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Happy Birthday TCS!

Conversation with Harold Young/BCYF

We were excited to finally meet Program Officer Harold Young from the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF)who joined us for a”Conversation with..” BCYF is generously supporting the school and enabled the hiring of another teacher at The Community School. We have been working with Harold since August but this was our first face to face meeting.

TCS is included in Harold’s portfolio of organizations at BCYF where he provides support and is a link to technical assistance and networking. In addition to his program work, Harold also does improv comedy and is an actor. He shared his career trajectory that included working to strengthen families and improve the lives of young people through his work for the city and various agencies.

Harold was especially interested in learning more about the students and the school. The students shared their stories about how they came to be at TCS and how the unique education offered here works for each of them. Fatima, Madison, Ethan and Ruth also took him on a tour explaining what goes on in all the different rooms around the school.

It was a lively conversation and we look forward to our continued work with Harold and the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund over the next 3 years.

Check out BCYF here: https://bcyfund.org/

Station North Tool Library Visits TCS

Did you know that there’s a library that lends tools instead of books? At our monthly Done Construction woodworking seminar, Beth Pointer brought in Leanna Frick from the Station North Tool Library (SNTL).

SNTL is a nonprofit tool-lending library and community hub in the heart of Baltimore City. They offer over 3,000 tools, 30 classes, a public woodworking shop, a dedicated DIY workspace, and a home repair classroom. It is located at 417 E Oliver St. Baltimore 21202.

Ms. Leanna shared the philosophy of the group and their efforts to empower all people to improve their lives and environments, through affordable access to tools, skills, and workspace.

In addition to their regular workshops, the women of Done Construction have now brought in two organizations for the students to learn about tools and resources in Baltimore that they can access for their projects.

Thank you Leanna and Beth.

To learn more about the SNTL, you can visit their website at https://toollibrary.org/

Conversation with South Baltimore Learning Center

We were honored to have another community based education program visit us for the “Conversation with…” this past week. We met them at the AIAC banquet in December and the students wanted to invite them when hearing about their work. The South Baltimore Learning Center is a community based education program that serves adult learners in a holistic way.

Representing SBLC was their Executive Director Melissa Smith, Operations Manager Zina Barr, Senior Director of Adult Education Programs, Antoinette Kennedy, and Learning Support and Marketing Specialist Chakel Walker. They shared their approach to education and were very interested in learning from the students about their experiences. After the Conversation, they toured the school and learned more about our program from students Karla, Danny and Kendall.

It was a great conversation about education and the two organizations pledged to stay in touch.

Somatic Workshop at The Lyric

Costumes, movement, acting, music, journaling, reflection and sharing were all part of the students’ experience at The Lyric yesterday. This month’s somatic workshop focused on the concept of Chaos. Led by resident artist Ebony Evans and accompanied musically by Antonio Eyez, the students reflected through their thoughts, written and spoken word, and movement on the idea of chaos in their lives.

It was an engaging experience that was at times fun and other times deeply moving. Our deep thanks to Lyric Education Director Denise Kumani Gantt, Ebony & Antonio for this enlightening experience.