When Lydia, Ms. White, Ms. Sheppard, & I woke up on Thursday morning, we were all a tad nervous… At 8:00 we’d have to be ready to present 121Reach before an audience of principals and PTSA chairs from across our school district!
The four of us had met about a week before in Ms. White’s office to talk about what we were going to say and what sort of supplementary materials we should provide. We decided on a few talking points and on passing out manila folders with a brochure, information for starting 121Reach, a newspaper article about us, and stories from our tutors.
On the morning of November 12th, we arrived bright and early at Abbot’s Hill Elementary school, the site of the LSC meeting. The butterflies in my stomach faded away when I saw one of the district principals greeting and shaking hands with the tiny elementary school children that shuffled by. Seeing such open love and warmth made me realize that there was nothing to be nervous about because all the principals really wanted was the best for their kids, and what we were about to present that day was something that could help.
At 8:00 a row of smiling faces watched as Ms. White and Ms. Sheppard introduced me, Lydia and the program. Lydia and I then proceeded to talk about how we run the program, what an average tutoring session looks like, our traditions (tutor treats, events, etc.), and how we get both middle and high school students involved. Mr. Williamson finished up our presentation with an anecdote: He had recommended 121Reach to a student’s parents. When the student found out she jumped for joy and gave Mr. Williamson a hug because she was so excited to join the program!
This was such an exciting opportunity to share with administrators and parents what 121Reach has contributed and what it will continue to contribute to our community in the future. This was a great start to one of our long-term goals — spreading 121Reach across the county, state and nation.
Thank you to Mr. Williamson for giving us this great opportunity, and thank you to the principals and PTSA chairs for listening!
Lydia and I had to leave for school, but according to Mr. Williamson, all of the principals at the meeting were abuzz with excitement at the prospect of starting their own 121Reach programs in the future!
>>For more photos of the Local School Council Meeting, click here
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