A Week of Art!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for another great week in Eastie. I can't believe how fast the term is flying by, and I am looking forward to what my last 2 1/2 weeks will bring!

This past week was another beautiful one, with lots of trees in bloom. Jakara, Ke'Andre, and Denise's first-block English class has been spending a lot of time reading outside! Here's a picture from their outdoor class on Monday:

Also on Monday, Alex and Denise came to my office after school for an impromptu study-fest! They put on quiet music, grabbed some snacks, and worked on Chemistry, Math, and practice questions for the Accuplacer test. Thanks for coming in, you two! Thanks to JP and Jakara for coming to work with me on English and Math on Friday, too (I didn't get a picture, but it did happen!). Remember, I am almost always available for homework help after school.

Tuesday was a kickoff event for $ALT, a traveling college and financial planning center! A big yellow trailer, decked out as a real office inside, parked outside of the Eastie Public Library so that community members could meet with advisors all day. I highly encourage SEAD students to check it out the next time it comes to the neighborhood!

 On Wednesday, Alex, Denise, and I headed to the Colleges of the Fenway area and visited MassArt. We had the opportunity to meet with an admissions officer (Alex was full of great questions!) and to walk around the campus. MassArt is one of six schools in the Fenway consortium, so there are lots of good schools there that the SEAD students can visit in the future!

Don't they fit right in?

Filling out cards for more info

MassArt was displaying the work of graduating Masters students in a campus art gallery, so we had a great time checking out their work. Iced coffee at a nearby Peet's rounded out our adventure!

On Thursday, Denise and I went to the Institute of Contemporary Art to meet with the director of the Teen Arts Council she applied for. The extremely friendly Carlie gave us a tour of the areas where teens work at the museum, and then we were free to explore on our own! The highlight was a glass viewing deck with a spectacular panorama of the Boston Harbor. Denise said it was "so relaxing!"

Flour Bakery was the final stop on our journey, since we were so close by. Denise's Sticky Bun Bread Pudding and my homemade Oreo were delicious! Thanks for spending time with me, Denise, and I am so proud of you for taking the initiative and applying for this great opportunity. It's a valuable experience, no matter what the results are!

On Friday I had the opportunity to sit in on a class on the history of colored peoples in America and the traumas these groups have experienced. Here's an article that recently came out about the class: 

http://inservice.ascd.org/addressing-african-american-history-and-street-trauma-today-a-student-led-pilot-course-at-east-boston-high-school/ 

Amazing things are happening at Eastie!!

Shout-out to Pam, Miguel, Alex and Denise for completing all of their AP tests!!! Between the four of them, they took US History, Biology, English Language, and Environmental Science exams. Nice work, everyone!

That's all for now. This week the SEAD students will be taking the PARCC exam again, and I hope that they will put their best effort into this test while also making academics their main priority. I can't wait for our weekend trip to Spectacle Island!

Have a great week,

Anna