Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Freshman Board Bonding

Hi Frosh Board!

Just wanted to post a picture from our first board bonding activity at Wilmette Bowl! Remember if you have any ideas for a group activity let me know! Sometime after break we will plan to meet with Big Board at Winnetka so you can get to know how the upperclassmen board works and a service group you may want to get more involved in. Keep attending your service groups and send me pictures of your volunteer experiences so we can spread the word about our social service groups :)

Have a great Winter Break,

Misba S.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Kelvyn Park Exchange Part II

We had an exhausting but truly productive day, full of conversations and important insights. Next week, the teachers involved in the exchange will have a "summit" to discuss how we can build on these initial steps. All of the participating students wrote suggestions for future action.


Here is a link to the debriefing document the students completed at the end of the two visits (November and December).

Finally, here are the slides that Mr. Kucharski used in his closing presentation:

The Winner of the Bears Tickets

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Kelvyn Park Agenda

Remember -- the Kelvyn Park High School visit to New Trier is this THURSDAY. Here is our agenda, via NIU researcher, Cynthia Taines

Metro Community Project Agenda: New Trier joint visit:

  • 9:30 am: Arrival and fun welcome exercise 
  • 10:00 am: Pairs discussion on experiences and expectations 
  • 10:30 pm: Explore the school! 
  • 12:15 pm: Delicious lunch (pizza!)
  • 12:45 pm: Discussion and New Trier panel
  • 2:15 pm: Departure

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Packers-Bears Raffle Tickets

Come visit Social Service during the lunch periods starting on Monday or 9th period (Room 017C) to buy raffle tickets for the Bears game on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The pair of seats are in ROW 2 and the raffle tickets cost $3 for one and $5 for two.

Sun, 12/16 at 12:00 PM CST Home: Soldier Field TV: FOX Radio: WBBM | WLEY (Espanol) DirecTV: 705 Sirius: 86

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Kelvyn Park Exchange: Part I

On November 15th, a small group of our Board members spent the day at Kelvyn Park High School for Part I of an exchange. Part II is Thursday, December 13th, when the students from Kelvyn Park spend the day with us.

Here are a few photos from last month's exchange:

The day was structured as follows:
  1. Icebreaker activities in the Library
  2. Tour of the school facilities
  3. Classroom visits
  4. Lunch
  5. Panel discussion

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Kelvyn Park Exchange Planning Document

Dear Kelvyn Park Exchange group,

I lost all of your email addresses but am linking to our shared document by clicking HERE. Leave your comments and ideas on the document.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Voting Matters

FICCS:
Charity heart surgeries and follow-up care, free health screenings for women & children, donations of over $2 million in medical equipment, medicines and first aid kits, training symposiums for Kenyan cardiologists & nurses, biomedical engineer training to utilize and maintain donated state-of-the-art equipment. Education initiatives: Provide medical school and nursing school scholarships to aspiring Kenyan students, establish a cardiology-focused graduate medical education program at local hospitals, support a 7-week job skills training program at the Kibera Girl's Center and Hawkers Market Girl's Center, donate uniforms, school supplies, computers and medicines to local elementary schools
Here are the results of our fund-raising poll:

Poll Everywhere

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Our Annual Cause

We are brainstorming groups for our annual fundraiser, Band-Aid. Here are the possibilities:

One idea we discussed when choosing an organization was whether it has a local or international focus.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Team Handleman Takes All!

Congratulations to Team Handleman for raising $700 in our Breast Cancer Research Foundation Fundraiser! I'm so proud of you guys and our entire board for the difference we've made! Keep up the GREAT work!
-Misba

Team Handleman woke up early, set up a table, dressed in pink, and handed out dog treats to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! Way to go guys!

How Frosh Board Raised $1,130 for Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

This past week, Freshman Board raised $1,130 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

To see pictures and follow how we went about fundraising in our school and community, Click on the jump!
-Misba

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Urban Initiatives

New Trier Social Service Board has embarked upon a HOODIE DRIVE. Please bring your gently used hoodie to Advisery and we will collect and store them in the Social Service Board Room 17C.

For more info about this wonderful organization, please watch the video below:

Monday, October 15, 2012

Frosh Board 2012-2013

Hey FBs,
I'm posting the shuttle bus schedule and the chart listing the days different groups go. Be sure to check those both out and add yourself to the advisory mailing list link on the blog!

-Misba

Friday, October 12, 2012

Freshman Board goes to Refugee Relief!!

Hi Frosh Boarders!

We had a great turnout this Wednesday at Refugee Relief Social Service club! At Refugee Relief we tutor and hang out with kids who are refugees from around the world. If you are interested in going to refugee relief next week, sign up here. These are the pictures I took:
-Misba








Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday "Service" in Waukegan

Academy of Our Lady Catholic Church in Waukegan, IL

Kind of a beautiful fall day in Waukegan, wasn't it? But there are a lot of people in need in this particular area of Chicagoland. Although this is a photo I took of Academy of Our Lady, my family and I were at Christ Episcopal Church across the street, to help staff a soup kitchen for about 80 residents of the surrounding town.

These kinds of social service activities can run every day of the week because there are that many people in need. I saw mostly men, but a few women and children as well. I yearned to know their individual stories, but as the Gravy Man behind the serving table, I only had time to ask each person if they wanted it on the mashed potatoes, the meatloaf, or both.

Many expressed gratitude for the carb-heavy meal, but their bodies betrayed the kind of diet they typically consume -- high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. One woman in particular caught my attention: she insisted that she was going to walk to Canada after the meal was over. "I've had it with America and I'm leaving today!" Perhaps she was an example of the high percentage of homeless who are mentally ill.

Beyond the momentary help we can offer these fellow citizens, what can we do as a society to address these larger issues of physical and mental health? 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Crop Walk

The North Shore Crop Walk is Sunday, October 14th @ 1:30 pm

We were fortunate to have Jim Hutten, former New Trier teacher (who retired in 1996), talk to us about CROP WALK, an organization which spends way under 10% on administration costs: something we value. According to their literature, 2000 U.S. Communities joined together in over 1500 CROP Hunger Walks to raise almost $14 million to help end hunger at home and abroad. Jim took the time to lead us in an activity to discover the various sources of funding and the organization's global reach.

Jim Hutten speaks to the New Trier Social Service Board

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Social Service Luncheon

Thanks to all of our faculty sponsors and board co-heads for a successful "meet and greet" during the lunch periods today! Many groups finalized their start dates and traded important contact information.

Check out the 5th period luncheon below (an interactive panorama):

Monday, September 17, 2012

Social Service...So Far!

We haven't even sent out a single group of volunteers, but look at all we are doing so far:

Sunday's Team Building Activity

We had an awesome time in Elder Lane Park, Winnetka, creating boats constructed of cardboard and duct tape for our first annual "Cardboard Regatta". Great idea, Annie and Amelia! Pizza, cookies, and teamwork ruled the day...

Saturday's CTU Rally in Union Park

In order to better understand the larger issues faced by the communities we serve, a group of us journeyed to Chicago to find out about the reasons behind the Chicago Teachers Union strike. Students interviewed rally participants and contributed photos to a collection featured below: