Washington D.C Service Trip

Hello everyone,

For my senior act of service I decided to go on the Washington D.C service trip. I thought it would be a new and possibly challenging experience to go to a new environment such as D.C and preform various acts of community service. In Rhode Island, I have preformed multiple acts of community service and they have all had different impacts on my life. While in D.C, I realized my favorite kind of service act is working at soup kitchens or anything having to do with giving food to the homeless and hungry. Since there are not as many homeless/hungry people in Rhode Island, Washington D.C was a completely new experience and was actually very fun. My expectations for this trip were at an average level but from the moment we got there they seemed to continue to increase. The atmosphere in the city of D.C was a new and fresh and I especially liked walking around and discovering the city during the nights that we were there. However, the trip definitely kicked off after we were assigned our tasks for the week at YSOP.

Our service started off the second day we got there and I was in a team with Mrs. DiChiaro, Jill, Chelsea, Eliza, and Alex. We named our team S.O.S (Share Our Service) and we were told that we were going to be working with food all week. I had never worked at any sorts of soup kitchens before so I was a bit nervous but it actually turned out to be the most rewarding and enjoyable acts of community service I have ever done before. The places we served at were: S.O.M.E (So Others May Eat), Food for Friends, and DC Kitchen. Unfortunately, we missed the day we were going to go to the local food bank which was one I was looking forward to because I like working at food banks. I must say the most inspirational and enthusiastic place we served at was S.O.M.E. The fact that everyone was cheerful and eager to work towards a common goal in serving many homeless/hungry people of D.C made it so much more of a great experience for us as volunteers at a place we had never been before. After the first few minutes, we felt as if we were back at home and not hundreds of miles away. With that, I took away a gratitude filled experience. This made me think that if every place were just as enjoyable I would want to volunteer there all the time which helps them a lot. With welcoming and grateful people, comes a better volunteer outcome which (in this case) helped feed hundreds of people. If every organization can be like S.O.M.E then I feel as though people would volunteer more and problems such as hunger would be solved in a faster and more precise manner.

I am grateful and beyond impressed about the quality of this trip. If I could find soup kitchens in Rhode Island like the ones we serviced at in D.C I would volunteer more often which is among one of my goals for the next month.

Thank you all for such a memorable experience!

~Nikki F.

William D'Abate and Sackett Street School

I did my service project with Stacy at the William D'Abate Elementary School and Lilian Feinstein Elementary School at Sackett Stree. When Anita said that we could work with her friend Melissa Meyers (who the art majors work with a few times a year) I thought it sounded like a fun way to use my experience in art to help some kids whose art program is less than desirable. What I didn't expect was how much I would gain from the kids, the schools, and Ms. Meyers.
Our first school, William D'Abate, is in Olneyville and for the most part is a very underprivlaged student body. The kids at this school were really good and had far less disciplinary issues than at Sackett Street but their lack of an art room and art supplies is pretty low on the list of priorities. The neighborhood is tough, everyone around you speaks spanish, in many ways it feels like another country compared to the sheltered community of lincoln and the neighborhoods most of us have grown up in. At this school Melissa has a closet where she keeps supplies and a rolling cart to bring them from room to room. Our job was to help her get everything ready for each class and then Stacy and I would walk around the room as the kids worked and helped them with whatever questions they had about their project. The surprise at having these two older girls who weren't quite old enough to be real teachers never seemed to get old (at either school). The principal at this school was really friendly and involved in the school and he maked William D'Abate much more effective than the principal at Sackett. It was for this reason that we were only able to take pictures at D'Abate.
Our Second school was the school on Sackett Street. We were in for a culture shock here. Now for the most part I have to say the kids were really good and well behaved...however, there were several students with discipline and respect issues and they really stand out in my memory. In this school Ms. Meyeres has her own classroom but the support pretty much ends there. The principal in disengaged and though we never actually met her, the announcaments she gave in the morning and afternoon seemed incoherent. For a school with such a tough student body a principal lacking the skills to set discipline in place is an issue. With a more authoritative principal Sackett could be a really great school, so fortunately they will be getting a new one next year although no one knows who it will be. While most kids are good the kids who weren't were so far from what I have known it's hard to describe. They will directly defy what a teacher tells them to do, talk back, bully other kids, or just sit and refuse to do anything. It seemed to me that most of these kids just needed more support at home and at school but everyone seems more set on punishment or having them change school than anything. Lunch duty was really something...the teachers had whistles that were blown routinely (to no avail) and the kids were constantly screaming or being screamed at.
While the main focus of this entry has been on things that the schools or students lack, it is simply because we were so involved that we couldn't help but notice what the schools need. It's hard to know what kind of an impact our being there made on the kids, from the kids hugging us, remembering our names after only 30 minutes of class, and making us pictures, I think it is safe to say that even if we only helped for a few minnutes, it was a few more minutes of attention than most of the kids normally get in school.

