Keep high risk inner-city students in school

Dear Friends,

It is an exciting time for Walking the Path! Our Alternative Learning Center (Suspension Sites) students are involved in a range of activities as part of the Walking the Path program, from learning to see through a "creative lens" to mastering the techniques of producing music. All of the activities help re-engage the students in learning  while building their literacy and digital skills.

At John Jay and Choir high schools students focused on strengthening their observation and writing skills. The students used digital cameras to capture images of their everyday surroundings, but used their new creative approach to find beauty and meaning in objects and places they might otherwise overlook. The students wrote short creative pieces to accompany each photograph, which they also edited using Photoshop.

At DuBois the students are going to start the full Walking the Path program and will incorporate music production along with video production and autobiographical writing in their projects. A Partnership with Children social worker who is also a music producer will lead the students through the process of creating melodies and beats, and will teach them to record, edit and publish their music using a digital program. The music they produce will be used in their autobiographical video pieces. The students will simultaneously learn to use digital cameras, Photoshop, and  video editing programs. The schools' English Language Arts teacher will dedicate five full classes to helping the students learn to write autobiographical pieces, which will be used in their Walking the Path videos. Some of the things students will think about while writing their autobiographies include memories of their childhood; difficult experiences they have endured; turning points in their lives, and their visions for their future.

We are excited to share all of this news with you and look forward to sharing the students' finished pieces this Spring.