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Short Term 2012 - Vol 4, Issue 3
In This Issue
Student Address at the 2012 Bonner Leader Senior Celebration of Learning
Teen Parenting Interview Questions
United Way of Androscoggin County Community Needs Assessment
Student Leader Interviews
The Head Start Block Party
Android Tablet Usage at Montello Elementary School
Community Concepts Downtown Neighborhood Resident Survey
Emergency Department Usage at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Grant Prospecting for Non-Profit Organizations
Support our Bonner Leader Program!
Join Our Mailing List!
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In NAACP project, students get fresh lesson in value of old papers

Dear Friends,

Georgia NigroYou are in for a treat in this newsletter: my voice will be muted and that of our students strong. In this, my last newsletter, we give you the address of graduating Bonner Leader Jordan Conwell, on the occasion of our celebration for senior Bonners. Although the address is longer than is typical for our newsletter, it is worth your time. I promise! We also offer brief reports from the eight members of our pilot program STA/RT, which stands for Short-Term Action/Research Team. The students functioned throughout the five-week short term as a rapid-response research and action team that started, moved ahead, or completed projects for a diverse group of community partners. All eight students worked on the different projects, but one student took responsibility for furnishing a brief description of each. We are extremely proud of our students and hope you enjoy their reports and reflections.

 

Best wishes,

Georgia Nigro

Interim Director

Student Address at the 2012 Bonner Leader Senior Celebration of Learning
Submitted by Jordan Conwell, Bonner Leader, Class of 2012

Good evening. My name is Jordan Conwell. This month, I will graduate from Bates with a double major in Sociology and Rhetoric. It has been a privilege throughout my four years at the College to be part of community partnerships with the Lewiston School District and the Auburn School District.  

 

The school community at Park Avenue School in Auburn has graciously welcomed me for the past two consecutive academic years (as well as for one semester during my freshman year). I consider my relationship with the school and my community partners there - Amy Heimerl, Robin Fleck, Chris Turcotte, and many others - to be my most rewarding community engagement experience.

 

In my work as a classroom aide in Amy Heimerl's Kindergarten classroom, I've helped with tasks ranging from working with students on iPads and beginning reading/writing skills, to assembling pop-up books, to making photocopies. Throughout, I've been able to marvel at a group of four- to six-year-olds who are learning, communicating, doing, and being.

 

This is what I wrote in the acknowledgements of my community-inspired sociology thesis:

To Mrs. Amy Heimerl, Mrs. Robin Fleck, Mrs. Chris Turcotte, and the students, faculty, and staff at Park Avenue School in Auburn, Maine: Thank you for allowing me to become a part of your school community, and letting me in on the tremendous joy, in spite of the many obstacles, that is embedded in the spirit of your work. Those of us with aspirations to think, write, debate, and legislate about education issues will always stand in awe of all that you do on a daily basis. You are, and always will be, the talent.

 

If the educators at Park Avenue School are the talent, that makes me a lackey, or maybe even a groupie. I hope that over these past few years I've been the best lackey anyone's ever seen. Because the talent is doing some really important stuff. In talking about my learning, I'll try to explain what they've taught me (even if they don't know they have), and what it means relative to what I've learned in classrooms at Bates.  

 

There is a sign in the teachers' photocopy and lounge area at Park Avenue that reads, "I touch the future, I teach." I don't teach, I just get to admire those who do, so I won't claim to touch the future. However, I have looked into the future's eyes and felt the warmth of the future's smiles and laughter. I have, unfortunately, on occasion felt the acute hurt of the future's distress. The future has the potential to be much, much better than we are. We adults, we are the past; we drastically affect the future's present-sometimes for better, much, much too often for worse.

 

You see, we send children to school with backpacks full of our failings, insecurities, hatreds, the subgroup histories we hold at the expense of whole group dialogue, and-of course-our ideas of nation and tribe. We send them to school burdened with all of our stuff, and then we somehow expect the next generation to be better than we are. Children are somehow expected to move up from their parents' stations and be more secure, less hateful, more willing to dialogue across difference, and free of insular ideas of nation and tribe. But we blanket them with our world, a world of the opposite.

 

Where do schools come in, then? I think I've learned that educators are a radical present tense. School days are moments in which educators try their hardest to defend the future against us, the past, in order to free the future, so that it might realize its potential and be better than we are.

