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teachUM in Tampa - 2004 |
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| Click on Photos for a larger image. |
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| Eight volunteers, Roger & Shirley Kjellberg
(IA), Jack & Maurine Scott (OH), Helen Siekmann (IL),
Georgia Sprinkle (NC), Gene & Lois Rogers-Watson (FL)
became a team as they worked at Tampa UM Academy, a charter
school operated by the Tampa United Methodist Centers.
This was a remarkable group of people with incredible talents!!
The team tutored students, modeled teaching strategies,
worked in the cafeteria, office, and library, and assisted
with the after school program. They were warmly welcomed
by the administrators, staff, and students who have had
few volunteers in the past. |
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In Tampa many students from the inner city
are bussed several miles to achieve racial equality for
the District. Tampa UM Academy was formed to provide a
neighborhood school within the inner city in which students
could receive a quality education through small classes
and more individualized attention. Currently there are
287 students in grades K-8. Most are African-American with
some Hispanic youngsters. The school is housed on Women's
Division property which was formerly St. Paul's School
in Ybor City. |
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| The team feels that one of the greatest contributions they
made during their two weeks was to help teachers understand
how volunteers could be of assistance and to help them develop
some guidelines for preparing for and utilizing future volunteers.
They brought books, games, and puzzles for the students and
on their final day presented the school with some playground
items: balls, chalk, and jump ropes. The group also made a
$600 donation toward staff development. |
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| Our experience ended on a high note and we are ready
to be signed up for next year. Two weeks was definitely
the right length of time because trust has been established.
Jim Scherer, the principal, feels that we have no idea
about how much good we did. He felt our Christian witness
was the most important gift we gave and all else was frosting
on the cake. Because the school receives government funding,
we did not openly talk about our faith with the students
but we walked the walk and several spoke of that. |
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