2011-12 Projects Funded

For the 2011-12 school year, Friends of Harvey Milk funded (FoHM) some programs at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy (HMCRA). We’re grateful to all of our donors for their help and generosity!

(1) The before and after school programs at HMCRA were funded by government grants as well as monthly donations from parents, keeping the programs available for all students at no cost. The after school program included many clubs: Chess, Tae Kwon Do, Hip Hop, Gardening, Science, Drama, Digital Design, Passion for Fashion, Knitting, Photography, Robotics, and Sports.

After School Tae Kwon Do Club with DeLonzo Pope

(2) Every classroom received science education, workshops, presentations, and supplies, thanks to a grant from the Google Community Grants Fund of Tides Foundation. Mission Science Workshop and Tree Frog Treks provided education, workshops, and presentations. A 2nd grade parent, Allison Adams, was our Science Coordinator, scheduling science activities for every classroom and purchasing science supplies, including books, magnets, science kits, globes, bugs and insects, a manual planetarium, a stream kit, and other supplies for teachers.

(3) Thanks to a donation from Michael Vanni, FoHM sent the 5th grade to participate in Hostelling International’s Cultural Kitchen. They stayed overnight at a hostel, learned about China, and made fried rice with veggies, chicken and vegetable skewers marinated in peanut sauce, pot stickers, mini egg rolls, and green beans with black bean sauce.

(4) Thanks to a generous grant from the Sam Mazza Foundation, and donations from individual donors, FoHM sent the 4th grade to Camp Mosaic, a week long outdoor school focused on teamwork and conflict resolution, by The Mosaic Project. 4th grade teacher Will Fewell described the camp:

Over the course of the week spent at The Mosaic Project, the students from Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy worked in “sharing groups.” These groups are strategically designed to tap into challenging topics, and engage students in serious discourse about their experiences at school and in their families.  They make connections with other students, from differing backgrounds, which helps build empathy.  The signal for quiet at camp is a peace sign, and through song, dance, discussion and campfire that mission of peaceful existence is driven home as a primary objective of the week.  The kids were heard walking around camp signing one of The Mosaic Project’s signature songs, and saying, “Don’t laugh at me. Don’t call me names. Don’t get your pleasure from my pain. Deep inside we’re all the same.”  The spirit of the song and energy of Mosaic staff carried the students through the week’s challenging work.  They were led to a reflective, positive place of heightened awareness.

4th grade at Camp Mosaic, April 2012

 

(5)  Thanks to generous donations from the William J Smith Trust, hundreds of new books were purchased for our school libray.

(6) FoHM funded development of civil rights curriculum, compiled and organized by educator Jessie Blundell. The curriculum is currently being reformatted into a web-friendly format for easy access.

Thank you to everyone who donated time, resources, and money in 2011-2012. We, the board of Friends of Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, as well as the students and teachers and parents and staff of the school, are very grateful.

 

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