"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve."

Today, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we went to KIPP to help do service around the school. We did all sorts of little projects, including painting an office (a tight spaced office with no ventilation, I might add), picking up trash, mulching the outside of the school, and throwing out old computer parts, tires, etc.

After lunch we joined a group of KIPP students who were there preparing for their own Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans. We did an activity where we sat in groups of four or five with our hands tied to one another and had to work together to make our own lunch. Let's just say some had a little more difficulty than others. After each group finished making the lunches, we earned the right to get untied by saying an important lesson we learned from the activity. The overall message that they took away from it, that by working together and strategizing they can get things accomplished, will definitely carry over to their trip to New Orleans.

Following the activity, the students joined us in our service projects. It was a great opportunity to talk to some of the kids and work with them outside of the classroom. They are all seem very excited about going on their trip to New Orleans to help another community in need. I have learned that not only are the teachers at KIPP are very dedicated but also the students. One of the students was telling me about her friend who lives an hour and a half away and has to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to get to school. It just made me realize how much effort and dedication these students put into their education and really want to better their lives and the lives of others.

After the service project we all came back together and the students reflected on their day and what memorable lessons they learned. They had to answer questions, one of which included a reaction to a quote said by Martin Luther King Jr., "Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
The students had amazing responses that demonstrated how important service is to them and showed that they all have the qualities spoken by Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's to Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of the United States tomorrow and to my first blog post ever!

-Alli