A Belated Valentine's Day Dance

Well, Vare Middle School’s Valentine’s Day dance is officially two days away… I’m sure you just paused a moment to check out the date. It is, in fact, 8 days after Valentine’s Day, meaning this dance will be taking place on February 26. Makes perfect sense, right? We had originally scheduled the festivities to take place on a more appropriate date – February 12, to be exact – but record setting snowfalls paid an untimely and unfortunate visit to the Greater Philadelphia area. A few days off from school may have thrilled the students, but my team and I were less than enthusiastic about the idea of prolonging our stress another two weeks.

Yet, here we are, two weeks later, confirming chaperones, hanging banners, building floral arches, inflating countless balloons, and answering endless questions.

“Can I wear high heels?”
“Wait, so you mean I can wear skinny jeans?”
“Will there be a disco ball?”
“Who’s the deejay?”
“Can we do ballroom dancing?”
“Will you play slow songs and party music?”

You’d be amazed at the sheer amount of questions middle schoolers can come up with when given the opportunity. Our heads are spinning, but we also feed off of our students’ excitement. Yesterday, I caught myself thinking that we might actually be able to pull this thing off. But then, I saw the weather report, predicting more snow in the next few days.

Will we survive? The saga continues. Pray for us…

(Erin Reimer)

Behavior Binder

It was 4:45 am on February 16, 2010 and I was waking up to go to work just like every other day for the past seven months. I put on the Weather Channel, took a shower, and got dressed. This day was just like every other. I left my house at 6:15 to catch my regularly scheduled bus which was late, as usual. I made my way down to City Hall and then to my service school and met up with my team at 7:45 am. My team and I greeted the children like we do every morning as they arrive to school. "Good Morning, please stop sliding down the banister." "It isn't nice to hit guys!" "No, you may not play in the snow." We proceeded to our assigned classrooms and worked with the kids that we work with every day. I got the usual, "Reading is dumb Ms. Dee," in the beginning and then the never shocking "I like this book," in the end. It goes without saying that my schedule is pretty much set, but every once in a while a student proves me wrong and throws a stone in my river, changing its course.

Drew, a notorious 6th grade student is quite a handful. I usually expect to call his name a few hundred times before lunch. He is very funny and quite talented, none of which have kept him out of trouble thus far. But today was different. He was excited to talk to me when I walked into the classroom and he called me over to him. He told me that he was dating a young lady in the class and that she told him that his behavior has to improve for them to keep going out. He then followed it with "So Ms. Dee, can you make me a behavior binder, so you can help me work on it?" I agreed. Usually when Drew gets into trouble we talk about taking responsibility for our own actions and then he gets into trouble again, so I was quite surprised to find that my words were heard. I was very happy to see Drew taking initiative to do better and as promised we worked on making his binder.

Working in the school and following such structured schedules sometimes gets repetitive. Some days I feel as if I am doing the same thing as the day before. However, the changes in my students' behavior and class work is a reminder of City Years importance in the school. Along with my cooperating teacher, I hope to leave a lasting impression on not one, but many of the students I have had the pleasure of working with this school year.



Deirdre R. Denson
Lincoln Financial Foundation Team | Morrison Elementary

A Memorable Experience

My name is Antonique Blair from the YHNE team. One great experience for me this year was the recent overnight retreat for the CCYH Team and the Heroes Team. It was great! The corps members worked really hard to organize interesting workshops for the Heroes, despite some hectic weather. It felt good helping with the retreat and I can't wait until our YHNE retreat in May. The kids were great and the energy level was awesome. Events like these make my City Year experience memorable.
 
Antonique Blair, YHNE Team, Corps Member

Life Changing Experience

On September 8th, my City Year Team began its partnership with Jay Cooke Elementary School. At first we weren’t sure of what our journey would entail, however we all had something in common; we wanted to make a difference and that’s what I do in my class everyday. Even though there are some days when I get discouraged and even lose my hope, other days I see my students progressing. The children’s attendance has increased because they know that if they don’t come to school, I won’t stop calling them. Their behavior is much better because they know I respect them and they respect me. Their grades are improving because they know I won’t let them give up. Everyone on my team has had these moments and I feel as though our idealism has continued to fuel us. We’ve only been in these student’s lives for four months and we still have five more to go, but I know already that our passion and dedication will leave an everlasting impression. I look forward to knowing that not only did I change their lives, but also that they are changing mine too.

