Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Service-Learners Recorgnized

-Trustees Award-  Casady School

The Trustee's Award, a permanent trophy of the school, is established in honor of past and present Trustees in gratitude for their devoted service to Casady School.  This award is given to that student who by virtue of his or her character, loyalty, and service, has made Casady a finer school. Jessica G'15 received the 2015 Trustees Award.  Jessica received the Trustees Award during the Casady's Graduation Commencement on June 6 from the Casady Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Guy L. Patton.


- Noble Hours Award- Casady Service-Learning Program


The first Noble Hours Award was delivered by Dr. Jon Powell, Casady School Principal and Mrs. Carmen Clay, Director of Service-Learning to Taylor B'15 at the Casady UD awards chapel assembly  on May 22, 2015.  The criteria for the inaugural Nobel Hours Award was set by the recipient, Taylor B.'15, who was the first Cyclone to serve over 1,000 hours in 4 years in high school, the equivalent of more than 250 hours per year.
Research proves that by serving the needs of others, a person finds happiness.  Taylor opened eyes to the surrounding needs and engaged in compassionate deeds; joyfully investing time to move them forward without expecting anything in return.   
The unexpected outcome of Taylor's compassion and altruism was the institution of the first service-learning program award in the history of the requirement, the NOBLE HOURS AWARD.  Taylor received an engraved silver clock.   A solar powered spinning globe with Taylor's name will reside at the Service-Learning office to inspire others to emulate her example of being a hope for peace through acts of kindness, compassion, and service.
Carmen Clay
Rainbot Family Service, Learning Char



-Youth LEAD OKC:  -Founder Recognition-



- YMCA Youth Initiatives - Youth LEAD OKC

Four years ago, as a shy freshman, Sidney J'15 eagerly accepted the task to establish a teen exploratory board to consider the need and interest of creating a unique cultural competency program for our community. Because of her dedication, insight and determination, Oklahoma City now has one of the only programs in the Midwest to inspire and mobilize youth leaders to reflect upon their values and beliefs, connect with others across differences, and act together to address local and global challenges.

           This unique program is called Youth LEAD (Leaders Engaging Across Differences) and literally only exists because of Sidney and three other students, Sam K.'15, Dane N. and Serene K. Mercy School/Edmond Santa Fe, from across our city. Establishing a program based on ideas that are generated, executed and completely led by youth is a difficult task. Sidney stuck through the challenging times when it seemed like the program would remain a simple idea instead of becoming the multifaceted program that it is today. She continued to recruit other students to help launch the program when other teens dropped off from the planning team because it required a lot of time, effort and critical thinking. Her steadfast attitude even kept the adult directors motivated to see the program through during the most difficult times when it seemed we would not find local funding or support.      

         After four years of hard work and commitment, Youth LEAD is now a robust program of students from many diverse Oklahoma City metro high schools, representing a multitude of races, religions, beliefs and interests. Sidney thrives in the group and gets along well with any teenager that joins. Thanks to the YLOKC founding teens caring nature and dedication to diversity, Oklahoma City has a premier cultural competency and diversity education program that will enhance youth and their ideals for generations to come.

Shannon Presti
YLOKC CEO
YMCA Youth Initiatives Director

Sidney received a token of YLOKC's appreciation, which was delivered on behalf of Shannon Presti by Mrs. Carmen Clay, Casady Service-Learning Director at the awards chapel assembly on May 23, 2015






Martin Luther King Scholar Program Award @ Ithaca College


The Martin Luther King Scholar Program at Ithaca College is a dynamic learning community, developing future leaders and global citizens who are committed to promoting King’s legacy of social justice and equality in their personal and professional lives, engaging in public services, building bridges to other communities, and educating others with their international perspective.

Seondre C'15, recipient of the Martin Luther King School Program scholarship at Ithaca College stated, "The MLK Program at Ithaca College was based on involvement with community service, leadership, and academics. 

Through my involvement with Youth Lead OKC, YAC and the countless other organizations that I have worked with through them gave me an edge when applying to the program. There were 300 applicants, 30 were invited and flown out to the campus to interview and participate in some activities.   Afterwards 15 were chosen to enter the program. Through my interview I talked about my involvement with Youth LEAD and YAC which sparked a conversation that outlasted some of the other interviews. 

Doing community service while always good for others will also benefit you by making you a better leader, a better person, and give you those important connections that you may need one day.  Those connections  helped me land into a program that lets me travel the globe researching social issues, and better understand the true complexity of the world while also receiving a $47,000 scholarship to attend Ithaca College in New York."

Summer Advocacy and Direct Service

Casady Peace Week Team begins planning 
Episcopal Dioceses "Peace Village" Materials


Saint Paul's Episcopal labyrinth


YLOKCasady helps host, Muslim Jewish Film Institute screening of "The Other Son"  175 people attended the screening and panel discussion that took place at Mercy School Institute.





YAC Tennis Clinic at Boys and Girls Club.  Collaboration with Cleats for Kids










YAC Fedex-Planning School Year 2015-2016








Friday, June 5, 2015

The Students Rebuild Bookmark Challenge Ends with reflective thoughts


The Casady Service Learning Office mailed 8,238 bookmarks to the Bezos Foundation in Seattle the last week in May.  The bookmarks were the Casady YAC service project for National Volunteer Week and Global Youth Service Days .  The idea was brought to YAC's attention by Ananya B'17 sophomore YAC Chair .  



