ECP 6th-Graders Shine in WOW! Apprenticeship Showcase

ECP 6th-graders performing at the WOW! Apprenticeship Showcase

For the 14 Elmhurst Community Prep (ECP) 6th-graders standing nervously on the stage in ECP’s newly renovated auditorium, December's WOW! Apprenticeship Showcase was their spot-lit moment to share 11 weeks of hard work.

"We practiced a lot for that performance," recalls 6th-grader Gemini. "We had to learn three different African dances, and at the beginning it was really hard but we worked for 11 weeks – we'd even leave class and practice at home." With the support of instructor Julia Chigamba, drummer Orga, and Citizen Schools Teaching Associate Amber Arnold, the kids learned three traditional African dances – Harvest, Warrior, and Welcome – throughout their Citizen Schools after- school apprenticeship. And the semester was about much more than learning the steps: Chigamba taught them the origins of the dances and wove in cultural and historical background.

"The Warrior dance has a lot of jumping," explains Gemini, "and it’s about standing up for your rights. Harvest was about gathering food and being giving to people – we balanced baskets on our heads while dancing. And the Welcome dance was about welcoming all the spirits."

6th-graders Gemini, Eduardo, and JazminPhoto Copyright Hasain Rasheed

"In the Welcome dance we were saying, 'Come and sit' to the spirits," adds 6th- grader Jazmin. "I had a lot of fun in African dance class because we got to learn about a different culture, and Orga taught us some basic Zimbabwean words."

The class, which took place at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, also invited a chance to improvise. "At the end of class, we would get to freestyle," Gemini says. "So we could do some of the dances we already knew. We taught Ms. Julia a new dance from Oakland!"

"We learned from her, and she also learned from us," says 6th-grader Eduardo.
So when the kids stood on stage before an audience of their peers, families, and community members, there was pressure to live up to all they had learned, and to the trust and rapport they had built with their instructors. "When they announced we were going to perform we got scared, thinking, 'What if we mess up?'" explains Eduardo. "We were wondering, 'Are we gonna make it, are we gonna be able to do this?'" remembers Gemini.

SUPPORT ECP!

Building on the momentum of our apprenticeships, we hope to extend our students' experiential learning through several spring field trips – especially college tours. But due to steep state cuts, we must raise outside funds to offer these trips. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.elmhurstcommunityprep.org/donate or by mail to: "OSF/ECP," P.O. Box 20238, Oakland, CA 94620. Thank you for your support!

"Dolla Dolla Bills Y'All" - ECP Community Bankers Share New Skills

6th-graders Jose and Ivan with some of their economics books
Photo Copyright Hasain Rasheed

Elmhurst Community Prep's WOW! Apprenticeship Showcase was also an opportunity for students to share more classroom-based learning. New to the Citizen Schools program this year was "Dolla Dolla Bills Y’All," a class about banking in which students set up an ECP Community Bank. On the night of the WOW!, the apprenticeship's 15 students had the chance to share the concept with community members and families.

During their apprenticeship's 11 weeks, with the help of instructors Jeannette Aames and Sarah Pratt (a volunteer) the 6th-graders set up a school bank at which every ECP student has an account and can cash in "DPA Bucks" earned by performing tasks that uphold the school motto of "Dream, Prepare, Achieve." 

In order to track school-wide earning and spending of DPA bucks, the young bankers have mastered a number of functions in Microsoft Excel, where all the account records are kept. They demonstrated all this and more for the community members who visited during the WOW! Showcase. (Other Citizen Schools apprenticeships on display at the Showcase included Google Art, Iron Chef, Let's Go Oakland, Urban Gardening, Girl Talk, LEGO Robotics, and many more!

"At the WOW! we had lots of parents asking us what the bank was all about," recalls 6th-grader Millium, "and we were answering all their questions. It went pretty well!"

ECP Community Bankers at the WOW! Showcase

"Every student had their own role," ex- plains his classmate Ivan, "and we worked really good as a team. [Learning these things now] is good because in high school and college we'll already know how to do them. We'll be able to do it right away. Also, we're learning how to communicate with each other."

6th-grader Jose concurs. "We're just getting more mature. It has helped us know how life is and how it is being an accountant."

During the WOW!, says Millium, "We were treated like adults – like businessmen."

The kids also appreciate that, like Pratt, many Citizen Schools instructors are volunteers. "It feels good to know they are helping students so we can learn more," says Ivan. "They’re doing it so they can teach and have fun – not to get paid."

"They're doing this to help others in the community," agrees Millium.

SUPPORT ECP!

Building on the momentum of our apprenticeships, we hope to extend our students' experiential learning through several spring field trips – especially college tours. But due to steep state cuts, we must raise outside funds to offer these trips. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.elmhurstcommunityprep.org/donate or by mail to: "OSF/ECP," P.O. Box 27148, Oakland, CA 94602. Thank you for your support!