Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, 9:45 am
Girls Outing
By popular demand, the girls got to bake at their outing. After separating into chocolate and vanilla teams, we got a mini lesson on fractions when we learned about all the different proportions of ingredients it took to create cupcakes. As we waited for the cupcakes to bake, the fun continued as we got to design our own t-shirts! Starting with iron-on designs, each of us created our own unique t-shirt with puffy paint and markers. It was interesting to see the girls’ personalities show up on the t-shirts. Even though everyone started with the same material, the t-shirts all ended up looking different. We couldn’t wait to wear it so that we could proudly show what we made ourselves (in fact, the next day, a few girls were already wearing their t-shirts)!
While the teachers patiently ironed on the designs, the girls played outside with their team leads. The girls continued to show off their unlimited creativity with decorating the side walk with chalk drawings. They drew each other and a hop-scotch course, which all of us tried out. After a lunch of spaghetti and some dancing to JOYland songs to help us all digest after the meal, it was sadly time to go home. Though the girls were sad, they were cheered up with the promise of another outing in the future…what will we do at our next outing? We can’t wait to find out!
Boys Outing
What do pizzas, cardboards, cars, and ImpACT boys have in common? Pizzas are packaged in cardboard boxes, which then can be made to cars, and ImpACT boys absolutely love eating pizza and racing cars! We all definitely had a blast coming together for the first-ever all-boys outing. The students assembled a bunch of cars out of cardboard wheels and sticks as hulls while using the balloon as the power to push the car forward, then had their own mini derby with a makeshift racing track. The boys blew up the balloon attached to their car, set it down and let it race across the floor. These little racers that the boys made can really move, making a clean getaway as soon as you set them down.
Jesus, who dreams of being a car designer one day, actually built a car that flew off the table and took off faster than the teachers’ cars! Who knew we would apply Newton’s Third Law of Motion, that is, the balloon pushes the air back, and that pushes the car with equal force in the opposite direction. While everyone was making cars and racing them, our very own cooking guru and team lead, Mr. Tran helped the boys make their own pizza. It was a first time for many boys and teachers. These homemade pizzas tasted especially yummy. Julian said that “[this is] the best thing I have done ever done in my life!”
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, 9:33 am
The third Monday of every year is not just a no-school day, but it is a day to remember the powerful leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At ImpACT, we spent two weekends discussing with the students about what civil rights is and shared about all the ways we are thankful for Dr. King. The teachers and team lead had never seen these students so calm as when we were watching the “I Have a Dream” speech. Afterwards, the students talked about all their different friends and all the ways they were living in the world Dr. King dreamed about.
Each student picked a few of their favorite lines and created a collage to put the words of the speech into pictures. Using pictures ranging from children playing together, real red hills of Georgia, to portraits of our nation’s current president, the students illustrated their favorite lines. The students went through hundreds of magazines to find the perfect pictures that inspired and reminded them of the speech. Afterwards, in groups, the students shared what their collages meant and why they chose the pictures they chose—everyone’s was unique and personal.
The following weekend, one of the tutors read aloud from a book written by Dr. King’s older sister, Christine King Farris. All the students learned that Dr. King as a child was very much like themselves—full of energy and curiosity to learn more. One picture in particular showed us all the importance of hard work; it was a picture of Dr. King staying up all night to go through his speech for the twentieth time.
The teachers also asked some tough questions to help the students as they wrote personal responses to all they had heard. As we helped the students understand how Dr. King’s March on Washington has affected all our lives, we also hoped that these students will be the next leaders to create positive change in their generations.
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, 9:26 am
It is hard to believe it’s been two months since JCC (JOYland Christmas Celebration) happened. It was the event we were all waiting for nearly two months before it actually occurred. Every year, ImpACT partners with JOYland, the children’s department at Gracepoint Church, to put on the biggest event of the year, JCC! All of us were excited to take part of not just any theatrical production, but one representing the true Christmas story! Long before the day of the performance, JOYland teachers were working tirelessly to perfect the various scripts, song lyrics, and dance choreography. Most of the ImpACT students and staff were involved in the “Case of the Missing Manger” skit.
In this skit, two clueless detectives – Mr. Rhee and Mr. Blister – and their smart side kick, Sammy – try to retrieve the missing manger that Jesus Christ was born in and catch the culprit who dared to steal it. We followed these sleuths as they interview sheep, dance with shepherds, and sing with the Magi – anyone who might have a clue. In the end we discover that the manger was actually stolen by the inn keeper’s own daughter. She did this because she didn’t think it was right that the manger was used as a money-making attraction. As we listened to her explanation, all of us – students and team leads alike – were reminded of how special the birth of Jesus Christ was and it should be treated with respect and awe.
JCC was a wonderful way for all us to celebrate and experience the true story of Christmas. For the ImpACT staff, it was hard work to build all the props, search for the special music, make the costumes, and figure out the stage and lighting. But it paid off when we experienced the students bonding with us and with each other during the day-long extended practice sessions; when we saw the proud friends and family pour into the auditorium on the performance day; when we saw the cheesy faces and bright smiles of the students; and it was certainly worth it when we heard the students exclaim, “That was so cool! I love JCC!”
Just on the heels of JCC, ImpACT went to watch “Christmas Carol” at the A.C.T. (American Conservatory Theatre). It was a live performance with professional actors and amazing sound, stage, and lighting—plus larger than life props. For many of the students, it was their first time ever to see a live theatrical performance and they had many favorite effects and scenes to point out through the performance. Early in the show, we saw ceiling high city walls shifting back and forth to signify Ebenezer Scrooge’s lonely path home through England’s streets. The students’ heads were turning excitedly left and right as they try to follow all the animated buildings and walls. Then we saw the tragic ghost of Jacob Marley, his chains, disheveled hair, and tattered clothes glowing ghastly fluorescent green as he rose up through a thick cloud of smoke to deliver his warning message to Scrooge. The most dramatic moment happened when the Ghost of Christmas Future appeared: not as a man but as a phantom – a menacing black curtain that filled the entire stage, floated in the air, with wings that opened and closed to reveal images of how tragic Scrooge’s future would be if he does not change his greedy heartless ways. Most of the students were speechless, but a few managed to whisper, “How cool!”
It was a sight to see: forty children and adults in the theatre sitting together, taking up four rows of orchestra seats. At intermission a neighbor commented that they were pleasantly surprised at how well behaved and attentive our students were during the performance. After the play the students had many questions, which showed us that they were very attentive to the story. Who was Jacob Marley and why was he in chains? Why is the third ghost not a person, but a giant black curtain? Before we left, we took a photo in front of A.C.T. to remember this special outing.
