- Photographer Extraordinaire

So this weekend I drove down to Charlotte get some fresh air and get my golf game on. I went to hang out with my friend Erik Turner and his family. We went golfing along with his two sons. I brought my camera along and I gave it to Erik's youngest and gave him free reign to take
pictures. I promised his son I would post on my blog his photos. If you are interested in buying some of this photographer's art please leave a message on the blog.

The Creative Mind of the Youngest Turner

Night at the Pinhook w/ The Big Chill

(From Left to Right: Genius the Animal, The Chad, and Alicia Marie)

So Wednesday Night, I went to check out this Hip Hop Group called the Big Chill. They are releasing their album soon, and this was their first big performance as a group. My friend Chad is apart of the group. He had been talking about his group and getting into the studio. I didn't know how serious it was until I saw his link on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/TheBigChill#!/TheBigChillNC?ref=ts) and when I check out his show on. The show was official. Their group was one of a couple of group that performed, but they did well for their first outing.

NEWS FLASH!!!!!
So for those of you that don't know. Next year is going to be my last year with Citizen Schools. I am planning on applying to film school. Currently I've been work on a portfolio to turn. While I don't have much stuff, I have begun to get involved in some projects. The latest news that I have is that I am going to work with the this group on a music video. Figure we could kill two birds with one stone. They need some publicity and I need some project to show off in my portfolio. It all started when I was talking with Chad. I was telling him about my aspirations for film school and my need for a portfolio. He suggested that I help him do a video. I wrote up a concept and sent it to the group and they were down with it. We are currently trying to put together our production crew. More news to follow!!!!

Ichibar Japanese Restaurant
http://www.ichibar.com/
901 S. Beckford Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

So there is this Sushi bar in Henderson, NC that is very delicious. Ichibar, which was opened in 2006, is located in the small strip mall off of Dabaney Rd. It is a very small and quaint spot. There are private party rooms that can hold up to 6 people. The dishes are very good and reasonable in price. Lunch prices range from $5.00- 12.00 and dinner can range from $8 - 22.

During this food run, I went with my Teaching fellows. I have been meaning to get back to posting and blogging. It has taken me quite some time to get focus and knock this out. Kaylor Garica, who is one of my Teaching Fellows (TF), has a background in Graphic Design. She actually created my On the Move Logo above. I'll probably get another photo up there, but for right now it will do. My TFs, Kaylor Garcia,Kyle Taperek and Sara Kelleher are going to be contributing writers to the blog.

My goal is to post entries could focus on food, places, people, and work related experiences that I have.

Contributing Writers:

Sara Kelleher, (TF1) UNC (chapel Hill) Graduate, Speech Writer, and Journalist extraordinaire, 6th Grade Specialist, and Professional MMA Fighter. Broke a man's nose in Cuba with what she calls a "gancho"(uppercut) and cruz (cross). She also speaks perfect Spanish. Her Spanish is so good, the CIA beg her to persuade Castro to reopen peace and trading negotiations with the US.

Kaylor Garcia - Curriculum & Volunteer Specialist, American University Graduate, and Filatina. Kaylor is what we would call a "Baby Genius." While many of us were playing with toys and watching TV, Kaylor was discovering the formula for "Cold Fusion." When she was 5, she was invited to a round table discussion with John Nash to discuss the Game Theory. For fun, Kaylor disarms nuclear war heads, and juggles plutonium, and can bench press 1000 lbs on Nintendo Will using her mental powers.



Kyle Taperek, UNC (chapel Hill) Graduate, 8th Grade Academy Coordinator, lyricist and Teen Heartthrob. Kyle comes to my staff, after turning down record deals with both Def-Jam and Shady-Aftermath. If you are interest in getting a sample of Kyle's Freestyle skills just go to you tube and type in tubesteak. Kyle wrote Tubesteak's verses!! Kyle also played basketball for UNC. His jump shot is like water, and opponents have to sign a waiver to guard him! He's also been know to parade around Franklin Street posing as Dimitri Martin!

