L'Ouverture Students Prepare to Explore Washington, DC

Early in January, UrbanFUTURE’s L’Ouverture students were informed about an opportunity to attend an Explore! field trip to Washington DC.  In order to be eligible, they would have to participate in a rigorous research class each week, where they would study one of Washington DC’s various attractions.  The expectations were set extremely high.  The students understood that if they wanted to attend then they were going to have to work hard.  Many of the students were intimidated by the demands of the course, but four students have risen to the occasion!

Cherice, Dejhae, Rodney, and Chaundria have worked diligently each week as they learn the process of writing a research paper.  They each explored several DC landmarks and narrowed their focus down to one topic.  Their topics include the White House, the Washington Monument, the Library of Congress, and the African American Civil War Memorial.

Next week, the students will be taking a trip to the local library to learn more about how to do research.  Soon after that, they will begin the writing process where they will discuss format, citation, and plagiarism.  The final drafts will be turned in at the end of April, but their learning experience will only be partially complete.  In May, they will board a plane and fly to Washington DC to see the monuments and buildings that they spent a full semester learning about!

UrbanFUTURE is dedicated to helping students to see and believe in their possibilities.  After months of hard work, four L’Ouverture students will have the opportunity to see the world beyond St. Louis and the possibilities that exist there.        

Jefferson Students Explore with Local Artist - Part II

The kids had a blast at the City Museum on Friday!

We started off in the skateless park to see Stan's work - the kids loved seeing it in person!

"Ms. Stephanie, look, Stan did this!" "He showed us pictures of this one!"

Then, we split into groups for a scavenger hunt around the museum...
The fact that the word "Museum" is in the name is misleading - the City Museum is far from a stuffy, quiet museum where you can look but not touch. The City Museum puts kids in a fantasy world where they can experience art as they climb, slide and explore.

The City Museum found all of its reclaimed building materials within St. Louis, including features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!

Kids and adults alike had a wonderful time exploring the gem that is the City Museum.

This field trip was used as an incentive for good behavior. A couple of students who didn't earn the trip have already met with me to come up with behavior plans so they don't miss out on the next one!

While we have not started full programming at Jefferson, UrbanFUTURE has already begun to make an impact at Jefferson. We can't wait to see what a huge impact our mentors and tutors will have come January!

Jefferson Students Explore with Local Artist

UrbanFUTURE is new to Jefferson Elementary this year, and we kicked off our Explore! program today with our first guest speaker! Students learned from local artist Stan Chisholm (18andcounting.com), who shared about his experiences as an artist and what it takes to turn a passion for art into a profession.

Since Jefferson is an arts-integrated school, students have had exposure to the arts and were able to ask some great questions...

... and loved learning about how Stan creates art by viewing pictures of his work!

A couple of students who are especially interested in a career in art stayed after to talk to Stan and ask more questions - wow, what an opportunity!

UrbanFUTURE students from Jefferson will be taking a field trip to the City Museum this Friday, where students will be able to see some of Stan's work in person! Stay tuned for a post about the trip next week.

Exploring Their Possibilities

What do poetry, cheerleading, dance, football, the culinary and performing arts have in common? They are all part of UrbanFUTURE's Explore! Enrichment hour at Fanning Middle School.

One of the more enlightening Explore! Enrichment classes offered at Fanning is the Hip Hop & Poetry Class in which students learn about poetic devices and forms in classic literature and how those forms show up in the popular hip-hop music today. Over the past 6 weeks, students have learned how to scan a poem for rhyme schemes, the difference between slant and perfect rhyme, similes and metaphors. They have compared Tupac to Shakespeare, Lil’ Wayne to Langston Hughes, and Emily Dickinson to Talib Kweli. Through this unique approach to learning, UrbanFUTURE students gain exposure to established authors in the literary canon using the vernacular of everyday life. The students also get the chance to produce an original work. Below are samples of work done in the creative writing class, inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “A Dream Deferred”

“Dreaming is like sleeping on a cloud.
Sometimes we have nightmares
And fall off that cloud.
Then there are sweet dreams
When we stay on that soft cloud.

