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RISE at Greenfield Middle School
October 2006 to February 2009 Total Number of Volunteers: 147 Current RISE Programming: Recess Helpers – Three community volunteers are currently helping to supervise the recess periods for 4th and 5th graders. One volunteer is a UMass student and the other two are parents of students at the school. Library Services – The Greenfield Middle School has extremely limited library resources. RISE has recruited and trained several volunteers to serve in the Library, allowing students to use the space and check out books. Badminton Club – David Voegele, Executive Director of DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services and a local badminton enthusiast, volunteers to run this club three days a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the club meets in the evenings at the school and is open to the community. On Wednesdays, the club meets after school and is for students only. GCC PeaceMeal Project – RISE has partnered with the Peace and Social Justice Department at Greenfield Community College. A GCC student visited Social Studies classrooms and helped students write about peace. The students’ work is now published in the GCC publication, PeaceMeal. Guest Performance – RISE partnered with the Dance Department at Greenfield Community College. The GCC troupe, called Mixed Company, came in and did a free performance for students in grades 4 through 7. Community Service Learning and Creative Writing – A local high school student expressed interest in starting two after-school clubs at the Middle School. RISE has paired him with adult volunteers in the community to run both a Community Service Learning club as well as a Creative Writing Club. These programs start in January. MLK Day Celebration – RISE has partnered with the Traprock Peace Center in Greenfield to offer a special program at the Middle School in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Students are also preparing art work about MLK to be featured in an exhibit at Traprock on January 15th, 2009.
Past RISE Projects: Girls Group/ Friends Club - In its second year, Girls Group transformed into Friends Club after going co-ed in February. Facilitated by two vounteers, this group enjoyed a variety of activities in and around Greenfield. Once a month, the club went to the Youth Center to cook dinner with each other. Other outings included trips to the library, Poet Seat Tower and the Federal Street School playground, walks around town, arts and crafts, playing various ball games in the gymnasium, bowling, sledding and hiking. Guest Readers Program - This was another returning program. Jason Schneider, a 6th grade Language Arts teacher, hosted community visitors in his classroom and invited them to read to his students. Jason hoped to demonstrate the idea that everyone reads. Mayor Christine Forgey, Mike Fritz of Rugg Lumber, and Greg Aubin from the school committee were the Guest Readers this year. Fashion Design Club - During a conversation with six fifth grade girls about leaving school early to go to the mall, this club was born. The RISE Resource Coordinator set up an after school group in which these girls could explore the art of fashion design. Activities included design sketching, creating unique t-shirt patterns, discussing current fashion trends and an end of year trip to the Holyoke Mall. Life Skills Class Field Trips - Suzanne Schropfer’s Life Skills class visited various community locations during the school year. She partnered with the RISE Resource Coordinator, who did outreach to set up trips to the Greenfield Public Library and Baystate Franklin Medical Center. At the library, students learned about how books were arranged on the shelves and about how to search for a book on the library computers. They also heard about the various perks of having a library card, including the free passes to a number of local museums. At Baystate Franklin Medical Center, students visited the laboratory and learned about the phlebotomist profession. They also got a chance to see bacteria under a microscope and learned effective ways to wash their hands. Bob Manners, from Baystate Ambulance Services, also came to GMS to talk about what he does as an EMT and to show the students around the ambulance. Badminton Club - Back for a second year, David Voegele’s Badminton Club yielded twenty participants of various ages. This club started during the winter months and was open to anyone interested in playing badminton. The club met on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the evenings. Flex II Volunteers - (Flex II is an enrichment block built into the school day through the Expanded Learning Time Grant) Elle Blake and Chris Paton, from GCC, volunteered their time during their spring semester to help with Flex II offerings. Elle, a Social Justice student, assisted with the ‘Go Green’ Flex II group. Chris, a Theater student, helped with the production of GMS’s spring play, The Phantom Tollbooth. After a casting shortage at the last minute, Chris stepped in as the lead role! Cassie Walker also volunteered during Flex II. She co-lead a knitting class for 5th and 6th graders. Karen Rain lead a Flex II group called ‘Fitness and Fun’, where she taught students about yoga and other physical games geared to build strength in body and mind. Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra (PVSO)- Through a partnership with RISE, Connie Clarke from the PVSO donated a number of tickets to GMS for students to attend three concerts during the school year. A member of the GMS staff volunteered to recruit and transport students to these concerts, providing them an opportunity to experience the hard work and dedication that these performers give to their instruments. Five musicians from the PVSO also came into the Middle School to perform a concert during an all-school assembly. The performance featured a young clarinetist who really engaged the students and offered a special workshop for students clarinetists in the GMS Band. Field Trip Chaperone – Upon the request of the 6th grade teachers, the RISE Resource Coordinator served as a chaperone for a field trip to the UMass Fine Arts Center. Northfield Mount Hermon School’s Community Service Day/April Vacation Fun Day - For the first time, NMH collaborated with local schools’ 5th and 6th grades to provide them with a fun, active and free day of sports and games on the NMH campus. Junior students from NMH facilitated this event, offering such activities as capture the flag, frisbee golf, badminton, button making, sidewalk chalk drawing, scavenger hunts and relay races. RISE coordinated transportation and supervision for 10 students from GMS to attend this fun day. 8th Grade Career Fair - In its second year, the Career Fair yielded many returning presenters as well as some new faces. This fair was held to give 8th graders an idea of some career options in the Greenfield area. This year’s presenters were: Rugg Lumber and Building Solutions, the Greenfield Fire Department, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Foster’s Supermarket, The Greenfield Recorder, the Greenfield Recreation Department and the Greenfield Youth Center. Girls Hui – This girls group met once a week to engage in fun and cooperative activities as well as talk about the issues that were most important to the participants. The word 'hui' means 'together' in the native language of their Hawaiian group leader, Marisa Costello. Marisa is an AmeriCorps member and a youth-worker at CommunityAction! Youth Programs. Dance Club - The Dance Club was started completely by student initiative. Six girls from the 6th grade participated in this once a week after-school club with an adult volunteer. They performed at three different community events. Their dance moves came mainly from hip-hop and Latin traditions. Rock Band – Steve Fleury, one of the custodians at the Greenfield Middle School, expressed interest in volunteering to lead an after-school rock band. He approached the RISE Resource Coordinator and the two worked together to set up the group. Five students participated in the band. They had two public performances during the school year. Guest Readers – Mr. Jason Schneider, a 6th grade Language Arts teacher, asked if RISE could bring some guest readers in to visit his class. A guest reader came in every Monday to read to the students and talk a bit about who they are in the community. Guest readers have included Mayor Christine Forgey, Superintendent Joe Ruscio, School Committee Member David Westbrook, Firefighter Jan Holey, GCC Professor Abbie Jenks, Financial Advisor Mark Kurber, CEO of Rugg Lumber Mike Fritz, as well as several parents who have come to be guest readers in their child’s classroom. Owning Up – Owning Up is an anti-bullying curriculum designed to foster a sense of dignity and self-worth amongst the students. RISE identified and recruited four trained facilitators to come in and work with 7th grade health classes. The facilitators represented a range of social agencies in the area. Badminton – David Voegele, Executive Director of Dial/Self, volunteered to lead an after-school badminton program. There were about 10 students consistently involved in this program all throughout the winter season. Art Club – Melinda McCreven, a local artist and art therapist, volunteered to do an after-school art program once a week. She brought all of her own supplies and a variety of exciting projects to the program. Woodshop – Cathy Marcum, a member of the PTO, volunteered to run an after-school woodshop program once a week. RISE secured a donation from Rugg Lumber of all of the wood and nails for the woodshop projects. Cathy brought in all of her own tools, and the students used the school’s safety gear. Projects included a birdhouse, a carpenter’s tote, a coat rack and a shelf. CPR/First Aid Course – Joy Pelc, a nurse at Franklin Medical Center and a member of the PTO, expressed interest in bringing a CPR/First Aid Course to the Greenfield Middle School. Through collaboration with Amy Swisher from Franklin Medical Center, RISE was able to bring the course in at little to no cost to the participants. Fourteen students took advantage of this opportunity and received certificates in CPR/First Aid Awareness. Guest Performers – At a staff meeting in the beginning of the year several of the teachers lamented the lack of resources to bring cultural enrichment to the school. RISE organized three guest performances at no cost to the school. Performers included a local rock band, an international clown, and a college dance troupe. Theater Enrichment during Advisory – Jill Morgan, a student in the Theater Department at GCC, volunteered to work with two of our 8th grade advisory groups. She came in twice a week and brought in cooperative theater games for the group to play. Both teachers that she worked with commented on her ability to get the students to take risks. They were so happy to have her on board. Youth Opportunities Fair – This event tool place on May 31st during the school day. It was an opportunity for youth-service providers to come into the school and promote their summer programs. The goal was to make the students more aware of and excited about the many opportunities to engage in out-of-school time programming. This fair also allowed the Middle School to open its doors to community partners and forge relationships with organizations and agencies that work to benefit the students. Career Fair – On June 5th, the Middle School held a career fair for the 8th graders. RISE identified and recruited employers from a variety of fields to speak to the students about what they do and what they look for in a young applicant. This gave the 8th graders a glance at the working world before they went on to High School. Other Schools: |
 
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