PYC Arts & Tech High School

PYC Arts & Tech High School Students Invite Community to Third Annual “Walk for Success” on May 11

Students at PYC Arts and Tech High School are inviting community members to join them for the third annual Walk for Success on Friday, May 11 at 3:15pm. The walk is intended to raise awareness and break down stereotypes about youth in North Minneapolis.

The event is spearheaded by the Discovery Crew, a student leadership group at PYC. Discovery “We are all too aware of the negative images of delinquent youth wearing baggy clothes,” said Discovery crew leader Walter Anderson. “The high school students of this community want to end this stereotype and show pride in the community.“

The walk begins at Plymouth Christian Youth Center, 2210 Oliver Avenue North, and ends at Peavey Plaza, at the Nicollet Mall and 11th Street in downtown Minneapolis. The public is encouraged to attend.

“We’re not asking for money, just for time. The more people we can get walking with us, the higher the visibility towards busting the stereotypes,” Anderson said.

The Discovery Crew program began over four years ago. Its purpose is to provide students with opportunities to participate in their community through service learning projects. Students participate in events like International Peace Jam and in staging the annual Black History Showcase at the Capri Theater each February.

PYC Arts and Technology High School is a program of the Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC), a non-profit human services organization that serves North Minneapolis youth and families through education, community programs, and community development. For more information visit www.pcyc-mpls.org

Over the past six months students and parents attended a cooking class, sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension’s Cooking Matters Program, that meets once a week for two hours.

Each week a new and healthy recipe was introduced and prepared by a local chef. Some of these healthy recipes included pizza, chicken, salsa & tortilla chips, and brown rice salad. Students and parents studied a variety of nutritional related topics on how to make healthy meal choices. Students and parents worked in teams to practice what they learned. On the final day of class each individual received a bag of groceries to take home to prepare a healthy meal for their family.

Kiyoltan Suggs

What is your favorite book you have ever read and why?
“My favorite book is Slam by Walter Dean Myers because I can see myself in the main character and can relate to the story.”

What was the last book you finished during Sustained Silent Reading at PYC?
“I finished The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.”

Why do you think reading is important?
“It enhances my vocabulary because if I do not know what a word means i will look it up.”

What do you do to improve your reading skills?
“Re-read things I do not understand.”

Who has influenced you to read and how?
“Spike Lee because I can relate to his stories and his arts speaks to me. He talks about people struggling and how they can overcome what is holding them down.”

Ashala Calloway

What is your favorite book you have ever read and why?
“My favorite book that I ever read was Twilight by Stephanie Meyer because I like the love that Edward has for Bella and plus I like vampires.”

What was the last book you finished during Sustained Silent Reading at PYC?
“I finished Crank by Ellen Hopkins.”

Why do you think reading is important?
“I think reading is important because it increases your vocabulary and helps you learn different types of writing styles.”

What do you do to improve your reading skills?
“I read a book and I read certain parts over to get a better understanding.”

Who has influenced you to read and how?
“The staff at PYC and the Sustained Silent Reading program here a school. I start reading a book and then want to take it home and finish it.”

Check out this YouTube video of PYC Arts and Technology Discovery Crew working with Three Rivers Parks forestry managers on a Buckthorn clean up project at Silverwood Park. Discovery Crew members perform service learning projects throughout the community.

Here are some important testing dates in the coming weeks as we honor the accomplishments of our PYC scholars.

SPRING 2012
May 1 – 9 — GRAD Math Retest (12th Grade)

May 1 – 9 — GRAD Reading Retest (11th & 12th Grades)

May 8 – 31 — MAP Reading & Math (9th, 10th, 11th & 12 Grades)

SUMMER 2012
July 24 — GRAD Writing Retest (9th through 12th Grades)

July 25 — GRAD Writing Retest Make-up (9th through 12th Grades)

For more information on these events, please contact Kathleen Butts, Education Director, at 612-643-2025

Students worked on Fall harvesting and preparing the PYC community garden for the winter season. Students learned the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

As PYC students leave school for the day, staff members often send them off with high fives and cheers saying, “Be safe and dream big!” This year, we have added one more line to this: BE SAFE, DREAM BIG, AND READ A BOOK!

This is just one small way PYC students are being encouraged to reach our school’s goal for the year of having an overall increase in reading scores of at least 12% on MCA tests. Like many Minneapolis schools, PYC is not making adequate yearly progress (AYP) on MCA tests and we need to do something about this! As PYC’s new Director of Education, I am firmly committed to raising our standards so that we can keep raising our test scores:

*PYC students will now learn from bell to bell with teachers starting and ending all classes on time. If classes start 5 minutes late because students are late or talking too much, then that class misses nearly  30 minutes of education every week and nearly 18 hours of education in a school year—and this is only for one class. There are 7 classes in a day and this can add up to a loss of over 156 hours of education in a school year.

*PYC students will now be getting homework in all of their core academic classes.

*PYC students will now read entire books, not just pages or chapters of books.

*PYC students who are taking their MCA tests for the first time and attend school regularly will be scheduled in two reading or math classes per day. Students who are taking their tests for the second or third time, will set learning goals with their teachers and can be scheduled for one-on-one help in the classroom or with tutors from the University of Minnesota. If you would like your student to receive tutoring, please call me at (612) 643-2025.

Teachers have their work cut out for them too. Teachers have been working in Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) to improve their teaching strategies in building academic  vocabulary, reading comprehension, and learning assessment strategies. Teachers also have set both team and individual goals to increase their skills in teaching in order to prepare your students for college. We view your students as scholars who will not just get “to” college, but who will gain the skills  they need to get “through” college and move forward on the paths they choose for success.

Please ask your student about our 12% goal in reading and ask them what it means to be a scholar at PYC. With your support, each and every scholar at PYC is capable of academic success!

Kathleen Butts

PYC Director of Education

 
PYC scholars are participating in the American Graduate Project with KMOJ. The American Graduate is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting to help local communities across American find solutions to address the drop out crisis.
The initiative builds on public media’s long standing commitment to education by convening conversations and strengthening partnerships between public radio, television stations and local schools, as well as businesses and community organizations to help students stay on the path to a high school diploma.
KMOJ is putting out the word that dropping out of school is not cool…PYC has been elected to be a part of this project.
If you have questions or would like more information about this project, please contact Sarita Turner at 612-865-4111.

HELP STUDENTS STAY ON THE PATH TO A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA!