A few weeks ago, 16 lucky fifth graders from PS 73 in the South Bronx got a chance to become Junior Executives for a day at the Law Firm of Labaton Sucharow, our amazing Team 73 Lead Change Team Sponsor. The morning started with the steep walk to the subway near Yankee Stadium, and about 40 minutes later we were in the middle of downtown rush hour. Winding through all the tourists and business men and women, we found ourselves at the corner of Liberty and Broadway, across from the now famed Zuccotti Park.

A quick check in with the doorman, and we packed the elevator full on our way to the 35th floor. “Whoa, my ears popped,” said Brittany. “Yeah, that was super fast,” agreed Anthony. And then the doors opened to the marble lobby with panoramic views of Manhattan. “Oh my God!” “That’s the Empire State Building.” “That’s the Brooklyn Bridge!” “Look, you can see the tops of some of the buildings, we are so high.” For some of these kids this was the first time they had ever been in a skyscraper, and the view was nothing short of awesome.

I mention all of their reactions to the buildings and the fancy lobby furnishings, because this was all part of their experiences as Junior Executives. Definitely part of the lure, and something they will remember when they dream about the possibilities for their future. They could have a corner office too someday; it just takes hard work and perseverance!

We walked through the lobby to the conference room and each kid took their place in leather chairs at the board table. First up, we heard from Jay Pontrelli and Amy Greenbaum, the investigative team at Labaton, and learned all about the great lengths they go through to gather evidence. Spy pens and watches, along with an official FBI vest were definitely a highlight. Following that, Associates Jeffrey Alexander, Corban Rhodes, and Danielle Stampley shocked us by explaining that they often prepare 200 page documents as part of a case. Luckily, the principles behind persuasive writing are the same whether your argument is 2 pages (what our kids are used to working on) or 200, so our Junior Executives felt confident they could tackle the task one day soon. And finally we chatted with the Marketing and Communications team including Jennifer Bankston, Maggie Martin, and Gennaro Della Gatta. One of the big revelations of the day was learning that it takes a lot more people than just lawyers to make a law firm run smoothly.

After the talk back sessions ended, we went on a tour of the rest of the office, and as is always the case, something I never anticipated being a big deal really excited our kids – they recognized their names on the office doors! People with the same name as either themselves or their friends had really important jobs in this giant office. Anything is possible.

It was truly an awesome day. Thank you many times over to the Labaton Team for being such generous hosts and mentors for our students. I think there just might be a few future investigators or law partners in about 20 years!

This spring CFK partnered with Chess NYC to start a new program for every first grade student at PS 160 in Jamaica Queens, and we are so impressed with everything they have already learned. I dropped by last week to see the kid in action and I couldn’t believe the thoughtful, strategic moves I was witnessing these  6 and 7 year old kids execute after only a few weeks of instruction.

The classes meet every Friday and I know after talking to a few of the students, it is something these kids look forward to all week. During each lesson Coach Rebecca introduces new chess concepts and leads the class through puzzles that challenge kids to think critically about what the best possible move could be. “What are our three ways for moving out of check?” asked Coach Rebecca? Hands shot up all across the room, and Jamal proudly answered, “Protect, capture, or run away!”

The first thing every beginner chess player has to master is the basic rules that govern how each piece moves. Each one moves a different way, and each has a unique function in the game. Pawns can only move forward, and they capture on the diagonal. Rooks can fly as far as they want in a straight line, backwards, forwards, or side to side. Bishops move only on their color. Knights hop around in an “L” shape. And so on. Every week for the first few weeks of the program, the kids mastered a new piece. And when it came time to play their partners during class, they got to add that piece to their boards. The day I was there, the classes had just finished learning their last piece, and they were ready to play their first official games with every piece on the board. So exciting!

As I wandered around the room I asked kids why they liked playing. “Because I get to have fun” was a common response, but my favorite came from a table of girls… “because it makes me feel smart when I capture a piece,” said Shawntel. Their teacher Ms. Garrity said she was “excited to see the kids think so many steps ahead” and she was “shocked with who some of the students were who were coming up with the best moves.”

Thanks again to the fantastic directors at Chess NYC, and their generous donors who have made this program possible. The cognitive and social benefits of playing chess are tremendous, and I can’t wait to return in a few weeks to see their continued progression. I’m going to have to brush up on my skills, or I know a few kids who will quickly be able to beat me if they keep up this great work!

A bright and beautiful Saturday, April 13th, found a group of 50 volunteers at P.S. 81.  The goal? Tackling school-wide projects during P.S. 81′s first CFK School Beautification Day.  The day began with the creation an additional mural in the auditorium. Our CFK muralist created a sleek, abstract, life-size painting of audience members, with our willing team serving as both models and painters.  The end product melded seamlessly with the two fabulous murals already present to enhance the cheerful and playful nature of the space.

