Thurgood Marshall Students’ ‘WishTree’ Spreads Love and Hope “I wish for peace for all.” “I wish for community cleanup.” “My wish is for more kindness in the world.” Strolling past Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, the gleam of hundreds of colorful, handwritten notes on ribbons carrying messages of hope and love across the campus catches your eyes. After having a schoolwide read-aloud of Katherine Applegate’s book “Wishtree,” a story about how a community responds with love after “leave” is carved into a tree when a Muslim family moves into the neighborhood, the entire Thurgood Marshall school community came together to promote peace and hope through written messages displayed around the school. Principal Katherine May says, “The WishTree
project actually was inspired after our community came together to show support for one of our Muslim families.” On March 29, the school held their annual Community Night, an event in which hundreds of students and their families come together to share cultures through food and student projects. This year, students joined their families and community in writing and hanging their wishes on a tree in front of the school. As a special treat, “Wishtree” author, Katherine Applegate, visited Thurgood Marshall Elementary on April 5. She spoke to students about the importance of compassion and respect for all. “We want every one of our students – and their families – to feel safe and supported when they enter our school,” says Principal May. “Our students have stepped up to think about how they can take care of each other. We see examples of this each day.” The WishTree at Thurgood Marshall school community exemplifies how Seattle Public Schools is guided by the belief that all schools should be the heart of our communities, be welcoming to all students and families and provide a healthy context for growth and learning. Seattle Public Schools is actively working to ensure our schools are safe and welcoming learning environments for every student.
The above is an excerpt of a prayer taken from one of the saddest, most disheartening books I've ever read. Jonathon Kozol based this book on a neighborhood in the South Bronx, called Mott Haven. Mott Haven happens to be not only the poorest district in New York, but possibly in the whole United States. Of the 48,000 living in this broken down, rat-infested neighborhood, two thirds are hispanic, one third is black and thirty-five percent are children. Not only is Mott Haven one of the poorest places, it is also one of the most racially segregated.
Richelle Goodrich once said, “To encourage me is to believe in me, which gives me the power to defeat dragons.” In a world submerged in diversity, racism and prejudice it is hard for minorities to get ahead. The novel “The Other Wes Moore” is a depiction of the differences that encouragement and support can make in the life of a child. This novel is about two men, with the same name, from the same neighborhood, that endured very similar adversities in their lives, but their paths were vastly different. In the following paragraphs, their lives will be compared, and analyzed from a sociological perspective.
In his book, Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope, Jonathan Kozol pulls back the veil and provides readers with a glimpse of the harsh conditions and unrelenting hope that exists in a community located in the South Bronx called Mott Haven. Mr. Kozol provides his own socially conscious and very informative view of the issues facing the children and educators in this poverty ravaged neighborhood. Just his commentary would paint a very bleak picture of the future. It is the words of the children that give this book optimism and meaning. The courage and care exhibited by the volunteers of St. Ann's after school program and the creativity of the teachers at P.S. 30 are utterly inspiring. They work long hours and go beyond the call of duty to protect the innocence and cultivate the hope that resides in the hearts of Mott Haven's youngest residents.
What has been described here has kept African Americans proud of where they came from and how they can overcome any problem that they are faced with. The phrase “Strength in numbers” comes to mind when reading what they had to endure especially the families of the four little girls that died in the devastating bombing of the 16th street church. They will always be remembered and missed dearly.
In a blink of an eye, one’s life can change forever. On September 4, 1957, it was Elizabeth Eckford’s first day at Central High school in Little Rock Arkansas. Elizabeth was among the nine black students who had been selected to enter Little Rock Central High School, an all white school. Approaching the high school, there were hundreds and hundreds of people yelling and chanting against her. Elizabeth was the only one out of the nine that came to school that day so she was known by everyone by her face and name. In fact, her face was on the cover of numerous news channels, newspapers, and magazines not only because of the integrating of the high school but because of how badly most of the townspeople and students reacted towards Elizabeth.
