Dining Etiquette Meeting

Students practicing their table manners at our dining etiquette meeting. Making sure to hold their fork and knife correctly and keep their napkin in their lap!

Tevin and Tim earning their trip!

Only three weeks left until takeoff, GET EXCITED!!

New York City How-To's

Final preparations for the trip have begun! We are teaching the students things that they will need to know to function in the city that many of us take for granted-- like how to properly cross a busy New York street or walk on a sidewalk full of fast-paced pedestrians. While Marvell's sidewalks will probably never see as much foot traffic as even the least-busy street in New York, they still make a good training ground for our students. Even though we just walked a few blocks, it was surprising to see that several of our students were saying they were tired already...and so began the preaching about walking more and more over the next few weeks to get in shape and how important practical walking shoes are, even if they are not a fashion statement!

Also at this week's student meeting, we shared with the student's how to go through airport security, with the trip sponsors playing the different roles of ticket checkers and TSA agents. Pulling students aside for "additional questioning" was interesting because it was clear that there was a certain shyness which arose from their unfamiliarity with the situation. However, hopefully they are now better prepared to answer "Did you pack your bags yourself?" and "Why are you going to New York?" It is our hope that these types of practical experiences will prove useful to our students in the future in ways our typical classroom lessons never could.

Check back soon to hear more about our final preparations!

Student Profile: Get to Know Miracle

Miracle

1. Extracurricular Activity(ies): Church

2. Favorite Food: Pizza

3. Favorite Subject in School: Math

4. Looking forward to most about NYC: Beautiful Sites

5. Favorite part about living in Marvell: The people

6. What you want to be when you grow up and why?:
A doctor because I want to help people.

7. Where would you like to go to college if you could choose any college?:
University of Southern Georgia

8. Do you have any pets? (If yes, what are their names?)
Yes, Honey

9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?
California, because of my family.

10. Are there any parts about the New York City trip that you are nervous about?
No

Humane Society of the Delta Volunteering

As one of the required parts of our students eligibility to participate in our "Bright Lights and the Big City" trip to NYC, they are required to accumulate community service hours in order to earn "points." One of the service activities that we've been participating in on a regular basis now is volunteering at the Humane Society of the Delta.

The Humane Society of the Delta was founded just over a year ago, and has made significant strides in reducing the number of strays in Phillips County through both local adoption and transport services that allow animals to be transported to other areas of the country where they have a better chance of being adopted into a loving home.

On Monday afternoons, students and at least one of our trip chaperones have been lending a helping hands by "getting their hands dirty" and feeding, watering, and cleaning up after the animals at the shelter.

One of the more endearing parts of this activity had been to see the tender way students who sometimes may appear to have a "tough outer shell" gently pet and show affection to the animals after the work is done and they are able to spend some time giving the animals much-needed personal attention.

We hope to continue this partnership with the Humane Society in the Spring and feel that our students are learning valuable lessons that will help them to become better adults and add positive contributions to our society in the future.

Marvell Christmas Parade

Our students spread their holiday cheer as they passed out candy and escorted Mr. and Mrs. Clause in the annual Marvell Christmas Parade. The trip sponsors felt it was a great opportunity to make the community aware of our trip and for the students to give back directly to the town of Marvell. Additionally, you can tell by the smiles on our student's faces that they were excited to share in the spirit of the season and proud of where will be headed in just a few short months!