Pioneer Scholars Recognition Ceremony

Lauren Gardner, COO

This past Thursday concluded a great year working with our Pioneer Scholars students.  We celebrate this success annually with a Recognition Ceremony for all of our students, families, and staff.  This year featured a Keynote speech by Danzel Pegram a senior at Northern High School who has been involved with the Emily K Center for the past three years.  He will be attending Elon University in the fall.  I recommend taking the time to watch this two minute video of his speech to our Pioneer Scholars.

The highlight of the recognition ceremony is always the presentation of six special awards given to students who have shown exemplary commitment to Academics, Character and Leadership.  Recipients of this year’s awards include:

 

• Lakewood Elementary School third grader Teymi Pantoja who received the Leadership Award and is described by her tutors as, “very kind and respectful. She has high expectations of herself and always does her best.  She always interacts in an appropriate way with her peers and staff.  She is an absolute joy to teach”
• Durham School of the Arts sixth grader Niadiquay Everette who received the Academic Award for consistently demonstrating academic excellence in all areas.
• Lowe’s Grove Middle School seventh grader Rey Fernando Cruz Castillo who received the Character Award.  His tutors say, “Rey has the freedom to fearlessly be the creative, kind, and funny individual he is; and we know that even when we aren’t there, he will, in his own style, do the right thing.”
• Other award winners include Matthew Woodberry (3rd Grade Lakewood Elementary), Jamillah Carter (8th Grade Brogden Middle School) and Jennifer Lemus Santos (3rd Grade Lakewood Elementary)

May 26, 2009 at 1:26 pm | Our Students | No comment

Citizenship Project

LAUREN GARDNER, COO

Fridays in the Pioneer Scholars program are a little different than the rest of the week.   Students spend the afternoon in two elective sections focused on Career Exploration, College Awareness, Citizenship or Leadership.  Ms. Dawn’s citizenship group has been focused this semester on learning about the science of water in our community.  Students studied the issues around our community water supply and ran an online simulation of our storm drain system.  The group then worked with the City of Durham to be able to label the Emily K Center storm drains with warnings to not litter.  Check out this video which will show you more about their final project: Pioneer Scholars Citizenship Project on YouTube *

* You may have noticed that we now have a YouTube Channel and are going to start using more videos in this blog.  We hope this will give those of you not able to come to the Center a chance to see our students in action.  Look for more videos, interviews, and other info to come in the near future!

May 11, 2009 at 12:54 pm | Our Students | No comment

Leaving a Legacy

KARMAN KENT, Program Support Manager

To cap off the year, we like to thank our Pioneer Scholars volunteer tutors with a brief Recognition Ceremony.  While we still have another month to go, the majority of our volunteers from Duke University are in the process of finishing classes, taking final exams and heading off to distant lands for the summer.  While our hope is that the majority of them will return for the Fall 2009 semester, we have a large amount of college seniors with some pressing life decisions to make.  The Recognition Ceremony is a special way for our students to personally thank volunteer tutors for the time and energy they have invested in the Emily Krzyzewski Center. 

With this only our third year of Pioneer Scholars programming, we have had some amazing volunteer results.  Of the 252 total volunteers who’ve donated their time to the Pioneer Scholars program in the past three years, 47% have been with us for more than one semester.  This spring we had a record high of 93 volunteer tutors, 54% of whom had volunteered at the Center in the past and 46% of whom were new volunteers for the Spring 2009 semester. 

This year, we fashioned special volunteer plaques to recognize the volunteers who have tutored during the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 fall and/or spring semesters.  These plaques are meant to serve as a visible sign of the volunteer community formed at the Emily Krzyzewski Center each year.  The plaques will be featured in the upstairs hallway to remind volunteers that they will always be a part of the Emily K Center team and are an integral part of what we do. 

For the 2008-2009 school year we also made a special note of those volunteers who served on our Volunteer Leadership Council (VLC).  The primary goals of the VLC are to improve the experience of volunteer tutors and promote awareness of educational inequities in Durham.  These volunteers served as advocates for the Center and helped create an environment conducive to becoming a movement in volunteerism.

Finally, we developed a special plaque for those we deemed “Dream-Do-Achieve” volunteers who have served as tutors for four or more semesters.  We were blown away when nearly 20 were recognized this year for this special achievement.  These people have been reliable, enthusiastic, and committed to the mission and vision of the Emily Krzyzewski Center.  Their influence will reach far beyond this year or even the past three years.  Instead, it is our hope that our volunteer tutors will understand that because they have touched the life of a child, they have left and continue to leave a legacy for generations to come.

