Activities
- Family Literacy Initiative- During FY 2000-01, CLC distributed over 1,000 books to CLC families. Helen Mullen, CLC board member and former librarian continues to work with CLC students, providing structure and encouragement for family read-alouds at home
- Book Drive- For the eighth year, CLC organized its yearly holiday book drive to inspire students to read more themselves, and to promote reading among CLC families by enabling our students to give books as holiday presents to the children in their families. This year, we were able to distribute 1,500 books to families. Many people have responded by donating new, first-rate books suitable for children of different ages. The book drive also gives us the opportunity to teach our students how to write thank you letters to contributors in a business style format.
- Book Bank- C4 class visited the Greater Philadelphia Book Bank during the last week of school. Each student was allowed to take up to twenty free books. Some students took mathematics books so they could continue to study for the GED during the summer, others selected leisure reading materials, and still others selected books for their children. The idea for the trip came from a need to be sure that the students had enough reading material to complete their summer literacy plans.
- Week of the Young Child- CLC board member, Helen Mullen visited classes during the week of April 8-12 in honor of the Week of the Young Child. While visiting, Helen displayed and reviewed the plots of popular children's books. She explained things to consider when selecting age-appropriate books for children and emphasized the importance of reading to all children, from infants to teenagers. Students were advised on different methods to use when reading to children and were given the opportunity to ask specific questions about reading to the children in their lives. Finally, each student was encouraged to take books to read and start a home library with his/her own children.
- Baltimore National Aquarium Field Trip- On March 2, 2002, 55 students, family members, and staff visited the Baltimore National Aquarium, which included a CLC teacher-developed scavenger hunt. Thanks to a generous grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, over fifty students, their family members, friends, and CLC staff took part in the field trip. Upon their arrival at the aquarium, students attended a dolphin show, a highlight of the experience for many participants. Before visiting the aquarium students had studied the evolutionary history of dolphins in class. They learned about dolphins' ability to mimic and respond to hand gestures, and to use echolocation to locate prey and obstacles while underwater. In addition to the dolphins, students saw a wide array of marine life, from graceful stingrays to seahorses disguised as seaweed. Keeping with CLC's initiative to promote family literacy, students and their children worked together to complete a scavenger hunt while touring the aquarium. Students also received age-appropriate books about oceans and marine life for their children, along with instructions outlining different ways of reading to them.
- Academy of Natural Sciences Field Trip- On Monday, November 19, 2001, 15 CLC students and staff members visited the Academy of Natural Sciences. This trip complemented CLC's science curriculum, which was just implemented last year. Students, therefore, had the opportunity to apply what they had learned in the classroom in a real-life setting. They learned about dinosaurs, interacted with exotic animals, and walked through a butterfly forest. Furthermore, participants gained more knowledge about creatures that are harmless, but that they would otherwise fear. Most importantly, students who would not normally have had the possibility to visit a museum and participate in the tours were able to enjoy such an experience. Overall, the trip exposed learners to other forms of life, and gave them an occasion to experience science and literacy outside of the classroom. Participating in the tours, asking questions, reading and understanding displays, required students to practice what they had learned.
- Winterthur Museum Field Trip- On December 18, 2001, 40 CLC students visited Winterthur Museum. The trip to Winterthur complemented the various units CLC students had been working on for their arts and culture curriculum this year. Upon arrival at Winterthur Museum, students were split into small groups of five, each with its own tour guide, and went to a classroom for a hands-on lesson about the art of a tea party. Students also learned about the importance of the tea trade in the 1800's and even played Winterthur's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" to determine who was the craftiest tea trader. They used their math skills to calculate the length of the voyage to China and what profits they would gain if they were successful. After the lesson, students explored the various galleries at the museum with their tour guide. Finally, the students went on a tour of Winterthur's gardens where they saw animals, such as wild geese and red foxes.
- Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies Trip- On February 18, 2002, CLC toured the exhibit, "Extended Lives: The African Immigrant Experience in Philadelphia," held in Center City's Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Students read first-hand accounts of the African American experience immigrating from Africa to Philadelphia, and they also learned of the various reasons for immigration. They participated in the Balch's "Discovering America" presentation and learned about how immigrants affected American culture both in the past and still today by integrating aspects of their cultures with the mainstream. Students most enjoyed the time they were given to choose an object in a room full of cultural artifacts and learn about its significance, allowing them to take charge of their education. In preparation for the trip, students were made to think and ask about their own ethnic backgrounds, emphasizing the importance of everyone's unique family history.
- Opera Field Trip- On February 27, 2002, students from CLC attended the final dress rehearsal of the opera Madama Butterfly by Puccini. Passes to the dress rehearsal were provided by Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program. This is the second year that CLC has attended the opera, a tradition that was begun last year with a trip to see An Italian Girl in Algiers. For a week prior to the performance, students studied about opera, music, and singing. This music unit is part of CLC's arts curriculum, which includes units on drama, visual art, and architecture, among others. In class, students listened to excerpts from famous classical music pieces and were asked to identify their sources. Students then read the libretto (dramatic text) and acted out the various roles.
- Multicultural Holiday Event- For the fifth year, The 1957 Charity Trust sponsored CLC's annual holiday event, Passport to Holiday Festivals Around the World: An Intercultural, Community Celebration. CLC's holiday event took place on December 12, 2001. Highlights included five festival stations where 162 participants, including students and their families, made crafts pertaining to and learned about Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Three Kings' Day, and Ramadan. There were musical performances by Bob Butryn, Erik Johnson, and Dave Posmontier, and storyteller TAHIRA captivated the audience with her stories. Each CLC family was given a grocery store gift certificate, and, in keeping with the spirit of literacy, each child received two new age appropriate books.
- Block Clean-up- Armed with brooms, bags and shovels, staff and students of Community Learning Center's (CLC) held a successful community clean-up project on Saturday, October 13, 2001. Members of the faculty and student body arrived early that morning to clean litter and trash from around the old Thomas Powers School Building, where CLC holds many of its classes. Held annually, the clean-up provides teachers and students with an opportunity to give back to the community. Clearing away trash allows students and staff to feel invested in the neighborhood and offers a positive influence to others in the vicinity. Altogether volunteers cleared away twelve bags of cigarette butts, food remains, broken glass, and drug paraphernalia from the parking lot, sidewalk, and playground.
- Awards Ceremony- Following last year's success, students and staff participated in CLC's Awards Week on an individual class basis. In some classes, teachers prepared formal speeches as a means for praising students for their achievements. There were flowers. There were photos. And, of course, there was food. CLC's intent was to celebrate student achievement and to strengthen bonds between students, building community within its classes. As each student is unique and on different skill levels, awards ranged from mastering multiplication tables to assisting in conducting science experiments in class to completing all five sections of the GED test. After reflecting on her experience at CLC, student Maria Gabrinidis commented, "Everything I've learned has been very important, but the fact that I can do math is the greatest victory for me. I also realize that school is more than just passing a test. It is overcoming your insecurities by facing them."
- Graduation- On June 12, 2002, jazz pianist Dave Posmontier filled the air with Pomp and Circumstance as CLC graduates marched through the auditorium of Lewis Elkin Elementary School. Karen E. Quinones Miller, keynote speaker and best-selling author, stressed the importance of believing in themselves and pushing themselves to achieve their goals. Jean L. Fleschute, Executive Director, presented graduates with certificates, honoring their achievement in obtaining their GEDs. Master storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston provided further entertainment and motivational words. The night culminated in a dessert reception and door prize drawing. Each child present received three new children's books, generously donated by PNC Bank.