2010 New York, New York MSC high school students and staff took a bus trip to New York City. While in the Big Apple, the girls visited Essence Magazine and toured Barnard College. Many thanks to Holley Cavanna, VP of Consumer Marketing with Time Inc., for organizing the visit and to the team at Essence, including Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief; Joy Collins, General Manager; Cori Murray, Entertainment Director; Emil Wilbekin, Managing Editor of Essence.com; and Lesley Pinckney, General Manager of Digital, as well as Chloe Woodward-Magrane, Barnard Admissions Counselor, and Reni Calister, our impressive student tour guide. High School Graduation Celebration MSC hosted a High School Graduation Dinner at Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art for graduating seniors, their mentors and families. In her comments to the group, MSC graduate Masuma Islam, who started Goucher College this fall, said, “I see the open doors of opportunity waiting for me to enter and I am on my way. My lifelong goal has been to do well in my life and give my family and myself a better way of life than what we had in Bangladesh. Knowing that I’m in the position to choose from six different colleges, to choose the right fit for me, is amazing.” MSC graduate Kandice Polk, who now attends North Carolina Wesleyan College, was in tears as her mentor Katie Hykes told the group how much her mentoring relationship with Kandice meant not only to her but to her entire family. Fifth Grade Graduation The fifth graders celebrated the end of the school year with a bowling party. A special thanks to Theresa Law for sharing her winning raffle ticket for a day of bowling. Upon graduation, these girls were matched with their own one-on-one mentors who will support them throughout the middle and high school years. Out and About Girl Talk MSC kicked off the year with its annual GirlTalk luncheon and discussion about some of the challenges our girls face each day and how certain relationship choices impact their lives. A special thanks to MSC mentor Lisa Johnson for hosting a lovely luncheon in her home. Scrapbooking Memories Thanks to members of the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle and Heather Strimple, a consultant with Creative Memories, MSC students of all ages enjoyed a scrapbooking party at Roland Park Presbyterian Church. This was a great opportunity for the girls to capture and record special moments with their mentors. A Day of Makeovers Statements Hair Boutique sponsored a day of makeovers and lunch for our mentees. A special thanks to owner, Racquel Allen, and her fabulous team of stylists for the new hairstyles, manicures, gift bags and purses! The girls enjoyed a wonderful day of pampering and were all smiles as they left the salon feeling beautiful and confident. High School Partnerships Students from the Garrison Forest School joined MSC’s fifth graders for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration and dinner. Students from Hereford High School’s Center Stage Ophelia Club sponsored a day of bowling MSC students and their parents and for MSC’s middle schoolers. mentors enjoyed a night at Center Stage Theatre where they saw a riveting Young women from the Bryn Mawr School performance of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, continue to tutor MSC’s new cohort of girls August Wilson’s drama of race and culture every week after school. in 1920’s Chicago. Summer Fun Summer Camps and Leadership Programs MSC obtained approximately 40 scholarships to summer camps and leadership programs, including the following: Camp St. Charles, Camp Puh’Tok Nakia and Dominae take their first trip to the (thanks to Ira Miller), Echo Hill Camp, beach with MSC mentors Judy and Rebecca. Camp Rim Rock, Camp Opequon, Camp Catoctin, Summer Scholars with the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust, I like that I get to get away from the bad RYLA at Camp Letts (thanks to the Towson kids in my neighborhood. Where I live can be Rotary Club), and the GBA Leadership Institute at Gilman. Students also secured bad. Echo Hill is peaceful and I think it’s summer jobs through Youthworks and at good for me to get away. It helps me become the Space Telescope Institute. mature and be on my own and helps me get stronger. –Terra Extreme Makeover MSC Style! This summer, MSC mentor Susan Mielke organized and led a team of volunteers in renovating an MSC student’s bedroom. The team furnished and decorated Tanaysha’s room which she shares with two siblings as well as her brothers’ bedroom. Tanaysha’s mother, a certified nursing assistant, joined the team after returning home from her night shift. As she worked alongside the crew, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe everyone has their own bed! What a blessing. The