Space Camp - Maryam Hassan

This summer I went to Huntsville, Alabama to attend Space Camp. This wonderful opportunity was given to me and two other students by a generous law firm called Fish & Richardson. Fish and Richardson provides scholarships to students who want to learn about outer space and the world outside of where they live. I really appreciate the fact that I received a scholarship which covered my tuition, my round-trip flight and a space suit!

When I got to Space Camp, I immediately fit in because everybody was friendly. During camp, I made more than 30 new friends and had the privilege to learn from two very supportive adults who taught me everything I now know about space. One thing that I learned was that America wasn’t the 1^st country to go into outer space; it was actually Russia. 

Going to Space Camp was an opportunity of a lifetime and I thank Fish & Richardson and SEED for making this opportunity possible.

And the Young Shall Lead Us - A Conversation with Operation Understanding DC!

 

 For juniors who are interested in learning more about Operation Understanding DC (OUDC), they will be hosting a FREE event on Monday, October 24 at Ford’s Theatre. The event begins at 7pm and attendees will hear from previous OUDC participants, many of whom are currently doing phenomenal work in the DC area.

OUDC is a year-long, experiential, leadership development program that introduces students to other students who are equally passionate about pursuing social justice. To apply for this year’s program or to learn more about OUDC, please visit: www.oudc.org.

The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop - Aliaih Peterson

For two weeks this summer, I participated in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. On June 26, I awoke with the sun and looked forward to my trip. However, after going though several doors and metal detectors and finally boarding the plane to Columbus, I realized that the difference between getting to Gambier, OH (via Columbus) and staying in DC meant conquering what had become one of my greatest fears: flying.

After sitting through major turbulence in a plane that never quite seemed to level out, it all became worth it once I was in the clouds. Once I was in the clouds, there was no more fear or nervousness. I didn’t know it then, but I would later come to realize that this plane was taking me away from a nightmare and
towards a greater reality.

After an hour and a half plane ride, I arrived at Kenyon, a quaint little campus intertwined in the city of Gambier. As my feet grazed the pavement, I began to look around and soon realized that my time at Kenyon mirrored my life at SEED. Once again, I was a stranger among strangers which would have been a bad thing except for three reasons: I was in a place where the people were pleasant, where drama never seemed to reach extreme heights, and I was in a place where
I was valued and respected.

Participating in The Young Writers Workshop gave me confidence in my writing and in myself. The Workshop submerged me in the world that I knew existed, but could never visit. The Workshop gave me a first hand view of college life and gave me something to look forward to in college: the chance to exist in a space among strangers and flourish.

By participating in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop , I was able to explore my writing and that of others. I am truly humbled, and enjoyed meeting the incredible Jerks of Ascension Room 114, a group of incredibly talented, wonderful people. Participating in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop is an experience that I am grateful for and
will always remember.

North Carolina Outward Bound - Travis Ferrell

It was an honor to be chosen to participate in the North Carolina Outward Bound (NCOB) program. This year, the NCOB anthem really connected with me when things got difficult. There were three moments that changed my perspective on life: One was when I was in SOLO. During this time I was by myself for 3 days and
all I had to do was rest and think.

During this time, I studied over my life and the things I’ve done, wondering if I could have done things differently or was my fate already pre-destined. I wrote songs about the experience and missing the people that I thought I cared for the most. I looked over the people that I met over my time at NCOB and how they compared to the people back home. I noticed that the people at NCOB felt more like a family and the people at home are the people that make me feel more alone. I’ve never been able to have
real fun like when I was at NCOB.

Maybe it’s the decreased amount of consumed meats or the availability to smell real “fresh air“ within the smell of yourself but whatever the reason, I felt like I was going through what life really was. The days started to slow down and every minute seemed like an hour. I felt like I was trying to live in survival mode. The fasting for three days helped me think too.

The second experience that offered me clarity was when I was feeling kind of low for two days and my counselor Jess told me a story. She told me a story about why there is no right thing to do or
wrong consequence, just outcomes.

During this summer at NCOB, I pretty much learned that there is no giving up. You don’t have to give up when you truly believe that you can’t take any more of what is getting thrown your way. If you can find something to occupy you’re mind from thinking in the negative then you will be able to persevere through whatever it is that is troubling you.

