Do you know how to Cha-Cha-Cha? Waltz? or Swing dance? Have you ever did any ballroom dancing? Well at the Communities In Schools program at Greer Middle all of our students had the opportunity to participate in some dancing activities with the American Dance Club with Mr. Lopez.  Although we had a few students that weren’t too happy about holding hands with the opposite gender in a practice of some ballroom dancing, our students were talking about the experience long after the first day.

A number of our willing student participants will be working with Mr. Lopez once a week for the next couple weeks. We were connected with this through our Communities In Schools Board Member, Pam McCurry. Just another example of the great collaborations that benefit the students in many ways at CIS. Through a generous donation we are able to provide this great opportunity to our students at no cost and students are getting professional dance classes.

Here are a few pics of our students learning a number of dances.

Don’t they look great? Experiences like this show our students that dancing in ballroom settings isn’t just for adults, but students can benefit. We know it’s a great way to stay fit while having fun, learning great hand and eye coordination, and gaining a sense of confidence in oneself through learning something many students and people never get a chance to do. Can you think of any other benefits of learning how to do some ballroom dancing steps at a young age?

Lions, and Tigers, and Dragons! Oh My! What ever happened to the Bears? Well at the recent show of the Ringling Brothers Circus instead of Bears we had Dragons greet our students of Greer Middle. Our Communities In Schools students that earned the opportunity to go to the circus through their grades and behavior enjoyed a wonderful night full of lions, tigers, acrobats, gymnasts, lion tamers, kung fu warriors, and much more. Thanks to great discounted tickets some of our students that would have missed this opportunity got to see the Greatest Show on Earth!

Our students before this event participated in lessons that talked about some of the many words and circus occupation terms that many people are unfamiliar with. Circus terms like Butchers, Razorbacks, Roustabouts, Zany, Chinese, Bally Broads, Spec Girls, Kinkers, Troupers, Windjammers, Rubbermen, Ponger, the Boiler Room, Riggers, Funambulist, or a Carpet Clown. Here are a few of the definitions:

Butchers = people who sell refreshments at the circus
Zany = a circus clown
Kinkers and Troupers = terms for circus performers
Windjammers = musicians in the circus band
Rubbermen = people who sell balloons at the circus
Ponger = no longer common used term for an acrobat
Funambulist = any type of rope walker (tightrope, slack rope, etc.)
the Boiler Room = crew of telephone solicitors who sell tickets to the circus

How many of those words have you already heard of before? Could you define any of them without going to dictionary.com???

Well our students learned these words as well as read an article about what it’s like to be a child living in the circus. Have you ever heard “I wish I could just run away from home and live in the circus”? Well for the children of the Ringmaster and other circus members, that’s not an option. We read the article by the Greenville News on the circus called “For a ringmaster’s family, every day is a real circus.” In this article it talks about the life of a child in the circus and some of the many aspects of it many people have never realized. Our students got a different perspective of what it means to work in the circus for children their age.

Here are some pictures of the wonderful time our students had at the circus.

What about you? Did you get to go to the circus? How did you enjoy it? Share with us below about some of your experiences.

Joan Cronan is the Women’s Athletic Director for the University of Tennessee. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelors and Masters degree in physical education. She spent 10 years with the College of Charleston as an athletic director, and was later inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

Our ladies are excited about  a female coach speaking for the first time this school year. Of course we are allowing the boys to go! They are excited about the raffle of doughnuts, shoes, and other goodies.

The Big Bus Alliance transports our students from Woodmont to the event and back at no cost. Atlanta Bread Company sponsors the meals for students on all eight buses, with 55 passengers each!

CIS Families enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together

Communities in Schools Afterschool Program at Monaview has hosted 5 family events so far this year, and all have had excellent attendance. In September our “BEE Well Event” sponsored by GE was a huge success. Students completed fitness stations and were given their BMI and some wonderful gifts to help promote overall health and wellness! In November we had our Thanksgiving Meal and Family Literacy night. Families enjoyed a wonderful meal served by CIS staff and were entertained by Mr. B, a wonderful storyteller who shared his favorite Thanksgiving book. We are so happy to welcome our students’ family members into our Communities in Schools programs!

Thanksgiving dinner with CIS-Greenville families at Monaview Elementary

Mr. B and family storytelling

Family Night Event at Monaview: Bee Healthy, sponsored by GE

Family Night Event at Monaview: Bee Healthy, sponsored by GE

Family Night Event at Monaview: Bee Healthy, sponsored by GE

Ms. Kubuturu spoke to the group about her life and the importance of mentoring.  Ms. Kubuturu is a Ugandan refugee.  She talked to the young ladies about how her family endured many struggles such as poverty and homelessness throughout her life.  The International super model was discovered at the age of 17 in a shopping mall by a photographer.  From then on she has been working in the modeling industry. Kiara Kubuturu stressed the importance of how anyone can overcome obstacles.  She emphasized how everyone should have dreams and work towards their dreams no matter how difficult they may seem.

Ms. Kubuturu is a part of the Building Dreams Mentoring program that is affiliated with YWCA of Greenville.  The YWCA of Greenville offers several programs for youth through the YW empowerment center.  Currently YW empowerment center is offering the Y teens modeling program called Runway Saturdays.  This program is offered on Saturday mornings for young ladies ages 13-17.  For more information please contact Alecia Brewster, 373-6300 or ywcateens@gmail.com.

 We kicked off with a visit to the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus! Prior to the field experience, we researched about the history of the people and animals of the circus. Students created MRP’s (mini research projects) to outline their findings and created posters and timelines.

Did you know??  “jumbo-meaning very large” was added to the dictionary after P.T. Barnum brought Jumbo, the African Bush elephant to America in 1882.

Follow up experiences will include a trip to the Greenville Zoo to get up close to the animals and meet with zookeepers. A virtual field experience to the San Diego Zoo is also planned.

]]> http://www.cisgreenville.org/cis-at-woodmont-afterschool-big-cats-big-tent-big-trips/feed/ 0 http://www.cisgreenville.org/military-appreciation-service-learning-project-cis-duncan-chapel/ http://www.cisgreenville.org/military-appreciation-service-learning-project-cis-duncan-chapel/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:03 +0000 CIS Greenville http://www.cisgreenville.org/?p=1055 The Communities In Schools afterschool students at Duncan Chapel loved learning about our Armed Forces! Our students participated in a project based learning unit on the United States Military with Service Learning during the months of November and December. Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

Our students researched the five branches of the United States Armed Forces which consists of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard as well as their respective Guard and Reserve Units. Students wrote Christmas letters and collected money to send stockings to soldiers who are serving in our military. The students also worked on various projects to present at our ‘Military Celebration Presentation’ in which parents, teachers, and community partners where invited to attend. The students’ projects included as a class book, posters, flags, and a performance of the Military Branch Medley.

Through the project based learning unit and service learning opportunity our teachers and students were able to use research skills, make real world connections, provide meaningful service, link the curriculum to meet learning goals, and use the reflection process to make a positive connection and contribution to our community and military. Our students enjoyed learning about the Armed Forces and truly appreciate the sacrifices that the men and women who serve our country have made to help ensure our freedom!

Our upcoming year will be no exception!  We are going to the circus, planning a trip to college, learning about architecture, doing a canned food drive, having a reading log competition, raising awareness and money for orphans of Uganda, learning about different careers, hosting Dribble4Destiny, participating in the Greenville Afterschool Coalition Spelling Bee, and lots of other fun and enriching activities.  Stay tuned for updates from Chandler Creek CIS along with student/teacher testimonials, parent letters, essays and much much more!