An experience from my last day at Crossroads that evoked pondering...

Friday, May 28 was the last day Sarah and I would be at Crossroads. Friday was a sunny day. Lots of strollers were out and the families were enjoying the sunshine. Therefore, our turnout was not as high as we had hoped for. It being our last day and all we really wanted to say good by to DayShawn and Alia and their little sister. They never showed up.

There was a new mother who did show up, though. The mother looked to be about 15 or 16 years old and she was holding her little son. This was very sad for me to see because she was younger than both Sarah and I are and she had no one supporting her physically, emotionally, or financially. Where was the little boy's father? Where are her parents? I told her all about the activity (which was scrap booking) and showed her the demo Sarah and I had made. I enthusiastically talked to her for a good two minutes and all I got in return was a blank stare. I later learned that she only knew a few words of English. What is her future going to be like? She does not have a single person in the world that she can rely on. She does not have anyones couch to crash on. She is utterly and completely alone.

This is what I started thinking about: how easy would it have been that I would have been born into her position. I could have been that 16 year old girl. Any of us could be in that situation. What makes us different? Absolutely nothing. Therefore, why am I the one who gets to leave when 5:00 rolls around and go back to my house? This made me realize that if I were in that position I would want someone to volunteer her time to play with my little boy. I would want help. Therefore, this experience has taught me that it is not only unfair to sit around and not help but it is simply necessary that I do help. This one day at Crossroads has led me to believe that there are millions of people I could be right now. But I'm not. Since I am not, I have the opportunity to help. And that is what I know I truly need to do.

Oh District of Columbia...

Hello Hello!

So I’m going to be really honest here, because, you know, honesty is the best policy and such. I am also not going to summarize the entire trip and list my duties. Past posts probably already covered that. What I am going to do is express my true feelings about the service we preformed in Washington D.C., our lovely nation’s capitol.

I went on the DC trip for a couple reasons. One of which was to get away from Rhode Island; the other reason was that I thought serving the homeless would be good for me. I really have no desire to serve in my community. And it’s not even that DC is a different community, I just don’t think about service in a good way; this goes especially for the homeless. I don’t want to say I don’t care, I do, but I guess it is that I don’t care enough...point being I was pretty much surrounded by conceptions like ‘don’t give them money, they’ll use it for drugs’ or ‘he’s crazy, don’t go near him.’ (well, in New York, that’s kind of true, considering, like, 90% of the homeless there come from shut down physiatrist hospitals). I really counted on DC changing my mind not only about homelessness in general, but service in its entirety.

Okay, I’m not going to lie, I felt bad for most of the down-and-out people, but when I’m serving food to a homeless man who is talking merrily on his new looking touch screen cell phone, my previous misconceptions about homelessness were altered, alright. Then there was the guy dressed nicer than I was….I’m not saying I want them all to be dirty and destitute, but to have a cell phone you need both credit and an address, why was that guy at SOME (so others might eat)?? I really can’t get over it. Stop paying for the phone and buy food instead. But that is horribly insensitive of me.

