This week, we had to say goodbye to one of our lovely SEAD scholars, Shae, as her family moved away to Massachusetts. Shae has left Raymond after being apart of the district for five year and participating in SEAD since the beginning of this program cohort. She will be attending Pembroke high school in Massachusetts, and she hopes to continue to participate in the SEAD program by staying in contact with future Raymond SEAD interns for academic support and attending SEAD events at the East Boston location. We wish you all the best of luck as you finish out the year at another school, Shae.!
Many adults and students in the building have told me that they will miss Shae dearly. For example, the coordinators for the Reach High Scholars program, Ms. Genny Moriarty and Mr. John McDaniels have gotten to known Shae through her participation in college readiness events such as the SAT prep classes and the Phillips Exeter College Fair. They told me that Shae was always a positive addition to any event, and they will be sure to keep in touch with her to help support her transition. I'm personally really glad that Shae has been able to make connections at Raymond that will follow and support her as she moves on to a new school and college.
Our SEAD scholars were also eager to plan a goodbye dinner for Shae. Shae, Jade, Tati, Wes and I ended up having dinner at Applebees on Thursday to give Shae a sendoff. Cam and Katie unfortunately couldn't come due to out-of-town commitments, but they sent their love. At the dinner, everything was going great until Tati discovered that her burger was quite raw, though she had specifically ordered it well done. Tati asked the burger to be redone, and the waiter was very apologetic and tried to correct the mistake. However, the kitchen ended up serving her an even rawer burger than the original well after everyone finished their meals. Needless to say, Tati was not pleased. I was proud of how everyone responded to this situation. Though Tati was justifiably unhappy with her meal, no one made a scene or antagonized the restaurant. Instead, the group collectively decided to empathize with the waiter after talking about the situation. We even ended up leaving the waiter a good sized tip for the trouble he went through on account of our order. I was very happy about everyone's ability to keep their emotions in check and think from a different perspective. Because of everyone's maturity, we didn't let this ruin our evening.
Last week, we also had a POPs concert in the gym of RHS. The combined high school and community band performed several familiar tunes such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Annie, Minnie the Moocher, and a Lady Gaga Medley. The Chorus sang several classic songs such as Pinball Wizard. Senior musicians also each performed touching solos. One student performed an original composition romantic ballad, and many members of the audience teared up at his performance. I also participated in the concert by playing the Euphonium as part of the band! the entire concert was incredibly well received. An audience member even told me that we sounded professional! Unfortunately, none of the SEAD students could come to the performance due to various reasons. I guess my rocking abilities just don't extend that kind of appeal :P. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the experience immensely and am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the community in this way.
Thanks again for an awesome week. I'm loving my time at Raymond, and above all it's thanks to all you lovely scholars!
Zan
Here are some pictures of Katie, Tati and Shae trying not to be photographed by me. Apparently they need to be specially prepared for a face shot...
