Sunflower County Freedom Project

History at Ole Miss

At Ole Miss we will have a lot of fun. This will be my second time visiting the college. Going to Ole Miss with the Freedom Project we will have different classes. The classes that we will have will prepare us for the future. The classes are based on science, exploring, and history. They are not just the ordinary classes you would take in school. They are based on projects and background stories.

 On a college campus there is a lot of history for students to learn. Some colleges have memorial sites to show the tourists. At Ole Miss they have a James Meredith memorial site and the lyceum where James Meredith walked through when he applied to Ole Miss. This experience helped me learn more about the history of the college.

Going back to the site I will pick up something new that I did not know. Ole Miss to me is like a history book with exciting memories. The campus is full of students who are inspired to achieve great things. One day I hope a college will inspire me to achieve even better things. Going on this trip will prepare me to achieve in the future.

 

 By second year student Primus Apolonio 

My Life

 

Hi my name is Tehya Woods. I am 12 years old. I have a very nice personality. I am a cool and fun person to hang with. I am writing a short little story about my life. I love to write narratives about me. I am writing this story so you can know a little more about me. I hope you like it!

        On July 9, 1997 this little girl named Teyanna Woods was born. I was a cute, fat,bald headed baby. I had one older brother. My mom cuddled with me almost everyday. I was a spoiled little brat. During my younger years I would walk around and hit others. 

        On August 12, 2003 I was a soldier marching in kindergarten. My teacher's name was Mrs. Odessa Banks. I always did my homework and classwork. When my progress report came I had all A's and maybe two B's. By the end of my kindergarten year I was the best student ever. 

        On June 16, 2009 I became a student at the Sunflower County Freedom Project. My dearest friend Latoysha Brown recommended me to join. It is a fun and outstanding program. The program gets you prepared for college. I really love coming here and my education level will increase.

By first year student Tehya Woods 

One Week Until Ole Miss!

After only four weeks in the delta working at the Sunflower County Freedom Project, I am amazed to see the progress the students have made in such a short time! 

In Ms. Goffe and I's writing class, I have seen slow but steady progress among all of the students. Seeing a consistent effort from Ms. Clayton, Ms. Brown, Ms. Williams and Mr. Thomas among others has added a lot to each class (and made Ms. Goffe and I's job a little less stressful!). However, strong effort does not always translate over to the list of silent lunches. Our silent lunch experts, Mr. Apolonio and Mr. DeMarcus Gilespie, have shown an incredible turn around in the past few weeks with their attitudes and efforts. It is great to see Mr. Gilespie working silently during study session and Mr. Apolonio stepping into the leadership position during morning and afternoon meetings. My hope is that the effort continues through this last week, so that everyone can make it through to Ole Miss.

Overall, I have been quite happy with every student’s attitude and determination. Each student has his or her own struggles to overcome, but I am hopeful that they will all continue at the LEAD Center after the summer’s end. Our circle discussion last week brought out the courage, compassion, and leadership in all of us, and I hope this can be a testament to all (both students and fellows) of the amazing community we have at the Sunflower County Freedom Project.

--Matthew Clayton

  Duke University ‘12

  SCFP Intern

First Impressions

My first day at The Sunflower County Freedom Project was not what I had been expecting. Being a kid myself, I knew that students do not always immediately embrace a new teacher if at all. I prepped myself for the possibility of their skepticism towards me showing up five weeks into the summer program, but it proved to be unnecessary. When the students arrived I was immediately welcomed. Among the students ready to welcome me as their new intern was Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown discussed her time at the Freedom Project to help me settle in and learn about her life at the program.

 

Ms. Brown is a 2nd year at the Freedom Project who loves to sing, rap, dance, and write. Ms. Brown told me that when she first joined the Freedom Project she had a lot of attitude. She then looked up smiling and said "now I get along with everyone." She attributes her changed attitude to the people, which she and others here refer to as family, that participate in the Freedom Project. The most important thing Ms. Brown has learned from the project is that you do not need to fit in with a crowd. She has learned how to be herself and not feel the pressure to fit in. Only 13 years old, Ms. Brown has already begun writing a book. She is in the midst of a poetry book, already containing roughly 30 poems. Her goal is to finish writing her book and then continue writing more. Already extremely impressed with everything I had heard, I asked her what compelled her to join the Freedom Project. She replied by stating that her education is what her ancestors fought for, and that it was up to her to take advantage of it.

 

Olivia Manne

 

College Visits

·         What I enjoyed most about the college visits was getting to participate and meet new students from the colleges, and having a fun and educational time.

 

·         The best memory I had with Berea College was talking to them about getting into and going to college.  Also, we talked about college life.  The best memory I had with Ole Miss was meeting old friends.  The most remember able time I had with UNC was having the Health and Self camp and talking and meeting new friends.

 

 

·            I know we should do this again next year because we learned  how to make good decisions in the real world and it was a lot of FUN!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

College Month Commentary

What I enjoyed the most about the college visits is that we had fun and we had the opportunity to talk to the students about what it is like to be in college and to be encouraged to go the extra mile to succeed in life.

The best memory I had from the visits was when the UNC students came in for a visit. My surprise was when Ms. Dennis, a former summer intern, came back to see us again. I had a great time at the Health and Self Camp that the UNC students put together.

I think that we should do this again because it gives us a chance to consider different college choices and make connections with college students who can help us with our college process.

                                   By: JohnnieMae Williams and Amberly Dennis

My "College Visitation Month"

Colleges are a great way to get what you need. It’s like a pathway to success for some, for a highway to nothing for others. Here at the Freedom Project, we’ve had six great and inspiring colleges to come down here, in the Delta, to tell us about their college and why it’s important to go to a great college. During the college visit I really enjoyed most of my time with Rice University.