Looking back, my perceptions of service and homelessness did change (like I will give money to the homeless I see- except that one on Thayer who just smokes all day) but something I didn’t expect effected me much more. The people who worked every day at those sights were amazing. They cant get paid that much, and some were volunteers, but still they came in and were nice, friendly, for the most part patient, and usually very happy! To do such meaningful work every day is really significant, and their attitudes (especially Michelle at SOME) were amazing. To see that level of destitution each day and continue joking, laughing, and having fun is really cool. After a while I’d get really jaded and bitter. Probably annoyed too. Of the entire trip, Miss Dot from DC central kitchen and Michelle were by far the most inspirational people I have ever met. Miss Dot had to be almost 80, can even drive anymore, but she was in that kitchen on a very hot day trying to teach some idiot volunteer how to properly and conservatively cut a tomato ( that volunteer being me, and I still can’t do it.). Good for her, you know? I admire that a lot, I wish I had that drive to help people, but if they don’t come to me and ask, I don’t seek out the needy. I probably should.

To conclude, I didn’t think I would learn anything from DC, but I kept an open mind and really enjoyed the work I did. I really admire the people involved with caring for the needy. I think I want to follow their lead and help, but not in the same way. They had hope for the future, maybe someday, hunger would be eliminated. Well, aside from going socialistic on the world (which I wont even get started on) I am going to go straight to the top of the political food chain one day and change things myself. Yeah, it’s a far set dream, but you never know….

I leave you now, with a song. Coldplay's Beautiful World; because even though it kind of sucks sometimes, life, and the world, are beautiful.



Looooove... Alex

Potbelly Manor & Fax House

Hello everyone. So I did my two weeks at two different places. I spent my first week at Smith & Abbys Potbelly manor in North Kingstown. It's basically a place that takes in abused animals of any kind, the kind of animals a shelter would not take in (for example: cows). It was really interesting to see how much work goes into taking care of a farm and how much money it takes. I spent a ton of time just playing and socialzing with the animals. It was not all fun though, I had to shovel poop from time to time too. All the animals have a "story." All the animals there are really sweet and loveable, but they've had really difficult lives.
My second week was done at the Fax house. The fax house is a state run place for aids, abused, and drug babies. They also had three toddlers staying with them while I was there and I spent most of my time playing with them. It's so much work taking care of 10 babies at a time! Most of these kids have had really tuff lives and they probably won't get any easier for a while. I really enjoyed my two weeks at both places!

Reflection on the DC Service Trip

Last week in DC was a learning experience for me. In the past I have done community service, but nothing like I experienced in DC. Typically I am used to doing community service where I have little to no interaction with the people that I am directly helping. On the first night of the service trip the group of Lincoln students prepared and served dinner to the homeless. We all worked in the kitchen to prepare chicken, vegetable stir fry, cole slaw, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, and brownies for dessert. The dinner from the preparations until the last person was out the door lasted about 4 hours. Not only was it a wonderful experience to see the people in our class on this trip work together to prepare the meal, but the most magical moment of the night was seeing everyone interact with a new friend. I took a few moments to myself and just glanced around the room and there was not one guest at our dinner that didn't have a smile one. It was a very heartwarming experience. The next morning my group was assigned to serve breakfast at Thrive DC. Again we prepared the food under the orders of a very strict chef, and we were able to serve around 150 people that morning. At Thrive DC I over heard a man telling a group of his friends about the wonderful chicken that he ate last night. Immediately we recognized the man and became reacquainted and he thanked us tirelessly for the wonderful meal. It was great to see first hand how much these people appreciated the work we were doing and how they passed the news along to their friends. Of course my group also painted a very long fence one morning and also chopped hundreds of potatoes, onions, and scallions, but the experiences I had directly with the people I was serving were the most inspiring to me.

This trip has inspired me to do more service in the future. Although I like the interaction during service, I also don't mind shopping thousands of vegetables because I know that no matter what, the people I am helping are thankful. Our generation has the ability to change many of the problems in the world, and every little thing helps.

