A behind-the-scenes look isn’t something you can get every day, which is why this trip to the Baltimore Symphony orchestra was particularly special for the students. Since the performance was a rehearsal, the students had the opportunity to learn the background of each piece of music and to talk to the musicians about their craft.
“I thought that it was nice to see what happens behind the scenes in the BSO because when I go and see their shows they are already prepared and are perfect but seeing that the night before the show they perform, it… shows the amount of effort that was put into the work they make,” said first-year student Ronan about this unique experience.
Hear what the students had to say about the “Conversation With” with former TCS student Detective Jake Nickels:
“I loved today’s conversation with Detective Jake Nickles. His life was/is definitely interesting, and we learned so much. He told us a lot of his parts of stories in the PD and he told us his opinion about what he thinks about police brutality and corruption. I was actually surprised when he told us that he usually doesn’t carry a weapon. I really hope we can see him again for another conversation with because we loved him.” -Sean
“I like how even though he had bad experience with the police, he still decided to become one because he wanted to make a difference. He didn’t want to be like them, he wanted his community to feel safe and not feel threatened because of what you hear on the news. How he approaches situations without a weapon and just talks to them is very interesting and we need more policemen like him.” -Salma
A leader in Baltimore communities since the 1970s, Paul Coates is an important figure in the world of publishing. His company Black Classic Press celebrated 40 years of operations last year, and is a “leading publisher and distributor of literature of literature by and about members of the black diaspora” (Baltimore Magazine). Mr. Coates is also the father of author Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose book “The Beautiful Struggle” the students have been reading.
Here’s what Olivia, one of our students, wrote about Mr. Coates’ visit:
“I thought the conversation with Paul Coates was very interesting. I liked that he took an interest in the students during introductions. Mr. Paul was a lot more relaxed than I thought he would be. I thought he would seem just a little bit more uptight. I liked hearing about his thoughts on the Black Panther Party. I got the idea that Mr. Paul wanted to be in the Black Panther Party even if he was sacrificing something of his own. I thought the idea of everyone being equal and wanting to bring everyone together was interesting and a good thought to have.
I also thought it was cool when Mr. Paul was talking about the importance of reading and the importance of the education at The Community School. I could see again that here at TCS you are getting an education worth something. Hearing Mr. Paul talk about Ta-Nehisi and Ta-Nehisi’s name was interesting. Hearing about Mr. Paul’s thoughts on Ta-Nehisi’s book was cool and interesting. Mr. Paul surprised me when he was talking about his take on parenting, but it made complete sense. I wouldn’t have thought that when he was raising Ta-Nehisi he was just going along with what was happening and doing what he thought was best in the moment. That one idea–of doing what you think is best in the moment–is really interesting, but smart.
It is so cool that we read a book and we got to meet one of the characters/people in the book. That is something that doesn’t normally happen. It’s like wishing you could sit down with a character from a book and get to talk with them, except getting to talk with the character really happened.”
Joe Zito, a professional in the copier/printing business, spoke with the students this Friday. Joe talked about how to be successful no matter where you come from.
Donald, a senior, wrote about how inspiring Joe was. “Mr. Joe is such an amazing person. He gave us a great conversation that I will remember forever. I am so glad we got that chance to meet and talk with a person as good as he is. When he asked me what I was thinking about achieving, I was thinking about having a family that loves and respects me as I would them, and a nice living area with a job that pays well. I feel like I have a mindset that is close to Mr. Joe’s because the things and topics he was talking about had an immediate impact on me. I really hope that we create a relationship with Mr. Joe so he can come around more.”
