TTP Newsletter

July 2010

Volume 8, Issue 7

Friends,

As July comes to a close, Turning the Page says goodbye to seven AmeriCorps*VISTAs and welcomes six new VISTAs who will complete a year of service with our schools and families. Thank you all for your service and dedication! With school starting in late August, we are excited to wrap up our Summer Museum Trip Series and launch our programs in the fall.

Save the Date!
TTP's 4th annual Gala has been moved to October

Mark your calendars! Turning the Page's 4th annual Gala has been moved to Wednesday, October 13th. The Gala will be held at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. For more information regarding the event and ticket sales, click here.

A Big Thank You to...
Rosetta Freeman-Busby for her work and dedication to AmeriCorps

Turning the Page would like to congratulate Rosetta Freeman-Busby on her retirement from the Corporation for National Community Service and thank her for her hard work, support and dedication throughout the years. Congratulations, Rosetta!

Aiton "Boys' Club" Celebrates a Successful First Year
Parents and teachers take action to improve the school community

With the close of the school year, one of Turning the Page’s partner schools, Aiton Elementary, is celebrating a huge success.  At the beginning of the year parents and teachers struggled with student behavior and the leaders of Aiton’s community took their passion and skill to address the issue proactively. The community recognized that poor behavior was inhibiting their students’ learning and two important leaders within the Aiton community struck a relationship to develop an innovative strategy to promote good behavior for the male students. Mr. John Noble, the current guidance counselor, came to Aiton with a year of experience implementing a program for boys that promotes proper conduct and leadership skills. At the same time Mr. Michael Burriss, parent leader and PTA officer, expressed interest in creating a program to combat the behavior issues and promote learning at Aiton. His familiarity with the children and families within the community proved invaluable. Together they both worked to develop a program in which participating boys attended sessions led by leaders within and outside the community. The program, called “Boys’ Club”, delivered 9 mentoring sessions throughout the year.  Male leaders from the local fire department, Life Pieces, Howard alumni, and Turning the Page spoke on a variety of topics ranging from goal setting to choosing a role model. Assistant basketball coach of the Washington Wizards, Eugene Banks, even led a session!

The mentoring program quickly grew and meetings were filled with students.  In addition to the bi-weekly sessions, Mr. Noble organized and sponsored two field trips. The group traveled to Delta Airlines to tour the facilities and visited Disney World for the day as a reward for the boys who set the best standard for attitude and achievement.  As Ms. Norriss, a 5th grade teacher at Aiton, shared, “The boys were more alert, and tried harder to be well behaved and think about what they were doing…the boys were very anxious to meet and felt very special about their involvement.” With such success this year, Mr. Noble and Michael Burriss both expect to continue to grow the program.  Mr. Burriss recognizes that the boys club “gave [the boys] something positive to be a part off and not be in the streets. It gave them a chance to see positive role models on a regular basis” and that the same is needed for Aiton’s girls.  The parent leaders of the PTA plan to pursue this goal in the coming year.  The “Boys’ Club” is an example of the power created when parent and school leaders work together to solve issues within school communities.

TTP Summer Museum Trip to the U.S. Botanic Garden
Families went on their second summer field trip with Turning the Page

Saturday, July 10th, Turning the Page families joined us at the National Botanic Garden Museum. Everyone enjoyed exploring the conservatory and learning about all different kinds of plant wildlife that are able to survive in this controlled atmosphere. Families had the freedom to explore on their own or receive an adventure folder with activities to complete throughout their journey through the living museum. A highlight of the trip for many was when parents and their children were able to walk along the transparent, 30-foot high skywalk around the perimeter of the garden, allowing them a unique bird’s eye view of the jungle below. In addition to native plant life, the Botanic Garden hosts a number of tropical plants that you won’t find in your backyard. In particular, Turning the Page staff and families were shocked to learn that pineapples actually grow from knee-high bushes and were able to see what they looked like in person!