Kelsey Puddington

Washington DC Service Trip

This trip was quite impacting and eyeopening. The sites I attended were much different from places I have been in Rhode Island. I found myself doing much work that was often hands on. I had never packed that many cakes, and sliced that many potatoes, ever. One of the sites that really impacted me was S.O.M.E, it was a kitchen where we fed two rounds of meals to the homeless. Now this was different from the other sites where we just packed the food; here we passed the plate down the line and eventually handed it to the people who walked in the door. It was amazing to see all the people who walked in the door, some were injured, others exhausted, and there were a few who were in good condition considering their situation. It was sad though to think that these were just the people who were aware of the service that S.O.M.E offered, and that others would go hungry that day because they were not educated on where the proper services were provided.
What really inspired me and excited me was the feeling I had at the end of the day. This would not have been possible if it wasn't for the team effort I took part of every day. As a team, Mrs. DiChiaro, Chelsea, Alex, Eliza, Nikki, and myself conquered the challenges and carried out our service as we attended each site. Working side by side these individuals not only made things more fun, but together we felt as we had accomplished something because we each had individual skills that worked to make an unstoppable team. It was clear when we did a job well done because we would be thanked over and over for our presence that day. It was clear that these tasks were not a one person job. Yes, these organizations exist but they mean nothing if they don't have people to help operate them.
In the end, this trip took my value of service to a whole new level. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to serve another community and visit another community. This trip took the "number of service hours" out of the equation of serving for me. When you are doing something you enjoy and that benefits others, you totally lose sight of time. I sometimes wished we could spend more time at these places; we would work so fast and have so much fun doing it, the next thing we knew it was time to head back to the hostel. I hope that our experience impacts the underclassmen and that when we leave service will begin to play a larger part in the Lincoln community. We are such a small state, but we have so many girls in the community who are capable of sharing their talents to help serve others.

Thank you all who made this trip possible!

- Jill Soscia

D.C. Service Trip

For my service opportunity I choose to travel to Washington D.C. along with 20 other students to volunteer through the organization called YSOP. Staying in washington was a really interesting experience which opened my mind to the real statistics and challenges homeless people are faced with today. The service group I was paired with for the week consisted of Me, Melia, Gianna, Kara, Ruta and our chaperone Sarah.

Our first service position was at Martha's Table, an organization which is composed of three different programs all geared toward serving the community and helping the homeless. During the day our group worked for the program of Martha's Table called Mckenna's Wagon, this is a seven day a week mobile soup kitchen which makes and distributes meals for the homeless and brings them in a vehicle to the places the meals need to go. Due to the large number of people they feed(1200) we spent the day preparing and packaging food in order for it to be distributed. Although the work seemed tedious at first(Kara and I must have quartered at least 1,000 strawberries) it was clear that they appreciated all the help we were able to offer, they even made sure to thank us as well as let us know how much of a difference even the little things we did made for them.

Out of each service opportunity I had I must say that my last day at the organization Thrive D.C. was the most memorable because of how much I learned. The Managing Chef Kevin was extremely knowledgeable and prepared when it came to feeding the almost 200 men and women who attended the breakfast. He made use of all of our help by having us wash and clean dishes, prepare food for the next day, and serve the breakfast that morning. It amazed me how much work he did and how organized he was while working. The food he served was extremely well prepared and smelled great, he had many options which was important because not everyone likes the same thing. One of the tasks Ruta and I were assigned was to wash and thaw frozen fish and then once it was clean we had to soak it in eggs and then cover it in bread crumbs and put it on trays in preparation for the following day's meal. While the job was extremely smelly it really introduced me to the reality of preparing a meal for hundreds of people and also forced me to appreciate all the hard work volunteers like Kevin do to help others.

Overall the experience I had working with the homeless was great. I feel extremely lucky to have such an amazing life and family and after experiencing all that we did in Washington D.C. my life has changed for the better. I find myself having more compassion and understanding towards the homeless and I am eager to continue doing service this summer in Rhode Island.

