A few weeks ago, I worked with an extraordinary group of students. They were many of the same students that I’ve worked with before, but when they signed up for Community Club, I saw a whole new side of them. As we wrote our community club contract on Monday, they were bursting with great ideas on how to give back to Kaleidoscope. They were eager to clean, organize, and even to write thank you cards to volunteers. We all agreed that Monday through Thursday we’d work hard to improve Kaleidoscope, and if everyone did their best, on Friday there would be a party. Each day these enthusiastic students worked hard at every task from sorting through markers and glue sticks, sharpening pencils, to cleaning the snack room. They kept a positive attitude and great work ethic through the week. For a celebration of their hard work, on Friday we baked cookies from scratch. They took turns pouring in each ingredient, mixing it up, and putting the cookies on the pan. Their faces lit up as they got to eat the fresh baked cookies that they each had put something into. You could see how proud they were to have made a difference in their world at Kaleidoscope!
This is what makes it all worthwhile, when you can see these students build their own self confidence while building a community that they're proud to be a part of!
~Lindsay Perala-Dewey
