Work begins on the Benton-Stephens Community Garden
Click here to see more photos and quotes from neighbors clearing, tilling, and weeding the garden on April 5 to get it ready for planting this spring.
Ibtisam Barakat "Write Your Life!" Seminar
Best-selling author of Tasting The Sky and Benton-Stephens resident Ibtisam Barakat is leading "Write Your Life!", a creative writing workshop on April 12 and April 13. To register or for more information call (573)-442-9213 or e-mail ibtisam@centurytel.net.
Memorial Baptist Church to hold first "Day of Caring" April 19
Members of the Memorial Baptist Church are planning to participate in their first-ever "Day of Caring" in the Benton-Stephens neighborhood on the morning of April 19.
Members of the church will go door-to-door asking residents if they have any small jobs that need help being completed, Pastor Bob Webb said. Members are going to introduce themselves to neighbors, pass out bottled water, and do jobs such as raking leaves and picking up trash. "We want people to know that we are glad to see them in the neighborhood and we are here to help," Webb said.
Webb got the idea from a similar project that was done through Kirkwood Baptist Church in Kirkwood, Mo.
Teams of three to four will be going out into the neighborhood, starting with blocks adjacent to the church. Afterwards church members are meeting to discuss their experiences in the neighborhood. Church members will be passing out door knob hangers to houses that they will be stopping at to let residents know they will be visiting.
Benton-Stephens resident profile: Clare Adrian
Don’t be worried if Clare Adrian’s house on North Ann Street looks somewhat dark inside. That’s just how she likes it. Concerned with energy efficiency, she prefers to work by natural light, and one of her pet peeves is when lights are on and don’t have to be. A Benton-Stephens resident for the past 29 years, Clare has a passion for writing and the arts that has been evident throughout most of her life. Click here to read the full story.
Do you know someone who lives in the neighborhood and would be interesting to profile? Please let us know!
Stephens College hosts Magic of Science day
More than 350 children and their parents participated in hands-on science experiments at the Stephens College Pillsbury Science Center on Saturday. Click here to read the full story.
Stephens Lake Park Activity Center holds open house
The Activity Center had an open house on April 2. There were various activities for all ages to show the community what this center has to offer.
Click here to see the video of The Rhythm Band.
Click here to see photos from the event.
25th District's Democratic candidates speak at forum
The Democratic candidates for Missouri’s 25th District kicked off their campaigns Wednesday night at the Columbia Public Library by agreeing on two things: education and health care are the most important issues facing mid-Missourians. Click here to read the full story.
Second victim in East Campus house explosion dies
Merna Sneed, 85, who was injured in a house explosion on March 14, died in the burn unit of University Hospital on April 3. Click here to read more about Mrs. Sneed.
City plans new community leadership program
A new Neighborhood Leadership Program aimed at better equipping citizens to become community leaders is in the works among city staff and might be offered as early as fiscal 2009. Click here to read the full story.
Math whizzes at Gentry win regional contest
Five Gentry middle school students participated in a regional math contest on March 15 and came in the top 10. Click here to read our Schoolhouse Talk blog post.
Stephens College expands its pets-in-residence program
In 2004, Stephens College announced it would allow small pets under 40 pounds to live on the first floor of Prunty Hall. After a positive response from students and faculty the program has since expanded; Searcy Hall is now a “pet friendly” residence and some prospective students are basing their future at Stephens on whether they will be accepted into this residence hall. Click here to read the full story.
April 5 Coffee Shop meeting photos
Two of the Democratic candidates for the 25th District seat, Sean Spence and Bob Pund, stopped by at the April 5 coffee shop meeting. Click here to check out some photos from this and previous coffee shop meetings.
Spring Break 2008
Click here to see a few photos of what your neighborhood reporters did over Spring Break.
Spring Break memories from reporter Danielle Karstens
I used to see the
little white signs posted around campus as I walked to my classes;
“Teach for America” they proclaimed. I’m all about volunteering, and
have tried to actively give back to the community for as long as I can
remember, but those signs were easy to shrug off. I’m not an education
major, I’d tell myself, and I probably don’t have the patience to
become one. Nope, TFA is not for me.
But on my spring break, I got a peek into what TFA is all about, and my opinions have taken a complete 180.
I
participated in a program at MU called “Alternative Spring Break.” A
group of nine other students and I traveled to Philadelphia for the
week, volunteering at the Boys and Girls club and in charter schools
through TFA. There are other ASB trips across the country, in places
like Washington D.C., New York, and Florida, but I chose one where the
service activity was meaningful to me: working with kids.
From 3:30
to around 5:30 p.m. we would hang out at the Boys and Girls club,
helping students with homework, allowing our hair to be brushed and
braided in the girls’ pretend “beauty salons,” and learning new dance
moves.
We also worked in various middle and high school classrooms,
along with touring and observing classes in other charter schools. For
instance, I worked in a 10th grade English class for two days, helping
the students answer questions about Edgar Allan Poe poems. In the
process, I learned all about TFA and got a sense for what it takes to
succeed in the program.
In the City of Brotherly Love, I fell in
love with the idea that we can -- and should -- eliminate the education
gap. This is only possible when educators truly believe that these
students are capable of high levels of achievement, and give them the
opportunities to do so. I’m no TFA expert, but from what I gathered, I
determined that this is a program I’m interested in, a challenge I
want to take on.
Sure I saw the Liberty Bell, ate my first Philly
cheesesteak, and slept at a youth hostel located in a house that’s more
than 200 years old. But what I will remember most are the names and
faces of the kids that I will probably never see again. |
