Making a Difference: Dr. Patricia Payne

Each summer, as we learn about community, we have an opportunity to meet some of our community leaders who are making a difference. Last week, we were honored to have Dr. Pat Payne visit with our campers.

"Teaching is my passion, purpose, and destiny -          

Dr. Patricia Payne

CHILDHOOD

A young Patricia (left) with her family.

As a young child, Dr. Payne had a dog, named Skippy. The oldest of four children, the chore she hated the most was cleaning the bathroom, but she loved playing Monopoly and playing with her dolls - dolls that were black - just like her. Fried chicken, strawberry shortcake and apple pie are her favorite foods to eat. She was involved with her church, along with Brownies, Girl Scouts, and Campfire Girls. She also enjoyed going to the library to learn more about black history.  

Dr. Payne graduated from Shortridge High School in 1957. Her least favorite subject was History. She found it hard to relate to because "it was never about anyone who looked like me."

Following in her mother's footsteps, Mrs. Payne knew at a young age that she wanted to become a teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University (1962), Bloomington, and a Master's in Education at IUPUI (1975). She also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Martin University.

CAREER IN EDUCATION
Mrs. Payne taught 2nd grade in IPS for 25 years. As a teacher of mostly African American students, she grew frustrated with the lack of diversity in the curriculum. She and a few other teachers began a movement. They wanted educational resources that reflected people of color, and shared their concerns with the school leadership. They were successful and IPS began to make changes.

Our campers were excited to meet Dr. Payne (center)!

As the school district began taking steps to address the ethnic diversity of its student population, the Superintendent of IPS called Patricia out of the classroom in 1987 to design and direct the office of Multicultural Education. This special assignment moved her passion for teaching to another level. Mrs. Payne’s main responsibility was to hold Professional Development workshops to “help teachers raise their expectation of Black children and teach them as if they know they can learn, and learn well.”

Some of the programs include the Infusion Conference of Cultural and History into the Curriculum; the Multicultural Festival; an annual televised tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King; and “Spirit of Freedom” at Crown Hill, an interactive history program that celebrates African Americans in the Civil War for 5th grade students. These programs have been going on for about the last 30 years.

After 52 years of service Patricia retired from IPS in 2014. She was rehired and now serves as an administrator on Special Assignment, Racial Equity.

LIFE LONG LEARNING
Mrs. Payne has traveled the world learning all she can about different cultures, especially African cultures. She has traveled and studied in Nigeria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Brazil. 

SAVE THE DATE - 9/20/16: "Making a Difference: Celebrating Our Community" Awards Dinner







 

Moving Day!

It takes a village to raise a child, and to run a summer program. And in that village, you will find a lot of......stuff! Craft supplies, indoor games, outdoor games, an ice cream churn, costumes, props and............

Thanks to our volunteers who helped transfer supplies out of storage to our temporary camp site home! In just over 3 weeks summer camp will be here!  If you're still looking for a great summer enrichment program, we still have a few spots available in our K-1 and 6th-8th grade classes.  FMI:  http://bit.ly/1VG5ptw

"Villagers" who came out to help! (L to R:) Suzene, Jaeda, Nikki, Michelle, Lillian, Mylissa, Wayne (not pictured)

2016 Summer Camp Registration Now Open!

Academic Enrichment | Arts & Crafts | Culinary Arts & Nutrition |  Field Trips | Games | 

History & Culture | Manners & Etiquette Lessons | Prep4Life (Asante Children's Theatre)| 

Reading/Storytelling | Team Building Activities 

Looking for creative and fun learning activities to engage your child over the summer break? Register now for the Freetown Village Summer Day Camp!

Dates:  June 13 - July 22, 2016, 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday - Friday

             Early check in available (7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.) 

Location: Freetown Village Summer Camp will be held at Zion Hope Church

              (46^th and Arlington Avenue). 

Cost: $75.00 per week, plus one-time registration fee.  

Eligibility: Open to children between the ages of 5 and 14 (grades K—8).  

               Spaces are limited. Early registration ends April 8th.

For applications or additional information, please email: 

Marriam A. Umar, Program Director, marriam@freetownvillage.org. 

Applications available at www.freetownvillage.org 

  

  

Now Hiring for Summer Camp Staff!

Manners & Etiquette

  
Table Manners & Etiquette:
What's the Big Deal?

Have you ever been to a restaurant and wondered which fork, spoon or napkin to use? Or, have you ever reached for your water glass only to discover that someone else is drinking from it?  For many, the practice of good table manners and etiquette, that were common place a generation or two ago, are sometimes tossed out in favor of convenience.

