Loiederman MS AALEADers represented at their International Night at the end of April. International Night was brought back after a year-long hiatus by Ms. Guzman and our students were lucky to be a part of this exciting event. AALEADers represented the Philippines, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. Special thanks to Mekka, Charmaine, Del Eugene and Michelle for contributing to our table and representing AALEAD and to Ms. Howell for reeling us in for this event!
Check out photos below from the event.
post a commentThis spring, Bancroft AALEAD is proudly participating in Mt. Pleasant’s Youth Arts Fair! This year’s theme is “the Neighborhood”, which has beautifully coincided with our students ongoing exploration of what it means to “Get Involved … in Community”.
You-yeon Lee, our 1-2nd grade teacher at Bancroft AALEAD describes her class’ projects, saying: “The first project is called Mt.Pleasant through our eyes. We took a little field trip to Mt. Pleasant and students took turns to take pictures of the neighborhood with a disposable camera. Students wrote about what they know about or how they feel about the place which they took pictures of. The second project was a miniature of Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Students gathered milk cartons and decorated them as restaurants, stores, Bancroft Elementary School, etc. The final one was a collaborative painting project on a big banner/canvas. Students were asked to draw and paint about the neighborhood they would like to live in. They were asked to come up with a title of the project, and they came up with, “Welcome to Our Backyard!”
Diana Offutt, our 3-5th grade teacher, says that her students “collaborated in small groups to create a miniature view of Mt. Pleasant. Art pieces included a mini model of store fronts on Mt. Pleasant’s Main Street. Other students chose to create a scaled down version of their school, Bancroft Elementary, and their beloved soccer field. Children created jersey’s, landscapes, goal posts, and playground equipment out of materials such a Popsicle sticks, boxes, glitter, construction paper, and paint to bring their miniature pieces to life.”
Here are some pictures of some of these works in progress:
The finished products can be seen on display in businesses throughout Mt. Pleasant. “Art Walk” maps highlighting the exhibit locations are available at the Mt. Pleasant Interim Library (3162 Mt. Pleasant Street) and the Mt. Pleasant Care Pharmacy. Next time you’re in Mt. Pleasant, be sure to check out the work of our Bancroft AALEADers along side artwork from many other students in the community!
Thank you to the Mount Pleasant Business Association (MPBA) and the Friends of Mt. Pleasant Library for sponsoring the Arts Fair. Special thanks also to Joanie Majeed for all of her hard work on the fair and for coming out to speak to our students earlier in the year.
Asian American LEAD would like to recognize Ramanuja Sreenivasan, an 8th grade AALEADer attending Eastern Middle School, for taking home first place in the 2012 “Sweet Sixteen” playoffs of the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championship! Ram’s victory a few months ago, landed him a four-year chess scholarship to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Congratulations!
“Even though it has been a couple months after my victory at UMBC, I still feel ecstatic about winning a four year scholarship,” said Ram. “The tournament felt more like a dream than reality and I found myself playing at my peak level.”
Ram’s chess career started when he was in the 3rd grade, living in Florida, with a teacher who encouraged Ram to play his best every game.
Ram joined AALEAD this year and has been a very active leader at Eastern. He shared his appreciation and said, “AALEAD, to be honest, has always felt like a great big family. [AALEAD's] support along with my friends and family, will definitely help me grow not only as a chess player, but as a person as well.”
One last message from Ram: “Before I forget, I would like to thank AALEAD as a whole for always being there for me!”
We wish Ram the best of luck at the Maryland Open, which starts today and throughout the weekend!!
On Saturday, April 21, nearly 60 AALEAD Students, Staff, Board members and volunteers came out to Langley Education Campus in Northeast DC to take on various projects to improve the campus environment. There were both indoor and outdoor projects, including building vegetable gardens, planting flowers, creating murals, and painting college logos in the gym.
AALEAD’s participation in DC Comcast Cares Day, hosted by City Year, is part of a nationwide initiative, which Comcast started in 2001. Each year on Comcast Cares Day, tens of thousands of Comcast employees, their families, friends, and nonprofit partners make a positive impact in local communities. It is estimated that this years event brought more than 67,000 total participants at more than 630 project sites across the country.
Check out our AALEADers in action below!
Melor and Sumiko lead their teams, prepping the soil for spring flowers!
AALEAD students put their artistic talent to the test, painting college logos on the gym walls.
Students even have their artwork judged. Looks like AALEAD got two thumbs up!
AALEADers hard at work, painting flower boxes and trash bins for the rec center!
