Summerbridge Dayton - Special Events

SPECIAL EVENTS

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New Student Orientation: The orientation extravaganza was held on Saturday, May 20 in Fawcett Hall. Over 30 students and their families attended this annual pre-Summerbridge Dayton event. At this time, parents and students were able to meet the 2006 staff. Students were also given an opportunity to select their academic and elective classes for the summer program. To assist in making these decisions, families were given an Orientation Booklet which provided a brief course description and summer schedule.

Staff Orientation: Staff training began on Monday, June 12. As part of training, staff members were given an opportunity to get to know one another by using team-building exercises. One of the favorite presenters, Jenny Alexander, was on-hand to help us learn about multiple intelligences and understand that everyone learns differently. This presentation is particularly helpful in ensuring that all students are reached in the best manner possible.

Dr. Percy Mack, Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools, also joined the staff to express his gratitude to the future teachers. He encouraged the staff to work hard and to continue being enthusiastic in wanting to make a difference with today’s youth.
Wright State’s Summer Program’s Coordinator has formed a Risk Management Team to ensure that all programs are operating consistently. Summerbridge Dayton staff took First Aid and CPR training from one of Wright State’s HPR instructors, Dr. Rick Wetzel. At the end of this training session, all staff members were CPR and First Aid certified.
Melissa Sanders from Montgomery County’s Reclaiming Futures program was available to speak to the staff about working with at-risk youth.

In an effort to help students become a part of the fund-raising efforts for Summerbridge Dayton, cups were donated by Red Robin and students were asked to collect loose change. When all was said and done, students and staff collected approximately $300. Funds were used to help defray field trip costs and to purchase games used by the students during afternoon Club Time.

School Meetings: School Meetings (ASM) took place at the beginning and end of every day. This was a time for creativity to reign. ASMs are designed to help get students and staff excited about the upcoming day’s events. Each meeting was theme-oriented and contained asset building, current events, skits, special announcements, a word of the day, and concluded with the SBD clap.

Spirit Week: This year, club names included Yellow Jackets, Red Light Special, and Green Day. During the first week, students got together in smaller groups to participate in club activities which included Hat Day, Club Day, College Day, and Wacky Tacky Day. On Friday, students came together to present their club with chants, claps, dances, and skits as well as the infamous Summerbridge Dayton clap. Two non-Summerbridge Dayton judges were drafted to help make the final decisions on which club would win the coveted Spirit Stick. Students had to wait until Monday to find out the winner because the collected change had to be counted and points given to each club. By Monday, Green Day was awarded the Spirit Stick and the stick was hidden, never again to be seen until Graduation.

Parent/Teacher Conferences: On one hot Saturday in July, Summerbridge Dayton held its annual parent/teacher conferences at the United Way Building in Dayton. Each family of teachers (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma) was available to meet parents and discuss their child’s progress in the program. Approximately 25 families attended this event.

Open House/Culture Day (social studies teachers): This year’s Culture Day activity included a presentation by Sierra Leone, a local poetess, and a presentation by Sonia Ninon of the Ivory Coast. Students wrote and performed a skit about the impact of unhealthy habits on their lives today and in the future. All students were required to write an essay for this event. This year’s prompt was “What are the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle on me, as a teen, and what can I do today to lead a healthier lifestyle?” The first, second, and third place winners were Tyrell Allen, Gabriel Brown, and Jazmine Brinson respectively. The winners were given prizes of book bags filled with school supplies.

Career Fair: In an effort to expose Summerbridge Dayton students to as many opportunities as possible, a career fair was held for the second year. This year’s fair was held on Friday, July 21. In preparation, language arts staff assisted students in preparing resumes. Students were given lessons on how to prepare a good resume and what prospective employers wanted to see. Each student had several copies of their resume on the day of the Career Fair.

Special guest, Senator Tom Roberts, was available to talk to the students about his personal experiences and how he became involved in politics. Senator Roberts has visited Summerbridge Dayton for the past three years.

Students were also taught how to fill out a job application, how to dress properly for an interview, and how to prepare for the interview experience. On the day of the Career Fair, students arrived on campus in business suits with resumes in hand. Approximately 15 organizations were set up in the Millett Hall Atrium. The representatives had been given instructions to hold mock interviews with the students, review their resumes and attire, and then let them know if they would hire them or not based on the brief meeting. Students were very pleased with this venue and felt the Career Fair was very helpful. The organizations were also excited to help the students understand how important it was to be adequately prepared for the job search process.

Some student comments were as follows:

I expected to learn a lot about careers that I had in mind and also how to talk to people when you are on an interview.
I expected to get a new experience in finding a career and what I could do to be prepared for the future.
I expected to see and learn about different career opportunities that will be available to me if I do well in my schooling.
I felt I was prepared because a lot of the companies said that my resume was better than some of the college students.
What I enjoyed most about the career fair was meeting the people and trying to understand their jobs.
I enjoyed the presentations sitting out on the tables for us to observe and learn more about the job. I enjoyed the friendly people who explained everything well.
I learned to be more confident about what I want to be.
I learned how to write a resume, how to be confident and ask questions.

It is hoped that we can continue to improve and expand our career fair to provide more opportunities for students to be exposed to businesses, organizations, and colleges.

Graduation Celebration: The end of the summer came quickly. The program’s grande finale was organized by the language arts teachers with much assistance from all staff members. Our Graduation Celebration took place in the Student Union’s Multipurpose Room and it was set up “dinner theatre” style. Over 150 people were able to sit together at tables and enjoy a wonderful variety of foods provided by our families. The theme of this year’s program was, “If Not You, Then Who?”

Our guest speaker for this event was Miss Maggie, a homeless woman with a lot of wisdom to share with our youth. Miss Maggie told the students her story – she was college educated, married with a child, and living the good life when one bad decision changed everything. Her husband was killed in an accident and she lost her house and child to a fire. Miss Maggie said a friend “helped” her get through the rough times by introducing her to crack cocaine. Her house caught on fire because someone was “cooking” in her house and since she was high, by the time she realized it, it was too late – everything was gone. Just one bad decision cost Miss Maggie everything she owned and everyone she loved. Miss Maggie told the students to take their education seriously and to choose their friends wisely. She finished her talk with an inspirational poem and received much applause from all in attendance.

Students elected a new SBD president and vice president – Mar’Nitka Coleman and Jamae Finch respectively. The program proceeded with a skit from the Royal Summerbridge Theatre’s presentation of South Side Story. For the first time, SBD had a chorus directed by Wright State’s Perry Harris and a small instrumental ensemble which was directed by student teacher Katie Weigel.

For the second year, the Dayton Breakfast Kiwanis provided a state-of-the-art computer and printer to an outstanding SBD student. This year’s recipient was Sheldon Brown, a graduating student attending Stivers School of the Arts. The students applauded and cheered loudly as a shocked, tearful Sheldon approached the stage.