This year, Bridges to a Brighter Future is serving 74 students from all over Greenville County, and we've decided to highlight a few to give you an idea of what the program is doing for them. The first is Samantha Jones, a rising sophomore at Riverside High School. Samantha was so excited about the chance to come to Bridges that she practically fainted when she found out she was nominated. When asked why she was so excited, Sam said that she had a special bond with her nanny, who went to Furman. For years, Sam and her nanny went to all sorts of Furman events and sports games, and this has given her an overwhelming desire to go to Furman. She said that getting nominated for Bridges pushed her to bring her grades up and encouraged her to keep at her studies to make it into the program. Her grades were suffering because of a rare illness that took her nanny's life. Sam has been in and out of the hospital for a while, and this school year was no exception. This past year has been one full of hardships for Sam, but things have really been looking up for her. She's reached a healthy and stable condition (her illness is permanent, but is no longer putting her in danger), and her grades have come up, and with Bridges, she has even more support. "I've never felt more supported in my life" were her words on being with the Bridges program. The students here accept and support her, and she can't get enough of her experiences with the program. From NCBI, which opened her eyes to the conflicts and troubles of her classmates, to Science class, which she loves (Sam wants to be a psychologist), Sam has truly blossomed in her time at Bridges-she has really opened up and Bridges is giving her a chance to shine, and her life can only get better from here! Perhaps the best news of all is that she still has another 2 years to learn and grow!
Look for more student profiles later this week!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
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!
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!
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