2009-2010 Season:
Life Choices (Drugs/Sex/Fights/Confrontations)
MAM tackled a tough subject in dealing with tough choices people must make in their lives. By confronting situations of gangs, drugs, teenage sex and confrontations, mentors opened the forum to give mentees a chance to vent, express their frustrations, anger and fear. Dividing the discussions by gender, MAM created comfortable environments in which to speak openly about pressures of being a teenager and being influenced into making tough choices. Mentors also chimed in and shared their experiences growing up and how decisions they have made led to the circumstances that followed, both negatively and positively. Overall, the session was deemed a success and many students expressed their endorsements in the format.
Job Interview/College Counselor Role Play
It was kicked off with a light game to better familiarize everyone with their names. The meeting then proceeded to mock interviews where students were presented with job/college interview situations. Mentors asked various questions the mentees should expect from prospective employers and college interviewers and pointers on how to conduct oneself in a strong, profession manner. The meeting was then followed by lunch at a local restaurant.
Movie Day:”ZONED IN”
Mentors and mentees were given a special opportunity to watch “ZONED IN”, award-winning documentary based on the life of Daniel Nartey. Daniel Nartey is a teacher at Morris Academy high school and student-mentor liaison for Morris Academy Mentors. “ZONED IN” was filmed in the stretch of 9 years spanning Daniel’s life from high school to college to his current life as a teacher. The film then became a launching pad in discussing with students about their struggles and realities of growing up with similar circumstances. At the end of the session, Daniel fielded questions from students and mentors and shared his perspectives on the film.
Ice Skating
MAM took a break from serious discussions and enjoyed a recreational day at Wollman Rink, Central Park. On a beautiful, snow-covered day, mentees and mentors strapped on ice skates and faced the challenges of not falling on slippery ice. For many mentees, this was their first experience ice skating. They needed other mentees and mentors to hold them steady at first but braved through the initial jitters to enjoy a fun filled day.
Career Day
Going around the room, mentors shared with the group of how they made their career choices and how their schooling and life experiences brought them to where they are. Students then went around and expressed their respective career interests. The bigger group then broke off into subdivisions comprising of mentors in similar fields. Students were given opportunities to talk to mentors individually and ask questions.
College Preparation
“College Preparation” session was held in Redeemer Office in Manhattan. Pedro Infante (Morris Academy alumnus and currently sophomore at SUNY Stony Brook University) and his roommate Marve Pierre-Jean, spoke in lengths about their college experience. Sneha Subramanian, a guest speaker, followed with explanation on SAT preparation and college applying process. Group then broke into small groups to discuss students’ goals and expectations from college.
Orientation/Discussions On Academics
After a brief introduction of students and mentors, the group broke off into 2 groups, male and female. The male and female groups were then further divided into small subsets of mentors and subsets of mentees. By rotating different mentee groups in circle, all mentors and mentees had opportunities to get acquainted. Amongst talking about their age, grade, hobbies and favorite leisure activities, students discussed their academic curriculums and performance. Mentors in turn discussed their careers and which academic paths they’ve taken in getting to where they are.
College Planning Workshop/ Review of Goals for Academic Year
MAM brought in as a guest speaker, Daniel Nartey, a teacher at Morris Academy and a 2003 graduate from Brown University. Danny grew up in the Bronx, and faced many of the same challenges facing high school students at Morris today. He talked about his process for selecting prospective colleges, applying to college, the difficulties adjusting to Brown, and his decision to pursue a degree in education and return as a teacher to the Bronx. After the event, a sub-group of the mentors brought the Morris students up to Columbia University to tour the campus.
Sessions in previous years
Bowling Outing
Students and Mentors participated in the annual MAM Bowling Day held in Bowl Park Lanes (Across the street from Yankees Stadium). The turnout was great and mentors and mentees enjoyed the day filled with bowling and good company.
Discussions on Leadership
Mentees and mentors gathered together to delve deeper into the subject of Leadership. Going around the room, students and mentors discussed the importance of leadership and what character traits were necessary to carry it out. Ownership, respect for others and for yourself, humility, accountability, strength and vision were few of the qualities that were unanimously embraced as necessary in becoming a leader. The discussion was further stretched into small groups where mentees and mentors discussed leaders in the local community and in public. Mentees also talked about leaders in their personal lives such as patriarchs or matriarchs in their families and leaders amongst their peer groups.
Discussions on Politics
Politics was the topic of the day. It was led by Kathryn Wilson and Greg Nance who read series of questions on various political topics. These questions were then followed up with 2 different responses from McCain and Obama campaigns in random order. At the conclusion of the exercise, each campaign’s responses were revealed for each question. By matching their answers to the particular political party they were affiliated with, mentors and mentees were able to sharpen their perspectives on their political alignment. With politics fresh on their minds, mentors and mentees were divided into small groups to discuss various topics such as economy, terrorism and healthcare.
Writing Skills Workshop
MAM ran the workshop by underscoring the importance of developing effective writing skills from a classroom, college and career-perspective. Mentors then spent individual time with mentees to prepare an on-the-spot writing sample with real-time feedback from mentors.
Ice-Skating in Bryant Park
Recreational event between mentors and students held at the Bryant Park skating rink.
Personal Finances: “Control Your Money or It Will Control You”
The goal of the session was to help our students understand the difference between needs and wants, and to explain the basics of checking accounts, the dangers of credit cards and the benefits of saving. The program was led by Stephen Sigmon, a CPA with an accounting degree from the University of South Carolina and most recently Manager of Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis at Weight Watchers International.
Lower Manhattan Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunt in which mixed teams of mentors and students were equipped only with a digital camera and list of items located in Lower Manhattan. The task was to take team photos of as many of the locations and items as possible in the set time period. This exercise, in part recreational, was also a platform for the students to put into practice skills in planning, organization and teamwork.
Morris Technology Day
The intent of this event was to stimulate students’ interests in science and technology. The event was planned along with NextNY, a networking group representing leading professionals in the Internet/digital media. The featured speaker was Darren Herman, an entrepreneur and founder of IGA Worldwide, the leading independent in-game video game advertising network. In addition, a special exhibition was performed by the Morris High award-winning robotics team. The event was held at Earl Hall Auditorium at Columbia University.
