The team enjoying some rare downtime.
At the Renaissance school, we believe that everyone has a right to be heard. So I decided to let my teammates share their experiences at the school and in their service. This is what they had to say:
“Have you ever been so proud of something that you wanted to see what you could do with it? Well that is how I feel about this little club called Renaissance Writers. The first night of printing we were anxious to see how the newspaper would come out….. When the first copy shot out of the printer we were ecstatic. Everyone was raving about it! We couldn’t wait to get it to the school the next day. When we handed it out to the kids they were thrilled to see what they had accomplished. They wanted more than one copy so they could give it to their families.”
— Katie Blanchette
“City Year for me was an answer to a higher calling. I became fixated on helping serve my country and the world as a whole since the age of fourteen…. I never felt more obligated and obliged to commit to anything of this magnitude or importance before. City Year for me became the answer to what I so desperately wanted to be a part of, and so, my journey began.”
— Lisamarie Indovina
“Upon entering City Year in August, I knew that I was about to embark on an amazing experience. However, I didn’t realize that my expectations would be exceeded and that I would soon realize and find the thing that I am most passionate about in my life, that being service… time I have realized that this is something that I have never been so passionate about… City Year helped me find my calling in life. It gave me the opportunity to realize and recognize my passions and what was truly important in life. “
— Eliza Cassella
“In the midst of the wonderful chaos that comprises a typical day at the Renaissance, there is one part of my day that has become a particular joy: the science block… However, my joy does not stem from the content matter, but rather the reactions and excitement of my twenty-six fourth graders. They consistently amaze me with their insight and keep me energized at the end of a long school day.”
— Uma Venkatraman
“One difficult thing about our job is finding the balance between filling both the role of a teacher, and the role of a mentor… A person that can relate to the students, be there when they are needed, and also teach the youth new skills so they can grow as learners and individuals. I try to come back to that story when the balance either tilts more to a particular side. It’s all about the balance.”
—Jeff Parks
City Year is a constantly growing organization, with new staff members, corps members, and volunteers coming in every year. Each corps member is given the task each year of finding someone to “fill their boots.” This is the idea that you will introduce someone to City Year and get them to give a year of service. The boots, of course, refer to one of the centerpieces of the City Year uniform, the Timberland boots. The idea of filling someone’s boots is very personal to my relationship with City Year. My older sister, Katrina, served last year as a Corps member and returned this year as a Senior Corps member. . Eventually, I was accepted into City Year and I “filled” my sister’s boots. This is a huge part of my service because I have to live up to the standards that my sister created for our family. But not only am I filling my sister’s boots but also my Team Leader’s, Kevin Dua….. I feel like a daunting task has been laid out in front of me but just the fact that I know who else has walked before me has inspired me to push ahead.
—Graham Zinger
“I am one of two coursework point people for BRCPS that deals with all things literacy. It has been a whirlwind as we were faced with a new task for City Year and that is doing a ten- month research project based on a specific project that was based on concerns that were found in our schools and we hope to have this project grow to be rolled out to other sites with data that will better help sites all over the country. I was lucky enough to attend a brand new conference that was based around literacy at sites all over the northeast… I am confident in saying that all sites took a lot of new things back to their sites to try out and the overall first WNLA was a big success. I personally think of those three days as eye opening experience as it was extremely beneficial to meet people from different sites and further my City Year mind’s eye, and knowledge of that fact that the sky’s the limit as to the support we can give the kids of the next generation. I will end with a quote from a speaker at the opening day that said, “These kids need your laughter.”
—Elsie Sutton
““Gasp!” This is the sound that every Boston Renaissance Corps Member hears when encountering Jayda. A running hug and a huge smile are always the first thing Jayda does when seeing any City Year Corps member, even if she should be in a quiet straight line… Jayda, has an amazing personality and does not remember a single corps members name but always sees a red jacket and makes sure she gives whomever it is a huge hug. She has reminded corps members in the past that eating chocolate might not be allowed in uniform and always makes sure to complete the rounds of hugs and smiles to each and every corps member when picking up her sisters from starfish. These three girls [Jayda and her sisters] embody what City Year is about, spirit, discipline, purpose, and pride. It makes it easier as a corps member to know that City Year will be a constant entity in their lives long after the service year is complete.”
—Kris Knapp
