ENVIRONMENT FAMILY ARTS , SUSTAINABILITY AND WELLNESS COMMUNITY HEALTH
BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - ART BALTIMORE WITH A HEART SQUASHWISE SPECIAL EDUCATION
Intern : Liesel : Jeremy Arauz GuVallecillo Peer Supervisor
Mentor : Nadia : Sarah
Koye
West Oputa Howell Supervisor : Annabelle Bacordio What is Art with a Heart ? What is Baltimore SquashWise ? What is the BCPS Office of Special Education ?
Art with a Heart works to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art For
SquashWise . residents Art with of a Baltimore
partners Heart , City brings Schools
with visual provides
Baltimore art classes a range
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youth to services
and vulnerable to ensure
families youth that all and students
to advance adults ' equity in squash , in needs education are met , whether , and in personal regular education development classes , resource opportunities rooms or self-contained . We are classes a dedicated agent of change schools public schools
, shelters
, separate
, group special
homes education
, community centers , or nonpublic
centers special
, hospitals education
and schools
senior . facilities providing
Students receive . a place where students reach their academic , athletic , and life goals and where the
appropriate supports , interventions , and rigorous instruction , with the goals of high achievement squash community and postsecondary becomes success . We more also offer accessible special education and programs welcoming and services for all . for young children with Individualized Education Programs ( IEP ).
SquashWise is a nonprofit that deals with squash and education . As a tennis player , I thought : why would they pair empowering the youth with such an uncommon sport when they could appeal to more students with games like soccer ? I thought the greatest effect would be made if more students were , impacted but I did not think about why squash was so uncommon in the first place . The scarcity of squash courts and squash players matched all the societal concepts we learned about during CIIP orientation . The " Black Butterfly " and the " White L " showed up again and again : the " White L " had the only 2 squash courts in Baltimore City . One gym shut down last year because of COVID-19 and the other one is the Maryland Club , which is invitation-only and has a $ 1,500 monthly fee , which bars most Baltimore City residents . Squash is a high class , white male dominated sport which unfortunately also mirrors the access of many other resources in Baltimore City . SquashWise seeks to bring Baltimore youth expanded access to both squash and higher education .
My days at SquashWise started with a morning activity that the YouthWorkers and I led to encourage teamwork and stretch kids out of their comfort zones . We then transitioned into the squash training and enrichment activities , designed to help students improve their squash skills and develop life skills that complement their squash training and help them live healthier lives . The first week , I watched a group of rookies go from holding a squash racket for the first time to playing full matches and working as a group with great sportspersonship . The second week , I watched everybody start getting more professional with the reffing and learning about nutrition while making tasty shakes and drinks . Each week , I learned that squash provided these middle schoolers a tight community that was there to push them to get better each day , to pull them up when they lost , to work together efficiently , and to celebrate with class when they won as a team . It all started with just the access to an unfamiliar , uncommon game that had been kept away from them . And even if they don ' t get anywhere close to a professional level of squash , they will always know that there is a support system and a way to have fun somewhere close .
Assisted with enrichment and squash programming for middle school students to develop leadership , teamwork , and sportspersonship
Mentored YouthWorkers through their first job experience
Created a timeline of the Historic North Howard Greyhound Building and SquashWise to present to the community
Guided youth through morning team building activities and constructed a health curriculum for the year
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