  • We tell children that people who wear hijabs hate us; educators tell them that people who wear hijabs are just as likely to be their friends as anyone else.
  • Media portrayals often tell young students of color that they cannot achieve in school; educators tell them that they can indeed learn if they try. And then they say, "Let's get back to the reading we were working on."
  • We show students our selfishness, our pettiness, and our me-first-ness; educators show them that everyone needs to pull his or her weight, but everyone also needs to look out for others and make sure they also have what they need to do their share. Educators tell them that you may be line leader now, but you won't be line leader tomorrow, so it's not in your best interest to discourage the person who's behind you today.

We show the future the world as it is, while educators teach them to aspire to the world as it should be. But it's not that easy; it's not that prosaic. Educators know we fully expect them to do this whether or not we give them the support they need-financial and otherwise-and whether or not we get kids to school on time, and whether or not we show up to parent-teacher conferences, and whether or not we do anything more than change the channel when we see a video of teachers' unions protesting for the right to organize. While we continue to think the same thoughts and act like we don't understand the world we create, and then perpetuate, we expect them to teach our children to be one million things we can't be ourselves. Oh, and make the children smart while they're at it.

             

This is what I mean when I say that my learning at Bates College and my learning at Park Avenue School have formed a unique educational experience that neither could provide alone. Bates has exposed me to various points of view from which to understand the system that we adults create and perpetuate. Given my course of study, I am particularly well-versed in its social inequalities and its rhetorical discourses of power. I think I see the game for what it is, and Bates has given me the intellectual capacity to hold most of it in my head at the same time. After four years, I see in 3-D. But, in theory, there's potential for me to see the system as a hopeless mess. I could read the A-Section of The New York Times and be depressed for hours.

             

But this is where Park Avenue School comes in yet again. Because what a theory can't demonstrate and what words on pages can't reveal and what a lecture can't really espouse is that those of us thinking so hard about the system-working "across disciplines" as we say and trying to describe it in the most intricate and cutting-edge ways, even if it is in order to one day create change-we are surrounded by people who are already beating it.

 

More than anything, in my time at Park Avenue I have been welcomed into a community of students, faculty, and staff who are beating the system, who are working together to free the future. They hold together a fabric woven of various races, ethnicities, economic classes, religious backgrounds, levels of ability and disability, and nations of origin. They teach children skills, expose them to new technologies, and show them compassion every day, no matter what.

 

Although it isn't always easy or perfect, people like Amy Heimerl and Robin Fleck create small moments of triumph and joy. If I'm not mistaken, those kinds of moments sustain them. And those moments have sustained me, too. You can only learn about what's broken, in theory, so long before you'd like to meet some people who are trying to fix it ... for real. When you've been exposed to the complete laundry list of problems, you're excited to meet someone who says, "This might only work for today, or it might not work at all, but let's try this and see what happens." Reorganized reading group, reconfigured classroom set up, new activity, improvised lesson plan. The future is one or two steps closer to freedom from our past.

 

And I thank them for allowing me to become a part of what they do so well. In accepting me into their community, they have also become a part of my Bates education. Because on Sunday, May 27th, 2012, I'll accept a Bates diploma knowing that descriptions of the system are only as good as the understanding that educators (and many others) are, every day, breaking that system's rules-trying to get us to a better place populated by learners who realize ideals that we haven't.

 

I think that I - and my fellow Bonner leaders, given their own unique, community-engaged learning experiences - know very well the conjunctive space between what the Bates mission statement terms "intellectual discovery and informed civic action." I hope that we are ready, as the statement also says, "for the coming times." If we have indeed planted our feet in the space and really do stand ready for the moment, we have to thank those of you representing the College and those of you representing our wider community, because you both played a part in it.

 

I've heard many discussions about the next few years at Bates College. They are sure to be full of institutional change, given the upcoming inauguration of a new president and impending faculty turnover. Efforts will be made to "increase the value of a Bates degree" and improve the College's standing among elite colleges and universities. But I'm here to tell you, before these efforts even begin, that they won't increase the value of my Bates degree one bit. Because my Bates degree and my fellows' Bates degrees are different from most other Bates degrees. And I, for one, couldn't be happier about that.

 

Their value is based on this combination or two-ness that I've been discussing. They have a certain reality and messiness based on our sometimes-uncomfortable knowledge that things aren't that simple. But they aren't that bad either.

  • Their value is based on a reciprocal relationship between what we've learned in the classroom and what we've learned and done with the community, with our neighbors.
  • Their value allows us to say that we graduated from Bates College, a school whose mission statement declaims preparing leaders with "a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world." We are so prepared because the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and the Bonner Foundation and our community-engaged faculty mentors and our community partners encouraged us to engage with said wider world during our four years at said elite, residential, liberal arts college.