“Agape means understanding, redeeming good will for all men… Therefore, agape makes no distinction between friends and enemy.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s “An Experiment in Love” emphasizes the importance of understanding and compassion, and the equality of all men on earth, for “all men are brothers.” To Kill a Mockingbird, set in the 1930’s, similarly examines these ideas during the time of the Great Depression, when many families were unable to find work and therefore became impoverished. It was also a time when racism was largely present. In many situations, racism was taught to one’s children, and then to the next generation. When ignorance is taught to children by their own parents, it is not uncommon that those children will continue
Over 1,000 school children ditched school to march down Sixteenth Baptist Street in Birmingham, Alabama. Civilians, ages six to twenty, filled the streets. Songs of coming together filled the air. On May second, nearly 800 kids had missed role call. Although teachers were not supporters of the movement, they did not act out against it. The Principal of Parker High School locked the front gates, that way upon the students’ arrival, they would be unable to enter. There was high affection towards the black children. The children were considered cute. Although that was almost a silver lining, the clouds of discrimination still loomed above the world. (McHorter 347-360), (Encyclopedia of
Often times I find myself reminiscing about my child hood. I recall driving throughout the prominent metro Detroit neighborhood in which I grew up, Rosedale Park. See in those days my community was a gem which shone bright toward the edification of the Motor City. On streets like Piedmont, Grandville, Stahelin and Artesian one could drive by almost at any time and see children outside playing, adults on porches and sidewalks fellowshipping, and houses abounding with vibrant lights, laughter, and with life. This was my community; moreover, this was a facet of my adolescence that I ignorantly took for granted. Today desolation has grown sovereign over this beautiful gem. Today the sounds of laughter have all but faded into a resounding restless silence. One could even say that abandoned houses and boarded doors and windows have become indigenous, not only to Rosedale Park, but to every part of the metro Detroit area. However, one thing has remained constant; Rosedale Park, no rather Detroit as a whole is still my community.
I begin the second theme with the last two stanza’s of Bob Dylan’s 1962 song Blowin’ In The Wind. The symbolism that the answer to situations is out there in the wind and why are we not listening represents what some of my participants expressed. Yet, though expressing the sentiment that the larger society knows what schools need to achieve equity, the equity school leaders in this paper did not remain silent. They took action. In the following I will describe the sentiment of the school leaders and the actions they have taken to move their schools toward equity. Due to spacing I will only focus on a few principals. Equity school leaders seek external funding to supplement what the district gives them and they create partnership with organizations
On March 31, 2012 a 15 year old boy’s life was taken. Nahum Martinez was a Wylie East High School freshman student, (Wigglesworth 1) that was a dear friend to many people. Nahum was full of love, when he stepped into a room his positive energy just radiated and filled the room with happiness. It was devastating when the news of his murder had been announced. Nahum was brutally murdered over such an ignorant reason. Two boys both only fourteen years old murdered Nahum beca...
Ever since I read Tulane’s motto, "Non sibi, sed suis," translated as "not for one 's self, but for one 's own.", I knew right away that Tulane was the place for me as this motto encapsulates the very principle upon which I have long-since resolved to live my life. From my first fundraiser at the age of seven, during which I raised $1,000 through grassroots fundraising, to being an active part in helping put an end to food insecurity in my own community, to co-founding my nonprofit, Kindling Hope, community service has always been a very important part of my life.
When we read and watched the movie “The Secret Path” illustrated by Jeff Lemire and sang by Gord Downie I found the story thought provoking. The story was about a 129-year-old boy named Chanie Wenjack who was forced out of his home to attend a residential school. Chanie found that the schools were a horrifying and confusing experience, just like the other 150,000 First Nation and Indigenous children who were forcedto face the Residential School System. Chanie attended the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School for three years until one day, at the age of 12, he saw his chance and ran away with two of his friends, Ralph and Jackie Macdonald. They ran 50 miles to get to Ralph and Jackie's uncle Kelly and
When Hannah was 7 years old she was staying with her grandma in Axum, Ethiopia. While she was their she had became friends with a girl her age. When Hannah had to leave they still wanted to stay in touch, but Hannah’s parents explained to her that her friend didn’t have the right materials too. At that moment, Hannah wanted girls like her to have equal opportunities and education. So she created a mobilization project called Pencil Mountain. It has delivered over half a million school resources to Ethiopian children.This proves she has helped many and many kids to get the things they need to learn at school and use for learning.
I am fervently interested in Yale’s MSTP program because of its long-established tradition of academic excellence, where I know I will receive the best education possible. At Yale, I can study under an integrated curriculum, engage in clinical practice and biomedical research from the onset of the program, and work with experienced mentors and other aspiring physicians in a multiculturally diverse community, to gain a stimulating and comprehensive medical education.
We have a collective responsibility to help break the cycle and create change for those that don’t have market power or a voice in the system. Doing so starts at the grassroots level. Promoting education and providing warp around services and 24/7 involvement is critical to the development of children. The Harlem Zone is helping to break the cycle of generational poverty and the Urban Dove is doing so as well. Specifically the Urban Dove places an emphasis on being apart of a team and having a coach or athletic mentor to be able to relate to in all aspects of life. The Harlem Zone is fighting the dominant ideology of general poverty by “giving their kids the individualized support they need to get to and through college and become productive, self-sustaining adults” (About HCZ). During in class discussion twelve out of the thirteen students in class agreed that recess and an emphasis on physical education was important in school. The Urban Dove took this notion and maximized it, improving both the physical and academic success of its previously troubled