Bittersweet Goodbyes

The month of July is always an interesting one in the AmeriCorps program. Not only does it signal the end of our program year and the completion of over 1700 hours of service in the community, it also means that future plans are finally coming to fruition and members start moving on. Naturally, everyone tries to jam-pack as much as possible in that last month. Of course, I too abided by this rule of thumb. Instead of writing copious amounts of paragraphs about these experiences, I'm just going to let my photos do the talking...

4th of July Weekend

Celebrating Cassie's last night at Johnnie Brown's!

Showing off our patriotism at the pool

One last glorious BBQ at the North Pool (before the rain started)

Phetsada and I!

Having fun with my new underwater camera

Typical group shot of Nick, Jess, and I

Key West

Cassie and I ready for a night out on the town!

Jess and I

In front of the Smallest Bar

Celebrating our last week in the AC program in style!

Taking in some glorious Florida sun!

Sunset

 

One last night out on the town

The end of US Highway 1

Only 90 miles from Cuba!

AmeriCorps Graduation

The EdVenture crew at Graduation

Carly and I! Dynamic duo right here!

Anne from the Boynton Beach City Library - definitely a lifesaver and awesome woman!

Cassie, Hallie, Sara, myself, Jess, and Krystle

With Braudrey one last time...gonna miss working with these two

Sara and I with Kristen Calder, the Literacy Coalition CEO

The group! We did it!

One last picture with the boss man Brad

The Last Weekend...

Getting ready for one last trip to Renegades

Cathy's little one, Lillianne Elizabeth! Honorary Member #41 (or something like that)

One last picture before heading our separate ways...

Needless to say, the last few weeks have been filled with great memories and lasting adventures with some of the most important people that I've come to know during my time in Florida. As I venture back to Iowa, I will definitely hold on to these experiences and look forward to the next chapter of my life - Colombia and the Peace Corps!

Last AmeriMonth...

One. More. Month.

I honestly can't believe how fast these past two years have flown! I'm officially in my final month of AmeriCorps! With school out and all of my students off enjoying their summer break, I'll be spending the next few weeks assisting with a summer camp through one of the other AmeriCorps sites, In The Pines. This site works with migrant workers and their families to help them learn English, find jobs, and adjust to life in South Florida. The camp that I'm assisting with is for the children of these families and helps them keep up with their reading levels, maintain sharp math skills, and gives them an opportunity to get out of the house and interact with their peers.

I'm in charge of the 8th grade class and, with one week in the books, am absolutely loving it! I have 5 campers and they're an absolute joy to work with! I share a classroom with the 7th graders and have inadvertently adopted them into my class as well. Two of the highlights of the camp that we are working towards is a spelling bee and a poetry contest. Trying to find fun and entertaining ways to introduce spelling words to Junior High students is a bit of a challenge, but thanks to Pinterest and the wonder that is the Internet, I've put together some pretty fun ways to help my students learn their words prior to the competition.

Some of my summer camp students using letters to spell out words that will be a part of the spelling bee

The "I Am" poem example that I created for my students to use as a sample

So outside of the academic aspect of this camp, the rest of our time is spent doing normal day camp activities: swimming, bowling, golfing, going to the movies, learning some karate, etc. It definitely brings back my days as a camp counselor with Camp Adventure. It makes me miss traveling during the summers to various military bases and working with those kids. However, I know that in a very short two months, I'll be off on another life changing adventure.

Karate time!

Bowling fun!

Speaking of life changing adventures....

The last month of AmeriCorps also means the start of the goodbyes and tears for those that I've grown to know and love during my time down here in Florida. These festivities started last weekend with Jen, a member from last year who is currently teaching here in Boynton, but will be spending her summer in New York. Phetsada, Jen, and I went out for some dinner and drinks last Saturday and had a great time reliving our crazy AmeriYear and sharing what life could possibly hold for us in the future! Have a great summer in NY Jen!

Myself, Jen, and Phetsada at Bar Louie for St. Patrick's Day 2013 

Alter Ego Party!! 

Hockey Game @ BB&T Center

N2 Wine Bar aka "Heaven"

Yesterday marked the last day in South Florida for another one of the people that I met last year in AmeriCorps, Tavia. She is embarking on a 15 day cross-country road trip back to Oregon before heading to Colorado State to start grad school in August. I'm super pumped for her and am excited to see where life will take her in the upcoming years. She had a going away pool party yesterday and it was great to just hang out with her.

Phetsada's Beach Birthday Party!

Color Run 2012! (Before the race)

That infamous camping trip!

St. Patrick's Day 2013

Neon Vibe Run in Ft. Lauderdale

One last day at the pool!

ConGRADulations Class of 2014!

Graduation. The light at the end of the tunnel after 13 years of hard work, sleepless nights, and endless piles of homework and projects. This celebration of one piece of the puzzle known as life is carried out in a variety of ways. Normally, there's a ceremony, speakers, diplomas, and flying caps. All of these symbolize the end of one era (high school, undergraduate, Master's, Doctorate) and the beginning of another. For 22 of the students that attend EdVenture Charter School, this all came true last Friday.

Friday, June 6th marked the official end of the school year at EVCS. As the pending graduates filed into the Event Room at the Intracoastal Park, nervous tension filled the air. Family, friends, and teachers lined the walls and filled the seats waiting for this monumental day. In order to graduate from EVCS with an Option 2 diploma, students need to complete at least 630 hours of on the job experience at a local business. They have to complete all of the required paperwork, time sheets, and testing before donning that cap and gown.

The ceremony was short and sweet. I kicked it off with a few opening remarks, congratulating the graduates on their ability to overcome adversity and do what many people thought they couldn't. Then the keynote speaker challenged the students to continue being successful by remembering that they are smart and deserve the absolute best out of life. Each graduate was then presented with their diplomas/certificate of completion, which was a joyous moment for all.

The last part of the ceremony was definitely the most emotional. Each graduate was given a rose which they were able to give to anyone in the room that had supported them through their life/last few years of schooling. Many of these roses went to family members and teachers. One of my students that I had gave it to his two-year-old daughter. When he was at school, he had asked me to help him learn how to read so that he could read his daughter bedtime stories - I almost lost it when he handed her his rose.

After the ceremony, food was devoured, pictures were snapped, and the graduates went on their way. This year at EVCS has been a life changing one for sure. I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing students and staff that truly do love what they do (...most days). I can't wait to take all that I have learned from this year with me to Colombia and be able to apply it with my new students that I'll have for the next two years.

Celebrating the big day with some of my favorite students! Congrats guys!

Leah, myself, and Kevin (EVCS AmeriCorps members)

Celebrating the last day of school at the park!

Wishing Jacque and Marcus the best of luck next year!