Welcome to our 4th Edition of The Keeper's Secret, our monthly MBK newsletter. Here you will find all of the latest happenings in our My Brother's Keeper Program at Monticello Central School District. With so many amazing things happening in Monti-MBK, why keep it a secret? In this monthly newsletter we will stop at nothing to make sure every voice is heard and no story is left untold. Stay tuned every month and help spread the word so that nothing we do is kept a secret.
Also watch our MBK Public Service Announcement to catch up on all of our highlights from last school year.
The 4th Edition of our monthly newsletter will be focused on highlighting all of our most recent events and upcoming initiatives. Please follow us on all of our social media accounts to stay informed in live time and keep reading to discover all of our latest updates.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MONTI-MBK 1ST ANNIVERSARY MLK JR. DAY PARTY
MLK Jr. Day will mark our official 1 year anniversary since launching our MBK program here in Monticello Central School District. So much has transpired since we began this journey. The good news is we are just getting started!
COME CELEBRATE THE MOVEMENT... in honor of MLK Jr. and his legacy that brought us here.
When: Monday, January 21st from 5:00pm-9:00pm
Where: 2 Jefferson St. Monticello, NY (Ted Stroebel Recreation Center)
WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS! Come find out what's coming to our community!
FREE DINNER, DANCING, & FUN.... ENJOY GOOD FOOD, LIVE DJ, GAMES, AND PRIZES FOR ALL!
This event is open to the public... BRING ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!
2ND ANNUAL "I HAVE A DREAM" COUNTY WIDE TALENT SHOW
Presented by Dream Tank & Hosted by Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
As you may remember, last year Dream Tank presented their first inaugural "I Have A Dream" Talent Show at Bethel Woods.
Over 400 parents and community members were in the audience and at least 1 act from nearly every school district in Sullivan County performed that night. The winners from last year were Sullivan West 1st Place, Fallsburg 2nd, & Monticello 3rd.
This years talent show will be held at Bethel Woods on April 13th, with auditions being held on February 23rd.
Participation in this talent show is FREE, and Dream Tank is offering some major cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
While last year this talent show was restricted to high school students, this year they will be exploring talent of all ages in grades K-12. It is going to be BIG!
SUPPORT THE MBK MOVEMENT IN STYLE
Monti-MBK has created a fundraiser to continue supporting our youth and community. If you want to support the work we are doing, and LOOK GOOD while doing it, then purchase some of this hot, new Monti-MBK gear below:
RECENT EVENTS
Holiday Card Giving to Our Community Elders
Watch this video to see how our Monti-MBK students were reminded of the true meaning of the holidays! Spreading cheer to our community elders, giving holiday cards, and singing carols. A room full of residents welcomed our youth as they came to spread joy and celebrate the season with them. A very moving experience for all involved!
Gift Giving and Food Serving with Santa
Our young men were proud to represent MBK and volunteer for the Dispute Resolution Center at their annual toy drive giveaway.
Together they served food to the community with 2 of our MBK Mentors, Dennis Martin and Jesse Hinton.
Everyone involved had a great time and enjoyed giving back to their community.
MONTI-MBK RUNS SPOKEN WORD BOOTH AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION'S INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION
Our young men in Monti-MBK showed up to support the Sullivan County Human Rights Commission during their International Human Rights Day Celebration. Together, they ran their own spoken word booth to empower our youth in expressing themselves and getting their voice heard.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
IMPLICIT BIAS TRAININGS IN MCSD
Implicit Bias Definition: Mental associations of certain groups with specific traits (e.g., stereotypes) below conscious awareness, which are often followed by subconscious prejudice (dis/liking) and/or discrimination (behavior) in a manner that typically benefits oneself or one’s group and/or disadvantages out-groups; Implicit Bias tends to involve a limited or inaccurate perception of others
Last year, NYSED offered 3 day "Train the Trainer" sessions for all schools and communities involved in My Brother's Keeper. This training was presented by Dr. Bryant Marks.