I also learned that more of your “friends” that you meet from far away are more likely to stay in your life and be real friends and more compassionate then the ones at home. You could find a home in people that you never could find at home. I still talk to some of my NCOB brothers even if I'm flying by just to say “hey.”

At the end of the NCOB course you feel like you learned skills that you can apply in the future but you have to remind yourself that you can’t go back to the same ways or things that you used to do. You have to remind yourself that you have grown. I cannot thank the NCOB team for another opportunity to finish
the NCOB 21 day course.

National Outdoor Leadership School - Blessing Hayes

Signing up for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was an experience and I must say, it was kind of hard. I didn’t want to sign up because I didn’t think I was going to get the scholarship. But then I wanted the experience, exposure and the feeling of being independent. When I received the letter saying I was accepted to attend, I jumped for joy! But I was still unsure about attending because I would miss several basketball tournaments over the summer. Even though I didn’t have to pack too many items,
I still ended up over packing.

The first day I arrived in Alaska I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast. The next morning, a bus transported me and a few other kids from the Bed and Breakfast to a farm. At the farm, we meet up with everybody and introduced ourselves. We then got together to ration out our food – for the next month! Later that day, we learned how to set up a tent and pack a backpack. These lessons were extremely helpful as we hiked about 8-12 hours each day.

During the trip, I learned:

• A lot about myself;
• How to perform CPR;
• How to manage risk;
• How to be a better leader;
• How to work effectively as a team;
• About group dynamics; and most importantly
• How to survive in a different environment.

. 
This experience has taught me that there’s a major difference in the necessities you need to survive in life and necessities you don’t need but choose to have in order to survive in life. Words really can’t explain the adventures, experience or the challenges you will endure and overcome doing this trip. You will have to go there to actually know what the experience is like. 

Making it through the exhibition has made me feel a lot more confident, successful, and accomplished. Some challenges I had while on this exhibition were transferring environments, life styles and my daily routines. But, I had a great time and appreciate the opportunity.

Farm and Wilderness - Christopher Smith

 

When I first got to the Farm and Wilderness camp, it seemed like a regular, normal outdoor camp. But, once I got settled in and met all of my cabin mates and my counselors, I had a feeling that I was going to have a lot of fun. One of the first things that I had to do was take a swim test and learn about cows, goats, chickens, roosters and pigs. I also got to build benches using saws, sledge hammers, shovels and nails.

During camp, we received outdoor living training, including how to survive living in the outdoors and knowing which items you would need to survive while living outdoors. As part of the outdoor training, the counselors described the different overnight trips and I selected the trip to Silver Lake.

It took two hours to hike to Silver Lake but the trip was worth it! We went swimming on the beach, hiking and rock climbing. One rock was 70 feet high and while I only made it 75% of the way to the top, I had fun trying to climb the rock.

During the last week of camp, we had a spy night where the spies had to get a message past the campers who were on patrol. The counselors also showed us how to prepare food from the farm to the plate. On one of the last nights, we had a banquet and a surprise dance party! 

Farm and Wilderness - Gregory Silvers

 

 Farm and Wilderness is located in Vermont. To me, Farm and Wilderness is the best camp in the world! We flew from DC to New Hampshire and when we arrived at camp, I was confused but I quickly started to get comfortable and make friends.

At camp, I made friends instantly! Some of my friends were Donnel, Theo, Bello, Aazir, Tim, Eli and my two counselors were Todner and Wolverine. A couple of days into camp, we all went on a camping trip and we socialized more.

 We also went on longer trips and got to know people outside of our cabin. The counselors often said that we should live in the moment – and they were right. When it was time to leave camp, I was crying because I really wanted to stay and wished that I had “lived” in more moments. But, I had a lot of fun at camp and hope to go again next summer!

Spain - Roberta Sinclair

 

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Spain as part of the Experiment in International Living (EIL) program. The experience is something that I will never forget. In the beginning of the trip, I was kind of homesick and I felt like I was the only one who wasn’t really fluent in Spanish. However, after the first couple of days I started to just relax and enjoy the experience.

I learned several new things, including that the sun doesn’t set until 9pm and that there is a 6 hour time difference between Spain and Washington, DC. In Spain, they have a -1 and -2 floor – something that you will never see in the United States. Their bathrooms and the style of their toilets were different as well. It took a while to get used to but it was kind of cool. One of the first things that we did when we arrived in Madrid was to visit the Plaza Mayor, take pictures and participate in a mini scavenger hunt.