-Mimi

Laurel Hill

For my service project I went to Laurel Hill Elementary School. I spent the past two weeks in Mrs. Hanley’s fifth grade class. During my time at Laurel Hill, I worked closely with each student helping them in English and math. I also assisted them with health posters that they created for the High School students from the MET. My class had the opportunity of having High School students from the MET come every Tuesday to teach them about health and fitness. Their assignment was to make posters displaying the information they learned throughout the weeks the MET students were there. I also had the chance to work with the kids in the gym, teaching them how to play basketball. This was especially fun because it was amazing to share something I love with kids who were so eager to learn. Over all, this experience is one that I know I will never forget. I feel as though I got to know each student personally and connected with each one on a personal level. I also had the privilege to watch a skilled teacher set high expectation for each of her students and support them in every way she could to have them be successful. I am very fortunate to have shared some time with Mrs. Hanley and her fifth grade students.

Jenna Lemoi

URI Equestrian Team

I know that this post might be some what late, but I just got back from Germany last night, and I am glad that I waited to write this post until now. Although I was in Germany to focus on myself and my own riding, I found myself thinking a lot about the URI Equestrian team, and how much they would have gotten out of an experience much like this one. The German system of riding is so much different then the system in the states, and so much more effective. A lot of the girls on the team only want to focus on jumping, and some think that drawing a good horse is the only way that you will be successful in riding in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and also in the other circuits that many of the girls compete in outside of the university. In Germany riders master both Dressage and Jumping, and they believe that a good rider can not be truly great without mastering at least the basic knowledge of these equine principles. I was very happy that I had the chance to volunteer with the URI Equestrian team because it gave me a great understanding of another side of the sport that I have never been involved in, and although I do not see myself ever switching over to the hunter/jumper ring from the dressage ring, I did find a lot of respect and understanding for the riders who do choose to compete in that field. I no longer as a dressage rider see the taboo of hunter/jumpers, as so many people in the dressage world do. This experience knocked me down to the bottom rungs of knowledge, as I could not offer much help to the riders except for the universal basics, which at first was uncomfortable for me because I am used to be asked so many questions and to give my opinion because in the dressage world, I know a lot. It was humbling to work with the URI Equestrian team, as well as a learning experience that I will not forget!

Jamestown Melrose Elementary School

Hello all!

I spent the past two weeks at the Melrose School in my home town of Jamestown. It is an elementary school of pre-k through 4th grade which I also attended. My time was primarily spent as a teacher's assistant in one of the fourth grade classrooms. I helped out where ever I was needed; some of my tasks included running errands, making copies, correcting assignments, and even teaching math lessons. Overall, I found the experience to be extremely rewarding. It reminded me of my childhood, something that I am pleased to have remembered in this transitional period of my life (from everything that I have known in my childhood to adulthood in college). There is one thing, however, that had the most profound affect on me and is what I would like to share with you all.

On my first day, the students walked in giving me skeptical looks. They didn't know who I was or why I was in their classroom. Gavin, one of the boys, asked Ms. Tuttle, (their teacher who I also had in the fourth grade) "Who's that?" Her response was, "This is Ms. Rounds." Ms. Rounds. That statement set me aback a bit. To me, someone with a Ms, Mrs, or Mr and a last name attached was an adult that I was to show respect. I had never thought of myself in this light before. Even though I am eighteen, which in our country marks adulthood, I had never thought of myself as an adult. I considered myself to be a child, relating more to the fourth graders called by their first names than the teachers called by their last name. However, with the simple statement of "Ms. Rounds," I became an adult in the eyes of those students and, to them, was more alike to the mature teachers than themselves. Because of this, I had an image to uphold and had to (in an essence) embrace my status as an adult.

Throughout the whole two weeks, this was the one thing that stood out in my mind. It is funny how such a simple thing could cause me to analyze myself and who I am. It is as if I went into the Melrose School as a child and came out an adult (ironic how a place that started my childhood education was able to complete it as well). Going into the project, I hoped that I would be able to learn more about myself, but I never imagined that it would impact me enough to change the roots of who I think I am. If only because of this, my time spent at the school was truly rewarding because it helped me not only reconnect to myself, but also aid me in a life altering transition.

