Round 2: Project Accomplishments

Quantifiable Data

Railroad Museum
Acreage of grass mowed 1

Bridges restored 4

Feet of track ballasted 240

Feet of trench dug 180

Feet of trench filled 180

Picnic tables painted 9

Pounds of debris cleared 2650

Pounds of trees removed 2400

Structures painted 2

Trees removed 4

Community Volunteer Day

Community gardens started or tended 2

Neighborhood cleanup activities organized or conducted 1

New trees or shrubs planted 80

Playgrounds constructed or repaired 2

Volunteers recruited or coordinated 70

Larchmont Elementary

Elementary students mentored 380

Elementary students supported in an out of school program 75

Elementary students tutored 380

Elementary students tutored in reading 380

Existing programs expanded or improved 3

Hours spent in tutoring elementary school students 1763

Corps Member and Community Benefits

The Benefits Blue 2 gained from our experience working at Larchmont Elementary were innumerable. All of us feel as though we have gained a sense of responsibility from being a role model for children. We have also come to hold ourselves to a higher standard of accountability and professionalism. Having children watch and model everything you do is defiantly a good motivation for good behavior (not that we wouldn’t behave normally, we were just more conscience about it in the school setting). We have also had the benefit of knowing that what we were doing at Larchmont was needed by the students, greatly appreciated by the teachers and staff, and thoroughly enjoyed by our whole team. A lot of the Blue 2 team members grew enormously during our time at Larchmont, and we would like to thank the children for giving us that experience.

The community benefits that Larchmont School received from Blue 2 are mainly having a presence that they can count on being there every day, and having a sense of routine and normalcy. The students also received one on one time with us, whether it was them reading to us, doing math flash cards, or just asking how their weekend was. We all feel as though we got to know many of the children and that they each had a friend in us. Another benefit that Larchmont received from us is the Community Volunteer Day (CVD) that we did at the school. We planted two gardens in the school, painted the line in the center of the hallway, and played lots of games with the children. Our CVD was a huge success and it was really great for all of the parents to have the chance to meet us.

Round 2: Executive Summary

Larchmont Elementary School, located just north of Sacramento in North Highlands, is a kindergarten through sixth grade facility and part of the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Larchmont has been open since 1955 and now serves approximately 380 students of varying backgrounds, including three Special Day classes. The student population at Larchmont is 38% Hispanic/Latino, 32% Caucasian, 16% African-American, and 14% other. Many of these students are faced with outside challenges to their education, such as single-parent or foster homes, drug abuse, and bullying. Furthermore, many of the students at Larchmont come from Spanish speaking homes and know very little English. Despite these obstacles, the staff at Larchmont works every day to fulfill the school’s mission statement, which is “to inspire each student to extraordinary achievement every day.”

Apart from the mission statement, Larchmont also outlines a set of beliefs for their school, with one being: “The education of each child is the shared responsibility of the entire school community: parents, guardians, school staff, local agencies, and service organizations.” This sums up the project mission for Blue 2; the team was expected to help educate the students not only in the classroom, but also in life in general.

Blue 2 was the second AmeriCorps team to serve at Larchmont for the 2009-2010 school year, so the team’s role was basically to follow in the footsteps of the previous team and act as the best possible role models for the students. The team was also expected to help the students achieve their potential in the classroom through one-on-one and small group tutoring, and after school programs for grades two through four. Every teacher had different expectations for how the corps members would assist in the learning process of their classes, ranging from grading papers and assignments to leading reading groups or small group sessions with students who needed extra help. Blue 2 was also expected to interact with the students during recess in an effort to cut down on bullying and citations, which included leading games, talking to the students, and encouraging fair play and respect.

Throughout this project, benefits were seen both in the children and in the members of Blue 2. All of the corps members formed strong bonds with the students that will have a lasting impact on their lives, and the students at Larchmont consistently showed their appreciation and love. Members of Blue 2 were able to gain many skills in tutoring children, as well as a more vast knowledge of the California education system and the profession of teaching in general. The team is leaving with a newfound respect for the desire, determination, and patience it takes to be and educator, and hopes that Larchmont Elementary will continue to thrive despite the many obstacles they face.

Round 2: ?

Remember when I was blogging daily, and that turned into three times a week, which turned into once a week, which turned into never?

Obviously a lot has happened since then and the only way to truly do that justice is to insert excerpts from our Round 2 portfolio as blog post (which I feel I can do since I was the editor for this round) and also because the idea of rehashing everything would just be too daunting.

So, I'll leave with my reflection form Round Two...

I could mention teaching methods, grammar rules, my newly formed impeccable quick multiplication skills or the confusion that is JiJi Math, but the two things I will always remember from my time at Larchmont are resilience and the power of love. It doesn’t matter what went on in the homes of the kids, what happened on our team, or how we disciplined the children in the classroom, when it came time for recess, it was always smiles, hug, freeze tag, and Four Square.

Despite the situations they face in life, these kids truly are innocent and have effortless mastered the art of forgiving and forgetting. I may have taught them math and language arts, but they reminded me how to truly love with an open heart. Somewhere along the road to adulthood I believe we all lose that ability and I am forever grateful to the students at Larchmont for opening their hearts to me and loving me unconditionally.