We are proud to announce that we have begun turn-keying this training to our faculty in MCSD, and will continue to move forward with a sense of urgency as we raise awareness of Implicit Bias across our district and community.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TRAININGS IN MCSD
This summer the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) offered a 4 day training on Restorative Practices for districts interested in becoming a pilot school to implement Restorative Justice Practices.
MCSD proudly accepted this challenge to create a culture of care in our district that is culturally responsive and supportive of ALL students.
Just recently we have begun rolling out trainings for administration and faculty to learn about Tier 1 community building circles, with more trainings to come in the near future. Teachers have already begun implementing this practice in their classrooms!
Watch this video and view some highlights from the training below to learn more about what is to come in MCSD!
MID-HUDSON FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE
The Mid-Hudson FCE Advisory Council has recently formed a sub-committee to work on becoming a My Brother's Keeper Community.
Representing the advisory council sub-committee includes MBK Coordinators from Monticello, Fallsburgh, & Ellenville School Districts, as well as parents, administration, the NAACP, and the Human Rights Commission.
Together, our sub-committee met for the first time to discuss the first step in becoming My Brother's Keeper Community.
We have proposed this idea to the office of Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, who expressed an interest in learning more at a meeting to be scheduled in the near future.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING
MBK continues to offer after school programming 5 days a week from 2:30pm to 6:30pm, focused on academics, civic engagement, social emotional wellness, literacy, athletics, and artistic exploration. We will soon be expanding these programs to the younger age groups.
ACADEMIC TUTORING
Academic tutoring continues to be well attended and has proven to be a great help for our students, thanks to Renee Wilson, Shannon Daniel, and Planned Parenthood's Ashley Reynor. On average, we have about 20 students consistantly attending this part of the program to get help with homework and focus on academics.
Another great part of this program that students look forward to is our social-emotional circle talks run by Jesse Hinton, LMSW. In this circle, students build their sense of community and discuss sensitive issues that help them grow.
ATHLETIC MENTORSHIP
Athletic mentorship continues to be a great motivator for students to build life skills thanks to our Athletic Mentors, Coach Dennis Martin and Coach David Farr.
Students must come to the gym with a ticket signed by their academic tutor in order to participate. This has been a great incentive for them to stay focused on academics while also getting the opportunity to have stay physically fit and active.
MBK MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Our new MBK Mentorship Program is ready to kick off in the beginning of January. This month of December has been focused on recruiting and training our mentors, provided by our new mentor coordinator, Shannon Daniel.
10 of these young men who were recommended by their teachers and administration will be paired up 1 to 1 with boys in grades 4-6 in KLR, Cooke and RJK schools. They meet 3 days out of the week to offer their support, guidance and mentorship.
DREAM TANK
The Dream Tank continues to extend their support to MBK in offering us a program once a week for students to come together as a family and partake in activities and discussions related to civic engagement and cultural enrichment.
MUSIC MENTORSHIP
Our music mentors, Eric Young and Cecil Allen, offer their musical talents and mentorship skills to our students attending the Dream Tank.
In this part of the program, students express themselves creatively and explore their own musical talents.
DIGITAL LITERACY LAB
Our digital literacy lab continues to operate every Wednesday for students interested in learning about the business side of the music industry from producer Drawzilla, CEO of Drumline Studios.
Students use this recording studio as the means of voicing their struggles and triumphs, and marketing their music to the stakeholders and decision makers in the community
FREEDOM WRITERS BOOK STUDY
Our weekly Freedom Writers book study and video chat offer our youth a fun and exciting way to engage in literacy and journaling.
After reading a chapter out of "The Freedom Writer's Diary", students have the opportunity to talk via video chat with the actual Freedom Writer from Long Beach, California, who wrote the chapter they just read.
MONTI-MBK THROWBACK IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Check out this throwback video of last years Boys to Men Retreat