- Liz

D.C Service Trip

The Lincoln School Service Trip to Washington, D.C was truly a unique and personally moving experience. This trip opened my eyes to the many issues that plague our nation’s capital, and really got me thinking about possible solutions to the overwhelmingly large problem of homelessness in a capitalistic society. In just five days, I learned so much about homelessness and the thousands of individuals affected by homelessness in the D.C area.
Although it is difficult for me to admit, I was one of those people with all of the horrible preconceived notions and stereotypes about homelessness. Simply put, I was ignorant to such a large and significant issue that our society is faced with. However, while in Washington, all of my horribly generic and uninformed notions of homelessness were blasted by the individuals that I met and spoke with at various sites around the city.
One thing that really struck me was that so many homeless men and women were so optimistic about their future, despite their unfortunate circumstances. I had many moments where all of the issues in my life seemed so trivial compared to the harsh reality that homeless individuals face on a day-to-day basis.
Another thing that really surprised me was the general consensus among homeless individuals about being treated as though they are invisible. This is something that I had never really thought about. Thousands of people in D.C alone walk by homeless people trying to sell the Common Sense newspaper and people stride past and act as if the homeless don’t even exist. Fortunately, Lincoln Girls were there to offer smiles and say hello while others mindlessly walked past. What was so shocking is that these seemingly insignificant little gestures meant so much to these people, and many homeless people thanked us for our smiles and blessed us for simply saying hello!
I walked away from D.C as a changed person. I met so many individuals that had truly incredible stories and rich histories. Successful people, depressed people, people from foreign countries and children alike are affected by homelessness. I am very aware of this now. So how are we going to fix this?

Thank you Mr. Gustave, Ms. DiChiaro, and Houda for being such great chapperones!

-Sydney

Washington DC.

My trip to DC was many things: humbling, rewarding, and very influential. I guess coming into the trip I was quite skeptical of a few things (that I'm embarrassed to admit now). However, by the second night I was really surprised by the people I met and the experiences that I was able to be a part of.

The first full day in DC, I traveled to Martha's Table with Gianna, Mimi, Kara, and Melia. We made over 200 PB&J sandwiches and packaged desserts. I was really impressed by this organization because they run their own after-school programs and daycare for kids. They also collect clothes and sell them to families for more affordable prices.
That night, we made dinner for a small group of guests. Most of our guests were homeless, but they had such interesting backgrounds and told us each very insightful stories. We held the dinner at the YSOP building in downtown DC. I met some incredible people at this dinner. One was named Sammy and he worked upstairs in the office for Street Sense, a newspaper published by the homeless to create awareness in the community. He told me that he was the sole survivor of a terrorist attack in Kenya (his home). He was stuck under ruble for three full days, until authorities found him and saved him. Now, he was in the United States trying to make some money for his family back home in Kenya. He told me that his life was never easy though, he always had to work very hard to make an earning, especially in the United States. He also expressed his desire to return home and see his family. What surprised me most, however, was that every person I spoke to was extremely intelligent. Sammy and I discussed the new immigration laws passed in Arizona and he told me about some books he had read (written by famous authors, who unfortunately I had never heard of). All our guests also seemed to convey the same message to me in one form or another: never give up hope, but keep fighting. That message really spoke to me and to my senior year. I had complained about so many things leading up to this trip. I had thought I was so unfortunate for so many reasons. And now, looking back, I'm ashamed of myself. People on the Washington DC trip taught me that there was hope for the future and they really taught me to appreciate what I have now. At the end of the trip, I felt privileged, but I also felt extremely honored to have met the people at YSOP and in the greater Washington DC community. Every single day they work to help people who are struggling; something that I personally dream of making a career of.

I would also like to thank Mr. Gustave, Houda, and Mrs. DiCharo for chaperoning the trip. Without your help, everything would have been impossible. Many sincere thanks!

Ruta Ziukaite

Laurel Hill

Every morning, the 2nd grade class at Room 3 begins with the greeting, "Buenos Dias!"
My class is 2nd grade bilingual class that contains a mix of regular and special-ed children. 9 out of 25 children are special-ed, and their problems include speech impairment, learning disability, and behavior problem. Despite their problems, all 25 children's eyes are glittering with joy and happiness whenever they greet to me.