AALEADers replenish energy with a lunch break.
AALEADers show their smiles for a job well done!
AALEAD students from Montgomery County helped to make a difference and clean up the environment by participating in a Park Clean-Up! With the help of the Rock Creek Conservancy and the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), almost forty students from AALEAD programs got together to help rid Matthew Henson State Park of a serious amount of trash and debris. Many of the students actually live in the surrounding homes and were surprised by the amount of litter in their neighborhood park. Students really showed their resiliency and passion for community service by working for 3 hours on a large swath of the park. Items picked up varied between plastic bags, bottles and Styrofoam containers to even car tires. Staff noticed how much students rose to the cause; “I really saw some growth in the students!” said Francine Gorres, the High School Program Coordinator.
AALEAD is so proud of our students for their hard work and for fostering the spirit of giving back to your community.
Thanks again to Rock Creek Conservancy (http://www.rockcreekconservancy.org/) for and CAPAL (http://www.capal.org/) for providing snacks and supplies!
Listen to the podcast below as Rosetta Lai, Executive Director of AALEAD, discusses the value of building confidence in Asian American Youth!
About Pivotal Plays:
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Earlier this spring a few of our AALEAD students attended the Filipino Culture Association’s Terrapinoy Day. Students attended workshops learning about Filipino American History, cultural dances, role models and college & financial aid. The workshops were fun, informative and heart- felt. Throughout the day students were split up into smaller groups with college students and were able to talk with their “Kuyas” (tagalog for older brothers) and “Ates” (tagalog for older sisters) about their experiences. Students also shared who their role models were and why the look up to certain people in their lives. Following the workshops the students had a spaghetti lunch and participated in outdoor activities and karaoke! Thank you FCA for inviting us to this wonderful event!
The morning of Saturday, April 14th, over 50 AALEAD students, mentors, volunteers and staff members gathered to participate in the Alice Ferguson foundation’s 23rd Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup at Theodore Roosevelt Island. Our Elementary School AALEADers have spent time this year learning about Water Conservation issues, including the importance of maintaining our watersheds, through their participation in the National Environmental Education Foundation’s “Be Water Wise DC” program. This event was a great way for these students to take action in response to some of what they’ve been learning this year.
After grabbing gloves and trash bags, students received a brief orientation and introduction to the park by Ranger Miguel:
Students then quickly got to work picking up trash!
Finally, we all gathered back together for a well-earned lunch and to spend some time reflecting on the cleanup, the importance of preserving our watersheds and parks, and how we can encourage others to take good care of our parks and watersheds. Students wrote that it was important to keep parks and watersheds clean because this would “keep animals safe” and because “litter can contaminate our drinking water.” Suggestions for raising awareness included writing about the issue online, taking pictures, making videos, writing letters and setting an example ourselves as role-models.
Thank you to the Alison Ferguson Foundation for their part in organizing the clean-up and to Ranger Miguel and the other Rangers at Theodore Roosevelt Island who welcomed us and shared their expertise. Thank you also to all of the mentors and volunteers who came out!
AALEAD students at Bancroft and Thomson Elementary schools got a visit last week from a National Park Ranger from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The Park Ranger taught the kids about local watersheds and the importance of keeping our waterways clean. AALEAD students got to see first hand how pollution can get into our waterways during the Ranger’s rainstorm demonstration. Water was sprayed over a miniature model of a suburban neighborhood, and chocolate mix was used to represent waste that washed into our waterways from the rainstorm. Students looked at maps of area watersheds, learned about Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and had a chance to talk with the Ranger about ways students can keep their neighborhood watersheds clean.
Check out this video of Ranger Alexis’ watershed model:
The Ranger’s visit coincides with AALEAD’s participation in the 23rd Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 14th, at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The clean-up was a chance for AALEADers to give back to community, and learn about watersheds first-hand. Stay tuned for pictures and a blog post about this great event!
blog post by: Diana Offutt, Bancroft AALEAD Site Coordinator
On Friday, April 6th, AALEAD hosted a potluck at the DC office for AALEAD Mentors and Mentees. The Menu included an array of dishes brought by Mentors and Mentees! The table was full of food that included; BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, Korean noodles (jap chae), smores, cupcakes, and more!
It was a good opportunity for Mentor-Mentee pairs to spend some quality time together (playing board games and getting to know each other a little better) and enjoy some delicious food! Here are a few pictures from the gathering:
Thank you to all the Mentors and Mentees who brought dishes and see you all at the next event! 
