Sunflower County Freedom Project

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Swahili

Hello, my name is Deairious Bush.I am from Sunflower, Ms. I am a first year at SCFP.I would like to talk to you about a language called Swahili.At the SCFP we learn Swahili. Swahili is the language they speak in Eastern Africa.It includes words like Hujambo,which means hello.To respond to hello,you say Sijambo.Learning swahili will help you in the long run. 

Blues for an Alabama Sky...

 On Sunday, September 27th, after reading the play and passing a quiz, a small, select group of Freedom Fellows went to see the Pearl Cleage play, Blues for an Alabama Sky at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS. 

    The students had a great time and even got to meet some of the cast members. One of the actresses, Brittany Ray, was actually a Gentry High School graduate ( Indianola, MS) and many of the students remembered her from a student panel years ago. She played the role of Delia and after the play told us that this the first all black cast at Ole Miss, so it was a historic event.  We also were able to meet up with a recent SCFP alumnus, Oryan Griffin who graduated from the Freedom Project last year. He's now a first year Engineering student with a serious plan to enter the Honors College next semester.  In the picture below, you can see us in the middle of a great laugh. Olivia Sykes cracked up when one of the cast members shouted a classic line from the play, "Let the good times roll!" Indeed, we did and the students wrote reviews of the play. Here are some below:

 

"This was a good play.  The actors were great. They were accurate in their performance and gave it their all. I especially liked the character Angel."  - Joaquin Burse, Fourth Year Freedom Fellow

"The play was fantastic. Especially with all the drama in the story.  The character Guy has pizazz." - Michael Burse, Fifth Year Freedom Fellow

"The play was very interesting and well organized.  Everything was in order and well thought out.  The people who played the roles were very focused and played their parts well.  All of the characters seemed as if they were experienced and showed love for what they do."  -Fifth Year Freedom Fellow.

"I thought the play was wonderful. I enjoyed myself to the fullest. It was really a "must see" play.  I applaud the people who play all five characters because they did so well. Everything went smoothly.  The play was the first all black cast at Ole Miss. I really enjoyed it." Laquita Minton, Fifth Year Freedom Fellow

 

"I thought it was the best play I have ever seen.  It was better than I thought it would be and seeing it in person was a lot better than reading the book."  - Latavius Pleas, First Year Freedom Fellow

Update from Mr. Pleas

You may remember First Year Freedom Fellow, Latavius Pleas from one of our earlier blog posts this year, we sat down with him to catch up and get an update on his life so far this school year:

SCFP: How has the school year been going so far?

Mr. Pleas: It's been going good so far, but it has gotten a lot harder. The work in the seventh grade is a lot harder and I have to study more.

SCFP:Have you tried out for any sports? 

Mr.Pleas:I am trying out for basketball.

SCFP:Are you keeping your grades up so you can play?

Mr.Pleas: Yes and I'm trying very hard at it.

SCFP: I see you're reading a play, Blues for an Alabama Sky. Why? What do you think of it so far?

Mr. Pleas: Yes, it's a very good book. It makes me think about things I never thought about before. I want to go on the trip Sunday to Ole Miss so we can see the play about it.

SCFP: Have you ever been to a play? Why do you want to go to see this one?

Mr. Pleas: I've been to a play before in Indianola in the fifth grade, but I want to see how this story is going to turn out in the play.

SCFP: What have you been up to in the SCFP?

Mr. Pleas: I've been working hard and doing better in fitness. I'm learning more about Swahili. At first it was complicated, but now it seems a lot easier.

SCFP: So far, what has been the highlight of your time at the Freedom Project this fall?

Mr. Pleas:  Reading To Kill a Mockingbird. It's a really interesting book and when I read good books I learn new things. Also, if someone asked me about the book, I would  be able to tell them. 

SCFP: There may be a chance to go see To Kill A Mockingbird as a play, do you think you would want to go? Which character would you look forward to seeing the most?

Mr. Pleas: Yes! I think i'd really like to go because it might be better in the play than in the book. My favorite character is Jem because he seems like a leader, like how we have to be in the SCFP.

