Over the past few weeks, the Promise Corps team has been engaging in many activities as they prepare to start this upcoming school year. Our Sayre team, Abu, Chamoya, Ke’Ana, Jerron, and Sebastian are so excited as they have been working hard to make sure this virtual school year is enjoyable and impactful. Promise Corps orientation was the kickstart needed to get our coaches pumped and ready for this upcoming year. Over the course of 9 days, our team engaged in many professional development sessions, team-building activities, and creative outlets for us to get to know each other. 

Let’s take a look at what the Sayre team thought of this year’s orientation and what they’re looking forward to during this 2020-2021 school year! 

What was your favorite professional development training and why?

Abu reflected on his professional development training and shared that he really enjoyed the training on active listening.  

“Usually, when I engage in a conversation with someone, I listen to give a response instead of simply listening,” said Abu. “However, recently after receiving the training on active listening, I have been practicing how to listen more attentively.” 

Chamoya agreed with Abu! “We were able to role play and take away valuable information that will help us connect with our students.”

What was your favorite team building activity and why?

There were so many amazing team building activities that the Sayre team found it hard to choose just one favorite.

According to Jerron, his favorite was the child abuse/mandated reporting scenarios. “It was nice to get a refresher on the process of reporting abuse, especially in a high school setting.” He said, “In addition, it allowed me to grab a better understanding of my team and how they would operate in certain situations.

Ke’Ana’s favorite on the other hand, was the activity where everyone had to work together as a virtual adult to see how long they could survive living in poverty.  

“It was interesting to see how we all were pretty quick to throw some moral standards away in order to survive,” Ke’ana said. “For a lot of families living in Philadelphia, this is a reality. This activity was a great reminder for me that you really cannot judge a book by it’s cover.”

What are you looking forward to this school year?

The Sayre team all agree that they cannot wait to meet and grow a relationship with their students! Sebastian said that he is “looking forward to learning the names and stories of each of the people I will come into contact with throughout this year.” Chamoya mentioned that she is “looking forward to helping students navigate this new virtual school setting and motivating them to do their best.”

If you had to describe your team in just three words, what would they be?

According to Sebastian, the Sayre team is “READY FOR ACTION!” Abu believes his teammates are “resilient, compassionate and determined.” The team all agree that they are motivated and excited to continue to get to know one another but also to have an awesome school year with their Sayre family!

Ke’Ana Robinson – Sayre High School College and Career Coach