Freedom Friday Reflection

What was your favorite theme this year? Why?

Nicole: Times2 Academy Charter Corp

I am a huge fan of holidays, so my favorite themes have been the Valentine’s Day Dance and the Saint Patrick’s Day freedom Fridays! Both Fridays incorporated fun ways to celebrate and got the kids excited about learning and exploring, and of course a dance is always a blast!

Jill: Highlander Charter Corp

Dr. Seuss, because it allowed me to try out the mystery party idea that I had been working on – and the kids loved it!

Leah: Times2 Academy Charter Corp

My favorite theme this year was the brainteasers – probably because I am a brainteaser fanatic. I like to watch kids try to figure something out then go “ooohhh!!” when they finally get it.

Kirsten: Highlander Charter Corp

Family heritage and culture: Students got the opportunity to learn about the culture of China. They got to learn some of the Chinese language, make paper lanterns, watch a dragon dance, tai chi, and even read a book about how they celebrate their new year. It was a great opportunity for the students to learn about something new and a little about my family and culture.

Rachel: Times2 Academy Charter Corp

My favorite theme was Reptiles. I loved seeing the different snakes, lizards, and turtles that were brought. The best part was holding and enjoying them with the kids. Thinking about it I may have been more excited than the students were!

Natalie: Highlander Charter Corp

Reptiles because the guest brought in awesome animals and the kids were really into it.

Sophia: Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

Reptiles, Past/Present/Future and the Valentine’s Dance

Nellie: Highlander

My favorite theme was Dr. Seuss. I wasn’t sure how the older students would respond but they got really excited and into making fun snacks and watching videos.

Cyntoya: Times2 Academy

Service Learning

John: Highlander

Reptiles

Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

Family culture and heritage. It was awesome to share with my class my culture, heritage & my attempt at making a (what should be east to make, but wasn’t) dish from my heritage.

Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

Dr. Seuss and Superbowl

Dana – Expanded Learning Time Director (Highlander)

2012: Past, Present and Future!

Lissette: Highlander

Brainteasers because it challenged the students and myself.

Alenoush: Highlander

My favorite theme this year was Culture and Family Heritage. I truly enjoyed teaching the students about Armenian traditions and history. The students were excited to learn about Armenian folk dancing, how to write their name using the Armenian Alphabet, and watching my wedding video.

What were your two favorite activities from Freedom Friday?

Nicole: Times2 Academy

Kickball and Freeze Dance

Jill: Highlander

4^th grade did a Murder Mystery Party, and had to solve the mystery of “Who Hopped on Pop?”

For the first Freedom Friday of 2012, we did a past–present-future activity with 3^rd and 4^th grade. I had a lot of fun with my groups, teaching them about the evolution of dance through the past 100 years!

Leah: Times2 Academy

I really enjoyed paper flower making and creating marshmallow-frosting Dr. Seuss hats.

Kirsten: Highlander

My two favorite activities were from our week where we celebrated Irish traditions and the students used construction paper and shamrocks to create “Shamrock Man” and they all came out so different and original. Also during this Friday the students drew beautiful rainbows out of chalk on the blacktop and they all came out colorful and creative.

Rachel: Times2 Academy

After School Teachback – I enjoyed seeing the different activities that the Highlander team was teaching and the performances by the students.

Valentine’s Dance – I can honestly say that was the best dance I have ever been to. Just dancing and laughing with the students made the night amazing.

Natalie: Highlander

Watching “Horton Hears a Who” and building Leprechaun traps for St. Patrick’s Day.

Sophia: Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

The Valentine’s Dance and making inventions during the past/present/future theme

Nellie: Highlander

The two activities I enjoyed the most were making cat in the hat snacks/ watching Dr. Seuss Video clips and completing “The find the leprechaun scavenger hunt.”

Cyntoya: Times2 Academy

Cleaning the school and making edible Dr. Seuss hats

John: Highlander

Valentine’s Day Dance – I enjoyed seeing all of the different age groups dancing together and letting loose and having fun.

Reptiles - It was great to interact with all of the different animals, and to see the students hold & share the animals all on their own. It was a good way to have them develop trust & responsibility.

Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

Eating and teambuilding activities

Highlander Afterschool Coordinator

Hip-hop dancing

Dana - Expanded Learning Time Director (Highlander)

team-building, arts programming, and animal show

Alenoush – Highlander

After School Teachback was an awesome Freedom Friday activity because my Zumba students and I were able to showcase what an exciting exercise program Zumba is and attract more students to taking a Zumba fitness class.

The 4^th grade Murder Mystery Party, “Who Hopped on Pop?” was also an exciting and engaging activity for students during the Dr. Seuss Freedom Friday.