Citizens for Citizen Schools

http://www.firstgiving.com/angelocross

So Every year my organization does this annual fundraiser to help support the work that is being down in the schools on the ground level. After reaching out to all my networks to raise money for Abria Lewis ( my student who died in the a fire in late November), it's really difficult for me to ask those same people for more money for a cause is is worthy but not as urgent as what we did in November for the Lewis Family. If you are interested, click on the link above, its for an amazing cause and would help our organization out greatly!

Video Editting

Hey On the Move Fans, I'm currently learning how to edit film using Sony Vegas Studio. I know its been a while that you've heard from me, but I'm coming back with a vengeance! I'm going to be using Videos to post in my blog, along with written entries. Let me know what you think of the videos. This first one is a work in progress. I recently got a new digital camera that I've been trying out. I am working on a intro to my blog. I'm planning on cutting it down to like one minute.

Enjoy,

The Mellow Fellow

Help the Lewis Family Rebuild

Earlier this month, tragedy struck Citizen Schools' Henderson Campus in North Carolina. Abria Lewis, a charter participant in Citizen Schools' programs at Henderson, was killed along with her younger brother in a house fire. We are also collecting donations for the family. If you would like to contribute, we are accepting gifts as small as $1.We will notify you once we have the donation link set up.

Angelo Cross, Campus Director at Henderson:

They told us this job was going to be hard. They told us our days would be filled with challenges and frustrations. We knew what we were getting into. What they didn’t tell us is that our students would become our children, our co-workers would become our sisters and brothers, and our students’ families would become our cousins. Their successes would become ours; their tragedies would become ours, and we would have to step up and mobilize when we were called.

On Nov. 9, 2009, we got the call. One of our charter members at Henderson Middle School, Abria Lewis, was killed with her younger brother during a fire. Her mother, the bookkeeper at the school, was a supporter of Citizen Schools who referred other students after being satisfied with her own daughter’s involvement.

Abria was an exceptional young woman who had an infectious, positive personality. She embodied all the values Citizen Schools tries to relay to its students in and out of program: perseverance, teamwork, courage, leadership, to name a few. She would even deserve the star you can’t cut out: “remarkable.”

The relationships that Citizen Schools builds with its students go beyond academics. We want to reach out to the larger Citizen Schools family and help the Lewis’ begin the rebuilding process by showing the type of support that Citizen Schools can give to members of its community.

Our collective gifts of $1 or $2 can help this family through their roughest time with not only financial support but a concrete understanding of how Citizen Schools is much more than an after school program.

We would like to present the family with a check at the WOW! December 9th where Abria’s Citizen Schools colleagues will pay tribute to her.

.... and when you get on the floor...... Throw dem Horns!!!

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build'em up with wornout tools; - Rudyard Kipling

So as I embark on my 2nd year as a Campus Director, I'm haunted by the struggles that I endured my first year. Hitting the student enrollment mark, getting teacher and school buy-in. As we planned our Registration Nights, there is a thought in the back of my head that that keeps repeating itself....
"We have got to get those kids into this program, no ifs, ands, or buts!!"

As my staff and I began planning Registration Nights and Recruitment Strategy, I spilled my soul to my teaching fellows...
my drive and motivation were due to both being about helping a large population of students improve attitudes and belief regarding academic success
-and-
Fear- What would happen if I was unable to hit my goals in this second year. I saw a campus closed in its first year after not hitting enrollment goals... While I was fortunate to be relocated to North Carolina, I doubt fate will have that in store for me

I didn't want to be in a position where I would have to find out the answer to the question that my second source of motivation presented.

My Teaching Fellows didn't really need much motivation although I tried to give them a pep talk, they got down to business. Si, Se Peude!

The went into Classrooms and gave presentations, made phone calls to parents and students. Their determination unrelenting and their goal... to fill our students spot and have 85 students enter Opening Circle on September 21st....

As of 9.9.09 we are 87 completed applications along the way..... and are creating a waiting list

I promised my staff that if we had 85 student attend the first day of program, I would take the staff out to dinner!

We have 1 week and three days before program starts!!!

This year feels different and I don't know why, but I'm excited and I hope to be able to shared with you all more good news as the semester kicks off and program is underway!!!