A couple of years ago I became a Solemate for GOTR and the WHS student council always has one of the spirit stations at the 5K race. I wanted to bring GOTR to the West Side, as I knew there was a need for it. After a lot of planning and hard work by Lety Verduzco, we were able to secure a GOTR site through the Boys and Girls Club and a generous grant. Lety, me, an ND grad student named Claire, and one of the founders of the Michiana chapter of GOTR Kris, are the coaches at Harrison and they are awesome women to work with.
We spend an hour and a half on Mondays and Wednesdays working with 15 girls on a myriad of issues: body image, health, exercise, decision making, cooperation, displaying gratitude, and empowering young girls. These girls are some of the most amazing 3rd and 4th graders I have ever met. They are intelligent, insightful, hopeful, fun, energetic, and loving. I wish I could capture their passion for school and life for everyone in the community to see. I also want to give a shout out to Harrison Primary, which has impressed me with their commitment to their students. There is no doubt in my mind that quality teaching and learning is taking place in that building, and the evidence of parent outreach is tremendous.
It's refreshing to see education at the primary level, because it's so different than high school. It also makes me kind of sad to know how much pressure these kids feel to pass ISTEP. My girls mention it every time I'm there. But mostly, it's a reason to be hopeful of the future. Good things are happening, but the community needs to know about them. If not, we are left thinking that things are as bad as the media would like us to believe.
So I invite you to support public education, to support your local schools, to support the kids in your community, to volunteer, and to help shape the future. You won't be disappointed.
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