children will love the colorful new comforters, rugs, lamps, and newly painted walls. They even have a dresser and desk now! I cannot thank everyone enough for making it happen. It’s a dream come true!” New Mentors Join the Circle MSC welcomed a new team of mentors, board members and prospective volunteers at its annual New Mentor Orientation at Carefirst BlueCross Blueshield. Thanks to Hunter Haines for designing and leading the training! MSC further supports mentors through- out the year with quarterly dinners and discussions. In February, Monica Beltram and Denise Wirt from Kennedy Krieger Institute spoke to mentors about counseling resources for the girls. In June and November, volunteers met to discuss some of the challenges they face with their mentees and appropriate ways to respond in their role as mentors. Many thanks to Michele Oseroff, Susan Baker and Sandra Brummitt for hosting these dinners. New Students Join The Circle MSC welcomed a new cohort of fifth graders again this fall at Abbottston and Dallas Nicholas Elementary Schools. Students meet with a group of dedicated leaders every Wednesday after school for hands-on activities and occasional visits from guest speakers. Most recently, Stacey Rozen, a South African native and Founder of Story Scarves, guided the students in making scarves for girls in Africa. Congratulations Congratulations to Zaria Henderson for earning a scholarship to the St. Paul’s School for Girls for the sixth grade and to Jasmine Dorsey for receiving a scholarship as a freshman at the Institute of Notre Dame! We are so proud of you. College Counseling Thanks to a generous grant from the FAFSA Workshop Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle, MSC is Seniors attended a financial aid workshop pleased to welcome Blair Gibbs White as in January where they completed the Director of College Counseling. FAFSA and CSS Profile online at the Roland Blair conducts one-on-one home visits; Park Country School computer lab. Many runs college workshops for MSC students; thanks to Mary Beth Brandenburg and communicates with the girls’ families, Tom Patterson, financial aid counselors at mentors, high schools, and colleges; Loyola University, for assisting the girls and coordinates college visits and campus their families during the session. interviews; writes college recommendation letters; reviews personal essays; and assists SAT Prep with the financial aid and scholarship Thanks to Fitz Hardcastle at Roland Park application processes. Country School for generously giving his time to conduct an SAT preparation College Visits course over the summer for our seniors. In the spring, students went to Gettysburg College’s Open House for a Support for Graduates tour of the campus and an informative Blair provides one-on-one support to panel discussion. MSC seniors also MSC graduates as they navigate the traveled to North Carolina Wesleyan to college experience. She will host a get- visit the campus and stay overnight with together for current MSC college students one of MSC’s college freshmen. during winter break. First semester of college has been a very enriching experience for me. I have loved the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and to see that despite diverse economic situations, I can still have so much in common with these people. I met a guy from Kuwait whose father works in the oil industry and a girl from Korea who plays the saxophone. I realize through my experiences with My Sister’s Circle that exposure to other cultures is essential in changing the blind assumptions we make about other people based solely on stereotypes. I hope that I continue to learn and grow during my time here. Right now I am studying Public Relations and Advertising. I am applying to be a Resident Advisor for the next year, and I am hoping that one of these days I will actually go to the gym like I say I will in my daily planner. I have been so blessed to have a host of mentors, family, and friends, to support and encourage me thus far in my journey and I am happy to know that in the future a lot of other Sister’s Circle girls will be able to say the same. -Antinnea, MSC College Sophomore, Temple University THANK YOU! My Sister’s Circle gratefully acknowledges the following donors whose generous support is funding our success! January – November ‘10 $20,000 – $25,000 $100-$499 Mary M. Smith Up to $49 Commonweal Clyde and Peggy Abell Charles Robert Starr Mary Jane Adams Foundation Fund Jill Aker Rick and Cheryl Jean H. Baker The Dresher Foundation Charlie Alexander Sunderland Herbert Berkow $5000 – $9999 Jason Ambrose Steven Tiller Debra Butler Anonymous Elizabeth and Larry Adrienne Toland Justin and Jennifer Bray Baltimore Community Carson Judith Waranch Russell and Carol Cook Foundation Youth Charlton Chafey Mr. and Mrs.