Teacher+Bi-monthly+Summary

//The Save the Lakewood Y Leaders are busy working on several projects this semester. Here are updates from each group.//

Nolani, Aldo, Jovani, Keshonna, and Anoviua
The group has received several articles and a number of photographs from Duke's Center for Documentary Studies. Barbara Lau from the CDS is interested in collaborating with the students to create an exhibit showcasing the history of the Lakewood neighborhood. Of great interest to the students has been the Lakewood Park, an amusement park that was located where the Lakewood Shopping Center is now. Check the group's web page to read what they have learned about Lakewood Park (we are still editing their sentences).

On January 31st, Jovani, Keshonna and Anoviua interviewed Becky Heron, a longtime Durham County Commissioner. Becky shared a great deal about the Lakewood Graded School, which was located where the Lakewood YMCA sits now. The students will transcribe her interview and add the information to the web page next week.

Keshonna and Anoviua called the Lynn Wilson in the Records Dept. to ask about the Lakewood Graded School - they want pictures and documents to review. Ms. Wilson was so excited to hear from the students! She told me the Records Dept. wants schools to use their resources for research projects like this. She will send any information she has to the girls at school.

March 6, 2008: Keshonna and Anoviua have decided to create a book to document the history of the Lakewood YMCA and the neighborhood. They will use a blank book to write the interviews they have conducted with people who lived, worked, or went to school in this neighborhood. They will also include pictures and other artifacts in their book.

Jovani attended the Community Arts Fiesta at the Lakewood Y on Saturday, March 1st. This week, he is busy writing his review of the event to upload it to this wikispace. Next week, he will begin reading another article about the Lakewood Y Shopping Center and Lakewood Park. Jovani is really interested in the stores that were in the Lakewood Shopping Center back in the '50s. We will find a person he can interview or a document he can read to get more information.

The Lakewood Y History Group is planning to go to Lyon Park Community Center on March 14th. There they will meet Barbara Lau from Duke's Center for Documentary Studies. She is one of the curators of the current exhibit of the history of Lyon Park. The students will review the exhibit and get ideas for their history book project.


 * Nolani and Aldo have not participated since January, because they are being tutored during this time.

Lakewood Y Survey
//Pablo, Ryshean, Whitney, Jamaris, and Tanashia// Each member of the group has created a survey to find out what sectors of the public feel about the Lakewood Y and its closing. On Friday (2/1), they met with Jon Ward, from the Committee to Save the Y. He created the survey the CSLY distributed to the community earlier this year. Mr. Ward shared how he began the survey, how he decided on the questions, and how he determined what his goal would be. He also reviewed each student's survey and gave them suggestions for revisions. Mr. Ward also showed the group the table he created of the data. The students have a lot of work to do now! We appreciated Mr. Ward, who took time off to come to the school to talk with the students. You can see rough drafts of the surveys on their web page.

March 6, 2008: Each member of the survey group has created a survey to distribute to various sections of the Lakewood Elementary School community:

Jamaris - Teachers      Tanashia - Grades 3-5       Whitney - Parents       Ryshean - Durham community

Each person tested her survey with a small sample of people, then made revisions based on the feedback. Some of them have already distributed their surveys and are collecting the data. Whitney is devising a plan to distribute her survey to parents. Ryshean has not participated because he has been tutored at this time since January.

Video Documentary
//Fredy and Lewis// Fredy and Lewis are planning to create a video documentary of the Lakewood YMCA and what goes on there. They have decided to interview Y members to hear what they think about the Y closing. Fredy and Lewis want to show the documentary to the Triangle Y Board, so they will hopefully reconsider closing the Lakewood Y. The boys have just finished drafting a letter to Bryan Huffman, manager of the Lakewood Y. They asked him if they could come to the Y to film the documentary. If he agrees, they want him to choose a date. Fredy and Lewis will send the e-mail to Mr. Huffman on Monday.

March 6, 2008: Fredy and Lewis e-mailed Bryan Huffman, manager of the Durham YMCAs. Mr. Huffman and Mr. Errato came to the school to talk with the boys, and with Alicia, Clarissa and Pablo. Fredy and Lewis read their interview questions to Bryan, and he gave them suggestions for revisions. The boys are revising the questions and learning how to use the camcorder right now. They were scheduled to interview people at the Community Arts Fiesta last Saturday, but the camcorder didn't work properly (and Fredy did not attend). They will schedule at time to go to the YMCA to interview members and staff on a Saturday.

