The new design of the service component allows scholars to choose one of three areas to focus on: the environment, mentoring, or veterans. I had the pleasure of leading the mentoring track this semester and want to reflect back on a few of the events that we participated in.
This year, the McConnell center is continuing to partner with the Dawson Orman elementary school in downtown Louisville. The school has students from over twenty countries and many that live below the poverty line. Every time I go to the school, I am overwhelmed by how grateful the staff is for our help. The scholars mostly work with pre-kindergarten kids, usually reading books or just playing in the classrooms. One craft we did this semester focused around Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. We helped each classroom make their own version of the Giving Tree by letting all of the kids put their thumb (or in most cases, their entire hand) into green paint and add a leaf to the tree. It was, albeit messy, a very sweet sight.
This semester, the mentoring track also worked with the Americana Community Center. The center focuses on international students. While there, I got to be an assistant in an ESL classroom for second graders. After doing some math and English help, the class went outside and into the gym for free time. I found myself crawling across bleachers and giving piggy back rides to most of the class. It was one of the best service projects I’ve ever been apart of. With the success of the mentoring service project this semester, I’m excited to see where we can serve and lead next semester!
This year, the McConnell center is continuing to partner with the Dawson Orman elementary school in downtown Louisville. The school has students from over twenty countries and many that live below the poverty line. Every time I go to the school, I am overwhelmed by how grateful the staff is for our help. The scholars mostly work with pre-kindergarten kids, usually reading books or just playing in the classrooms. One craft we did this semester focused around Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. We helped each classroom make their own version of the Giving Tree by letting all of the kids put their thumb (or in most cases, their entire hand) into green paint and add a leaf to the tree. It was, albeit messy, a very sweet sight.
This semester, the mentoring track also worked with the Americana Community Center. The center focuses on international students. While there, I got to be an assistant in an ESL classroom for second graders. After doing some math and English help, the class went outside and into the gym for free time. I found myself crawling across bleachers and giving piggy back rides to most of the class. It was one of the best service projects I’ve ever been apart of. With the success of the mentoring service project this semester, I’m excited to see where we can serve and lead next semester!