Introduction

Introduction Dear Future McAuliffe Scholars, This anthology is a collection of narratives written by the sixth graders at Christa McAuliffe Charter School; the same sixth graders who were last year in your shoes. These narratives are about the transition from elementary school to McAuliffe. This collection displays many different stories about students joining a new community. It is made interesting by the diversity all of the scholars bring. Throughout the fall trimester, students have been working on crafting their narratives while being guided by various learning targets. The long term target students have been working on is, “I can craft a narrative about my place in the McAuliffe community.” As we crafted our narratives, we learned to use transition words and figurative language to enrich our work. The purpose of this expedition was to build a stronger community and make connections to other people. We hope that the readers of this anthology will know now that joining a new community may be hard at first, but “bridges” are built more quickly than you may expect. We hope that after reading this anthology you will feel more excited to come to McAuliffe. Sincerely, Class of 2017 Introduction by: Ashna Hille, Alexa Hughes, Marian Rookey, Laszlo Bernstein, Stephen Eckelkamp, and Daniel Xu 1 2 This anthology is dedicated to: The McAuliffe Admissions team, and all students of McAuliffe past, present, and future. 3 4 Left to Right: Will D., Dasan J., Terrence O., Peter M. 5 Dasan J. Mrs. Richards’s Crew November 2014 “PLING!”, beeped the sound of my mother’s e-mail notification. In bright, bold letters, it read, “Dasan is in McAuliffe!” I had two months thinking I’d have to go to that Ashland Public Middle School with the big summer reading project. Now, the wait was over. I was in MCAULIFFE! I laughed, cried, jumped, and was enthusiastic. It was as if I got into M.I.T. Just picture it- me in McAuliffe! A few moments later, I found out my eighth grade sister got in as well! The only problem was my timing. School was going to start in two weeks which meant I only had two weeks to be prepared. Then it started to hit me like a zooming jet into the Great Wall of China, what if the kids were different? What if the expectations were too high? What will I say to my friends who were going to Ashland Middle School? I had no idea how McAuliffe would be since it was my sister’s first year too. My energy steamed into lightning hot stress, and I began to fear my McAuliffe daydream would become a nightmare. Who knew I would prove myself wrong? All the atoms in my body turned from negative to positive as I walked in the school. I immediately realized how great it was. The organization and teaching was amazing, and I learned so much in just a few days. We learned a lot about our everyday academics but a lot about our behaviors as well. I made lots of friends from the games we played and trust activities from my crew. A three-day field work did the same thing to help me make friends. It was Nature’s Classroom, and it was the most enjoyable experience of the beginning of McAuliffe. I found out that this school was very different from others, but in the best ways. Now, I find myself in a position I thought I would never make it to. I don’t know how McAuliffe did it, but I transitioned fast from being a tiny little child who didn’t know any part of the school, to a positive young man who had many friends and teachers to depend on. Not only that, but I found many new ways to make friends, and we are learning so much. I have created personal relations with the teachers and my peers as well. This kind of reaction gives every scholar at McAuliffe, including me, the feeling and knowledge that you are a part of a community. Now I just wonder what amazing adventures I will experience in the new school. 6 Terrence O. Mrs. Richards’s Crew November 2014 Before I came to McAuliffe, I had a thousand questions buzzing inside of me about what McAuliffe would be like. Before coming here, I was at a small private school with only 30 kids. I knew that when I came here everything would be new and different, and I couldn’t wait to start. I heard about the cool fieldwork McAuliffe did and I was really excited to do some. My first fews days at McAuliffe were filled with new experiences. I was feeling kind of excited, kind of curious, and kind of neutral, a mix of the three. I only knew three people in the entire school, and only two of them well. There were so many more people than in my old school, and so many new classes. The days at McAuliffe were longer too. My first recess at McAuliffe was strange because I didn’t know anyone there. We ended up playing a group game together for most of recess, and it was pretty good. On the first day I had experienced so many new things, but I still had so many questions that hadn’t been answered. In my first month at McAuliffe,I quickly got used to the routine. At recess, we usually would play soccer with a ball somebody brought, and it was fun. The kids and teachers were nice and welcoming, and I made friends quickly. I found out that I was in the advanced math class with Mr Gardner. No one I knew was in it and I had no idea what he would be like. But Mr Gardner turned out to be really nice and a great teacher. Sometimes it was confusing because they kept having to change my schedule. It didn’t have the right information on it (and even after that, some of the room numbers were still wrong). But McAuliffe was turning out to be pretty fun and I was feeling good about it. The work at McAuliffe was harder than it was at my old school and there was more homework too, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I soon learned about McAuliffe’s core values, their HOWLS (habits of work and learning), and the three separate trimesters. It was all so new to me. I also found out about the plethora of afterschool activities that McAuliffe offers. There were so many to choose from! About halfway through the first month, we took the big trip to Nature’s Classroom in Groton. The bus ride was an hour long, and it was kind of chaotic, but when we got there it was worth it. We stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights, arriving on Monday and leaving on Wednesday. When we were there, we built a rope bridge, studied night vision in pitch blackness, hiked with our field groups, and more! While at the same time learning new stuff! It was awesome! When I came back from Nature’s Classroom I knew many more people than I did before. I was feeling more like a part of the community after Natures Classroom. I have made lots of new friends here at McAuliffe, and I really feel like i’m a part of the community here. I’m learning more every day, and having lots of fun too. I’m glad I came to McAuliffe instead of going somewhere else. The cool thing is, this is just the beginning. 7 Peter M. Mrs. Begley and Ms. Beckhusen’s Crew November 2014 I was bursting with excitement when I first heard about McAuliffe. I really wanted to turn in the form quickly so I could go. One reason I wanted to go was that I would be able to meet more friends. Secondly, I was jumping in my house like a kangaroo because my parents said it was a great school to go to. I was wondering if I would see all of my old friends that I had at Wilson Middle school because I felt scared without them by my side. I was really nervous during the first three days of Mcauliffe, like a mouse seeing a cat. I was shy to meet people in my classes because I only knew a couple of people from my old school. Also, I didn't know anyone in my classes and at recess. Third, I started to hang with old friends because I didn’t feel confident to meet new friends yet. Finally, I made two new friends in the first three days. I felt more calm after three weeks. I now have a group of friends, and I started making some more friends. Also, I met people by hanging out at recess and lunch. Crew is amazing because it’s fun to be in and I can do a lot of work there. I didn’t hear a lot of talking because everyone was scared. And third is I felt excited to meet a lot of people. I feel like I’m part of the community because everyone likes me, so I can make more friends in school. Now I feel thrilled. I know everyone. I feel more safe in the amazing community. I made a ton of friends in my classes along with people that I see in recess that aren't in any of my classes. That is how I felt before and after going to McAuliffe.

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