Eileen Carson leads the dancers in a circle during the sharing

A classroom at Pathways-Crossland Re-Entry this winter echoed with the sound of stomping feet and clapping hands as students learned percussive folk dance styles brought to this country by immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries.  The workshops were part of an arts residency carried out by Eileen Carson of the Footworks Dance Ensemble.  The company specializes in historical dance forms that make use of rhythms and movement that can be produced simply by using the body and found objects.  By learning these dances, students were able to develop a sense of the multicultural nature of the early American experience, adding to their understanding of history.

          The residency began with a performance by the Footworks Dance Ensemble, which was open to students from Crossland High School as well as Pathways.  The show was very well attended and well received.  Two students from Crossland High School found the performance so compelling that they requested to join the follow-up workshops with the Pathways students.  The workshops wove movement and story in a way that made social studies and history seem immediate and alive.  At the end of the residency, students gathered for a "sharing" in which they demonstrated the dance styles they had learned through a combination of choreographed movement and improvisation.  The sharing produced clear evidence of the benefit for the students of this arts residency. They stepped forward with confidence, demonstrating growth in self-esteem and knowledge.

Student tellers from Pathways review a brochure about saving at the in-school branch.

Pathways students who staff the in-school branch of the Transit Employees Federal Credit Union (TEFCU) at Crossland High School recently attended a financial aid workshop for college bound students held in the school's career center.  The Pathways students were on a mission that was broader than gaining information.  They wanted to sign up members for the credit union branch and encourage savings among their fellow students.  And they wanted to make students aware of a scholarship offered by TEFCU.  

          This is the second year that TEFCU has had a branch at Crossland High School through a collaboration with The Pathways Schools.  Pathways students work as branch managers and tellers.  In addition to providing students with career training and professional experience, a credit union on site increases financial literacy and fosters life skills like budget management.

          The credit union is one more example of Pathways use of alternative and creative means to help students learn and become prepared for life after graduation.

On March 28, the social hall of Northwood Church was transformed into a state of the art dental clinic, complete with chair, compressor, x-ray machine, air water syringe, focused light and even a waiting room area.  More than ten Pathways students received dental care at no cost as part of their school day, thanks to Smile Programs.  Dental decay is the most common, chronic infectious disease in children, and yet more than 60 percent of all children in the United States do not see a dentist annually.  Smile Programs was founded to provide a mobile dental service to children most in need and with

Smile Programs dentist at work at Pathways

the least chance of accessing quality preventive dental care.  Emily Anderson, Pathways' Student Support Service Coordinator, learned about Smile Programs and arranged to have them come to Pathways.  The Student Support Service program works to encourage healthy lifestyles in our students, and regular dental care is an essential component of good health.  Smile Programs normally services large numbers of students in the public schools, so it was unusual for them to come to another kind of setting to work with our students.  The day was a success, and Smile Programs will return next year, when it will be possible for many more students to participate.

For more information about Smile Programs click here.