Abby Hartshorne, Jay Cooke Elementary, Corps Member

A Great Young Heroes Retreat

On December 4th and 5th the City Heroes team launched the start of its program with their very first retreat. City Heroes is a leadership development and service learning program for high school students from in and around Philadelphia. During the retreat, workshops were focused on leadership, diversity, personal identity, national and international service, as well as City Year culture. The City Heroes team worked hard to ensure that the workshops were engaging and informative. The team also worked day in and day out to “in-kind,” or solicit donations, for as much delicious food for the students as possible. This year, 151 students and 36 group leaders came out to the retreat. The group leaders did an amazing job leading the Heroes and we could not have had such meaningful workshops without their help. Thanks to everyone who helped make the retreat a success!
 
Tiffany Yuh, Corps Member, Clenmede Team, City Heroes

From the heart of Texas to the heart of Philly

30 degrees in mid-October cannot be a sign of a reasonable winter. Although I must admit, my standards may not be designed for a northerly climate, I'm still glad I came.

You see, my name is Alex Harris and I am an Austin, Texas native. Last summer marked a rite of passage, my graduation from high school into the so-called “real world”. At the time, I felt unprepared to make a well-informed decision about college. My only clear conviction was that I wanted to avoid the blueprint of the hurry up and settle down life. I wanted, in a word, adventure.

A picture of what I didn’t want did not advance my college plans, it only kept me anchored in the present, with the clock ticking away. I obviously needed some time to think over my options, and felt this time period in my life a formative time for my perceptual lenses. Furthermore, I had a friend, near relative whom I’ve known since first grade in a very similar situation, so we set our sights for City Year Greater Philadelphia.

I served as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Greater Philadelphia. I am often asked “Why Philadelphia?”, and quite honestly I don’t have a clear answer. Perhaps the best one is “Why not Philadelphia?”

Initially City Year seemed rather overwhelming but now it makes complete sense to me. Being assigned to Elkin Elementary helped to affirm my reasons for joining. I worked with a first grade class, a bi-lingual second grade class and a fourth grade class in the afternoon. My fourth graders are quite a unique bunch of students. I remember being overwhelmed, with a sense of pandemonium that seemed like a parody of school room chaos seen in television shows or in movies, but amidst the distracting scenery there were a few students quiet and earnestly interested in their work. I wrote them personal notes, thanking them by pointing out their good behavior and hard work, and the reactions were magical. The students absolutely lit up and beamed with pride, while many others noticed my now signature “Mr. Alex notes”. The next day, an especially rambunctious young girl, Kayla was in her seat doing her work. She wanted a note as well. Attention is something these students soak up, and I prefer not to speak unless it is meaningful. Needless to say, those are complimentary tendencies.

Now that I’ve had some time to reflect and engage, I have a more concrete idea of what my plans will be, and I know that the lenses through which I view life will forever be altered.

Alex, 18, SAP team at Elkin Elementary

CY 101: Strong Circle

The Strong Circle Power Tool allows for effective communication between the members of small to medium sized groups. All members of the group stand shoulder to shoulder in a tight circle. No one stands inside the circle and no one is outside of the circle. There should be no food or drink in the circle, either, only notebooks and pens. The Strong Circle allows for inclusivity, because with everyone able to make eye contact and see and hear one another, there is a forum opened to allow for free discussion of a topic.

The Strong Circle is used all over City Year. Every day, teams will start off with First Circle, a check-in and announcement time. Circles throughout the day, especially on service days, can help keep everyone on the same page. Final circle can provide a great space to debrief the day.

'08-'09 Graduation

This past Thursday, City Year Greater Philadelphia's '08-'09 corps graduated.

We served in dozens of schools, completed hundreds of thousands of hours of service for our students and neighborhoods, and got to be a part of something bigger than any one of us.

As the members of the '08-'09 corps prepare to go to college, start careers, embark on another AmeriCorps term and the many other things that City Year alumni opt to do, we wish you luck and thank you for all that you did this year.