Dreaming can help us expand our beautiful ideas.
Then the bad dreams come
Out of nowhere and smack us.
Troubles we have find ways into
Our dream like sneaky little ninjas.

Dreaming makes us as creative
As the best artist in the world.
But sometimes dreams slip away like a ghost.
That could be a good thing
When you had a bad dream.”

Excerpt from “Dreaming”, Christine Ordono, 7th grade

“Is life fair, will you be upset if your dream didn’t come true?
What can you do to make your dream stay alive?
Are you going to sit there and watch your dream die?
…
My dream won’t die,
‘Cause it’s going to stay alive, no need to lie,
My dream will never say bye bye.
My dream will not be out of my sight,
‘Cause my dream is on my head every morning, every night,
I invent my dream
My dream is like a word that never ends.”

Sinh Le, 7th Grade

Through the UrbanFUTURE Explore! program, these students are discovering their possibilities!

Meramec Students Explore! Science Center

In the beginning God created food, water, and shelter. As man and time progressed we found ourselves quite easily bored, and so entertainment was born. Now entertaining yourself is something we as adults find easy( even though we can rarely find the time to do so ). However, planning entertainment for kids that is the holy grail of awesomeness and educational is an entirely different ball game!  

Recently, I was given the task to arrange a field trip for the 5^th grade students at Meramec Elementary as part of UrbanFUTURE's Explore! Career program. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with excitement, but at a loss for where I could take these kids who have probably been to all of the staple locations in St. Louis (the Magic House, the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the City Museum, and of course the designated fall guy…the free and infamous St. Louis Science Center). So, the first thing I did was ask the school’s Parent Facilitator for ideas; it was then when she informed me that the kids hadn’t been to any of the aforementioned locations. So, immediately I  thought ….”the free and infamous fall guy”! But, instead of doing the expected, we would go to the Science Center’s Omnimax theater. 

The kids had a blast, and would you believe it, most of them had never been to the Science Center. I mean everybody was in awe of this carnival of mystery and fun, and we’d just walked in the front door. The movie I’d planned for was Hubble (a fifty minute exploration into the life of astronauts planning on repairing Hubble, a space telescope.) Hmmm….I thought to myself, this could either turn out to be the greatest movie ever, or they kids will sell parts of me on EBay in exchange for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Blow Pops. You find yourself reading this so obviously my brilliance paid off…thank you Tom Cruise! They loved the movie; the jocks, the goof balls, the scared cats, and even my stage five clinger managed to pry herself away from my arm just long enough to enjoy new found independence and the show. 

When we got back, I had to give the kids a much deserved pat on the back. They were on their best behavior, they willingly took notes and most important, they had a chance to discover new possibilities for themselves.  I learned a lot from my short lived solo gig as an entertainment planner of education and awesomeness.  I can’t wait for another opportunity to show these students what their possibilities can be when they work hard in school.  

If you’re interested in having UrbanFUTURE students come and learn about your business please call our office at (314)776-3434.

Tam Anthony

Meramec Team Leader 

Fanning Falcons are Flying

UrbanFUTURE at Fanning Middle School is in full swing!  With 62 students fully enrolled in Restoration, afternoons are filled with a buzz that starts off with grade specific homework help.  Students are already taking charge of completing missed assignments, as well as staying on top of current assignments, and are eager to improve or maintain the grades that they received on their progress reports at the end of last week.  

Following homework help, students are engaged in great enrichment classes through the EXPLORE! program.  They are cooking with St. Louis University nutrition students, sculpting with COCA, rooting for the football team through cheerleading, battling in a game of wits during Chess Club, and establishing a student government among other activities. WOW! Enrichment programming runs Monday through Friday so that our students have engaging alternatives to going home every day of the week.  As the EXPLORE! program manager, Jocelyn Peters has gone above and beyond to engage our students in a fun and meaningful way.

The fun doesn't stop there!  Students are also excited about the tutors and mentors that they have the opportunity to work with during the last hour of programming through the IMPACT and INSPIRE programs.  Tutors have begun delving into the curriculum with students in both math and communication arts and already the students are soaring!  Though the academic component can be difficult, students and tutors have been working hard to improve in basic skills and in challenging reading materials.  Keep up the good work!