Volunteers standing in front of P.S. 81′s beautiful new mural!

Beyond the auditorium, volunteers revamped two classrooms: room 231 which serves as Change for Kid’s homebase and room 307 which has been newly designated as the art room.  School Beautification Days always seem to include some heavy lifting, and this day was no exception. Volunteers started off the day clearing out years of left over materials and books from the two rooms, leaving the closets and cabinets clear and ready for art and literacy materials.

Armed with goggles, gloves, and scrapers the more adventurous volunteers undertook the task of stripping down wooden cabinets and closet doors in each classroom.  Stripping and priming the cabinets proved to be one of the more extreme CFK projects. Luckily volunteers stepped up determined to take on the challenge.  After lunch, teams had to rapidly reassembled these rooms to be ready for Monday which included painting the wood and cork boards bright colors, replacing broken furniture with new tables, and organizing materials to be easily accessible for tutoring and art class.

Three teachers joined us for School Beautification Day and were able to put volunteers to work in their own classrooms.  A Pre-k, Kindergarten, and Fourth grade teacher were able to get a head start in their spring cleaning efforts by getting help cleaning, sorting, painting, hanging, and purging their classrooms. Jimmy, one of P.S. 81′s custodians, lead the CFK team fearlessly throughout the day, directing volunteers, finding cleaning products and paint, and keeping everyone on track to get a huge amount of work done.  With the help of Jimmy, P.S. 81 teachers, and volunteers the CFK School Beautification Day was able to complete projects in seven rooms (not to mention in several hallways) allowing students, parents, and teachers throughout the school to benefit from the work of CFK volunteers. The day was particularly special as volunteers were able to meet the teachers their work helped, and teachers witnessed the mass of willing volunteers who wanted to spend their valuable weekend time at P.S. 81.

This semester has been a busy one for the new music program at P.S. 15. Not only has CFK started sponsoring a program that is teaching music fundamentals to all the students at P.S. 15, but the music room received a fancy make-over thanks to Change for Kids’ recent School Beautification Day. So now that they have a beautiful, colorful new program and room, how have the P.S. 15 students been adjusting to their music classes?

According to P.S. 15′s music teacher Terry Cade (Ms. Terry), the excitement of the students is palpable, and contagious! Other teachers are jumping in on the excitement. A fellow teacher brought in a large mailing tube in the hopes that Ms. Terry could fashion a homemade rain stick. She could!

The students love of their new class is also obvious- during my visits, there is rarely a moment where students are sitting still. Everyone is up, moving and interacting with their classmates and teachers in a constant flurry of activity!

Students are up and moving while learning “The Tulip Song” with Ms. Terry!

Ms. Terry told me that her goal is for the students to learn the fundamentals of music – rhythm, tempo, pitch, dynamics, etc.- as well as understand the importance of collaboration and innovation. To this end, their last project enabled a portion of her older students to work together to write multi-part harmonies. These harmonies were displayed on the board for the rest of the class, and were even performed by the class as a whole! To add to the excitement, the students will perform their compositions for the entire school community at the End of the Year Performance.

But perhaps the best example of how well students are responding to Ms. Terry’s classes is through their interaction with “The Tulip Song,” of which I was lucky enough to be a participant. “The Tulip Song” combines essentially everything that Miss Terry is hoping to convey to her students: singing, rhythm, instrumentation, collaboration, memorization, and movement.

Ms. Terry began by teaching the song, which she wrote, to the class. The song told the story of a tulip coming out to play after a long winter and being greeted by the sun, wind, and rain, all of which helped the tulip thrive in the new weather. The class used a metallophone as the sun, a xylophone as the wind, and a glockenspiel as the rain. Once all three had in turn greeted the tulip, the tulip- played by energetic students- was able to get up and dance to show its’ excitement about the warm weather.

The students heard “The Tulip Song” a few times, and were then invited to take turns playing the instruments and singing and dancing along. It was amazing to see the whole class excitedly up and moving.  I, meanwhile, was left humming “The Tulip Song” for the remainder of the day. Ms. Terry later told me that she is reusing the theme of Spring for the students’ collaborative arrangements, and they are all incredibly excited about the motif.

After viewing the energy and inspiration in the classroom, what has stuck with me the most is Ms. Terry’s view on music in schools. She said that though many believe arts education is an easy budget slash, music and arts programs are a necessary tool for students’ successful development in both school and life. As she says, “regardless of academic, linguistic or behavioral barriers, all children can participate in music and through it find a way to connect and lead.”  And anything that allows children to grow emotionally and intellectually is music to our ears!