April 21, 2009 at 2:33 pm | Our Team | No comment

Bitten by the Leadership Bug

KARMAN KENT, Program Support Manager

Over the past three years we have been lucky enough to have some amazing leaders in our midst.  Last week, I was invited to attend the presentation of Duke University’s most prestigious campus-wide honors for leadership and service.  It was inspiring to be in a room with such innovative scholars committed to social change. 

Gregory Akinbiyi, Allison Bell, Aubrey Bonhivert, Anders Campbell and Leah Fisher have all contributed in amazing ways to the Emily Krzyzewski Center.  These five volunteers assisted with tutoring during our Pioneer Scholars program, interning in our Summer Scholars program, coordinating Crazies Who Care volunteers, initiating the FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering and Science) program for our 4th-6th grade girls, raising money and awareness for the Emily Krzyzewski Center, and more.  Their outstanding contributions have made a huge impact on our students and programs that will not be forgotten.

Gregory, Allison, Aubrey, Anders and Leah were recognized at the Student Affairs Distinguished Leadership and Service Awards program through Duke University for demonstrating the following qualities: recognition of selflessness, generosity of service, nobility of character, outstanding commitment to the ideals of service-learning, understanding the responsibility of effective citizenship, establishing a sustainable vision for a new student organization, building alliances through collective engagement, and demonstrating an ongoing commitment and outstanding contributions to community partnerships.

The integrity and strength of character of these volunteers has been undoubtedly clear in both the campus and community settings.  We are pleased to congratulate them on their successes and wish them the best of luck in the future.  It is evident that these college seniors have been bitten by the leadership bug and are destined for greatness.  We hope that our students will follow in their footsteps and aspire to give back in the amazing ways these five volunteers have.

April 21, 2009 at 2:21 pm | Our Team | No comment

Book Signing on 4/18 for Coach K’s “The Gold Standard”

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and daughter and co-author Jamie K. Spatola will be signing copies of “THE GOLD STANDARD:  Building a World-Class Team” at the Emily K Center on Saturday, April 18th from 10:30 to 12:30.  The book signing event is open to the public.

If you planned to buy a copy of the book ($25.99), this event presents a terrific opportunity to do so.  Duke University Book Store has generously agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Emily K Center and you will be able to have your book signed by the authors.

Jamie K Spatola says,” The Gold Standard is more than about the Men’s Senior National Basketball Team over the three years which culminated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  It is a story about team building and a guide to the way in which my dad feels that world-class teams come together.  Of course, team-building moments happen away from the locker room and basketball hardwood.  And one of our favorite stories of team building has happened before our very eyes right here in Durham at the Emily Krzyzewski Center.  Over the course of just a few years, the EKC has evolved from an idea to a reality that is already making a great impact on the lives of some very talented young dreamers.  We believe that impact has everything to do with the team that CEO Marleah Rogers and her staff have formed – a team made up of passionate staff and volunteers, the talented and hard-working young students, and their committed families.” 

About “The Gold Standard”
THE GOLD STANDARD: Building a World-Class Team (Business Plus; April 6, 2009; $25.99; Hardcover) is Coach K’s guide to team building, illustrated with experiences from his three years coaching the team that would ultimately win Olympic gold. You’ll see how he formed relationships with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Dwayne Wade, and the rest of Team USA’s NBA stars and how they established a set of standards to guide their performance, both on and off the court.
 
THE GOLD STANDARD is divided into the key times and moments of Coach K’s work with Team USA with each chapter dedicated to a particular lesson and insight into teambuilding.  Covering a wide range of issues applicable to leading any businesses, organization, or group, Krzyzewski discusses how he helped build Team USA by establishing standards, creating a common language, cultivating leadership, forming relationships, motivating and inspiring players, and by maintaining his perspective and charting his own progress as a leader.

April 9, 2009 at 10:16 am | Our Team | 2 comments

Why Defining “Social Entrepreneurship” isn’t a Total Waste of Time

Lauren Gardner, COO

I recently read a post by a good friend and former classmate titled “Why Defining Social Entrepreneurship is a Waste of Time”.  Suneet’s point is that for the most part it doesn’t matter if you (or other people) use the term social entrepreneur – it just matters if you’re making an impact.  That summary doesn’t do his article justice and I recommend reading it in its entirety.  Although I do largely agree with Suneet I want to build on one point he didn’t touch on.

