Day 12 - 5/23/23

 I continued to work on my presentation for express fest as well as my paper today. I was thinking it was going to be harder to write my paper, but I actually did a lot of the work with all of my daily blogs. It also helped that I was descriptive in my daily blogs so when looking back at them I could easily remember that day in my mind and what it was like for me. I am very excited for express fest tomorrow and to be able to show the community all of the things I have been up to in the past couple weeks! 

Hours 2 

Day 11 - 5/22/23

 Today I worked for a few hours on both my presentation and my reflective paper that summed up my whole project. I drove up to New Hampshire today, that way I would have all day Tuesday and Wednesday to continue to work on last minute things for my project. It was really good to see everyone again and get back into a routine here at Proctor for the last week!

Hours 2

Week 2 Reflection - 5/21/23

Week 2 at OSS was even better than the first. I was able to start the week knowing what the general schedule would be each day. I also had started building great connections with everyone. This week also felt much longer than the first, as there were more things to do to fill my time, especially getting ready for FAA. 

FAA turned out to be absolutely amazing. It was so good to see numerous founders, board members, trustees, parents, other family members and friends all gather in the outdoor classroom and throughout the hallways to celebrate these talented, gifted, smart, and amazing girls. The music performances all sounded really good. The walls were filled with paintings, drawings, poems, digital art, and reflections. I was amazed at the talent, there was a lot of it! 

Towards the end of Fridays event, I started to realize how grateful I was for these new friendships and bonds that I had made both with the staff and students at OSS. The girls looked up to me and learned from me, and I was also able to learn a lot from them. As I said goodbye, I gave everyone a hug and congratulated them on all their accomplishments. All the students at OSS should be very proud of themselves. 

Tenth Day at OSS - 5/19/23

 Today was quite a day to finish out my senior project on. It was the day for FAA (Festival for Arts and Achievements). While the girls were in Friday classes, I helped to set up art exhibits, tables and chairs, sweeping and cleaning floors and other surfaces, stowing shelves and other work that was not related, and many other small tasks. After lunch, everyone, both students and staff helped with other last minute tasks such as setting up the outdoor classroom stage, and making sure the hallways were clear and accessible for everyone. The event started at 4:30, with lots of speeches from the head of school, board members, and trustees. After the introduction, the some girls from all grades put on a lovely poem/song accompanied by the New Bedford Orchestra, and it was absolutely beautiful. I had heard them practicing all week, but had no idea what to expect. After that, I watched the fifth graders perform their music piece which I had seen them do multiple times throughout the 2 weeks. It ended up going pretty smoothly, with lots of smiles and giggles. I started touring the halls of the school, there was SO much to look at and listen too. I was extremely proud of each and everyone of the students at OSS, their hard work really shone through. 

Hours: 8

Ninth Day at OSS - 5/18/23

 The second to last day of my senior project went really well. I showed up at 9 am as I have been every morning, and got right to work with the fifth grade in art class. They were working on a continuation of a project that was started by the sixth grade yesterday, which was a mural made of green and blue tape throughout the stairwell. It was a "garden" theme, so most of the girls were working on flowers, butterflies, trees, leaves, vines, and other plants, all crafted out of tape. I hope to get a picture of the finished product tomorrow. I then continued to help with sixth grade art, as a big part of FAA is showcasing all of the art by the students. I helped to organize the art classroom and miscellaneous supplies, as well as supervising the sixth grade as they finished up the mural. I finished my day after lunch by helping outside and adding lots of composted soil to all of the lillies around the parking lot. 

Hours: 5.5

Eighth Day at OSS - 5/17/23

Today was full of organizing!! I organized shelves in classrooms, art supplies, as well as the back stock room in the STEAM lab. As we are getting closer to FAA, the teachers have asked me as well as the students to help organize and clean up after themselves more regularly. Later in the afternoon while the fifth graders were in geography, I was asked to help a seventh grader prepare for her exam the following day one on one. The math that she was working on (PEMDAS, and negative and positive numbers) was pretty familiar to me, so I was able to give her a lot of guidance. At the end of the day every Wednesday, the fifth graders have time to organize themselves and their designated spaces. The teacher who usually supervises them during that time was absent, so I took on that job by myself. It was a really fun experience, as I have never been able to supervise alone. Although it was the end of the day and there was a lot of energy in the room, I am really glad I was able to do this alone and set boundaries when necessary. 

Hours: 7

Seventh Day at OSS - 5/16/23

 Today I was at the school for a shorter period of time, as I was not feeling well in the morning. Once I went in, I enjoyed playing gaga ball with the girls and organizing some things during their silent reading after recess. I also checked in with multiple teachers to set up times to help them organize and prepare for FAA throughout the rest of the week. 

Hours: 3

Sixth day at OSS - 5/15/23

 Today, all the students started working hard to prepare for FAA in all classes as well as beginning some of their work due at the very end of the year. I could tell there was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm about everything that is coming up! Today in math class, I walked around and listened to students practice presenting their projects for FAA. I learned how to play chess, how to add and subtract fractions using a clock, and all about exponents. I wish I took more pictures last week to document everything that was going on and some of things I have described in my blogs, so I decided to start this week off by making sure to take some pictures throughout so everyone reading my blogs can see what it is like! 

Here is a picture of a fifth grade student named Abby presenting her project to me. 

Week 1 Reflection - 5/14/23

My first week of senior project was filled with a lot of learning, bonding, and having fun. I deeply enjoyed getting to know all the fifth graders individually, as well as the staff and teachers at OSS. Each day was filled with so much love for learning. It was really great to see that when a teacher would ask a question, several hands would fly up into the air. I have done a lot of thinking throughout this week about my own fifth grade experience, and how I wish we were as engaged and excited as all these girls are every single day. 

