• Curriculum Overview
• After School
• Events and Celebrations
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Special Assemblies
• Mini Courses

by Robin Lasersohn, Service and Partnership Learning Coordinator

On Martin Luther King Day, Mike, Mari Ann and I led a field trip to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum for students who have been involved in SRV's after school woodworking partnership with Chester East Side Ministries. Seven Rose Valley students and six children from the after school program participated. The goals of the trip were to deepen the friendships between the two groups of children and together explore themes related to African-American history.

First we gathered at Chester East Side Ministries, a community center located on Chester's lower east side, for some community building games. Then we rode to Baltimore, MD in a comfortable bus. On the way, the children read about various African-American leaders and historical events and chose ones they thought were particularly compelling. We also ate a delicious lunch of home-made hoagies, thanks to Mari Ann.

At the museum, we used earphones for an excellent audio tour of the exhibits, which depict a wide range of historical events, people and movements. We also saw a musical tribute to Dr. King performed by children from a local child-care center. On the way home, the students shared what stood out for them about the day. Many students were particularly moved by the exhibit devoted to the role of children in justice struggles. As Jake said afterwards, "It shows that children also have power and that we can make a difference."

Many thanks to the Haldeman, Starr and Singh families for their financial support of the trip above and beyond the cost of their own children's participation and to Chester East Side Ministries, for its generous contribution toward the trip. It was a rich and rewarding experience for everyone involved.

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