Thursday, September 1, 2016

Sophomore Backpack and School Supplies Drive

The Sophomore class is partnering with Community Giving Tree this year to support the academic needs of children around the North Shore. As you shop for school supplies, please consider picking up a few extra for this project! 

We are asking students and their families to help by dropping off new inexpensive school supplies in a bin located in the front doors of the new Arts Center by Friday, October 14th.  Any donation is greatly appreciated, from several of the items needed to a fully stocked backpack. Please give as you are able. The students will be assembling close to 100 backpacks filled with the following requested items:

  • Spiral Notebooks & Filler Paper
  • Pens & Pencils
  • Markers & Crayons
  • Glue & Glue Sticks
  • Two Pocket Folders
  • Highlighters
  • Backpacks
Once we have collected these supplies, the sophomore class will assemble the backpacks and write letters to the recipients. Leslie Levenson, the director of Community Giving Tree, said that the children who received the letters last year were so excited to receive a note of encouragement with their supplies!

If you have further questions, please contact Anna McCoy, Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Coordinator at ammccoy@pingree.org. 

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Summer Trip to the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota

Faculty Sponsors: Alan McCoy & Anna McCoy
                          
                              978-468-4415 ex. 427 (Alan)

Faculty Chaperones: Alan McCoy, Adam Logan ’08, 1 additional TBA


Overview: Student participants will have the opportunity to live and serve in a culture that is wholly different from their own. Participants will spend the entire week on the Rosebud Reservation engaging with the community in different ways. They will be introduced to the Lakota culture in a hands-on manner; something that school alone cannot offer. This group will work hard on forming a cohesive bond that will support them while serving and also once they return to their own communities.

The Rosebud Reservation is home to the Sicangu band of the Lakota (Sioux) Tribe. They are also known as the Brule and Rosebud Sioux. It is located in Todd County, South Dakota and abuts the Nebraska state line as well as the Pine Ridge Reservation. Some of the more famous Sicangu Lakota are Chiefs Spotted Tail and Iron Nation, the Crow Dog family (Henry Crow Dog and Leonard Crow Dog, both spiritual advisors to the American Indian Movement) and Mary Brave Bird Crow Dog, the author of Lakota Woman.

The community of Rosebud faces many challenges including an 80% unemployment rate, severe poverty and one of the lowest male life expectancies in the Western Hemisphere. It is also one of the most beautiful places on earth, with rich culture and amazing people. These people offer much more to us than we are able to bring to them. They allow us into their sacred places, invite us to traditional ceremonies, prepare fry bread so that we can partake of delicious Indian Tacos, bring us to visit their tribal buffalo herd and celebrate our presence with a dance at the Veterans Memorial Powwow.



Dates: July 30th  -August 6th, 2016

Airfare: $ 500
Supplies: $100
Food: $150
Chaperone cost: $200
Ground Transportation: $200
Community donations: $100
Total: $1250

Access funding is available



Accommodations: We will live at Sinte Gleska University, with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Participants need to bring sleeping bags and tents.


Food: The university is equipped with a full kitchen. Participants will take turns preparing meals for the group. Food budget is covered in program costs. We eat our meals “family style” – sitting around a large table and sharing in a “go around” (such as: “Who is your favorite superhero and why?”) Because this is a shared facility, we cannot guarantee an allergen free cooking environment.

Transportation: The group will fly from Boston to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on July 30th, 2016. Upon arrival, we will rent minivans for our trip to Rosebud.


Activities:

This year’s activities will be different from previous years, in that we will not engage in as many hands-on service opportunities. Instead, student participants will focus on building and strengthening relationships between the Rosebud community and Pingree. Prior to leaving for South Dakota, students will establish contacts with people on the reservation who work in the following fields

-       Education
-       Language restoration
-       Art
-       Athletics
-       Social Work
-       Tribal Historic Preservation
-       Tribal government
-       Community outreach
-       And more!


Students will have the opportunity to meet with these contacts and discuss possibilities for relationship building. We will share these ideas as a group and work together to fine-tune plans once we return to Pingree.

Participants will also engage in many cultural activities such as a powwow, sweat lodge and traditional meals.


  • Free time:

    • Hiking
    • Attend powwow
    • Participate in cultural activities (such as a sweat lodge)
    • Journal writing and photography


Requirements:

  • Student application, parent questionnaire, faculty recommendation are due on Wednesday, May 11th. PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT FACULTY AND STAFF HAVE A LOT ON THEIR PLATES RIGHT NOW -- get them the rec form ASAP! 