Freedom Friday Word Whip

   “Lively” said Nicole

                        “Fantastic!” said Jill

                                                “Diverse” said Kirsten

                “Super” said Leah Charter Corp

                                                        “Chaotic” said Natalie

                                “Different” said Rachel & Lissette

                                                                                    

                “Awesome” said Sophia

“Exciting and Crazy” said Nellie

                                “Spontaneous” said Cyntoya

                                     “Dynamic” said John

         “Awesome & Crazy”

                 “Innovation” said Dana
 

                               “Riveting” said Alenoush

 

Freedom Friday Themes

Here are some of the themes from this year:

Teambuilding

Outdoor Sports

Freedom Schools

Service Learning

Brainteasers & Puzzles

Diversity

Dr. Seuss

Classroom Challenges

Hip Hop

Irish/ Ireland

2012: Past/Present/Future

Family Culture and Heritage

Superbowl

Valentine’s Dance

Keith Munslow

Reptiles

End of Session Teach Back

Here are some of the activities:

1. Hip Hop - Students were given the opportunity to explore breakdancing, graffiti, DJing and MCing.

2. Outdoor Sports - K - 1 played parachute games and did warm up/cool down exercises; 2 - 4 graders played indoor tennis or basketball and the 5 - 8 graders played kickball or soccer

3. Dr. Seuss - Students explored Dr. Seuss through watching film clips, making a cat in the hat treat, a murder mystery where students had to discover who hopped on Pop and reading classic stories

4. 2012: Past/Present/Future – Students were given the opportunity to learn about dances from the past all the way to present day, create inventions, draw what the future will look like to you

5. Irish – Students created Shamrock men, leprechaun traps, drew rainbows with sidewalk chalk, went on scavenger hunt for a leprechaun, played Gaelic football and had special Irish treats all while exploring the traditions of Ireland

6. Classroom Challenges - Students challenged their classmates  and other grades at Highlander to Kickball, cup stacking contests, Jeopardy and much more 

Freedom Friday Pictures 

History behind Freedom Fridays at Highlander

Every Friday at Highlander Charter School, during after school we have a different special theme that we focus on and call Freedom Fridays.  This is one way Highlander carries on the Highlander Folk School tradition of providing students an outlet for self – discovery, critical evaluation of social issues and skills to affect significant social change. Students get to explore and gain a better understanding of what it is like to be “free” through group projects and activities, guest speakers, performances, field trips, and multicultural exhibitions.

Here is a video to show you some more background about Highlander Folk Schools:

A Brief History of Freedom Schools 

        In the summer of 1964, over 40 Freedom School opened in Mississippi by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. These schools were part of Freedom Summer, a project of the Southern Civil Rights Movement, with the goal to empower African Americans in Mississippi to become active citizens and agents of social change.

        They did so by having secret school, labor schools and Citizenship Schools. Through reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and civics, participants received a curriculum which spans through a six-week summer program that was designed to prepare disenfranchised African Americans to become active political actors on their own behalf. These nearly 40 freedom schools served close to 2500 students.    

The curriculum: based on the original Freedom Schools model

Academic: reading, writing, verbal activities based on students’ experiences.

Citizenship: develop students to ask informed questions about society.

Recreational: physical activity

Justice Talks Closing Ceremony

Here is one of the poems read during the closing ceremony of Justice Talks. This poem was a collaboration of one of the Justice Talks groups, including Charter Corp Member Nellie Cuddy. During this ceremony we had Americorps Members perform songs, raps and poetry that were inspired by the six weeks of Justice Talks. 

We are dedicated servants to our communities.

We wonder about our impact and where it will take us. 

We hear children's laughter.

We have the power to make change. 

We are dedicated servants to our communities.

We pretend change is simple. 

We feel motivated to make a difference. 

We touch others life's.

We worry we haven't done enough.

We cry for those without a voice. 

We are dedicated servants to our communities.

We know service doesn't end end here. 

We say take a moment to reflect. 

We dream of the beloved community. 

We try to lead by example. 

We hope to inspire minds.

City Arts Vacation Camp- Protest Posters

For the week-long school vacation in February, the Charter Corps team collaborated with the AmeriCorps team at Providence City Arts, an arts education organization that shares a building with Highlander. The camp's theme was "I Have a Dream", based off of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech during the March on Washington in 1963. We offered a number of classes that discussed the civil rights movement out of which the speech came and which created a space for students to creatively respond to the text and history.

I taught a class for an older group of middle school students which focused on the role of posters as a crucial part of activism.
Continue on to learn more and see examples of their work

Alenoush and Charter Corps in the Cranston Herald!

The Cranston Herald newspaper ran a story celebrating National AmeriCorps Week which highlighted the work that Alenoush Hagopian as part of Charter Corps at Highlander. Alenoush explains some of her motivations for joining Charter Corps and some of her successes this year:

“I wanted to see the results. I also wanted to hone my teaching skills and gain experience in an urban community,” she said. ... Her classroom’s literacy scores are the highest they’ve been in five years.

Read the rest of the story here.

Alenoush with Bernie Beaudreau, director of Serve RI