Keshun Rhodes, a seventh grader pictured above, asks about her mentor every day. Through the INSPIRE program, run by Domnick Hadley, she has found someone that she can talk to about reading, classes, teachers, and just life in general.  Though they have only met with each other once, Keshun is bubbling with excitement to work with Doreen again.  Already, Doreen has met with Keshun's language arts teacher and her mom to talk about Keshun's reading levels and how she can help to improve her grades in language arts!  

In addition to great programming after-school, UrbanFUTURE is also involved with the students during the school day!  On the 8th grade field trip to the Magic House last week, UrbanFUTURE staff helped to facilitate the trip with the 8th grade teachers and had a lot of fun in the process.  Check out some of the great fun the students (and staff!) had in the pictures below!

Ms. Berry, the IMPACT team leader, on the electric ball!  Hair flew everywhere as both teachers and students took their turn!

Ms. Krominga (science teacher) with two UrbanFUTURE students, Porcia and Darrion,  in the Mark Twain exhibit about Tom Sawyer!  Students got the opportunity to dress up like the characters they'd read about in class.

Kicking Off the Program Year

Labor Day has come and pass marking the unofficial end of summer. With the end of summer comes the beginning of a new Program Year for UrbanFUTURE. Next week, programming will be in full swing at Fanning Middle and Mann Elementary schools with over 100 students signed up to meet with tutors and mentors. Already, parents have attended orientations, volunteers have been trained/re-trained and students have completed pre-test assessments.

At both sites, 4th - 8th grade students will have an opportunity to participate in INSPIRE Mentoring, IMPACT Tutoring and Explore! Careers. The full menu of programs will help students grow as a student and as a person in preparation for high school.

UrbanFUTURE has hired Ray Sewell as a Community Specialist to work specifically with parents on taking on a leadership role in their child's education. This new position will provide
UrbanFUTURE parents with an additional resource in navigating their child's educational path. Ray and the Team Leaders will host several parent events during the year to engage, instruct and listen to parents on the challenges they are facing.

The biggest news for the new school year is UrbanFUTURE's expansion into three new school sites. Team Leaders have already begun meeting with parents, teachers and students at L'Ouverture Middle and Jefferson and Meramec Elementary schools. Beginning in October, students at these sites will have the opportunity to begin the IMPACT Tutoring program. There may also be opportunities for students to attend Explore! Careers' field trips this fall. INSPIRE Mentoring at these sites will not begin until January.

This promises to be an exciting year for UrbanFUTURE. We look forward to working with more students, parents, volunteers and teachers than ever before as we all work towards eliminating the academic achievement gap in urban schools.

How You Can Help

UrbanFUTURE is gearing up for a very exciting school year this fall. After last week's successful interview weekend, we are getting ready to welcome new Team Leaders to the organization in August to begin the acculturation process at new school sites.

We have been hitting the volunteer recruiting trail hard at local cafes, major corporations, farmers' markets and outdoor concerts. We expect to be doubling our volunteer corps for the upcoming year from 200-250 to 400-500.

Finally, we're finalizing our development plans for the start of the new fiscal year on August 1st. This October, we will be conducting our first ever volunteer-driven campaign to raise money and referrals. In conjunction with the campaign, UrbanFUTURE will be holding its inaugural trivia night in November.

With so much happening at UrbanFUTURE, now, more than ever, we need your support. There are several ways you can help us out. You can sign up to volunteer as a tutor or mentor. Tutors and mentors spend an hour a week with a student at one of our school sites. Tutors focus on helping student's with homework and helping them improve their grades. Mentors work with students on goal-setting, character development and literacy. Click here to learn more about becoming a tutor or mentor and fill out an application.

If you are unable to volunteer one hour each week, but you would still like to help out, UrbanFUTURE is getting ready to start a "Friends of"-type group. This group will help to promote UrbanFUTURE, assist with fundraising events, make calls to thank donors and advocate for UrbanFUTURE whenever and wherever possible. For those interested in getting involved in this group, please call Tim Weiss at (314)776-3434 or e-mail tim@urbanfuturestl.org.

