Sunflower County Freedom Project

My Future Brings...

When I get older I want to be a lawyer. When I graduate out of high school, which will be in 2013, I will attend Louisiana State University. If not LSU, I will attend Mississippi State. I will then attend law school. At the age of 28, I plan on getting married. Why? I really do not know.

My entire future I plan on having a very successful and enjoyable life. Not too many worries and doubts. I plan on being the best I can be.

By Third Year Mattie Guidroz

Interns

   

 At the Freedom Project, we have a special tradition that we like to do. Every year we invite college students from a variety of colleges. During our Freedom Summer school these interns come down to teach us. We not only do extra education, but also get to know new people.

    The interns are fun to hang with. They show us games and fun projects. That does not mean they don't mean business. They give us homework and no excuses for not doing it. They don't give us silent lunch for just punishment, but also to better us.

    We have interns from UNC, Duke, Berea, Salem, and others. We have had some that was from Kingston, Jamaica. Another from San Antonio, Texas and Toronto, Canada. So never underestimate the will of interns and students working together. 

By Third Year Mykia Clayton

SCFP

 

 
The SCFP is a program that is going to make me become a leader. I like this program because it is a lot of fun. I like our new interns because they are so funny. Mr. McCoy is a great leader and some day I would like to be like him. 

The students at the SCFP are like family to me. We all treat each other like family. We have our problems at times but we get through them. The thing I like about it is just how much fun it is.

The new interns are very cool. Mr. Clayton is the coolest one. Fitness is so funny when Mr. Clayton is with us. Lastly, I wish more kids would come to the SCFP.

By first year Ryan Thomas

Being a Second Year

 

 

Being a second year in the Freedom Project is a lot of fun and I get a lot of respect from the younger first years and try to show the third years my leadership skills. I love the way people see my social skills. I know what it takes to become a leader but getting extra help from my fellow peers is great. My second Freedom Project summer has became a highlight reel. The new interns are having fun with us and I know by the end of Ole Miss everyone will have memories of all the fun we had over the summer. I have been learning from Mr. McCoy and everyone who has ever worked with us second years each and every time. Being a second year in the Freedom Project I have had great experiences and fun times with some excellent people.

By second year Demarcus Gillespie

Math Rap Wars

Thursday, July 9, 2009

    This week in math class, the students have been writing raps for the Math Rap Wars.  They have been working very hard on their rhymes and their choreography in preparation for the battle tomorrow.  Not being a rap aficionado myself, I have learned a lot from the students this week.  They put together rhymes that never would have even crossed my mind.  In fact, I would argue that their lines are even better than the original lyrics of the songs that we are using as background beats.

    The students have not only been able to produce great rhymes, but they have also incorporated math terms from throughout the summer into their raps.  The first years have been learning about integers, and the second years have been working on proportions.  The third years have focused on geometry for the summer.  These are not easy topics to learn, nor are they easy topics to rap about, but the students have done a great job with both.  Their creativity has astounded me daily, and I cannot wait to see them all perform at the Math Rap Wars tomorrow!

Erin Convery
SCFP Summer Intern
Duke University 2012

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's and my 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's and my 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!!!!!!!