Free Day/Healthy Kids Day and Spring Fun
//Alicia, Clarissa// Alicia and Clarissa 's purpose for the Free Day is to show the community how fun the YMCA is and get more people to join. After studying //all// the activities offered at the Lakewood and the Downtown Durham YMCAs Alicia and Clarissa created a schedule of activities for their Free Day. They wrote descriptions of each activity and determined the resources (human and material) that would be necessary to pull it off. They decided on a potential date and time for Free Day. They composed an email to Mr. Bryan Huffington. Their email outlines their idea and it’s purpose and requests a meeting with him to discuss how the Lakewood Y Leadership Team can work with the YMCA to make Free Day happen. The email will be sent on Monday, 2-4. We hope Mr. Huffington agrees to talk to them. In next few days, look for the Free Day schedule, descriptions of activities and the text from the email on the Free Day page.

March 6: The girls (along with Lewis, Fredy, Jovani and Pablo) met with Mr. Bryan Huffman and Mr. Nick Errato. Mr. Huffman and Mr. Errato liked the idea of working with the kids on an event. Mr. Huffman and Mr. Errato have been communicating with the kids by email. Free Day is going to be called" Healthy Kids Day and Spring Fun". This name was created collaboratively by Bryan Huffman, Nick Errato, Clarissa and Alicia. It will be held on Saturday April 12, from 11 to 1 at The Lakewood Y. The Lakewood Y Leadership group will be giving tours of the Lakewood Y, and be organizing and running a booth where people can do Arts and Crafts. The Gear Group will run a booth where people can make their own Lakewood Y T-shirts. The entire community is invited. Alicia and Clarissa have another meeting with Bryan Huffman and Nick Errato on Monday, March 10 to finalize the details for Healthy Kids Day and Spring Fun.

Gear
//Devinn,Shalonda,Nikolis,Alejandra,N'Autica,Gustavo, and Abdurrauf// Devinn, Shalonda, Nikolis and Alejandra, researched different  “Design your own” t-shirt companies on-line. They calculated the price their company charges for 1, 2, 10 and 20 shirts. In doing so, they discovered many place value patterns that occur when multiplying numbers with decimals by multiples of 10. They are excited about their mathematical discoveries and are still exploring the reasons why they occur. They are drafting reports on the companies they researched. You can see their reports on their web pages under "Gear".

Gustavo, N'Autica, and  Abdurrauf, t also conducted research on line, however this group researched different methods of designing AND producing their own gear. They discovered: stenciling, applying tape to fabric then painting over it, and air brushing. They created their own stencil and tape designs. They organized a supply list and worked together to gather the necessary supplies. They spent 3 days working on their stencil and tape designs. On January 31st they made their first 3  prototype t-shirts. Next week they will continue making prototypes. After analyzing their prototypes, they will create a business plan for production and distribution of their Gear!

March 6: Devinn, Sholanda, Nikolis and Alejandra each have their reports posted. After researching their t-shirt companies, they've decided to try to make their own t-shirts, along with Gustavo, N'Autica and Abdurrauf. Each person in the gear group refined and re-designed their stencil. We have stencils that say " The YMCA is my Life", "Become a Member", "The Y is Cool", "The Y is my Home", "Y Forever", "Save the Pool" and "Never Close the Y" They finished up their stencils last week. On Saturday, March 1, they brought their ideas and supplies to to the Face Up Project's  Community Art Fiesta at the Lakewood Y.   They  made t-shirts for the community. It was a big hit. The group is now doing market research to see if there is enough interest with the staff at school to sell t-shirts. They are drafting a preliminary business plan. Meanwhile they are stenciling old t-shirts that students bring to school...no charge. They are getting the word out!

Fund Raising
//Alfredo// Alfredo is researching different possibilities for raising the large amounts of money that the Lakewood Y needs. While presenting his interview work at the Soutth Central Durham Commnunity fair in October, he spoke with a young woman who told him about a special tax used to raise money for a failing Boys Club in Georgia, called a SPLOST Tax. Alfredo is researching the idea of a SPLOST tax. He is beginning to post what he has learned so far about sales taxes and specifically SPLOST taxes on the Wikispace. Check out his draft on the Fund Raising page.

March 6: Alfredo has decided to cast his net with the Get the Word Out Group and bring his Fund Raising expertise to the business enterprise. He is now working with the Gear Group on the business plan. He will be helping to draft a grant in hopes of getting money to purchase t-shirts to be decorated. The money earned by the group will be donated to the Lakewood YMCA!!