You can also help us simply by connecting UrbanFUTURE with your family and friends, who might be open to learning more about UrbanFUTURE. One of the best ways UrbanFUTURE can expand its reach in the St. Louis community is by utilizing the networks of current supporters. This will help grow our base exponentially. Referrals can be sent to tim@urbanfuturestl.org.

Finally, we always need financial support. UrbanFUTURE provides its INSPIRE, IMPACT and Explore! programs at no cost to the school district or the students and families who participate in them. For only $10, a student is able to meet with a tutor for one week. $50 covers the cost for a student to participate in the Explore! program for 1 month. For $250 a student will be able to meet with a tutor for one semester. $500 will pay for a student to meet with a mentor for one quarter. $3,000 will cover the cost for a student to participate in INSPIRE, IMPACT and Explore for the entire year. To make a donation to UrbanFUTURE, you can do so online or by mailing your donation to:

UrbanFUTURE
3145 S. Grand Ave.
Ste. A
St. Louis, MO 63118

If you have any questions about making a gift to UrbanFUTURE, please contact Tim Weiss at tim@urbanfuturestl.org or (314)776-3434.

We appreciate your continued support of UrbanFUTURE's efforts to close the achievement gap. Together we are helping urban youth see and believe in their possibilities!

How to Fit Science & Social Studies

There is ongoing debate in the education community on how much emphasis should be placed on reading and math at under-performing schools at the expense of science and social studies. This article from the Post-Dispatch highlights the frustration of one teacher at Fanning over the scaling back of science and social studies classes so students who are below grade level in reading and math can get caught up.

UrbanFUTURE has recognized this issue in putting together its IMPACT tutoring curriculum. On the one hand, students need strong vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking and logical reasoning skills to fully grasp topics in science and social studies. On the other hand, removing these subjects completely, robs students of opportunities to learn about the world they live in and have an understanding of why things are the way they are.

To combat this issue, UrbanFUTURE is working to embed science and social studies topics into reading and math activities that students complete with IMPACT tutors. This will help students learn about gravity or ancient Egyptian culture, while building vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking skills. In fact, UrbanFUTURE has learned that this is exactly how some of the teachers cover science and social studies topics in their classroom and embedding these lessons into reading, writing and math.

As a way to further enhance the student's experience with science and social studies, UrbanFUTURE is using its Explore! program to take kids on field trips that will introduce them to professionals in science and social studies fields. These field trips will give kids hands-on opportunities and create excitement in career fields in science and social studies.

UrbanFUTURE would like to thank Monsanto for providing funding to expand our IMPACT curriculum into science and help cover the cost of these field trips. Its funders like Monsanto that help more students have opportunities to grow in all academic areas so they can see and believe in their possibilities!

Exploring Possibilities

UrbanFUTURE students at Mann Elementary are getting a chance to go out and explore careers in their community. So far this year, Mann explorers have researched careers in art and law. In January the group visited an art gallery and learned first-hand from a local artist. Craig Downs is a self-taught artist who has spent the past seven years creating a bold and unique style to call his own - he also happens to be an UrbanFUTURE mentor! Craig was kind enough to invite the Explore! Club to Urban Eats (3301 Meramec St.) for a personal showing of his paintings. The students were also given a chance to create their own masterpieces using Craig's paintings as inspiration. Their artwork will be displayed at the local Hartford Coffee Company (3974 Hartford St.). Lloserf, a 5th grade student at Mann had this to say about Explore!, "I think Explore! Club is fun and interesting. I liked going to see my mentor, Craig. I learned to be a great artist you have to keep trying and trying."

Explore Club also had the opportunity to visit the Old Court House where they reenacted the Virginia Minor Trial and learned about women's suffrage. Students had the opportunity to learn about the specific roles and responsibilities of lawyers, judges and juries. They also learned about the constitutional amendements that afford U.S. citizens a fair and speedy trial.

In March, students are exploring careers in law enforcement. Last Friday they had a chance to visit a police station to learn about the different roles of police officers. Keep exploring those possibilities!