The Vito Marcantonio School in East Harlem, New York

This week’s School Spotlight is highlighting one school in East Harlem, New York, where students and staff, with the help of a City Year corp member, are serious about their commitment to and practice of “whole student” philosophy of learning and living.  In fact, to them, it’s just “Common Sense.” To read the original GOOD.is article in its entirety, click here.

Source: America's Promise Alliance: The Vito Marcantonio School in East Harlem, NY, was given the award, along with a grant of $100,000, in recognition of the school’s commitment to and practice of its “whole student” philosophy of learning and living.

In the recent past, the 330 students of the Vito Marcantionio School decided to participate in the Penny Harvest program — a service learning project run by City Year and the nonprofit Common Cents. City Year corp member Meg Malone was somewhat surprised at the tenacity and desire of these children. Of her students Malone says, “I often tell people that just because my students have a higher risk of dropping out of school, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a desire to be active citizens and make a difference in their community.”

In an effort to create more interest in the Penny Harvest program, some students took it upon themselves to hop on the campaign trail and get their peers more involved. Songs were created and sung over the P.A. system to help generate more awareness about the program; and when one fifth grader decided there were not enough signs providing information on Penny Harvest, she created one she thought would get the job done of getting the information out.

Their enthusiasm for gathering funds to help others in need was quite astounding, especially given that a great many of the students are from a low-income background. This just further proves the students have incredible social awareness by recognizing that others around them are in need of help. It also shows their capacity for becoming even more outstanding humanitarians and civic stewards.

Source: GOOD.is. -- GOOD Magazine's: A City Education: When Students Give Back to the Community

After all of the funds for the program had been collected at the months end, a committee of students was needed to help with the allocating of funds. According to the article, “A team of fourth- through eighth-grade students was selected to be the voice of the student body. Throughout the year, they’ll learn more about various community issues and (with the vision of the student population in mind), they’ll choose an organization to donate the money.” Although this is a large and tedious project these students are taking on, they are up for the challenge.

This Penny Harvest project has brought about some teachable moments for staff and kids, alike. It has prompted them to look at the good others are doing in the country (and world). They are becoming more interested in what civic engagement means and how it enriches the community. They are seeing a change, and realizing, they are heroes for their community.

The biggest lesson they are learning: Students plus “Common Cents” equals great community. Making a change and helping others become more interested in the desire to partake in change need not be laborious, grueling or demanding. Most times it is the smallest ideas that produce impressive results. Have a similar story of teachable moments and making civic engagement fun? We love learning about the good growing in our country, so use the box below to share some of your stories.

City Year’s “Ubuntu” Philosophy

Students, schools, education reform, policy and educational politics … there seems to be a never-ending stream of checklist items for America’s schools. With the mounting complications for our education system, it is easy to lose sight of simple solutions – us. That’s right, you and me. In past SOTRU School Spotlights, educational initiatives such as American Graduate and Grade Level Reading have been explored, highlighting efforts to close the gap on various educational concerns. For this week’s School Spotlight, we’re highlighting another community based effort to improve education, City Year.

Source: contributionsreport.amgen.com

According to its Web site, City Year is a country-wide school-based service organization providing “teams of diverse young people called corps members [who] serve full-time in schools for 10 months working to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance in English and math.”

GOOD Magazine’s A City Education series explores what motivates City Year corps volunteer members’ service to the public education system. (To read the original post in its entirety, click here.)

The commonality found in City Year’s members can be summed up with one word: Ubuntu. A shortened version of meaning for this a Zulu proverb is “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.” One member said her reason for joining was because she thrived in a community environment where a shared goal and vision became a catalyst for action. Through working at the school, these members have learned “how to effectively connect students, parents, and community resources to ensure students excel.”

There are many service opportunities provided by City Year corps members. Whether it’s one on one tutoring, assisting teachers in classrooms or helping with homework centers in after school programs, these corps members are making a difference.

Although the City Year model is new, support for community schools is growing. According to the article, “In 2009, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his support, saying, ‘Where schools truly become the centers of the community, great things happen.’”

The symbol representing "Ubuntu" - Source: acercadeubuntu.blogspot.com

Megan Malone, a City Year corps member says of her time so far with City Year, “Serving with City Year in a community school, I am reminded every day of Ubuntu as I experience firsthand a model that illustrates the importance of connecting our humanity to those inside the school and in the community. I have no doubt that helping students succeed requires a community effort, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results of our shared vision and collective action.”

Delving into school and the politics behind education, it is quite easy to lose focus on what all of the fuss is about: our children and how best to provide them with a quality education. The notion of Ubuntu should ring true for all citizens. Perhaps understanding the philosophy behind “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours” will help us all get there.

There are so many great ways that education is changing, and seeing people in communities mobilize change through their own actions is an encouraging start. The  “it takes a village” approach, I am finding, is an earmark in many great educational solutions that are rapidly popping up. What other community actions do you know of that have made a difference in your schools? We are always interested in passing along success stories of community, so write it down and send it our way.

At State of the Re:Union, we believe that telling stories through the lens of American communities can help bridge divides and deepen our understanding of the country around us. While we strive to capture just some of the amazing narratives playing out here in the US, semi-anonymous French street artist, JR, has taken a different approach at helping people in communities around the world find their voice.

JR is an artist who uses the world as his inspiration, canvas and gallery, literally. He uses black-and-white photographs with arresting images of locals from around the world and posts these pictures in their neighborhoods. According to an article by Zac Stone in GOOD Magazine, “His goal is to give voice and representation to communities that otherwise might be obscured, like women living in Brazilian or Kenyan slums.”

He recently became the recipient of the 2011 TED Prize, awarding him a grant of $100,000 to help fund a “world-changing project.” From this seed money, JR launched his TED Wish and began an art project literally giving all of the world a chance to engage. His wish: “To use art to turn the world inside out.” (To find out more about his TED wish, click here.)

JR is doing just that with his latest global art initiative: the InsideOut Project. According to the project’s Website, “InsideOut is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Upload a portrait. Receive a poster. Paste it for the world to see.” All who participate in the project are encouraged to use black and white photographs to reveal and share their untold stories. These posters can be placed anywhere, from an office window to the side of an abandoned building. And according to the site, all of the exhibitions will be documented, archived and available for virtual view.

Source: InsideOut Project: Miguel R in Athens, Greece - "Eyes of Truth" embraces the diversity of our global community through the innocent gaze of our children.

According to Stone’s article, “JR is spreading his mission on a scale that was previously unimaginable, by crowdsourcing personal photos and the labor of posting them.” Even more amazing than JR’s ambition are the astonishing results this project has already yielded. Since InsideOut launched, men, women and children from six continents have become participants. According to Stone, TED Prize Director Amy Novogratz touts of JR’s project, “One guy based in Moscow is using [the platform] to show that homophobia is the shame of Russia. People are using it to bring their communities closer together.”

There are so many directions this project is going, and it really is helping to change the world one photo at a time. It might not change the world over night, but JR’s initiative is helping to bring controversial subjects to light, creating dialogue that has long been overdue for sensitive issues in many countries. The InsideOut project is connecting communities throughout the world and helping us to see that underneath our stories and struggles, humanity is universal.

If you would like to participate in the InsideOut Project, click here. As this phenomenal project takes place on a global scale, we want to know what initiatives and programs are making a difference in your community. From art collaborations to public works to educational programs, how are people in your neighborhood working to make the world a better place one person at a time?