Author Archives: CMS

Butler Mentors Win Jefferson Award

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The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards are presented on two levels: national and local. They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.

On Thursday, February 9, 2012, the students and faculty of Shortridge High School recognized Butler’s Writing in the Schools program with this award.

Yesterday started out as a cloudy Thursday. By noon, Doug Manuel, one of our graduate student assistants, and I were power shopping for bologna and cheese, the after-school program snack, at the Safeway. Next, the ultimate surprise. An hour and a half later, we were on the auditorium stage at Shortridge in front of a crowd of more than 900 students and faculty members to accept the Jefferson Award for Public Service on behalf of Butler Writers.

We are so grateful for this validation that we are making a difference, so grateful for each of our students and volunteers sharing their talents and energy to forge such strong relationships with these amazing kids in such a short time. I am in awe of each of you. Bravo.

—Susan Sutherlin, faculty, Writing in the Schools

“The ball really started to roll…”

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I really enjoyed our activities on Tuesday. I know I would have had a great time doing them. I thought the first activity was hilarious [Ed. note: click here to see the prompt], even though it seemed somewhat hard for the them to the grasp the concept of a celebrity performing a random yet normal action. But when we moved on to the second activity [Ed. note: an exercise on setting], the ball really started to roll. I worked with K- and I-, and they both did fantastic on the activity. I asked the whole list of questions to them out loud, and both students responded with answers instantly. They didn’t even have to think about the scene – it was already in their head. They described it like it was a real physical place that they’ve been to, and I absolutely loved the results. When I unleashed them on writing and gave them their space, I- wrote up a storm, and K- also did really well. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the students read their work aloud, but I assume they did awesome [Ed. note: they did].

Contributed by Melissa Rangel

“An emotional day at Shortridge…”

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Yesterday was an emotional day at Shortridge. The Goodbye poem exercise truly awakened some of our student’s inner-feelings. In a way, I think it helped them express themselves and their feelings to a trusted audience. They bonded together and supported each other when they were down. One student I was working with wrote a poem about her mother and cried while reading it. Others broke down mid-sentence while reading aloud; however, the one encouraging aspect of the day is that they picked each other up. When one student couldn’t read, someone would read for them. If one student started to cry, they would embrace each other. It was an emotionally charged day, but I think we all grew closer (students and tutors) after experiencing this together.

Contributed by Emily Luc

“She started opening up…”

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Last week, I spent time with a student who seemed disinterested in working at first. We were created sentences from a list of vocabulary words. WIth each sentence, we slowly became more familiar with each other, and she started opening up and telling me about her interests. She put her mind to coming up with good sentences, and I supported her by complimenting her creativity and telling her that she was doing an awesome job. When I did this, she became more confident, which carried her through the rest of the exercise. I enjoyed working with her because she wanted her assignment to be correct and she wanted to learn. After we finished the assignment, she mentioned something about wanting to learn on the weekends because she has free time and wants to be a better reader. I have already started thinking of books to suggest to her.

Contributed by Alison Ledbetter

Hungry Like The Wolf

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We had another outstanding Exclusive Ink session this afternoon, with our Shortridge students capturing animals with their words, as Ted Hughes does in his poem “The Thought Fox.” Beyond simply being mined for Money Lines, several of the poems screamed to be shared in their entirety as fantastic examples of the creative capabilities of the teenagers we’ve been working with.

The first is a prose poem about a wolf from one of our sophomores. Note: These eloquent and provocative turns of phrase are all his, without any intrusion from our tutors.

Demented creature, mind marks it in-depth with death. The innocent face engulfed in the canary eyes that leave an imprint in the darkness. Silence, then a barrage of growls preceding the departure of the departed. A forest radiating scarlet. A flash, then farewell pawprints in vision before being swept from the scene that never had dialogue, but demonstrated the circle of life. Violence, this hunter thought, can’t be compared to the shiniest trident. A thirst for hunger never quenched in the river’s silence. Tired of chasing meals, but finally trapped in tactics. An urge to disgorge prey, then emerge from a massacre of satisfaction.

The second is from one of our newest Exclusive Ink regulars, a seventh-grader (!). It’s hard to believe this poem about a mouse was inspired by the same prompt, but that’s the kind of diversity of talent we’re blessed with.

“EEEEEEEEEKKK!”
Mom shrieks.
She leaps through the air,
Ten feet back.
Heart attack.
“MOUSE! THERE’S A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE!”

Little feet skitter across the floor.
Beady eyes look,
Searching for something more.
Harmless, it looks.
Well, at least to me.

Little mouse,
Caged in the wall.
Why won’t you set yourself free?
The air in here is suffocating.
The people are lazy and boring.

Yet when you come out,
Your eyes always
Search, search, search
What are you looking for,
Little mouse?

Why search my humble home,
Where the air is dry as a bone,
Where my mom hides lurking in the shadows,
Where my siblings hide poison beneath the sink?

Are you lonely, little mouse?
Are you scouting for a humble house,
A place to call home,
Where you no longer feel alone?
Why not out in the world, little mouse?

I feel so trapped in this house.
Walls, walls
Closing in.
Sometimes I feel like giving in
To the madness of being caged.

Little mouse, between my mittens,
Escape!
Be fr–
Oh no,
You were just eaten by a kitten.