We tasted a lot of new foods and surprisingly, I enjoyed most of them. I’m proud of myself for not just looking but being willing to try something new. We went to tapas bars and visited Toledo which was very beautiful. Before we went off to Valencia to stay with our host families, we visited the Real Madrid’s soccer stadium. The stadium was very nice and I wish we were able to actually see them play.

One of the most exciting moments was meeting our host families. I had two host sisters who were very nice and they also helped me with some of my Spanish. We went on group trips and the best trips in my opinion were the Arts and Science museum and the aquarium.

Those trips stuck out to me the most and I would recommend these places to anyone who goes to Valencia. I also liked the trip when we went to taste Horchata. I wasn’t a big fan of Horchata but it was still a good experience and I tried something new. Barcelona was great and I wish we could have spent more time there.

Overall, my trip to Spain was amazing! I am grateful for this experience and hope to try something like this again very soon.

My Experiment in Mexico Cooking 2011 - Chris Jones

 

The Experiment in International Living's Mexico cooking program was amazing! It exceeded every one of my expectations and the trip was truly a life changing experience. The best parts of my Mexico cooking experience were my group members, group leader and the intense schedule.

My Mexico cooking experience was great. I took a one week cooking course at the University of Puebla. My cooking Instructor was Chef Genarado. He did not take us step-by-step through cooking any meals; he simply handed us a packet of recipes and explained to us in Spanish and English what we were going to be cooking that day.

 Me and my group really relied on each other and our cooking skills grew as group. After I graduated my cooking class in Puebla, we went to Hidalgo where we stayed on a ranch and prepared our own lunch and dinner. On our last day on the ranch, we had an intense Iron Chef competition where we were split into two groups. Of course my group won! Overall the food was great but I also had to be open-minded to some things that didn't look or sound too appetizing - like fried worms and fried crickets. I still have recipe books and plan to continue preparing Mexican dishes at home.

 One of the best parts of my Mexico cooking experience was my group. My group was the best! We were all optimists except one person but eventually, he came around. All of us put forth our best effort to get to know one another. Most of us were way out of our comfort zone, including one girl who came from a predominately white town in Vermont and was the only Caucasian in our group. I could tell that she was a great person but was still adjusting to being out of her comfort zone. I made a point to talk with her and by the end of the program, we ended up being very close. In fact, I grew very close to every one of my group members and by the end of the program, we were a family.

Another part of my Mexico cooking experience that I really enjoyed was my group leader. I believe that we had the best group leader in the world. Matt Gordon made every boring church visit manageable, at least for me. I know religion is a big part of the Mexican culture but once I saw ten churches I grew bored of the church visits. Matt was not too strict on us and once we gained his trust he gave us even more freedom. Matt also kept the group together. 

After the home stay, we stayed at Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP) and the boys stayed in one dorm and the girls stayed in another dorm. The girls grew very close and the boys grew very close. After a while the boys got annoyed with the girls and vice versa. Just when we were ready to snap each others necks, Matt reminded us of how close we were with each other and that we were beginning to pick each other apart. He told us whenever we get irritated with one another to just look at the good in each other. This is when we truly became a family.

The intense schedule was another one of my favorite parts of the Mexico cooking experience. Since I don’t know when I will go back to Mexico, I’m glad that we productively used every minute of every day of the experiment. We started in Mexico City and went south to Oaxaca, to Puebla, to Hidalgo, to Veracruz and then back to Mexico City. I was mad and glad that the home stay was only one week. I was mad because I loved my host family and the town of Oaxaca but I was glad because we got to visit so many other places in Mexico.

I really think that the Mexico cooking experiment should be a five week program and the extra week should go towards the home stay. Every day of my Mexico experiment was worth remembering and that is why I wrote in a journal. I encourage all future experimenters to also write in a journal during their experience.

The best parts of my Mexico cooking experience were definitely my group members, group leader and the intense schedule. What started as a group of kids thrown together grew into a family. The person responsible for my amazing, life-changing experience in Mexico is my group leader, Matt. The Mexico Cooking program exceeded all of my expectations in every way. While Mexico was not one of my top selections, my group members and I had a wonderful time!