The class contains two main teachers and one assistant teacher. The class is broken into different groups during math and reading in order to improve students' concentration and learning efficiency. During reading time, I worked with 3 groups with different English levels while in math I consistently worked with three children. It was interesting to see how children with different English level understand the book in different ways. Cristopher, for instance, has very low English level and he glances through pictures to assume what the story is about. Vijerpsis, on the other hand, is one of the brightest children in Room 3 and he is able to read the story in English, then tell me the summary both in Spanish and in English. It was fascinating for me to observe how each of 25 children in one classroom learns differently and how he/she affects the learning process of others.

Another great opportunity that I received in class was to teach math in Spanish. Currently the 2nd graders are learning about three digit numbers. In the first week students learned the three digit numbers that come one before, after, and in between other numbers. In the second week they moved on to the addition of three digit numbers. Working with a group of three children, Brayan, Alexandra, and Shirley, there were many times where I had to use Spanish in order to help them understand the concept. Brayan and Shirley are special-ed; Brayan has learning disability while Shirley has speech impairment, meaning that she cannot speak and read properly. Having two special-ed children in my group, I found my very low Spanish level to be helpful. (Occasionally I listed to teacher's explanation in order to learn some mathematic terms that I could use to children in my group. Not only I was amazed by my capability to explain math to bilingual children but I also realized with my heart that I must continue learning Spanish in order to help more bilingual children out there that contain great potential.

While being "Miss ChaeLin" at room 3, I also interacted with the three teachers, through which I had a chance to learn about hardship and difficulty of being a teacher. Every Tuesday, 2nd grade teachers attend a meeting with representative from Providence School in order to to report what they have taught and to plan for the next week's teaching. Through the meeting I was able to learn the rigorous structure of school as an organization. One of the main teacher, Mrs. Pazmino, informed me that teachers needs to be flexible in order to properly adapt to changes, both in academic and in terms of their position/payment, made from the executives of the school and supervisors sent from Providence School. Along with Mrs. Pazmino's helpful advice I also learned from Mrs. Cruz the importance of great organization skills. Every part of the classroom including all supplies like books, math cubes, and word cards, is perfectly organized and labeled. Therefore there was no case where teachers had to find anything. I was so grateful to learn many values from both main teachers and it was also interesting to see how the two teachers work together and fill in what each other is lacking. The great cooperation among three teachers was what really drove the class in Room 3.

It was a true bliss for me to get to know the stories about each child and also about each teacher. Each student had different personalities but Mrs. Cruz kept telling me about the great love and dedication that parents of these 25 students have. Although things would have been easier for the parents to return to their home country, (most of the parents are not able to read or write, and plus they know very little English) the parents decided to stay for the sake of their children's better education. Coming from different county and having observed hardship of my parents, I could really feel the deep love of the parents with my heart. Learning about their great love also motivated me to try to give all what I have to give at least a small help to children's learning.

Even now when I close my eyes, I can picture the 25 children's beautiful faces, the faces of two dedicated teachers, and beautifully organized classroom that is teeming with love and care. I still think that I was so blessed to have this opportunity and I realized once again that I must continue to learn Spanish and other languages in order to help many other bilingual children in United States who truly deserve great education.

I believe that the service opportunity at Laurel Hill must be continued in the future year. Lincoln has already established positive relationship with Laurel Hill and many students including me were greatly inspired by their interaction with children and teachers. I can promise that it will be an eye opening experience for anyone.

I was very happy being "Miss ChaeLin" for two weeks, in Room 3 at Laurel Hill. I exchanged love and joy with 25 children and three teachers, and this love and joy that I received will stay within my heart forever and they will encourage me to continuously serve for others. I cannot express more how blessed I am for such amazing opportunity.