Shortridge By The Numbers

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Because I’d hate to see a perfectly good Excel spreadsheet collect virtual dust, here are some of the figures we crunched from our first semester at Shortridge…

12: Number of weeks spent at Shortridge by Butler mentors

24: Student attendance for our Exclusive Ink Holiday Reading (a record)

25: Average number of Shortridge students tutored by Butler mentors each week

108: Number of Shortridge students tutored by Butler mentors during the week of Sept. 27 (a record)

280: Number of Shortridge students tutored by Butler mentors during the semester (expository writing only, not counting Exclusive Ink)

442: Number of Shortridge students tutored by Butler mentors during the semester (all types of writing, including Exclusive Ink)

1,374: Total contact hours at Shortridge logged by Butler mentors during the semester

Hitting The Ground Writing

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I can’t help but feel enthusiastic for the rest of the semester after our first week back at Shortridge. We introduced a new class to the program, while welcoming back several familiar faces who seemed eager to return as volunteers. For our after-school session on Thursday, we had nearly 20 Butler mentors at Shortridge, which is by far the most I can ever remember seeing in the building at the same time.

Because of the quantity and quality of tutors, we were able to work one-on-one with every student who showed up for Exclusive Ink, which yielded awesome results and plenty of Money Lines. With more support for the program than ever before, we’re really excited to expand the curriculum and set our sights on even more ambitious aims. Massive thanks to everyone who contributed to a wonderful first week back. It was like we never left.

Return to Shortridge

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After a few week break to relax and recharge, we will be returning to Shortridge for the second semester of Writing in the Schools on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

If you are new to the project and considering getting involved in the coming months (might I add that it should be a great time to do so), click here for instructions on How to Volunteer and also check out some Frequently Asked Questions. Once you’re cleared to volunteer, keep up to date with our schedule here.

Perhaps you’re interested in catching up with some highlights from the first semester, which ended up being a great learning experience for Butler tutors and Shortridge students alike. To see what BU volunteers have said about the program, click here. For a sampling of the poetry and prose produced by members of Exclusive Ink, Shortridge’s newest creative writing group, click here.

We’re pumped to be back. Stay tuned for more updates.

Holiday Reading = Festive Success

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I feel strongly that the Exclusive Ink Holiday Party and Reading on Thursday was the culmination of everyone’s efforts throughout the semester, be it the Shortridge students in the literary group, young writers whose talents grew exponentially every week, or the members of the Butler community involved with the Writing In The Schools endeavor, who had the opportunity to witness a real sense of community and progress that they were instrumental in creating during our first few months.

For me, it was thoroughly moving to see everything come together in a such meaningful way. More than 20 students showed up for the festivities (by far our biggest after-school group turnout of the semester), and several used the occasion to introduce their friends and families to Exclusive Ink, which was a real treat for all the Butler tutors and volunteers in attendance. With a room full of people, we were fortunate enough to have a bountiful holiday spread (including ham, mac and cheese, and tons of other fixings and desserts) thanks to the generosity and culinary skills of our Butler volunteers. After eating and socializing, we passed out hand-selected presents (an assortment of young adults books) to every Shortridge student (even though we very nearly underestimated how many gifts we would need). Some of the reactions were truly priceless.

After we cleared away the wrapping paper, nearly a dozen Shortridge students stepped up to read their poems, short stories, and essays. Composed and confident, the students bowled us over with money line after money line. Two students even wrote poems specifically about what the Exclusive Ink Butler-Shortridge group means to them. As someone who played a part in establishing the group since the start of the semester, the poems were nothing short of touching, and I hope that including them in their entirety on the blog will give visitors a real sense of why we’re all so committed to the task at hand.

The first poem is from Marché:

Exclusive Ink, we’re talented and blessed.
Exclusive Ink, we’re prepared for any test from study in practice.
I wondered, “Are we prepared?” ’cause when we began mouths stopped and eyes stared.
I’m not being conceded, but I think we’re there.
I believe God prepared the stairs for us to climb to sucess.
So now we can take a deep breath.
Exclusive Ink, we got brains, style, the moves, and the smile.
We are the talk around town.

The second is from Kiyla, who is pictured above reading her poem:

It’s amazing how we started.
Some were friends, others associates.
College tutors starting something unique.
I’m not alone. No seriously, I’m not!
There are two other Kiylas [ed. note: Kila + Kyla, hence her nickname, “Combo Kiyla”].
Nobody here who doesn’t like to write.
Our superheroes finally let us free.
It’s kind of crazy, right?
No, it’s perfect. Unique.
We are the voices of Exclusive Ink.

In the coming days, expect to see more photos and even videos from our Holiday Party posted on the blog. It was just that awesome. Warm, fuzzy thanks to everyone involved.

New Board, Same Exclusive Ink

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The members of Exclusive Ink wasted no time filling up our first board full of awesomeness, so we are now on Money Board, No. 2. Here are the freshest phrases from the minds of Shortridge students (note: the last half are from an exercise where we gave everyone a newspaper and had blacking out words to form a poem):

“We done been through a lot of heartache, no need for excuses / Not one scar on my body, but I still suffer from bruises”

“Watching down on her, his angel wings are now her cover scapegoat / She wears her son’s pride and love, a strong perfume doused in her coat”

“A remembered echo, residue of the event”

“Her body is a test that all men drive and die to perfect”

“Minutes announce pumpin’ fists”

“I’ve got to put the fun back in charity”

“Spirit breaking anger with a chance”

“Troops are scheduled to gallop in October, overwhelming Republicans”

“John McCain killed on the rebound, and Obama said, despite previous predictions, “I’m going in 2012”

“To start a conversation is one of the two things we don’t talk about”

“Today you are listening to classical prison records”

“Kim says Google click cash flow”