April 24th - 28th

This week, we continued preparing for next year's mentors by creating recruitment posters and discussing how to encourage peers to take on the responsibility of being a mentor next year. The current mentors are extremely excited to be able to talk about the program with their friends and highlight all the wonderful experiences provided by YESS. Take a look at some of their work below!

Tuesday, we continued with our traditional Tutoring Tuesday. On Wednesday, the scholars participated in 2nd hour participated in a lesson created by two mentors, Janel and Sonja. These young women wanted to impart their wisdom regarding how decisions made in middle school can and will impact their futures. They shared a Google Slides presentation and some worksheets designed to help pinpoint where students feel their emotions. I was proud of their efforts!

The students in our other classes took part in a restorative circle on Wednesday. Topics included everything from school culture to racial discrimination. The conversations were thoughtful and deep. One student, who protested participating at the beginning of the talk, commented that this was the best conversation he had ever had in school. Considering their age, our students are extremely aware of what's going on in the world around them and I just love hashing things out in a productive, positive way!

While I was away on Thursday and Friday, the scholars kept up the pace by watching a video about the Civil Rights Movement and the many young leaders that emerged from that struggle. I'm looking forward to discussing their perceptions over the coming days!