In order to fulfill part of the service aspect of my CAS project I tutored two kids once a week for 6 months. One of the kids is in 5th grade and the other in 4th. I tutor the 5th grader in math and the 4th grader in reading. Every Monday I meet with each of the students for one hour and we complete their homework for the week, go over old tests, and quizzes and do additional reading. Both of the boys are busy playing hockey and lacrosse all year and so in the past they have struggled to meet grade level proficiency. I have always been extremely diligent and organized in my work and so through tutoring these kids not only did I teach them material but also important study habits for their future. Tutoring these kids was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Every time I saw them I could see a small change in their motivation to study and also the success that they were having on their tests. It was incredible to see my knowledge and understanding of school go beyond myself and actually rub off on kids who have a long future of school ahead of them. When I began meeting with Max in the beginning of the year he was reading at a 2nd grade level. After listening to him read, reading aloud to him, and quizzing him on different pronunciations and sounds he moved up to a 5th grade reading level. It was incredible to see how proud he was of himself as well as watch him grow as a student. Tim, who is in 5th grade struggles with numbers. While I think math will always be a battle for him in his schooling he is starting to become less frustrated and impatient when solving problems. He now tries a multitude of processes before giving up on the problem and it has been amazing to see his eyes light up when he does reach the end of the problem. I learned so much from tutoring these two boys. Not only did I brush off my long division and multiplication skills but I also uncovered a passion that I have for teaching and helping other kids reach their full potential.
H2O FUNDRAISER
My brother and I started the H2O Club when I was a sophomore. The goal of the club is to sell reusable water bottles in order to raise money for water filters that are then distributed to third world countries by Hurley. While the club has been successful for the past couple of years in raising money and distributing the filters by solely selling water bottles, this year and with CAS in mind I decided to take it one step farther. My friend Zoe and I collaborated to plan a big fundraiser. We met multiple times a week to discuss logistics of the fundraiser, figure out how to throw it for a minimum cost, and how to maximize our profits. After splitting up the work, calling multiple venues in town and analyzing what type of fundraiser would raise the most money we settled on having a dance for high school students. We figured that this would raise awareness for our club and its global efforts within our school while also provide a fun activity for the high school students. After weeks after week of bargaining, brainstorming and debating Zoe and I settled on the idea of having the dance at Bumps with one of our peers as a DJ and a photo booth that was donated by a friend. We succeeded in throwing the entire dance for a cost of only $300. The entire night was a raging success. We had club members checking people in at the door and monitoring the dance floor and old teachers chaperoning. By the end of the night 300 kids had gone into the dance and we had raised over $3,000. The entire experience was incredibly rewarding. Not only did we raise enough money to buy 60 water filters that will last for over 5 years for villages in foreign third world countries, but also I learned how to work with a team to plan an event. Zoe and I learned the value of working together and dividing up work to efficiently get things done. I also learned how to sit in meetings with professionals. After meeting with multiple venues and catering companies I was confident in my ability to communicate on a mature level.