My team's impact on our school

I’m a proud corps member serving at Benjamin Franklin middle school, located in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. When I first arrived at this school I was kind of nervous of how the students were going to react to my team and me. I was not really sure of how to approach them or knew what to say to them, but as the year was moving I started feeling more relaxed around them. By the time we reached March, the school climate became free and the atmosphere was calmer. Everybody in the school knows my name, asks about if I’m around all the times, and the school Administration is nice and generous to me.

One of my classes that I work in is 217. Ms. Daniels is a 4th grade teacher with the most kind-hearted and polite group of kids. I do in-class support with her helping out with literature and math, and mainly take out a couple kids a week to do small group tutoring. Also, she has invited me on two school trips, one was to the aquarium, and the other was to the Franklin Institute. I had a fabulous time at both places because the students left with smiles on their faces like they just came back from Disney World.

Ms. Mackey’s 8th grade class is one of my favorites out of all. This class has the hilarious group of kids, and I work with at least 8 students from this classroom. The students work on their reading comprehension skills, and touch base on what’s going on in their lives like a mentor session. I created a performance chart to keep track on their progress in class. I threw a pizza party for these students because they achieved what I had set for them in the month of February.

The way this year went, I feel like my team and I had a great impact on Benjamin Franklin middle school. All the progress this school is making through the time we was appointed to this school with the Pep Rally, City Hall trips, Penny Wars etc…

Russ, 22, corps member, the Graham Company team at Franklin school

CY 101: Round Tables (aka service outside the classroom)

Roundtables are a part of your outreach engagement service and are at the heart of people understanding the service that we do. Back in 1991, Bill Clinton participated in a roundtable at City Year Boston and was so inspired by their stories that it created a ripple known as AmeriCorps. Locally, roundtables have led corporations to become team sponsors as well as partnerships for recruitment to make filling our boots easier. This past year has seen several articles published after the writer was engaged in a roundtable, including first year corps member Zein Tawil (FirsTrust team at Shaw Middle School)being featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article.



In a roundtable, corps members are seated around a table (hence the title) and share their story with the visitor(s). The story consists of who you are, why you joined City Year, what you do in City Year, an impact story, and your plans for after City Year. The roundtables highlight the diversity of the larger corps and usually have 3 or 4 corps members. Also, every corps member will get a chance to participate in a roundtable – it can be anyone from a US Senator to a community organization. Every visitor is important, even if their title may not appear to be - our current Co-Executive Director Loree Jones came in for a roundtable with a friend of hers while the ED of Manayunk Development Corporation. So, remember the power of RIPPLES!

McKendry, 26,Visitor's Program senior corps member

Photo taken by Rex Carney

CY 101: Stand and Declare

Often in City Year, we find ourselves in large groups listening to a presentation or participating in a large scale discussion. “Stand and Declare” is a power tool designed to foster effective, courteous, and thoughtful communication and to strengthen community among the corps.

The idea behind “Stand and Declare” is that whenever we are in a medium to large group, the person who is speaking, whether to ask for clarification or to comment, will stand, state his or her name and team, then state his or her question or comment.

Standing allows for more eye contact, for the rest of the audience and the presenter to know who is speaking, and for greater voice projection so that the audience can hear the speaker. Being made to stand before you speak will also encourage the audience to be thoughtful in their responses, because they are literally, and figuratively, standing by their words.

Finally, “Stand and Declare” allows for people to familiarize themselves with one another in a large group, creating a greater sense of community than hearing anonymous speakers’ reactions.

'08-'09 corps member, '09-'10 service leader

I was born in Texas and raised in Puerto Rico. I have been in Philadelphia for 3 years. I attended public schools in Puerto Rico and completed 1 year of college in Universidad del Turabo for early childhood education K-3. In 2005, I was hired by Norris Square Children Center, where I worked as an assistant teacher. Working with children was the best for me, to see how they learn and grow knowledge was so exciting. I worked as an assistant teacher for almost 2 years and decided to further my education so I attended Orleans Technical Institute where I received a certificate on Residential and Commercial electrician. It was a challenge for me because I did not know anything about electricity plus I was the only girl in the classroom. But I was hungry for success and I focused on what I had to learn.

