Week 2: Glenis Redmond and the Dance!

Well, we're officially halfway done with Bridges to a Brighter Future 2006! The 2nd week was full of both work and play-let's get a quick recap:

Glenis Redmond: Class resumed as normal with one HUGE exception-professional poet Glenis Redmond came to begin her weeklong workshop with the English class on the art of poetry! Glenis has been a poet for many years, and she has performed all over the United States. Her experience writing poems and teaching poetry proved to be invaluable for the students. Throughout the week, the kids learned a performance poem, how to write a recipe poem, and how to write using powerful and descriptive language. The poems the students produced ran the spectrum from painful and honest to playful. The poetry workshop ended with a performance Friday afternoon, where all of the students read some poetry! Glenis Redmond has been working with Bridges for several years, and each year the kids can't wait for more. For more information concerning Glenis, please check out her website: http://www.glenisredmond.com/

What Ifs: Tuesday night, the students got to participate in life skills workshops. They had 4 choices-
*How to change a tire: The students learned all the steps in changing a tire, from when the tire goes flat all the way to driving away with a new tire.
*Dinner etiquette: The students learned how formal dinners work (what fork does what), in preparation for the banquet at the end of Bridges.
*How to manage a savings and checking account: The students learned how to start and maintain a checking and savings account, as well as the use of a debit card and how to use a credit card safely.
*Furman: Furman admissions staff talked to the students about getting into Furman, as well as answering questions about the university
All in all, it was a satisfying and busy night!

Field Trips: The field trips for the second week were a little different. The Kappas started the day at St. Francis Hospital and took a tour of the facilities, before heading to the Greenville County Museum of Art, the other art museum in Greenville. The curator there took them on an interactive tour of several of the key pieces in the museum, all of which were very different from the religious art at Bob Jones. Meanwhile, the older students visited more local colleges. This time they started at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, before going to Converse College (an all girls school). At the end of the day, both groups went out for ice cream, before coming back to Furman for evening activities.

The Dance: Friday night, the stage was set-the kids had been in the program for two weeks, they were about to go home, and everyone was tired, but excited. It was time for the Bridges to a Brighter Future dance! A shuttle took the students to the newest building on Furman's campus, the Younts Conference Center, and the dance began. Music came from DJ Sid the Surf, a VERY energetic and diverse DJ who kept the kids dancing from the newest hip hop hits to songs by the Beatles. For more information about Sid the Surf, check out his website, http://www.sidthesurf.com/. Highlights included giving the students hats to dress as the Village People to sing "YMCA", Sid having everyone get in a circle for a hoedown, to a heartfelt and emotional close of the night with "Graduation Song". The students left the dance tired and emotional, but more connected than ever before. It was a night to remember! After that, the kids went home for the weekend, preparing for week 3, which starts today. Pictures from week 2 later today!