2nd Annual Interactive Robotics Summit - Registration forms due this Friday, September 23!

 

The Lego Pros, an award winning U.S. FIRST Lego League, is hosting a FREE, Interactive Robotics Summit for youth ages 9-14 on October 1, 2011 from 9am-4pm at the Center for Educational Partnership, located at:

6200 Sheridan St., Riverdale, MD 20737.

The goal of the summit is to engage students in quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities and inspire them to pursue science and engineering in college. To sign-up for the Summit, please contact Mr. Cotton for an application and complete the registration form by this

Friday, September 23!

Registration forms can be mailed to:

4-H Office

6707 Groveton Drive

Clinton, MD 20735

or faxed to (301) 599-6714

If you have any questions, please contact Shante’ Stokes at (301) 868-9636.

Research shows that U.S. FIRST prepares youth to excel in science and math and long-term participants are 50% more likely to attend college and twice as likely to go on to major in science or engineering in college.

Do the Write Thing Challenge! Take a stand to end youth violence!

7^th and 8^th grade students are invited to participate in the 2012 Do the Write Thing Challenge! The Challenge gives middle school students an opportunity to examine the impact of violence on their lives and communicate by writing what they think should be done to change our culture of violence. By encouraging students to make personal commitments to do something about violence, the Challenge ultimately seeks to give students an opportunity to break the cycles of violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods.

 

In their writings, students should be encouraged to describe what they feel are the causes of youth violence and to offer specific suggestions about what they as individuals can do to reduce violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. Personal responsibility for responding to the problem of youth violence should be emphasized. Students should be encouraged to share personal experiences about the impact of violence on their lives and the lives of their peers. The panel of judges will be looking at how well students present their views on youth violence.

To participate in the Challenge:

• Students may use any form of written expression (e.g. essays, poems, plays or songs), as long as the language is positive and not derogatory. Students may submit only one entry per year and all entries must be the work of only one student.
• Student entries should address three questions:
  How has violence affected my life?
  What are the causes of youth violence?
  What can I do about youth violence?
  Writings that do not address these questions will not be advanced in the judging process.
• Entries should be approximately 500 to 1,000 words. However, shorter written forms of expression, such as poetry, may be shorter and may contain fewer than 500 words.
• Entries must be typed or written legibly in black ink on 8½" x 11" paper. Only one side of the paper may be used and each page should be numbered.
• Entries must be in English.
• If an entry is fiction, it must be identified as so.
• If the student uses a quotation or another person's material in his or her entry, the entry must identify whose work is being used by citing the person's name or citing the source of the material. Writings based upon plagiarism will not be advanced in the selection process.
• Entries must have a "Cover Sheet" (please contact Mr. Cotton for a Cover Sheet)  with the consent statement signed by the student and a parent or guardian. No personal information should appear on the body of the written entry. Entries without a signed Cover Sheet will not be advanced in the selection process.
• Entries must be submitted with one photocopy of the writing.
• Entries must be submitted in the form that they are received and any editing for content, grammar or spelling by someone other than the student is not permitted.

All entries should be submitted to Mr. Cotton no later than 5:00PM on
Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

 

Selection Criteria

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by DC’s Do the Write Thing Committee. Entries will be judged on the basis of content, originality and responsiveness to the three questions.
Grammar and spelling will not be used as criteria for judging the entries.

Classroom Discussion

While classroom discussion is not mandatory for participation in the Challenge, students and their teachers can gain a lot from the connections that can result from the exchanges about the impact of youth violence that occur in pre-writing classroom discussions. Many of the teachers whose classes have participated in the Challenge in the past have invited outside speakers who are knowledgeable about youth violence issues to lead pre-writing discussions. Other teachers have provided their students with selected readings or newspaper articles about violence in advance of the discussion to stimulate thought. Speakers or articles, which emphasize personal responsibility on the part of students for responding to the problem of violence, have proven to be particularly useful.

Below are some questions designed to generate discussion among your students before they prepare their entries for the Challenge:

• How does violence affect your daily lives?
• Where are you confronted by violence? Your home? Your school? Your neighborhood?
• What are some of the causes of youth violence in your community?
• What can you as an individual do to reduce youth violence in your community?

Language learning applications are now available! Study and travel abroad in 2012!

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is offering scholarships for students to travel abroad in the summer of 2012 and study the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish. Please note: the application deadline is November 3, 2011!