The value I'm talking about doesn't have anything to do with the endowment, multi-million dollar capital campaigns, need-blind admissions, the ten-year plan, a student union, the General Education Curriculum, or faculty research productivity. It most certainly doesn't have a thing to do with U.S. News and World Report or what Brian Williams says about Bates tuition on NBC Nightly News, or how quickly the College responds to Mr. Williams.

 

If you think you can add value to my Bates degree in these ways, you fundamentally misunderstand the value of my degree. Thanks, but no thanks. I know community engagement efforts are secondary beneficiaries of these efforts, but that doesn't change what I'm saying. Because I'm talking about priorities.

 

The value I'm talking about has to do with making sure that more Bates students graduate with Bates degrees like ours.

  • It has to do with closing the gap between the current Bates experience and the Bates mission statement, just like our community engagement has closed the gap for us.
  • It has to do with finally recognizing that calling our neighbors "townies" and other shows of disrespect for our community should be considered student misconduct issues of the most serious variety.
  • It has to do with the Princeton Review calling Lewiston the eighth worst college town in the United States of America, and whether or not Bates takes the time to respond to that at all.

The value I'm talking about hears a senior say, as one did to me, that community-engaged coursework was a "dumbed down" version of a college curriculum and that students don't come to schools like Bates to do stuff like that. It responds with some examples.

  • Jacob Kaplove, Class of 2012, who takes what he learns in the psychology classroom and assesses the possibility of mental distress among local youth and their families.
  • Or Rebecca Schmidtberger, also Class of 2012, who took a classroom of underachieving local ninth graders through the entire Fagles translation of The Odyssey.

It makes sure that every student, faculty member, department, and administrator knows that there's nothing dumb about that. Actually, there's something very Bates about it. The value I'm talking about makes sure that students do come to Bates to do stuff like that, and that they are fully empowered to do stuff like that throughout their four years here.

 

In short, the value I'm talking about will allow the College to look back upon days when students spoke with humor and pride about "the Bates bubble" (as some do now) and consider this to be a sad and regrettable stain upon this College's history. Because that's exactly what it is. The College will then be able to discuss all of the efforts that were made to put, and keep, those days in the past, never to return again. That's what the Harward Center, the Bonner Foundation, our community-engaged faculty mentors, and our community partners did for us. They popped the damn bubble.

Teen Parenting in Androscoggin County
Submitted by Kerry Gross, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2012
One component of our STA/RT Short Term project was to work with a collaborative of community members who are focused on addressing the rising teen pregnancy rates in Androscoggin County. While other parts of the United States have recently noted decreased teen pregnancy rates, in the greater Lewiston/Auburn area these rates have been increasing. Citing concerns about this mismatch between the local increase in teen pregnancies and the national decreasing trends, a number of community partners, including the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Advocates for Children, New Beginnings, and Mary's Place have joined forces to develop a collaborative research project to draw awareness to the issue. In order to help this collaborative begin this project, our team worked to put together an initial interview schedule meant to elicit narratives about teen parent's experiences as new parents in the community of Lewiston/Auburn. Through this project, we utilized our research skills to both learn more about teen pregnancy in the area and provide a basis for research that will continue in the years to come.
United Way of Androscoggin County Community Needs Assessment
Submitted by Emily Kaldjian, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2013

As part of the STA/RT team, Pamela Mejia '12 and I worked with United Way Androscoggin to assess community need. We were given the results of two different types of interviews: the first with focus groups from across the county, and the second with the directors of agencies which United Way sponsors. Using these results in combination with national data from the 2010 census, we analyzed the wishes and desires of the citizens, what they saw as the biggest threats to Androscoggin County today, and what they suggested as possible solutions. We then cross-listed these data with the focus areas that United Way's programs currently stress, and concluded that there are four main issues that United Way can help address in Androscoggin County: transportation, volunteerism, life skills and literacy, and recreational opportunities. We then compiled a PowerPoint presentation which will be used to help United Way prioritize future community engagement projects.

Student Leader Interviews
Submitted by Jake Kaplove, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2012

The Harward Center is an engine for student growth and reflection on campus. STA/RT members helped to document this fact by interviewing nine different senior leaders that have made significant contributions to the Center. The team took on this exciting project in collaboration with Megan Panzer '12, a research assistant for the Harward Center. There were four senior leaders from the Bonner Leader Program, in which students engage in community-based work and leadership training workshops, and five senior Student Volunteer Fellows (SVFs), students that serve as facilitators for various volunteer opportunities. These seniors were asked about their experiences with the Harward Center, their suggestions for improvement of their respective programs, and their goals for the future. STA/RT members took notes while the senior leaders were interviewed and later transcribed the interviews so that Megan could analyze the responses. Their work with this project will help to keep the Harward Center engine running cleanly and efficiently.

