PS/MS 57 Team in East Harlem Celebrates the Life and Work of Dr. Seuss

Today’s guest blogger is Miguel Adames. Miguel serves with City Year New York as the Positive School Climate Events Coordinator on the Credit Suisse PS/MS 57 team in East Harlem. 

This past Friday, we held our second Bringing Books to Life (BBL) event, which was in honor of the great Dr. Seuss. BBL events are a great way to introduce popular children books in a more interactive format, which allows students to relive a book they have already read.  The book that was brought to life was Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.

Our Dr. Seuss BBL was put on for students in pre-kindergarten to second grade, in our school’s auditorium. This event was not only extremely successful, but entertaining based on the positive reaction from our crowd. We had over 350 students and 40 adults present for this interactive function. We not only brought The Cat in the Hat to life, but we also presented Dr. Seuss’ life’s work to the audience, which included a game at the end. Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday by putting on a wonderful BBL was not only an amazing opportunity, but also a great way to show students the importance of reading.

Thanks to Amanda Esteves, Andrew Group and Jessica Cantey for being the point people for this event and a huge thank you to my team for putting on yet another successful function.

Bain & Company Joins PS 83 for Health and Wellness Fair

Today’s guest blogger is Zena Patel. Zena serves with City Year New York as the Team Leader for the Bain & Company team at PS 83 in East Harlem.

On Thursday, January 24^th we hosted our team sponsor, Bain & Company, for a Health and Wellness Fair for the 3^rd-5^th grade students in the City Year After School program. Bain & Company facilitated four booths focused on eating healthy, exercising and setting goals. Our students were able to learn some new yoga positions, practice jump roping, and check their heart rates!

This after school fair was an annual event with Bain & Company. Last year, the “Bainees,” facilitated a Culture Carnival, showcasing customs and foods from all around the world. Many of our students remembered the fair from last year and waited in anticipation for what this year would bring. One student, a fourth grader and seasoned City Year After School attendee, exclaimed that she loved every station because “[she] got to learn new things like checking [her] heart beat!” Another fourth grader agreed, adding that it was a lot of fun to jump rope with his friends and keep trying until they got it.

The students were also prompted to set healthy goals that the City Year Corps Members will be following up on. After learning about calories, categorizing healthy foods and learning about balanced meals, our students agreed to set goals for themselves. Some of the goals set were:

• “My goal is to stop eating pizza and start to eat more salad”
• “My goal is to eat less and eat more healthy food. I also want to eat homemade food like fish, chickpeas and spaghetti.”
• “I want to eat less chips and McDonald’s and eat more vegetables and healthier things.”
• “To eat all the vegetables that my mother serves me”
• “To drink about eight cups of water a day”
• “To eat more fruits, vegetables and whole foods and no more McDonald’s”

All in all, it was a fun and educational time for all! We look forward to more events with Bain & Company. A big City Year thank you to Bain & Company for a day of fun and sustainable healthy living!

City Year Team at Central Park East Middle School Organizes Student Spelling Bee

Today’s guest blogger is Zev Klapholz. Zev serves with City Year New York at Central Park East Middle School in East Harlem. 

This week at Central Park East Middle School, our students competed in the final round of the spelling bee the City Year team organized and put on. Approximately forty students participated in the first round, with eleven advancing to the highly anticipated final round. The school’s top spellers came out ready to put their skills to the test. The finalists would come up individually to spell one word in front of a crowd of enthusiastic peers. One faulty spelling results in immediate elimination, making the tension to spell each word correctly ever higher. Each of the finalists impressed in the first round, with everyone advancing. But, as the rounds progressed, the words got harder and the number of contestants started to dwindle. By the fourth round, only three contestants remained. It took one more round for the champion to claim victory.

Each of those final three wanted to win the final prize, but by making it that far, they had already won! Central Park East Middle School sponsored the top three finalist’s enrollment in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The top three students will be advancing on to a borough-wide competition, with the potential to advance even further! This event was a major success with all forty students showing their enthusiasm for spelling, and the top three proving they have the potential to compete against anyone!

Bain & Company team at P.S. 83 in East Harlem Helps Host Multicultural Dinner

Today’s guest blogger is Amanda Wall. Amanda serves with City Year New York on the Bain & Company team at P.S. 83 in East Harlem.

Last week, the Bain & Company team at P.S. 83 in East Harlem helped the P.T.A. host their Annual Multicultural Dinner. The Dinner is held each year, the week before Thanksgiving. It is a time for teachers, staff, students, and families to come together and celebrate the diverse cultures represented among the student population. Families are encouraged to bring dishes typical of their own cultures to share with the rest of the school. Students had the chance to have fun, take risks, and try new foods. Fifth grader, Brandon, thought the Multicultural dinner “was fun…I got to play games and there was lots of food. I tried Asian spicy rice!”

For the City Year team, it was an opportunity to strengthen and reinforce our relationship with the school, parents, and community in which we work. Corps members spent the night creating decorations, setting up, serving food, drinks, and desserts, and running activities to keep the students entertained. My favorite part was having the opportunity to hangout with the students outside the context of the classroom. We got to joke around and talk about some of their interests. The Annual Multicultural Dinner is a much looked forward to event on the school calendar for students, faculty, and parents alike. Lydia Ayala, fifth grade parent and P.T.A. member said she is “Going to miss it! My last one. I have enjoyed it every year since my daughter was in kindergarten. My favorite part is gathering of all the parents.” The event was so successful that the line for food reached all the way to the door of the cafeteria!

Check out a few more moments from the Dinner below!