philabundance. The largest food bank on the East Coast, Philabundance distributes 17 million pounds of food each year.

We took the El up to North Philadelphia and walked to the warehouse. First, we watched a video about the organization:















We took a tour of the space:















Then we got to work!















We sorted and boxed hundreds of food and personal care items:















We were glad to know that our work will make a difference in the lives of our fellow Philadelphians:















Good job, everyone!

Outside the school

In the past few weeks, I've attended a number of interesting meetings outside the school.

One meeting was a community council meeting with different organizations that serve young people in our area. There are so many youth programs in the area, and it was valuable to learn about some of them and meet the people involved. It's also helpful to know what other people are doing so that we can tell students about other opportunities.

Another meeting was the first session of a yearlong seminar I am participating in this year. In this group, I, along with a dozen other out-of-school time practitioners, will be engaging in inquiry about our work and doing writing and research. This is the first time that this program is taking place in Philadelphia, and I am excited about what is coming up.

Finally, there was the first meeting of the year for a group focusing on college preparation and access. The attendees were diverse, ranging from administrators in youth-serving organizations to staff in school-based programs to school district personnel to college representatives. It was a great way to get a feel for the ongoing trends in postsecondary options that we have long been interested in.

While I enjoy learning from my peers during these meetings, it is even more important to spend quality time with the students. I got to do just that this week on a trip we took to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. We heard from an admissions representative, took a student-led tour of the campus, and had a meal in the dining hall. It was a real hit. Many of the students loved the experience and got a better sense of what life after high school is really like. That kind of positive educational experience is what we're here, after all.

Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan

By coincidence, Rosh Hashanah and the end of Ramadan both took place this week. Therefore, on Thursday, we held two workshops to teach students about the holidays.

During lunch, Toni set up a table where students could stop by and learn about some of the customs that take place during the Jewish New Year. They learned to say "L'Shana Tova" and had the opportunity to try some traditional foods, such as apples and honey and challah bread.

After school, Said had a workshop about Ramadan. As students enjoyed couscous, cake, dates, and milk, he explained the origins of Islam's holy month. He also talked about fasting and how worshipers of many religions practice fasting rituals.

There are a number of religions represented at the school. This is true for both our students and the Project Bridging Cultures staff. Many of the students who attended workshops enjoyed the opportunity to learn about different religions and compare them with each other. Faith is often an important part of many people's background and culture, and I believe that open and tolerant conversation on the topic can be critical to helping students clear up misconceptions and understand one another better.