Their college really didn’t have my major but the students really had a great impact on me and my fellow classmates. Elderly people have always said that “Laughing is good for your soul” and that’s exactly what they kept me doing. A great memory that I had with Rice University,

was the night in  Saint Stephen's Church when we had the opportunity to meet with them. The students seemed to really enjoy what the freedom project do for middle and high school students. That really pumped me up to do more with my life and so that, not only, I will be recognized for the things that I have done but the people around me will as well. I think that we should have this every single year. We should set aside the month of March to become our “College Visitation Month!”    

Created by Ashton Pernell and Oryan Griffin

Head of his class...

As we enter the month of March, high school seniors around the country are experiencing a different type of March Madness, the college acceptance waiting game.  Not long after finding out he was accepted into the first two of his top five schools, Louisiana State University and Ole Miss,  we  sat down with Sixth Year Freedom Fellow, Oryan Griffin as he reflects on his college future and his Freedom Project past.

SCFP: How did you feel when you got your acceptance letters?

Oryan: When i got my college acceptance letters, it was almost surreal like "wow, I really got accepted into college."  I was really happy and you feel like there's a burden lifted off your shoulders. When I applied, I wasn't sure whether I'd get in our not so it feels great to know that I will be going to a great college that I get to choose.

SCFP: How do you feel about the schools you've been accepted to?

Oryan: I got accepted into the two schools that I really wanted to go to, especially LSU, which I've always wanted to go to. Being able to visit Ole Miss and spend time there with the Freedom Project gave me a great feel for the school, so I'm excited about possibly going there as well.

SCFP: What other schools are you still waiting to hear from?

Oryan: Duke, UNC, and University of Miami.

SCFP: If you got into all your schools, where you go and why?

Oryan: Well, if I got into Duke with a scholarship, I'd go there. I'd  like to go to a situation where I don't have to pay much out of pocket or take out loans for anything.

SCFP: What are looking forward to about going to college?

Oryan: I'm looking forward to the independence you have in college, meeting new people, and doing new things. I plan on Majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Physics, so I'm also looking forward to those types of classes which I've always been interested in.

SCFP: What did you learn in the Freedom Project that might help you?

Oryan: Discipline and responsibility.  Meeting deadlines, working independently, and being responsible are all requirements and skills that I learned in the Freedom Project.

SCFP: What words of encouragement of advice can you give to other students?

Oryan: I'd say, don't say what you can't do, never say never, because you really can do anything you set your mind to.

Keep an eye for updates from Oryan and the rest of our seniors as March Madness continues. 

Mykia Clayton has a dream

On Martin Luther King day this year, along with service projects, Freedom Fellows completed a short essay answering the question "What are your dreams for yourself and your community?" Second Year Fellow Mykia Clayton answered with the following essay.

     My dream is to be a crime scene investigator and a lawyer.  I hope that I can serve justice to our country.  I want to also give back to my community of Sunflower, Mississippi.  I know that a lot of people do not want to turn back to where they came from, but my grandma always said "never forget what you used to get where where you are now."
    I also want to travel and have different experiences so I can tell my story to my people.  I want to improve where I come from so the burden won't be on the next generation.  I think Dr. King had a great dream and it was accomplished.  However, my dream will be better.  I will not only improve myself, but everything and everyone around me. 
    I want to state the fact that all people are capable of the impossible, so go and get it. I want children from the years to come to remember me for what I did, but not only that, but also for what I am, what I will become, and where I came from. These are my dreams, no wait! These are things that will happen! All I need is for the time to come.

--Mykia Clayton,
Second Year Fellow
Sunflower, MS

SCFP and Student Profiled on Nickelodeon!

We're on TV!!

Check out the Nick News Program, in which Kenyon King and the Freedom Project are profiled in a broadcast highlighting possibilities for hope in areas of rural poverty.

Below is a brief description of the broadcast from Nickelodeon, but please  watch it and let us know what you think.  Watch the Show: http://www.nick.com/turbonick/index.jhtml?extvideoid=119785

America's Forgotten Children: The Rural Poor

14-year-old Kolton lives in a house with no electricity and no running water.

The closest big store is two hours away.

And his family doesn't have a car.

"I think life would be happier if we did have more money," he says. "(It) might kind of make everything easier."

Kolton lives on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

He and his family are among the rural poor people who live far outside the city and far below the poverty line.

But rural poverty is not confined to the reservations where many Native Americans live.

Poverty comes in all colors.

13-year-old Garrett is white.

He, his mom and his sisters live in the mountains of West Virginia.

Jobs are scarce there.

And often, the only meals he gets are free breakfasts and lunches at school.

"We have to watch our money," he says. "I do get kind of frustrated a little. Sometimes I do feel sad, but never ashamed."

And 15-year-old Kenyon is African-American.

He, his mom and his little brother live in Mississippi.

There's not much work there either, aside from the industrial plants where people process catfish.

"I want to be better than what I have here," he says. "I want to go to college."

Kolton, Garrett and Kenyon may be poor.

But they are not stupid and they are not lazy.

They have dreams.

The question is, can they overcome their poverty in order to make those dreams come true?

On Sunday, December 21st, you'll meet Kolton, Garrett and Kenyon.

They're kids growing up in America in the 21st century.

But chances are it's an America that's far different from the one you think you know.

To find out more about Kolton, Garrett and Kenyon, tune into to Nickelodeon on Sunday night at 9pm Eastern (8pm Central) for "America's Forgotten Children: The Rural Poor."

It's the latest edition of "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee."

(If you live in another time zone, check your local cable listings for the show time in your area.)

At a time when times are tough for more and more people, find out how these kids are keeping their hopes and dreams alive.