Our twenty-first century lifestyle is often fast paced and informal, and many of our young people simply have not been taught or have few opportunities to practice proper table etiquette. We know how valuable it is for our campers to learn and practice these skills so they will be equipped in all types of social settings.  

Javon, serving his class, the "Royal Lions" (2nd - 3rd grade) their morning snack.  On this day, we had apple slices.

This week, campers discussed common table manner, and the reasons why they are important.

• No elbows on the table.  You might get food on your clothes.
• Chew with your mouth closed.  You might drop food out of your mouth and give us something unsightly to see.
• Don't reach across the table.  You might knock something over.
• Don't stuff food in your mouth.  You could easily choke, plus you cannot talk with your mouth stuffed with food!

Campers also learned how to set the table. It is never too young to learn table etiquette, as our PreK-1st  graders (The Powerful Butterflies) quickly demonstrated their skills and memorized this simple poem:

Traditions: Strawberry Shortcake & Ice cream

Traditions:  Strawberry Shortcake & Ice cream

Freetown Village Summer Camp is full of traditions, and during the first week, strawberries play an important part.  Our field trip to Waterman's Farm has become a tradition over the past 10+ years, and there's nothing quite like the taste of fresh-picked strawberries!  For many of our campers, this is the first time they've been on a farm and made a direct connection with a food source.  


The first year we visited, the campers were horrified at the thought of picking food "off of the ground"!  The stunned adults asked, "Well, where do you think strawberries come from?" Their response?  "The store!" We knew right then that we had to make sure hands-on experiences with food were a part of our curriculum every summer.   

Back at camp, it's time to get to work.  Each class has a responsibility in making the sweet treat.  To get things started, our 4th - 5th graders have the responsibility of de-stemming and slicing the berries. The next morning, our 6th -8th graders make the shortcakes, and help the PreK-3rd graders to hand-crank the vanilla ice cream.

After lunch and recess, it all comes together in a delicious strawberry shortcake with a scoop of ice cream!  

Week 7: Enthusiasm

Our proverb for week 7 is most fitting as we enter our last week of summer camp: "All good things must come to an end".  Look at all the things we did this summer - we made new friends, learned new things, and explored new places. Kids can look forward to returning to school and sharing their new discoveries with their friends and teachers. Our theme this week focuses on a character trait that promotes:

Enthusiasm!

There are great benefits to being the enthusiastic person of the group. It grows into opportunity, achievement and confidence. The more we view the glass as "half full", the more fulfillment and joy we will have in our lives. It's important that each individual child be themselves so that they can be enthusiastic and excited about the activities they enjoy.

Think Outside the Hoop
Davin, one of our older campers, took it upon himself to mentor one of the younger campers, Kyler. Together, they worked on building a fort out of hula hoops. They quickly became the trendsetters during recess, and other campers were excited to try making their own hula hoop forts!
                               

The hula hoop fort is a basic example of how enthusiasm can lead to some amazing ideas within a child's mind. 

Enthusiastic children will become enthusiastic adults. As children grow up, they are faced with more challenges and obstacles. This can easily become frustrating and discouraging, but they can overcome these frustrations with their secret weapon: enthusiasm!


Summer Camp Collaboration
Our field trip to Fort Harrison State Park has become an annual tradition. Campers celebrate their summer together with a day of games and a picnic. So this year, we invited our friends from Kaleidoscope/MLK Center to enjoy the beautiful day with us!  

As we made our introductions, we divided into 4 blended teams and rotated through a variety of activities. Each team was able to play kickball, go on a hike, make a craft, and have some free time on the playground.

All that really worked up an appetite! We grilled hot dogs, corn, and enjoyed watermelon and s'mores for lunch. Yum! Both camps spent the remaining afternoon participating in the field day challenge.

Willie Gupton, Kaleidoscope Director of Youth Programs, raved about how the event was a huge success. 

"Most of my campers had never been to Fort Harrison before, so the experience was especially exciting for those unfamiliar with the park.  The following day, parents commented on how much they enjoyed the field day, and asked why we haven't done anything like this this before." 

Enjoying s'mores!

Free time at the playground

Field day challenge

Working together to create a yarn bowl

Yep, our first collaboration experience gave us a great opportunity to positively interact with another camp. Together we celebrated new friends, old friends, moving forward and remembering all the great experiences we've had over the summer. A big thanks to Kaleidoscope for partnering up with Freetown Village Summer Camp to celebrate diversity, teamwork and positive character skills in action!

It Takes a Village: Thank you !

All these great activities and experiences would not be possible without our amazing partners, sponsors, and volunteers. We greatly appreciate all the support and response to the mission we continue to strive for at Freetown Village. See everyone next summer!