The connections that I have created are really special. The girls feel comfortable asking me anything, whether it is about my family and personal life or what my favorite book series is. Every day this week when I walked into their classrooms, I was greeted with lots of hugs, joy, laughter, and love. The girls have asked me a few times this week if I will ever come back to OSS and see them when my senior project is over. I am hoping that I can continue these connections and relationships that I have made, possibly coming back to OSS in the summer for camps, and next year to visit them as sixth graders. 

This coming Friday, as I mentioned in my last blog, is the Festival for Arts and Achievements. Every student at OSS will be showcasing some of their work that they are exceptionally proud of, and parents, guardians, friends, and others associated with OSS will come to see it all laid out. I am excited to see everything they choose to display, and also feel a sense of accomplishment as some of this work will be stuff that I have helped them prepare and practice. I hope this next week is filled with even more learning, bonding, and fun!

Fifth Day at OSS - 5/12/23

Fridays are the more relaxed days, with fewer classes and more time for fun and socializing. Once I showed up, we went to science class and continued learning about the atmosphere and space. Next, we went to advisory, which happens once a week on Fridays. I joined Ms. Kozak's advisory, with a mix of fifth and sixth graders. She is the humanities and geography teacher for fifth grade. After advisory finished up we had lunch and games outside. Sensata helped to build a new gaga ball pit, and everyone was really enjoying that at recess. The rest of the day consisted of independent reading and then a club block, where I walked around to all the clubs offered and participated in some activities and discussions. Next Friday, there is an event called FAA (The Festival for Arts and Achievements.) The students did some work for that in some of their classes this week, but next week will be much more focused on preparation and finishing up projects. 

Hours: 6

Fourth Day at OSS - 5/11/23

Today was a little different as a company called Sensata Technologies came to the school to help rebuild, update and add to the outdoor classroom at OSS. The outdoor classroom consists of numerous picnic tables, gardens, and places to just hang out with friends. It is what you see as you enter the school. It is used every single day, and all the girls love to spend time outside. There were several Sensata employees that came to help around the school all day. During math class, we went outside instead to help Sensata assemble lots of new picnic tables so there were more places for people to sit at outside. These picnic tables were also made of material that was much easier to write on, so that teachers could be outside for more classes. The girls really enjoyed helping put the tables together, and using the drill make all the screws secure. The rest of the day was the same schedule with classes for the rest of the afternoon, but it was fun to change it up a bit. 

Hours: 6

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Third Day at OSS - 5/10/23

Today I showed up a little later. After lunch, there was a 45 minute time slot for independent reading and quiet make up work. I helped one of the girls write a reflection on another art project that they finished up before I arrived. Then, we learned about Chicago during geography class. A student from the eighth grade came to the fifth grade to present to them. We ended the day with math, where I helped a group of girls with a project they are working on for an event next Friday to showcase their art and other achievements. Lastly, we had about 30 minutes to organize homeroom, backpacks, and folders/binders. This is something they do in the middle of the week to make sure everything is in the right place and there is no missing work or other miscellaneous belongings. 

Hours: 5.5

Second Day at OSS - 5/9/23

Today was a similar schedule to yesterday, but a few new classes took place that I had not been able to sit in on yet. Those included science, art, and fitness. I thought art was really worthwhile and fun. The girls are being taught how to use the laser cutter with drawings they made last week relating to their unit on Native Americans. Science was also really interesting and easy to follow along as they started a new unit on astronomy today. Everyone seemed really excited to start this unit and learn about the planets and our solar system. Something I noticed both today and yesterday was finding it hard to remember how to do fifth grade level math, as I am used to having access to a calculator and access to other tools to help me in different kinds of math. In class, my job has been to walk around and answer questions, help brainstorm ideas, and try and help figure out next steps. The girls have been doing something new each day and it has been hard for me to remember the steps and the concepts. I hope to be able refresh my mathematical skills over these next two weeks. 

Hours: 6

First day at OSS - 5/8/23

For my senior project, I wanted to reconnect with the MET school in Providence RI, with whom we got the opportunity to partner with over the winter during Ocean Classroom. Unfortunately, the MET school was not able to have me there for two weeks, so I changed up my idea a bit. My grandmother is on the board of a school by the name of Our Sisters' School, located in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It is an all girls school, grades 5-8. Their mission statement is as follows: "Our mission, as an independent, tuition-free, non-sectarian middle school, is to educate and inspire economically disadvantaged girls from the New Bedford area. Our Sisters’ School empowers students to step into the future with valuable life skills and a mindset of achievement and excellence by providing a safe, supportive and academically challenging environment."  Today was my first day at Our Sisters' School. I ended up spending the day with the fifth graders, going to each of their classes, answering questions, helping with math worksheets and projects, and listening in on a guest speaker that was brought in to talk about health. I ate lunch outside with everyone and played volleyball and four square, which was a very popular game among all the girls. Another part of the day that I really enjoyed was CBC. Every Monday when the weather is nice, the girls go sailing after school. OSS collaborates with the Community Boating Center of New Bedford, and they "apply advanced science and design concepts through weekly hands-on, experiential learning planned in close collaboration with our own science and STEAM instructors. They develop not only a deeper appreciation for Buzzards Bay and our local marine heritage but also for each other and their own sense of agency." The connections I started to make today are really special, and I am excited to continue getting to know these girls and the OSS community over the next two weeks.

Hours today: 8.5

Sources:

https://www.oursistersschool.org/