  • Student participants must attend several orientation sessions. There will be a parent orientation as well.

  • Students are required to keep a journal prior to and during their stay on the reservation.

  • Students need not be in good academic standing, but must show commitment, enthusiasm and open-mindedness toward the service trip.

  • Flexibility, resiliency and kindness are key to this trip. Many plans change last minute, days are long and hot, and we spend A LOT of time together. Students will not have regular access to their cell phone, and will not have much “alone time.” We model our trip structure after the Lakota tiospaye (community), which places group needs above individual.

Selection Process:
  • Student applications will be reviewed by former chaperones, and input from advisors, teachers, coaches and other adults will be sought

  • In order to encourage on-going relationships with the Rosebud community, as well as encourage peer leaders to assist in the cultural acclimation necessary for a trip such as this, we reserve at least four spots for trip veterans. Prior participants are not guaranteed a spot but will be considered for leadership positions.

Follow-Up:
  • Student participants will meet throughout the 2016-2017 school year to execute some of the plans made over the summer.

APPLICATION FORMS 



     

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Sophomore Service Days at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

On May 23rd, 24th and 25th sophomores will have the opportunity to participate in an afternoon of service at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. In the past our jobs have included laying stones for a walkway, cleaning out an on-site cabin, clearing fields of invasive plant species, painting picnic tables, and catching frogs/toads/snakes for exhibition at the annual Nature Fest. Activity buses will leave at 2:40 and return in time for the buses.

Volunteers should...

- Wear long pants, T-shirts, socks, sneakers/boots, a hat. Shorts, tank tops and sandals are not appropriate for the type of work we will be doing.

- Bring sunblock, bug spray, water bottle and snack

- Be willing to commune with nature and possibly get dirty!

- Leave phones in their locker

Interested students can sign up here. Please enter your full name under the date on which you wish to attend. 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Sophomore Service Opportunities

On January 28th, February 22nd and February 29th groups of sophomores will have the opportunity to prepare, serve and share dinner at the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester.

Interested sophomores should visit the following link to sign up:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bbf5Ajp3PIsPxQx_GZZKLooU2xcAYnZMzb8A5ILwkkY/edit#gid=0

Also, please look here for a short video about the issue of hunger on the North Shore and the role of the Open Door in alleviating it.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Supplies Drive for Northeast Animal Shelter

January 18th to January 29th will be our first supply drive for the Northeast Animal Shelter. Sponsored by Pingree's Animal Rights Club (led by Antonia Martins '18 and Iria Gutierrez-Schieferl '18), the drive seeks to collect much needed supplies for this organization.

The Northeast Animal Shelter is one of New England's largest no-kill shelters. They opened their doors in 1976 and since then have placed over 120,00 dogs. You can learn more about them here: http://www.northeastanimalshelter.org/

The Animal Rights Club is collecting the following items, identified by the shelter as their most-needed supplies:

- Paper towels
- Dog and cat toys
- Cloth Towels
- Fleece Blankets
- Trash Bags
- Dog waste bags
- Post-It Notes

Any contribution is much appreciated! Supplies can be donated in boxes (identified by grade) in the Theater lobby. Thank you!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Expectations for Special Olympics Volunteers

All student volunteers who signed up for the morning or all-day shifts should arrive on campus by 7:00AM on Sunday, October 18th. Please wear Pingree gear and sturdy footwear! With very few exceptions, this is a Rain or Shine type of event. Please come dressed for the weather! 


Our expectations of Pingree volunteers:

1. Experience instead of document - please separate yourself from your phone/camera. Be fully present!

2. Engage with our guests. Introduce yourself, ask how you can assist people, get to know your team and that team's fans.

3. Look for opportunities to serve instead of waiting to be asked.

4. Encourage and celebrate!

5. Be conscious of what you are learning while engaging in this activity. See if you can bring some of those lessons back to your family, friends, classes and extracurricular activities.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Backpacks and School supplies still needed!

Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to this year's backpack and school supply drive. During their Community Education time on October 20, the sophomore class will be packing these supplies into backpacks and sending them off to students all over the North Shore.

Last year we were able to collect and stock 45 backpacks, and are hoping to do the same. However, although we have reached our goal of supplies (though more are always welcomed), we are still short backpacks... we need 30 more to meet this year's goal.

Please consider picking one up this weekend (high-quality, inexpensive ones are available at Target, CVS, Walgreens, and WalMart) and dropping it off in the donation bin in the Theater Lobby.

Thank you!