Super Tuesday!

This week our elementary students participated in their own Super Tuesday election!

This year's candidates were Arthur and Junie B. Jones, two of our favorite children's book characters. Students read Arthur and Junie books to find out what characteristics they had that would make them the better president. They then cast their ballot in the voting booth.

When asked what characteristics make a great president, students said bravery, honesty, and someone who is responsible.

FYI... Arthur won by a landslide!

Welcome Mr. Adam!

This week we welcome Adam Siegel as our new Middle & High School Coordinator!
Below is some information to help you get to know Adam!

Hometown:
Grand Rapids, Michigan

College Attended:
University of Michigan

In my free time I enjoy...
playing basketball, mountain biking, skiing, traveling, going to see live music, learning to play the drums, and spending time with my family, my friends and my dog.

My favorite movie is...
Bottle Rocket

If I were irresponsible and maxed out a credit card at my favorite store, it would be at...
Best Buy

What I look forward to most about working at the Learning Center is...
getting to know all of the students while having fun and contributing to their educational progress.

A Farewell To Mr. Todd

Next week is the last one here at the center for our Mr. Todd. Todd has been our Middle & High School Coordinator for the last year. He is moving on to further his education and we wish him the best of luck!

We asked some of his students what they liked most about Mr. Todd and here is what they said...

"He is a really cool person and his is really nice!!! I hate the fact that he is leaving!!!" NADIRES

"He helps me with my homework and he is cool." RAHO

"He is caring." NAJMO

"He lets us check our email." FATUMA

"He is silly and funny. Thank you for everything, you are the best." YUSSUF

"He helps me everyday with my homework." AYAN

"He let me open an email account." LULAY

"He doesn't get mad easily." JIHAN

Where Are They Now? MONICA

This week we are catching up with Monica Bhatt, a very faithful volunteer over the years!

From Monica:

I volunteered at CWA-Cayce on and off between 2003 - 2007 working with the high school kids in the after school program. Now I am teaching at a public high school in Madrid, Spain on a Fulbright Scholarship. I've attached a picture of me while visiting Toledo, a medieval city just Southwest of Madrid.

Puppet Show!

This week our elementary students created sock puppets! Once they made their puppet, they developed them into characters of a play and performed for the group yesterday!

Here is a short video of one of their plays! This is Makka and Hawo's play!

Volunteer Opportunities & Orientation Announcement

Here are the volunteer opportunities we have available beginning January 8th!

Reading Tutor	Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30pm	We are looking for people to tutor a small group of elementary or middle school students (no more than 5 children) with reading one day per week. Training, books and lesson plans are provided.
Homework Helper	Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday 3:15-4:30pm. 4:30-6:00pm, or 3:15-6:00pm	Assist with homework and enrichment activities in one of our classrooms. You can choose the grade level you would like to work with.
Computer Teachers	Based on volunteer availability	One or two individuals are needed to teach basic computer skills to adults one to two times per week. Curriculum provided.

If you've never volunteered before, we have set up an orientation/training for Monday, January 7th here at the center! Please let us know if you are able to attend and we can send you directions to get here! If you can't make this date and time, still let us know you are interested as we will be setting up other orientations this month.

Email us at cwacayce@bellsouth.net if you are interested or have questions!

Where Are They Now? MALORIE

Welcome to our first installment of "Where Are They Now"! We have met a lot of spectacular people in the last twelve years and want to share with you where they've gone since leaving the center. We'll spotlight former staff, favorite volunteers, and hopefully some of our students!

This week we catch up with Malorie who was the Education Coordinator from March of 2003-May of 2004! Here is what she is up to!

From Malorie:

I am currently living in Dallas, Texas with my husband Victor and son Landen who just turned 1 year old on December 1. I am teaching middle school math for Dallas Independent School District. This is my first year with the district and I love it. My school is in a highly populated hispanic neighborhood, so while I am teaching math to my students they are teaching me Spanish!!! Outside of family I am training to run in the Dallas Big D Marathon in April of 2008.

CWA Christmas Party

Last Saturday the CWA Local 3808, our property owners, held a Christmas Party at the center for the neighborhood! Many families attended to get their picture taken with Santa, to eat some yummy food, or to make a Christmas craft.

Scroll Down for Our THANKSgiving Video!

Because of a mention in today's East Nashville section of the Tennessean, I wanted to make sure you know that our Thanksgiving video is posted below, dated November 21st! Enjoy!

Classroom Spotlight: Vanderbilt Room

This week we are spotlighting our Vanderbilt Room, one of our elementary classrooms. We asked these five students what they want to be when they grow up and here are their answers.

Muslima, grade 4, said she wants to be a teacher.
Makka, grade 4, wants to be a nurse.
Amina, grade 2, said she wants to be an English teacher.
Abdullahi, grade 2, wants to be a fireman.
Guled, grade 2, said he wants to be an FBI agent.