The Ramsden family was among the families who attended the Saturday trip. Corey Ramsden explained that though he and his wife had taken their son Noah, an incoming second-grader at Tyler Elementary, to the Botanic Garden before, they had never realized how many interactive opportunities there were within the museum. In particular, Mr. Ramsden noted that he didn’t know the extent of the hands-on props provided for the children, such as the Junior Botanist backpack filled with tools for children to use during their visit. Noah was able to use his five senses with the help of the kit and launch his own botany investigation. Mr. Ramsden and Noah’s favorite part of the trip was when they learned about the Swiss Cheese plant, “which climbs up nearby trees to get sunlight.”

Turning the Page’s last trip in the series will be a TTP family BBQ August 14th at Fort Stanton.

TTP Says Goodbye to the 2009-2010 VISTA Class
VISTAs comment on their year of service with Turning the Page

As Turning the Page winds down from an exciting and productive year, we say goodbye to our 2009-2010 AmeriCorps*VISTA class.  None of this year’s achievements would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of each VISTA. We thank them greatly and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Garth Walker:  This year, the biggest lesson I learned was to “keep the bigger picture in mind.”  Meeting Mr. Noble and Mr. Burriss was one of the best things that happened to me and together we were able to deliver an invaluable mentoring program to the boys.
 
Next year, Garth will be attending medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Urban Medicine program.

Julie McMillan:  This year I was lucky enough to work with an amazing community of parents and teachers at our new partner school, Payne ES. Throughout the year I grew very close with parents as we all strived to start the Payne PTSA from the ground up. I loved working within the school and getting to know all of the children, staff, and families!

Next year, Julie will be staying at TTP as a VISTA Program Coordinator.

Chelsea Paige:  I will particularly miss working with the parent leaders at MLK during Community Nights. Whether we are discussing ways to build their children’s vocabulary or how to best prepare their children for the DIBELs and DC-CAS tests, MLK’s parent leaders work tirelessly to improve their school and community. They have inspired me and I will never forget them.

Next year, Chelsea will be starting a PhD program in Political Science at the University of Chicago.

Jason Shachner:  This year taught me the power of support.  The relationship that I built with Ms. Donna Stewart is one that I will cherish forever. The amazing successes that we were able to achieve together for the benefit of the M.C. Terrell community is something that I believe is truly special and will have a lasting effect.

Next year, Jason will be attending Case Western Reserve University to pursue a joint degree in Social Work and Law.

Yolanda Acree:  I have enjoyed the opportunity to build relationships with the parents and teachers that I may not have come into contact with otherwise. I will miss Community Visions as the CV team made my experience exceptional and I appreciated the opportunity to support students in their creative expressions.

Next year, Yolanda will continue to live in DC and seek an instructional aide position to assist her in her preparation to become a teacher.

Carla Mike:  One of my favorite memories from the year was our First Annual Parent Leadership Conference.  I truly appreciated the chance to bring leaders from across our seven schools together for a full day of conversation and collaboration. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with these parents and have been inspired by the power of the group coming together.

Next year, Carla will be staying at TTP as a VISTA Program Coordinator.

Dave Petersen: It has been an absolute pleasure to become closer with Mike Burriss, a Parent Leader from Aiton.  I started working with Mike last year, and his work as a parent leader always amazes me.  The passion, enthusiasm and talent that he brings to Aiton are incredible. 

Next year, Dave will be staying with Turning the Page as a Program Coordinator.

Song Nguyen:  This year helped me recognize that no matter how challenging things can be, there is always something that keeps the motivation going.  Often times it’s too hard for me to say goodbye, but knowing that I will be remembered by a teacher, a student, a community partner, or a fellow co-worker makes it all worthwhile.  The hugs, the laughs, and all of the arts-and-craft messes that come with Community Nights will undoubtedly be missed.    

Next year, Song will begin the Maternal and Child Health program at George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services.

Carli Wulff:  I’ve had a great experience working at TTP.  During my first year, it was fabulous to build deep relationships with parents, teachers, and students at Garfield Elementary.  This second year has given me a chance to grow in new ways and these management and organizational skills will be very valuable in the future.

Next year, Carli will begin a master’s degree program at the George Washington University in Public Policy.