Tuesday, March 22

TODAY WAS GREAT!!!!
We were able to explore many of the schools in Jefferson County, which was both exciting and beneficial.
Four of the group members visited at Page Jackson Elementary School (Serves PreK- 2nd Grade). This group helped in Kindergarten, first grade, and specials (gym, art, music, library). We were impressd by the fitness mintute that the kindergarterners did at the beginning of the school day with the gym teacher. Other members of our group were able to travel to other schools in the surrounding area; including Charles Town Middle (one participant), and Wright Deeny Elementary (two participants), the Opportunity Learning Center (two participants), and the GED Adult Learning Center (one participant). In Charles Town Middle, we worked with the Tech Coordinator, and we actually were able to remove 30 harddrives of brand new laptops for the middle school. In the process of programming the machines, we learned a plethora of facts about the Jefferson County Public School system. We had a great time learning all about the media department (used for morning annoucenemts) run exclusively by aspiring middle school news anchors. Next, we traveled across the street to the Opportunity Learning Center (which was GREAT!). Unlike the previous in-school experiences, this was quite different. The setting was quite different than the other schools we attended, in that the students were more in need of an alternative learning setting, for various reasons. After just a few minutes in the OLC, we were able to strike a common connection with the students, and ended up truly enjoying our stay here. It was fantastic to both observe and interact with students in such stratified environments, and comparing the settings during reflection was always interesting.
Additionally, a few participants traveled to Wright Deeny Elementary, where we heard the first state-specific Pledge of Allegiance (something involving "Mountaineers Are Always Free", ect!). This was super fun! :)
Finally, the GED Adult Learning Center was a very educational and enjoyable experience for all. We were able to work within the center and utilize our hazy math skills to help our fellow friends in Jefferson County. It was a great time! We also went and grabbed coffee afterwords and talked to a few of the locals about good places to eat! (ALWAYS EXCITING FOR US).