As a single mother, it was hard for me to provide for my children so I worked during the day and went to school at night. I graduated from Orleans Technical Institute in April 2008, finally I got there; it was difficult but not impossible. My spirit made me keep going. After I graduated I was looking for jobs everywhere but because of the economy most of the companies were not hiring or laying off. I attended many job fairs and finally found City Year Greater Philadelphia and asked, ‘what’s City Year?’

WOW, I was surprised and wondered where was City Year when I was in high school, unfortunately we don’t have City Year in Puerto Rico. That’s why immediately after finding out what City Year was, I said to myself, I’m going to give back to my people and community. It’s great to see that we can make a difference in youth’s lives and also make a difference in our community.

Yvette, 24, SEI team at Mastbaum AVTS High School

Comcast University

We often get the opportunity to work with our national sponsor, Comcast, around
various professional development topics, specifically while at Comcast University. This is a Professional Development arm of Comcast, where they offer various curricula on different topics within the realm of professional development, including leadership styles and resume critiques. While at Comcast University, many of our Staff and Senior Corps get the opportunity to learn and interact with professionals outside of the City Year bubble, and glean knowledge from Comcast’s professional development staff to bring back to Corps Members!

Ragina, 24, ProServe senior corps member

Hands-on Sponsors: Deloitte

Today, City Year Greater Philadelphia was thrilled to participate in Deloitte Impact Day.
Deloitte employees provided leadership training to the current corps members of City Year Greater Philadelphia who will be returning next year to lead a team of '09-'10 corps members. This was an excellent opportunity to meet with and ask questions of people at various stages in their careers and to learn how next year's leadership can better set themselves and their teams up for success next year.
Thanks to Deloitte for their donated time and thanks to our stellar '08-'09 corps members set to return for another City Year.

Who is your hero? My City Year corps member

Last year I planned on attending college this year but ended up seeing something outside of myself. I saw the need to serve with a National Movement. After this foresight I deferred my acceptance to Purdue University and accepted the honor bestowed upon me to be a CYGP Corps Member. There is a City Year Washington DC but I decided to do Philadelphia because I wanted the experience of a new place, as I would get in college and Philly is a great city with great needs.
My team and I have permanent schedules based on our subject interests and/or presence requests by teachers. I help four teachers daily in their classrooms. I do small group tutoring, floating, and have one on one-mediation meetings with students. Although it is only my fourth week at Overbrook I know that I have a huge impact on the students. They expect me to teach, love, and respect them in and outside of the classroom. One student was asked, “Who is your hero?” on an application and answered Ms. Brittany because she helps me and she is so cool. This is one of many things that will motivate me all year to participate in powerful service.
This year of service is extremely meaningful to me because I aspire to be a teacher. But I want to be the best teacher that I can be. This year has improved my skills and given me new ones. Next year I plan to go to college at Old Dominion so that I can get the degree I need to do what I love.

Brittany, 18, corps member, Villa team serving at Overbrook High School

CY 101: Spirit Break

At the end of any City Year meeting, event or circle, an inspirational word or phrase is chosen and everyone puts their hand in the center. Those who cannot reach the center of the huddle can put a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him or her. The person whose hand is on top of the huddle chooses the word or phrase.
Everyone bounces their hand in a countdown of 1-2-3 or C-Y-G-P and the phrase chosen. This power tool was borrowed from team sports as a way to powerfully bring together all the participants in the meeting, circle or event for one final moment of unity before we close.
If there are guests in the meeting, the Spirit Break should be explained, with the rhythm of the break demonstrated before the actual break. If it is garbled or disjointed, have the group re-do the Spirit Break. It is well worth it to repeat so that you can end on the right note.

Take an Art Class for Free

The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial is guided by the spirit of its founder, who first extended an invitation in 1898 for "the world to come and learn art." Samuel Fleisher's singular vision of high-quality, tuition-free art instruction continues uninterrupted at the Memorial.

Here, children from all economic and cultural backgrounds share in the commonality of the creative experience and the cultural diversity of the city. Adult artists of all levels of experience study with a distinguished faculty of working artists in diverse fine-arts mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and ceramics.