Students who have a passion for learning languages, communicating across cultures and living abroad are encouraged to apply. As a NSLI-Y participant, you will have an opportunity to:

• Begin a lifetime of learning and working with
  international communities and cultures;
• Participate in language classes, cultural immersion,
  and community service projects;
• Interact with host country friends, families, and
  communities, in person and through online technologies;
• Continue language study and share cultural awareness and
  understanding when you return home; and
• Promote international dialogues and the study of foreign languages in your home community.

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a US Citizen;
• Be between the ages of 15 – 18 at the
  start of the program;
• Be currently enrolled in high school at time of application; and
• Have a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

 Please visit: http://www.nsliforyouth.org/how-to-apply/ for more information about the application process. You will need to create an account in order to start the online application.

Opportunity for US students at SEED Public Charter School to meet recording artist Mario at the House of Sweden during National Drug Facts Week!

On Wednesday, November 2, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Mentor Foundation USA are partnering to celebrate National Drug Facts Week 2011! Their goal is to spread the word about drug prevention to youth across the country.

The National Drug Facts Week campaign will kick off with a teen Drug Facts Rally, where teenagers will have an opportunity to have fun and interact with scientific experts and learn about drugs, drug abuse and commit to stay drug-free.

The Drug Facts Rally will be held at the House of Sweden from 10am-1:30pm on November 2 and guest speakers include Nora Volkow, Director NIDA and R&B recording artist Mario Bennett of the Mario Do Right Foundation.

 

SEED can bring ten (10) US students to the rally and in order to attend, students must submit a 350 word essay that answers the following questions:

• Why are drugs harmful?
• What can young people do to resist the pressure from friends and entertainers to abuse drugs?
• Why are you committed to staying drug-free?

 Final essays are due to Mr. Cotton on Friday, October 14 and selections will be announced on Friday, October 21.

H&M T-shirt Competition!

 

H&M and the Mentor Foundation USA are conducting a T-shirt Slogan Design Contest to encourage high school students to come up with a slogan that inspires them to stay drug free - today AND in the future. The winning slogan will be selected to appear on an H&M T-shirt for you and your classmates!

Prizes

First Place: Slogan selected for H&M T-shirts for all of the winning school’s students and 

a $150 H&M Gift Card!

Second Place: $100 H&M gift card!

Third Place: $75 H&M gift card!

 

The contest is open only to students in grades 9-12 who are enrolled in high schools in Washington, DC. Entry forms can be found in Mr. Cotton’s office.

The contest starts on Monday, September 19^th and all submissions must be given to Mr. Cotton by Friday, October 7^th, 2011. Contest winners will be notified by Monday, October 24^th, 2011.

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Anti-Apartheid Act Student Workshop - Teachers are encouraged to RSVP before September 19!

 

Join the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Avoice Virtual Library for the:

 Avoice Anti-Apartheid Act Student Workshop

This year’s Avoice Student Workshop will allow high school students and teachers to learn about the history of South Africa’s former apartheid government and the role of the Congressional Black Caucus in passing U.S. legislation to oppose it. This interactive workshop at the National Archives will feature activities from the Anti-Apartheid Act Lesson Unit available through the Avoice Virtual Library’s For Educators section, a tour of the National Archives and lunch.

The Workshop will take place next

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
from 9:00am to 3:00pm at the:

National Archives,

Washington Conference Room

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20408

To RSVP for you and up to five (5) students, send an email to Enchanta Jackson at ejackson@cbcfinc.org or call (202) 263‐2818. Space for the workshop is extremely limited and as of this evening, there are only 10 spaces remaining!

 

Tentative Program

9:15am – Students and teachers arrive at the National Archive

9:30am – Welcome remarks from CBCF Avoice Project Director, Adrena Ifill

9:40am – Remarks from facilitator

9:50am – 10:45am – Anti-Apartheid Workshop activities

10:45am – 11:20am – South African Embassy interactive activity

11:20am – 11:30am – Remarks from Congressional Black Caucus member

11:30pm – 1:00 pm – Lunch

1:00pm – 2:00 pm – Tour of the National Archives

2:15pm – 2:30 pm – Closing remarks

Avoice: African American Voices in Congress is a project of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. and can be found online at www.avoiceonline.org.