April

4/23/18

During the month of April, I was able to participate in another Edible School Yard event.  This event took place at Phillis Wheatley and was a garden party for students, teachers, and parents.  The event featured different healthy food booths, craft activities, and music.  I had the pleasure of assisting students water the garden.   I shared with them the proper time allotment for watering the garden and also showed the students the correct way to hold the watering can.  It was great to see the students getting so excited about caring for the garden and learning proper gardening techniques. 

Throughout the month of April, I also spent time in my normal kitchen classes during the week.   I also spent a short amount of time in the garden. There is always so much work to be done during regular classroom time.  It is very difficult to keep the kitchen tidy and orderly with so many students coming in and out of the room.  However, it is always an enjoyable experience seeing their developing passion for healthy food.  Each week the head chefs come up with a culinary theme based off of each grades' weekly lesson plan.  It is interesting to see how the kid’s palates develop and change as they are introduced to new foods.  Many of them begin the semester very resistant to certain food items, and end the semester with a new favorite food.  I was thrilled to be apart of the teaching experience and I will miss my time working with the students.

Best,

Arielle Johnson

April Hrs: 12

Semester Hrs: 30

Cumulative Hrs: 60

March 2018

3/30/18

Greetings,

In the month of March, I had the pleasure of continuing to volunteer with Edible School Yard.  I spent some time in cooking classes this month assisting the students with different tasks.  Some of these tasks included knife safety, measuring cup assistance, and serving their final food creations.   I also spent some time assisting with the clean up, which can be a daunting job after multiple classes have been in the kitchen.  However, it is a wonderful experience and I have really enjoyed watching the excitement of the students as they learn about new cuisines and healthy options. 

This month, I also volunteered at Edible School Yard’s annual fundraiser, Edible Evening.  The fundraiser took place at Langston Hughes Academy, and was spread out throughout the gym, cafeteria, and gardens.  The school was completely transformed and it was a very beautifully decorated event.  Restaurants throughout New Orleans volunteered their services and dishes.   After attending an orientation, I was assigned to assist the restaurants.  I made sure that the restaurants had everything they needed to properly serve their dishes.  I assisted them with gathering supplies and utensils, as well as setting up.  The event was a great success and many funds were raised. 

March Hours: 15

Cumulative Hours: 18

February

Greetings,

In the month of February, I spent time volunteering with Edible School Yard.  After attending orientation, I was placed at Arthur Ashe elementary school.  During my visit, I was able to get a feel of what my future duties would be in the kitchen class.  When I first came in, the class was very busy.  The fifth grade class were putting salads together and receiving fresh lemonade.  One of the chefs instructed me to jump in with assisting the students.  As I walked around, they excitedly greeted me as their “new volunteer.”   After getting acquainted with a few of the students, their class was beginning to end.  My next job was prepping the room for the next class that would be entering in about fifteen minutes.   Another volunteer and I, got to work at cleaning services, moving dishes to the washing sink, and putting away the ingredients. 

My last job was the most time consuming.  At this point in the class, a third volunteer joined us.  All three of us began working on a very large pile of dishes.  With the three of us working together we were able to finish just as the last class was ending.  We then received a quick tour of the kitchen and were given avocados.  Overall it was nice first experience working with the program.  I am excited to be back work with the Arthur Ashe kitchen class every Thursday.

Best,

Arielle Johnson

Monthly Hrs: 3

Cumulative Hrs: 3

January

1/30/18

Greetings,

The semester has started and I am excited to get back to volunteering.  I have spent this month mapping out what volunteer activities I am going to continue.   Last semester, I spent the majority of my time volunteering at KIPP Leadership academy.  It was a very rewarding experience, and I think that I will continue to spend some time there.   Another volunteer activity I am excited about is Edible School Yard.  Edible School Yard is a program that allows families to get hands on experience with gardening fresh vegetables and cooking healthy meals.  Their purpose is to create a community that takes care of our natural resources and develops a love of fresh ingredients.  I have an orientation to begin volunteering with the organization on Saturday, and I am excited to learn about their different methods for cultivating and sustaining a healthy lifestyle.

An additional volunteer opportunity I am excited about is working with NORD for a few of their upcoming special events.  Some of these events include their Black History Month program, Easter Celebration, and Youth Fit Fest.  As a native, it is exciting to be able to volunteer with a program that I participated in as a child.  I cannot wait to share all of my experiences in my blogs this semester. 

November

Greetings,

In the month of November, I visited KIPP Charter School twice.  During my first visit, we were assigned to help the art teacher with assembling costumes for a school program.   On my second visit, we assisted with some organizational tasks and received a school tour.   The school tour was very interesting, because it gave the group an opportunity to see the larger impact of the projects we have been doing throughout the semester.  We were told many touching stories of the students and how the school truly functions as a safe haven for many of them. 

We met most of the faculty and the staff, and they each shared with us their multiple roles in the school.  Something I found very interesting is that each staff member wears multiple hats and pitches in whenever they are needed for a different job.  It was a testament of their true passion and love for the students.  One of the most touching stories we heard as a group was from the school’s social worker.  Due to there only being one social worker, some kids unfortunately cannot receive the help that they need.   The highest risk students receive assistance from the social worker, but some will still fall through the cracks.  It is one thing to read about these stories in articles or hear about it on the news, but to see it with your own eyes is incredibly distressing.  It made me realize that the small tasks that we do on Fridays are one less thing that these educators have to worry about, giving them more time to devote to the students’ needs.  As a volunteer, most people would like to make the largest impact possible, but sometimes it can be the most minor services that can be the most meaningful.

Best,

Arielle Johnson

November Hours: 5

Cumulative: 30