SCFP: What can our SCFP blog readers look forward to hearing about you this fall?

Mr. Pleas: That I've been doing better than I was before last year, I'm doing more activities, and I'm being more confident than I used to. 

Look forward to reading more blog posts from Mr. Latavius Pleas and other Freedom Fellows this fall!

Saturday School!

Hey Everybody!

  While I was working with the Freedom Project this summer I was supposed to post a blog…I got so caught up with teaching reading that I fell down on my blog assignment.  I didn’t want to not post at all so better late than never.  So here goes…

SATURDAY SCHOOLS!

Don’t think that the Freedom Fellows take a break just because it is the weekend.  Nope.  They never stop. Don’t stop…kind of like 2pac (didn’t think old Ms. Caveny knew anything about Pac did you?).  So every Saturday morning the LEAD Center is filled just like during the week.  While the Center might be full the lessons aren’t exactly the same.  Like Mr. King previously posted about Swahili fills the air along with college prep.  But every once in a while Saturday school goes a little longer, gets a little louder and requires the Fellows to do some crazy stuff. 

It is on these extended days that the Freedom Fellows work on Public Speaking (with a little help from me and other Ole Miss students).  The first Public Speaking class of the year was a success!  The focus of the class was on eye contact in public speaking.  The Fellows were asked to recite their ABC’s but not just any old way.  While saying their ABC’s they had to make eye contact with every person in the room! Everyone of the Freedom Fellows did a great job! I was so impressed.  Then several of the Fellows were asked to give a speech on a made up animal.  They were the expert but again they had to make eye contact with everyone in the room.  And AGAIN they all did an amazing job!

Keep a look out for more posts about the next lessons in Public Speaking class!

Peace, Love and Freedom

-Chelsea Caveny

SCFP Intern Summer 09

LOVING SWAHILI

Hujambo!!! Jina langu bwana Kenyon King. Mini mwanafunzi wa Kiswahili. This means hello. My name is Kenyon King. I am a student in Swahili. You must be saying “No!”  "This cant be possible!!!” but Yes, You did hear me right!!!!  I am a student in Swahili and also a fourth year in the Freedom Project. I know it is not common for a child in the Mississippi Delta to learn Swahili, to tell you the truth I don’t think it is common anywhere.

    The teacher (mwalimu) is Sarah Hoftiezer. She learned Swahili in college, now she is teaching it to us. Swahili is a very fun class! We learned that the culture is very positive. Say for instance if your mother died, you would first say that you are doing well, but my mother died last night.

 Also, we learned that many do not speak Swahili. There are only about 50,000,000 people that speak Swahili. Those people stay in eastern Africa. Those countries are Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, but there are more. You may wonder, how I know about those people who speak that language when I`m supposed to be learning the language. Well, we're not only learning the language, we are also learning about the eastern countries also. It is sort of like a geography class mixed with our Swahili.

   Well, I know it is still a little hard for you to believe so I am going to let you process it. I am going to head out. Who knows, the next time you may hear from me, I might be writing from Kenya, so please stay connected with me and the SCFP.

Kenyon King 4th year.

Freedom Project Memories!

Last Wednesday, August 26th, 2009, we celebrated our seventh annual LEAD Center birthday party. The students posted some of their favorite memories of the Freedom Project. Here are some of their favorite moments:

"I remember the Second Year trip when Olivia was chasing her hair oil down the hill and she accidentally tripped and rolled down the hill to the end."

 "I remember the hardcore trip when it was snowing and we walked through muggy caves and Olivia was crying."
-Laquita Minton

"I remember on the hardcore trip and they were telling scary stories and I started crying and cried half the night." -Olivia Sykes

"I love to meet the new interns each summer." Mykia Clayton

"I loved it when we went to New Orleans. We ate alligator meat."  - Kenyon King

"I remember when I first came here. My attitude was messed up and I was always ready for whatever, but the Freedom Project changed all that." Latoysha Brown

 "I loved it when we went to Hot Springs and had the 30 sec challenge." - Joaquin Burse

" My best memory was when we went camping (on the first year trip." - Latavius Pleas

"The Rising Leader program in 2007 when we had the tennis ball war!" - DeMarcus Gillespie

"Everything." DeMarcus Gillespie

Five Things I Have Learned At The SCFP (so far)

1.     1. Clauses are boring. That’s right, I said it – they are dull dull dull and there is not that much you can do about it. You can write funny sentences, you can play Jeopardy, you can be REALLY enthusiastic (e.g. “Clauses are my favourite things in the WORLD! I LOVE CLAUSES!”) but no matter how hard you try, most children (and most people, myself included) think that clauses are boring. Shout-out to Mr. Clayton a.k.a. Mr. Tonclay for trying anyway.

2.     2. Vocabulary, on the other hand, is much more interesting. You can play vocabulary charades, where the kids act out the words and have their teams guess the answers. You can have vocab challenges every week where they look up an interesting word and get mix CDs as prizes. You can also watch students use vocabulary words in their writing and their conversations, which will make you exceedingly happy, even if they don’t always use them correctly. Three cheers for vocabulary and the thousands of words in the English language!

3.     3. As my fellow teacher, Ms. Kibbe says – it’s all about the small victories. Seeing students get really into a game of Jeopardy. Hearing a student stand up for someone else. Reading an amazing essay that a student worked really hard on. Hearing a student say that he doesn’t need to look at our “Banned Words” list anymore because he knows the words he shouldn’t use in his essays now.  Getting into a serious discussion with students in class. Watching a performance come together magically before your eyes. They all add up, these small victories, and though they may not seem like one huge victory – in a way, they are.

T     4. The job of a teacher is a tremendously difficult one. A great teacher is part parent, part mentor, part friend, part nagging old lady, part information-giver, part information-receiver, part thinker and part listener. A teacher must always strive to “prick the mind” as Claudette Colvin, who was arrested as a teenager for refusing to move to the back of the bus in the 1950’s, said. She described one of her favourite teachers who challenged her to think and to question and to take what she learned and do something with it. It’s a hard job and an absolutely necessary one.

5.     5. Sitting with one of our students, Mr. Stevenson, working on his solo piece for performance class, listening to the sounds of other students practicing on the djembes – I am reminded of how special this place is. Not perfect, but definitely special. Students are being creative here. They are engaging and pushing and being exposed to new things. I too am learning. As I sit here and listen to the sound of learning, the sound of improvement, I fully appreciate the SCFP for the wonderful learning that takes place here.  

       - Kimberley Goffe (Duke '12)

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The Freedom Project

 

    The Freedom Project is a remarkable place to be. My name is Jordan Whitfield. I am thirteen years old and a 2nd year at the Freedom Project. right now I am attending the Freedom Project's summer program. 

    At the Freedom Project we do tons of interesting activities. We do plays, we work out, and make raps. Our raps are not just about anything, we rap about math. It might seem weird, but once you do it it's a great experience. 

    The freedom project is an inspiring place for me. You can always be yourself. It hsa taught me to be confident and determined.  

By second year student Jordan Whitfield

Ole Miss

    I have been in the freedom project for four years. I have been on every trip that was possible for me to attend. I never went on the major trip that everyone attended since joining the lead center; the Ole Miss. I know you may be shocked but that is just the reality. It is not that i don't like attending college campus, but I never attended the summer program until this year. 

    The Ole Miss trip is all I hear about when the fall session starts back. It is from "Man the pool was big" or it is "The early morning was hard." All of the talk about Ole Miss was very exciting to me. When I go to Ole Miss, I expect a lot. I want to do the runs, walks, swims, kicks, or maybe even suffer the consequence of silent lunch if I get too excited. I can't wait to see how the dorms are especially because I am ready to have my own when I graduate. 

    Another thing I am looking for is getting to meet the college students. I know they are much older and have a lot more experience in college life so I know they could be helpful to me. I'm so ready to go to Ole Miss and I am so close that I can almost smell it. 

By fourth year Kenyon King