- ChaeLin Suh

Elementary School Art Class

I had such an amazing time at Sackett Elementary School and William D'Abate Elementary School that I forgot the two weeks were for a school project. Nina and I spent each day shadowing the art teacher through her K-5 classes. The children were so excited to have us there and we were showered with hugs daily from the little ones. Ms. Meyers, the art teacher, taught her older classes about the color wheel and mixing colors, while she taught her younger kids about drawing family and self portraits. For each class we walked around and helped with any questions the kids might have. This is easier said than done when some classes spoke entirely in spanish. I have to say my knowledge of spanish colors is getting much better though. In the bilingual classes, I was amazed at how much the kids who understood us would help the ones who had trouble understanding english.
For the most part all of the kids we met were amazing and so eager to learn, but there were a few who were known as the "troubled" kids and were very ill-behaved. I tried to talk to them a few times but often they would just completely ignore me, and most times the teachers, and I would have to give up. Disrespecting the teachers was something that really shocked me at these school. At Lincoln, I could never imagine anyone acting in the way that these kids would react to some teachers. Although I believe that both of these schools are amazing and are filled with wonderful teachers, I realized how lucky I was to have the education at Lincoln that most kids are not fortunate enough to have. I really was blessed to grow up with two families, one at Lincoln and one at home.
I learned so much from our time at these schools. The children that we met taught me about the appreciation they have for little things. They are easily excited by the small things, whether it be receiving a pencil from a teacher, or having me graffiti their name on a scrap paper (not very well). I learned that I really loved being with and teaching these young children.This project gave me a look at the different types of school systems in Providence, and their pros and cons. I hope that I will have an opportunity like this again soon.
-----Stacy

Crossroads

I not only learned so much during my experience with Crossroads, but I also had so much fun with the kids! Marie and I met with Chontell the beginning of the first week and she gave us the freedom to plan all the activities for the families in the shelter for the next two weeks. She explained to us that half the battle of putting on a great activity is getting the family’s attention and making it fun. The kids that we worked with at the shelter ranged from 2 weeks old to about 15 years old. At first, I was very nervous it was not going to be the experience I thought it was going to be because these families are in one of the worst situations they can be in. The stress that comes with being homeless and unable to provide a home for your kids is so great.
Marie and I offered 4 activities over the course of the two weeks for the families. We had a Treasure Hunt, Olympics Day, Reading and Puppet making day, and a Scrapbooking day. Everyday that we did not have an activity planned we were busy planning for the others or at the shelter helping with whatever we could. Each activity got better and better as the weeks went on. We became so much more comfortable at the shelter and with the families. We created bonds with each family and especially the kids. We got to know their names and they got to know us. The kids were so full of life and excited to see us everyday. The most rewarding thing for me about my experience was to see the huge smiles on the kids’ faces as they were having fun with us. I would always look at their mother’s and I could see that for that one hour that we were having fun with their kids all the stresses of living in a shelter would go away and they couldn’t help but smile when their kids were smiling.
Dr. Kozel came to visit us on scrapbooking day, which was our last day. One mother was very excited about making the book because she and her two kids are victims of domestic abuse and the children’s father had their baby books so she had no pictures. Another family that was there loved doing crafts together and they made beautiful memory books. That mother told us that we really were able to bring fun into living in a shelter and really make some special days for them and her kids have been saving all the prizes we had given them. To hear that made the whole two weeks so meaningful to me because I was able to step out of my comfort zone and provide families who are in an overwhelming situation an escape from it all. Marie and I made them smile and made them forget about all the stresses in their lives for a little while. Chontell will also be able to use our activities again. I am so happy to know that during these past two weeks I helped people who live in the same state as me and that the activities I created will be used to excite families for years to come.
All the women who worked at the shelter really impressed me. They truly love what they do and believe in the cause. I really enjoyed working with them and it made me feel like I really accomplished something when they wanted to keep us for the rest of the summer as our project was coming to a close. It was a very rewarding experience especially because Marie and I planned it ourselves; we made the connections and we worked everyday to make our activities so great! All the work we did was greatly appreciated, but I believe that I took away more from the experience than they will ever know.

Sarah