Click here to view our Picture GalleryOakland, California, USA (Northern Light School)
Today I went to the Northern Light school of Oakland, California. I wasn't sure what to expect as we drove to the school this morning. It was a long drive...off a high-way, through a residential area, and then up into hills filled with trees. As we drove into the parking lot, I got my first glimpse of the school. It was beautiful... the buildings were white with flower vines growing up the sides, there were gardens, fountains, and benches in a courtyard. I was amazed to find out that the Northern Light school just moved into this new location a month ago. Hills surround the school on all sides...and if you walk to the edge of the basket-ball court you can look down the hill-sides and see hundreds of houses.
As we pulled in, a girl came running up to the car to greet Michelle Lewis (a co-founder of the school...and also the person whose house I am staying in). Then, another student ran out to see her as well. You could tell how much the students love Michelle.
Last night the eighth grade slept over at the school as part of a three-day long retreat (the other two days involve hiking and back-packing in the hills)... so the first thing I saw inside the school was a group of tired eighth graders packing up sleeping bags.
I found the artwork in the school particularly fascinating. Everywhere there are photos and posters of cultural icons. Everyone from Martin Luther King, to Malcom X, to Che, to Bob Dylan, to the Dixie Chicks is pictured. And, student artwork is also displayed. In general, everything is just very light and colorful.
I was introduced to the Roots & Shoots teacher, Becky, and spent the day going from classroom to classroom to talk to different groups of students about One World Youth Project and their sister-group in Morocco.
The students were very excited about their sister-group in Morocco! The sixth grade in particular had a lot of questions. I read the messages the Moroccan students had written and showed the Northern Light students pictures of Sale & Rabat, Morocco.
During lunch, Becky drove me to the site of a creek that the students have been working on cleaning and monitoring. It was incredible. We drove from busy streets to a secluded red-wood forest in a matter of minutes. The creek cut through slopes of dark-brown ground. Becky showed me the work the students had done on the site and we walked on the path that runs parallel to the creek.
The trees are so tall that you have to look up almost completely vertically to see the sky. The sun can only shine through the branches in thing beams of light, since the forest is so thick. Though, even among this natural beauty, there were very real signs of Oakland as well. Graffiti was painted on the wooden bridges over the creek, the sides of trees, and even on rocks. Becky told me that much of the graffiti was gang related. Oakland is known for its violence and high crime rate. It would be easy to forget this after spending a day at the Northern Light school... it was one of the most safe, friendly, and welcoming schools I have ever seen.
From the 3:00-4:00pm Cady Voge (Project Ambassador) and I taught a youth leadership workshop to a group of Northern Light students. The theme of the workshop was: turning your passion into positive action. I know I had fun, and I think the students did too! Tomorrow, Cady and I will work with students as they draft a declaration describing what it is like to be their age, in their family, in their school, in their community. We hope the declaration will help all the participating One World Youth Project schools learn more about the lives of the Northern Light students. They will only have 1.5 hours to draft this Declaration tomorrow. Wish them luck!
Sincerely,
Jessica Rimington
As we pulled in, a girl came running up to the car to greet Michelle Lewis (a co-founder of the school...and also the person whose house I am staying in). Then, another student ran out to see her as well. You could tell how much the students love Michelle.
Last night the eighth grade slept over at the school as part of a three-day long retreat (the other two days involve hiking and back-packing in the hills)... so the first thing I saw inside the school was a group of tired eighth graders packing up sleeping bags.
I found the artwork in the school particularly fascinating. Everywhere there are photos and posters of cultural icons. Everyone from Martin Luther King, to Malcom X, to Che, to Bob Dylan, to the Dixie Chicks is pictured. And, student artwork is also displayed. In general, everything is just very light and colorful.
I was introduced to the Roots & Shoots teacher, Becky, and spent the day going from classroom to classroom to talk to different groups of students about One World Youth Project and their sister-group in Morocco.
The students were very excited about their sister-group in Morocco! The sixth grade in particular had a lot of questions. I read the messages the Moroccan students had written and showed the Northern Light students pictures of Sale & Rabat, Morocco.
During lunch, Becky drove me to the site of a creek that the students have been working on cleaning and monitoring. It was incredible. We drove from busy streets to a secluded red-wood forest in a matter of minutes. The creek cut through slopes of dark-brown ground. Becky showed me the work the students had done on the site and we walked on the path that runs parallel to the creek.
The trees are so tall that you have to look up almost completely vertically to see the sky. The sun can only shine through the branches in thing beams of light, since the forest is so thick. Though, even among this natural beauty, there were very real signs of Oakland as well. Graffiti was painted on the wooden bridges over the creek, the sides of trees, and even on rocks. Becky told me that much of the graffiti was gang related. Oakland is known for its violence and high crime rate. It would be easy to forget this after spending a day at the Northern Light school... it was one of the most safe, friendly, and welcoming schools I have ever seen.
From the 3:00-4:00pm Cady Voge (Project Ambassador) and I taught a youth leadership workshop to a group of Northern Light students. The theme of the workshop was: turning your passion into positive action. I know I had fun, and I think the students did too! Tomorrow, Cady and I will work with students as they draft a declaration describing what it is like to be their age, in their family, in their school, in their community. We hope the declaration will help all the participating One World Youth Project schools learn more about the lives of the Northern Light students. They will only have 1.5 hours to draft this Declaration tomorrow. Wish them luck!
Sincerely,
Jessica Rimington
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