After working with the large number of undergraduate volunteers that serve here at the Emily K Center I have a theory about the importance of defining the term “social entrepreneurship”.  I agree with Suneet that once a person is being a social entrepreneur it doesn’t matter how we define it, however while we’re educating the next generation at our universities it’s very important. 

The people who are going be the future change-agents are the energetic, passionate, and driven young people with significant talent.  These are the same young people that are encouraged by parents, peers, and societal pressure to be the best doctor, lawyer or CEO and follow other traditional paths to “success”.  What does defining, teaching, and advocating for social entrepreneurship do?  It makes it a valid, noble, and prestigious way for these students to define their career path as they leave school.  It allows them to explain to their parents why they didn’t take that corporate job.  It lets them tell their peers about Wendy Kopp and how they’re going to transform their idea into a national movement like Teach for America.  It validates their decision to pursue a career and life with a mission. 

In my opinion, even if this is a little bit of the hubris Suneet talks about, it is also infusing us with a whole generation of talent willing to take a different path and in the long-run that is going to create major social change.

March 27, 2009 at 12:51 pm | Our Movement | 3 comments

Improve your SAT Score at a Free Concert

The other day I heard about an “experiment” that correlated favorite music with SAT scores using data from Facebook profiles.  Apparently Beethoven correlates with the highest SAT scores and Lil Wayne with the lowest.  Good thing the Durham Symphony Orchestra and Durham Children’s Choir are here to expose us to brain-building classical music even in these tough economic times. 

The Emily K Center will be hosting the Symphony’s annual free concert here on March 21st at 3 pm.  So whether you are studying for the SAT’s, looking for a free event for the whole family, or want the chance to hear some beautiful music echoing off of the 2001 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship floor - please join us.  This performance is open to the public and completely free of charge.

March 6, 2009 at 1:39 pm | Our Organization | No comment

Triangle Gives Back - Social Networking Comes to Triangle Nonprofits

Lauren Gardner, COO

I just checked out Triangle Gives Back (the new initiative of the Triangle Community Foundation).  It’s definitely an interesting model and very powerful if they can get people to really use it. 

It is basically a social networking site for individuals who want to give there “time, talent and treasures” to organizations serving the Triangle area.  Organizations create profiles which have some general contact info and allow for easy updates of News, Events, Articles, and Opportunities.  Individuals create a profile and choose topics like “education” or “water conservation” that interest them.  Individual profiles have feeds which show updates from specific organizations that they choose to “follow” or all organizations that are tagged with their topical interests - basically giving an instant overview of what opportunities and news is occurring of interest across organizations serving the Triangle community.  

Like any networking site it’s only as strong as the momentum it gains from users.  Do you think this will have enough draw to keep people logging in?  Do you think it will be more useful as a tool to connect individuals to organizations or to connect organizations to each other? 

If you live in the Triangle it’s worth checking out and while you’re at it you might as well start following us!

February 25, 2009 at 2:43 pm | Our Movement | 2 comments

Student Profile: Korey

Lauren Gardner, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Yesterday I had a chance to go see one of our Scholars to College students perform in his high school production of Les Miserables.  Korey played one of the main roles as Enjolras – the leader of the revolutionaries.  As a long-time fan of the musical I was truly amazed by the production and very proud of Korey’s powerful performance.  However, even more impressive than the performance was an e-mail his mother shared with me.  The note was from the father of a much younger student in the play.  It shared how Korey had been a role model to his son and had gone above and beyond to make him feel welcome and accepted in the cast. 

We are obviously very proud of our K to College Model students for the success they are having in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities, but we are even prouder when we see acts of character and leadership like the one demonstrated by Korey.  These are young people who are changing their schools and communities now and who in a decade or two will be changing their neighborhoods, cities, and this country.

February 9, 2009 at 12:32 pm | Our Students | No comment

Team by Dashaun

The following is a poem written by Dashaun a 6th grade Pioneer Scholar.  This was his submission for our Literary Journal the “Emily Kronicle”.  Our theme for this year is “Team”:

TEAM

Together Everyone Achieves More

Some people ask me what is a team
I tell them
A team is a group of people that work together
A team is where everyone gets a chance
A team is when you lose and achieve together
A team is where you learn more from each other
That is a team

There are many teams
The Emily K team where I go to everyday
My school’s team where I learn more
My favorite sports basketball team (which is UNC)
And last but not least my family who I see everyday
Those are my teams

The most important team is my family
We work together everyday
Everyone has an important role in the team
We achieve everything together
And alone we can do so little but
Together we can do so much

February 2, 2009 at 6:57 pm | Our Students | No comment

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