The Head Start Block Party
Submitted by Jeffrey Lathrop, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2013  

By partnering with the Head Start program in Lewiston, we were able to host a fun-filled block party event with more than 80 three to five year-olds who are a part of the program. There were five stations set up at the Head Start facility in the downtown area that were all run by the student members of the STA/RT program along with some other student volunteers. Stations ranged from making gak to conducting science experiments to playing in a pots and pans band to having pretend play time to an arts and crafts table. This whole experience was as beneficial and as fun for us at it was for the children. Before leaving Head Start that day, every child was given a backpack that contained materials to remake many of the crafts and toys created that day, as well as a handbook with many more ideas for fun games and items that children can easily make at home. 

Android Tablet Usage at Montello Elementary School
Submitted by Pamela Mejia, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2012

We conducted individual interviews and focus groups with teachers at Montello Elementary School about their use of android tablets in their classrooms. Teachers gave us feedback on how they incorporated the tablet in their class instruction with the objective of demonstrating how the Android was more efficient than the laptop at bringing student growth and keeping the class engaged. Although most of the reviews about the usage of the tablets were positive, the teachers mentioned how there is still a need for funding to purchase more tablets and applications for students; and also a need for training to assist teachers on how to use this technology. Along with the report from the focus groups notes, we provided the school with suggestions on resources available to them and also a chart with applications they can access for free or at a very low cost. Overall, teachers at Montello Elementary School are very excited with the tablets because they notice the "improvements and motivation of their students," therefore we hope this is a project that continues to grow.

Community Concepts Downtown Neighborhood Resident Survey
Submitted by Hannah Nienaber, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2013

As a member of STA/RT, I worked with Community Concepts, a local community development organization, to input data from a downtown neighborhood resident survey they had conducted. Other students and I input the data from over 200 questionnaires that asked local residents about their feelings about the community of downtown Lewiston.

 

As a participant in community outreach efforts at the Harward Center, I was struck by the number of people surveyed who answered that they earn less than $5000 a year and also care for large families. This survey really opened my eyes to the high level of poverty in downtown Lewiston. It was also surprising to see the number of people who are satisfied with their living experiences. While many still answered that there are a number of issues present in the area, it was interesting to see the amount of people who are satisfied with their homes, neighborhoods and the safety of downtown Lewiston.

Emergency Department Usage at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Submitted by Taryn O'Connell, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2013

One of our projects for STA/RT involved working with data from St. Mary's Regional Medical Center to assess Emergency Department (ED) usage. We focused on the number of ED visits that were due to back pain or respiratory problems and arranged these visits in tables organized by age and patient pay source. The objective of this project was to help determine how best to reach out to community members to obtain the information needed to change unnecessary ED use and promote "right care, right time, right place."

 

One noteworthy trend we saw was that there was a significantly higher occurrence of infants whose parents were on Medicaid being brought to the ED for respiratory problems compared to infants whose parents were privately insured. Using this information, we created a plan for focus groups and interview schedules to determine why this trend occurs. It was very interesting to examine Emergency Department data, and we hope to be involved if any of these focus groups are formed in the fall.

Grant Prospecting for Non-Profit Organizations
Submitted by Raisa Sharmin, STA/RT Fellow, Class of 2013

Grant prospecting for community partners was one of several projects we were involved with during short term 2012. We started at the STA/RT headquarters, the Harward Center conference room, by being assigned our community partners who needed assistance with grant prospecting. There were eight of us and we had grouped ourselves into pairs so each group had one community partner.  Jeff Lathrop '13 and I picked DEC or the Downtown Education Collaborative. Other STA/RT members were partnered up with United Somali Women of Maine, Tree Street Youth and the Center for Wisdom's Women.

 

Bates College grant writer Joseph Tomaras was kind enough to run a workshop with us where we learned how to access web resources that would help us match interests of donor organizations with the needs of our non-profit firms. We wrapped up the project by presenting our partners with a comprehensive grant report complete with names of donor organizations, grant application guidelines/deadlines, contact information and past donation records of those organizations.

Support our Bonner Leader Program!
Bates is actively seeking funds to support its Bonner Leader Program.  If you have questions, or would like to support the Bonner Leader Program, please contact Ellen Alcorn at the Harward Center at 207-786-8235.

For more information about the Bonner Leader Program at Bates, please click here to view a short video (note that you will be redirected to the Bates College channel on Vimeo).
Questions?
Please contact Kristen Cloutier or visit us online.