Casady YAC members made bookmarks during YAC meetings and at Boys and Girls Club and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma during Global Youth Service Days, April 17-19.  The bookmark project was connected to the Literacy Challenge!  sponsored by the Bezos Foundation.  The foundation matched $1 per bookmark made.

The Casady YAC  action, creativity, and collective efforts facilitated by Ananya, and supported by friends from other schools and family will help bring books and literacy resources to students through Save the Children’s Literacy Boost programs in Peru, Nepal and Mali.  

Check the bookmark counter to see how many bookmarks were created .  The contact person at the Bezos Foundation is   VALERIE SLOANE | Programs Assistant tel 206-275-2048 ext 124 mobile 206-724-5525  Website | Facebook | Twitter
Ananya sent the following reflective thoughts to the Bezos Foundation of the bookmarks collected and where they came from. Ananya hopes that they find the children in Nepal, Mali, and Peru, and hopefully brighten someone's day. 

"We collected 7,838 decorated bookmarks, and 400 blank bookmarks for the children to decorate themselves. While collecting bookmarks, I found a sense of community. People wanted to help. People from 7 states sent me bookmarks from across the country. From a variety of faiths, youth groups from a Hindu temple, students studying at a Muslim school, Christians from all denominations, and Jewish persons as well. The bookmarks embraced the individuality and expression of the people who made them, from
being sewn, duct-taped, glued, stickered, painted, and drawn. From little children at the Boys and Girls Club learning how to cut paper, to 5 and 7 year old boys spending their allowances on bookmark supplies to create some for children half-way around the world, to an 86 year-old retired woman and everyone in between. 
The bookmark project showed that everyone cared, and we're willing to contribute, and presented a unified front."
-Ananya B'17 Casady School / UWC-USA


Thank you so much for this note.  7,838 bookmarks is astonishing – way to go! I opened the box you shipped just yesterday and the bookmarks your group made are so, so lovely. And the bookmarks people sent you from all over the country were amazing too – thank you for rallying so many people to the cause and generating so much additional participation in the Literacy Challenge!

It sounds like you got to experience the overwhelming wonder of seeing peoples creativity, action and generosity pour in the same way we here as Students Rebuild do every time we check our email or go to the post box to see packages coming in! It’s so, so fun and gives me such solid hope to see that young people are excited and eager to be connected and help out on a global scale. I’m so glad our program can help make that happen!
-Valerie


An unexpected result of the bookmark project is that Casady School is a possibility to have a webcast with the children of Peru

 The webcast will likely on or around Sept. 8th 2015 (World Literacy Day), and will require 40 minutes of live ‘air’ time (a little time to prep and settle before going live is probably needed as well!). The time is still TBD.
               Your classroom would have to have reliable internet and video conferencing capabilities (audio and visual); having a tech specialist at school is a plus!
               Your students should be knowledgeable about this issue, have participated in the Challenge, and be prepared and excited to have a thoughtful dialogue with the participants in Peru and second U.S. Ambassador school. GNG will update our curriculum to include a section devoted specifically to Peru as well that might be good to review with students –and I’m sure you would have a lot of knowledge to share too!
               You would need some brief time to work with our partner, Global Nomads Group, to do a trial run of the software, run of show and logistics check in beforehand.

Ideally, the Youth Advisory Council students who were engaged in the project this year would be the best participants – and at least 10-20 students is perfect. I know with scheduling and rounding up that group during the school day might be difficult – so please let me know your thoughts. Our webcasts are a really special, unique learning experience – so I hope you can join us!

Here is the link to a recent Literacy Challenge webcast from Malawi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYPsVrxOabQ&list=PLtaayxEPf2h7sh14GGPOTsDyvugXud33G&index=10



Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Marking Peace Day with a Google Doodle

Help Peace One Day!

POD logo colour

Google Doodle Mail Out 1

Dear Casady Schools,

I hope this finds you well.

As you know Peace One Day works to raise awareness of and encourage action on Peace Day, 21 September. The activities you organise, however big or small, raise awareness of the day. It’s our collective effort that makes this day a success.

We are always looking for new ways to spread the message of Peace Day. A trip to the Google offices in New York seven years ago with Peace One Day Ambassador, Jude Law, gave me an idea that I have never forgotten: a Peace Day Google Doodle. With hundreds of millions of daily visitors, getting Google.com to create a Peace Day Google Doodle on 21 September is one of the greatest things we can all do to inform the world’s people.

Awareness of Peace Day creates action, and that action saves lives. So getting the world’s most powerful search engine behind Peace Day will be a key moment for institutionalising the day in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities.

But we need your help. We need you to email Google (details below) asking them to mark Peace Day with a Google Doodle. By telling them your stories and why the day is important to you, we can encourage Google to take action for the day. For more information, visit: http://www.peaceoneday.org/googledoodle

Find out more about the Google Doodle campaign with this short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XewErzobK6A

 Here are three simple steps you can take to help:
  1. Email proposals@google.com to ask for a Peace Day Google Doodle on 21 September.
  2. Tell others via social media that you have asked for a Peace Day Google Doodle and ask them to do the same.
  3. Tweet @GoogleDoodles to tell them about Peace Day, 21 September.
We have created a range of resources including templates to help you: www.peaceoneday.org/googledoodle

By getting involved, you can be part of forging the next key milestone for the day – getting the world’s most powerful search engine behind Peace Day, 21 September.

Warm regards,

In peace

Jeremy 

Jeremy Gilley
Founder, Peace One Day