Saturday was an amazing day at MINDDRIVE. We started off by meeting all of our new students and their parents for an orientation down at the shop. We have 12 returning students and 18 new students coming from 5 schools across the Kansas City metropolitan area. The students range in age from 15 to 18 years old and come from Alta Vista Charter High School, DeLaSalle Charter High School, University Academy Charter High School, Center High School, and Shawnee Mission East High School.
First thing out of the shoot, we gave them our Pre-Test. Yep! That’s right, a test – first day! This is an important aspect to our success as we measure the impact that experiential learning has with this group of high school students. Which of these students “learns by doing”? Who ends up with an expanded vision for their future? Are we inspiring them to learn back in their core subjects at school as a result of the options that we present to them? These are all compelling questions that we are frankly excited to discover over the course of the next 32 weeks with these young adults. How much impact can we have in one year? We are aiming high! And, when our EXPECTATIONS are set high, they can accomplish GREAT things!
The highlight came at the end of our session, when we all piled into cars and headed out to a picnic lunch with the Mayor. Kansas City’s Mayor, Sly James @MayorSlyJames spoke to the students about triumph over obstacles. He challenged them to always do their best, and promised that if they did, opportunities will come. He candidly shared his own personal story and stories about his family that included both success and failure. We shared a lovely meal, organized by Genaro Ruiz (a big shout out – THANK YOU!) and were able to ask him any question we wanted. Students sought his advice on topics, shared their own stories of success and struggles. In the end, we took this photo together, a symbol of unity and support.
What a wonderful start to the @MINDDRIVEorg 2012-13 program. Thank you, Mayor!