Fleisher's Romanesque-revival sanctuary provides an evocative, expanded musical and performance context for the understanding of time-based arts and the many meanings of culture.
The Challenge exhibition series, established in 1978, presents some of the region's best artists in a highly selective and widely respected competition.

Fleisher Art Memorial - 719 Catharine St. Philadelphia, PA 19147 * 215-922-3456 * www.fleisher.org

Corps Member's tricks to living on a stipend

Living on the stipend can be tricky some times. There are many bills you will have to pay from rent and utilities to groceries and internet. The first thing I suggest to you is to apply for food stamps as soon as you can. I unfortunately did not apply for food stamps before I started working and I have not had time to get them. If you do get food stamps it will really help you because it is basically like getting an extra paycheck every month.

One of the hardest points in the year to get through financially is the winter time. What I recommend is to keep your thermostat as low as you can without your pipes freezing. My house keeps ours at about 55 or 57. All you have to do is get a space heater for your bedroom and an electric blanket for your bed and you will be good to go. Don’t be afraid to put on a few extra layers. Also, it is probably a good idea to keep an extra space heater in the bathroom for after you get out of the shower. I have heard stories about some groups having $700+ bills for heat and electric, so I advise you to be very careful at least for the first month or two of winter. Our house has never had a bill over $130.

As far as food goes I recommend going on a big shopping trip for frozen foods and dinners about once a month and stock up. If you plan it out this way then all you need to buy weekly are things like milk, bread, or anything else you need/want. I also suggest you pack your lunch everyday. Buying lunch can add up very quickly. It is much easier to pack a lunch with a sandwich and a few snacks. I hope that my advice can help you survive on the stipend.

Joe, 18, corps member, Berwind team at Hopkinson

CY 101: Skit (“Getting Skittish”)

One of the best ways to communicate or instruct about a topic or idea is to act out the story that you’re trying to get across. This is a great power tool for communication, as well as using creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Skits can be incorporated into trainings, meetings, after school programs, etc. They can be the warm up, a team builder, an inclusivity training, to emphasize the story being told or the subject at hand.

The writing and practice of the skit makes the participants think clearly about the information they’re presenting to the audience and how best to communicate their point to the viewers. The best skits are both creative and informative.

The Idealist Handbook’s 8 Elements to Successful Skits:

1. Keep it Simple: Brainstorm just one theme and stick with it, rather than being overly complex.
2. Give ‘em a hook!: Grab and hold the audience’s attention with a key line or repetitive action that will drive home your skit’s theme.
3. Don’t be a facts machine: Only incorporate the most important info. Leave out the unnecessary stats.
4. Keep your head in the crowds: Know your audience and tailor the performance to the needs of group.
5. Act simple: Overacting can drain the attention away from the skit’s story, lessening its impact on the audience.
6. May I see your dramatic license, please?: Get creative with the simple elements you have available to you: gestures and props can set the scene for the audience.
7. Glean for lean scenes: Once you get the basics of your skit down, keep them basic. Cut what you don’t need and the audience will appreciate the brevity.
8. It takes a village…to write a skit: Skits are as much about teamwork as teaching a lesson, so make sure everyone’s input is heard.

Starfish Corps Graduation

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to West Philadelphia High School to help the FirsTrust team there with their Starfish Corps graduation.

The West Philly team ran Starfish Corps, a mini-City Year for 3rd- through 5th grade students, at Lea Elementary this year. To cap off the students' year of service and lessons, the team led the students through a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood.

Starfish visited the library, the YMCA, Malcolm X Park, Barkan Park, and a Water Ice vendor, learning things about their neighborhood and city as they went.

The team that finished first received refurbished trophies courtesy Laura (who collected Irish dancing trophies earlier this year to give out to students) on the Shaw team (which makes up the other half of the FirsTrust West-Shaw Team).

Seeing the kids with the corps members they look up to, having friendly competition, and playing games to celebrate all they've done this year was one of the best afternoons I've had this year, which is saying a lot.

West is just one of many teams wrapping up Starfish Corps this and last week, so thanks for all your hard work, and congratulations to our Starfish!

Mega, 24, recruitment senior corps member