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Heads Up Headlines
July 2007
Dear Friend,
 What are D.C. kids doing this summer? They're learning — at Heads Up!
With summer in full swing, our staff, volunteers and students are engaged in the six-week Summer of Learning. The summer program ends with the project fair on August 2, where our students display their accomplishments. As a part of the Heads Up family, I hope you'll join us.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing friendship, partnership and support. With your help, we're making this summer fun and educational for hundreds of kids.
Warm regards,
Robin Minter
Interim Executive Director
Features
You’re Invited to the Heads Up Project Fair — Unity in the Community
At the end of every summer, Heads Up holds a project fair to give community members an opportunity to see what our students have accomplished over the summer. Students will display completed projects and give performances of dance, poetry and more. Please join us for this fun event!
Date: August 2
Time: 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Performances begin at 3:00.
Location: THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E. Washington, DC 20020
RSVP: Sara Brandspigel at sbrandspigel@headsup-dc.org or 202-544-4468, ext. 11
Heads Up Announces a Change in Leadership
As Heads Up launches into a new decade, an interim executive director steps in to manage the organization during a time of transition.
Darin McKeever, co-founder of Heads Up, served his final day as executive director on June 15 and will continue to serve the organization as the president of the board. Robin Gilbrecht Minter, deputy executive director, will serve as the interim executive director until a permanent replacement is named.
“Robin has been my ‘right hand’ for the past few years,” Darin said. “She has over 20 years of nonprofit management experience and has played a vital leadership role both before and during this transition period. The board and I have great confidence in her capabilities and commitment.”
Minter is backed by a strong management team and Heads Up’s committed staff.
For 11 years Heads Up has grown from a personal calling for its founders into a local institution with a track record of innovation and impact. “The Heads Up team will miss Darin, whose idealism and courage has helped change the lives of thousands of children in the D.C. area,” Minter said. “We wish him luck in all his new endeavors.”
A team of board members continue the search for a new executive director. For information about the position please see http://www.headsup-dc.org/about/jobs/ed.php.
What We're Reading
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Magic Tree House Series
By Mary Pope Osborne
Second and third grade students at Raymond Elementary School are reading the Magic Tree House Series during Head Up’s summer program. The story begins when Jack and his little sister Annie discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books. Soon they are traveling through time and space in the magic tree house and having amazing adventures. Students enjoy this series not only because its repetition improves their reading skills but also because it takes them on different adventures around the world. |
Learners and Leaders
 She's All Smiles: Meet Deniesha
Glancing across the cafeteria tables where students were munching down their lunches, it was hard to miss the beaming face of Deniesha Lucas. Deniesha, a rising second grader, could not wait to break from lunch and begin the day at the Heads Up summer program at Raymond Elementary School.
“My best friends are all in my class!” Deniesha said. “And when we get in the classroom we get to do cool stuff together all day.”
But Deniesha doesn’t just have three close friends to keep her company. In a classroom down the corner, her sister, Deonna, also attends the summer program.
“Deonna is my little sister so I take care of her,” said Deniesha, as she pulled her sister in for a picture and demanded a smile.
Deniesha, like so many children in the Heads Up program, has the opportunity to play with friends in a safe environment. And she enriches her education through the program’s curriculum, which combines classroom-based literacy coaching with field trips and hands-on projects. Perhaps this is why Deniesha is all smiles.
 More Than Worth It: Meet Christina
A Heads Up tutor’s job is far from simple. Tutors arrive at their schools at 9:30 and create lesson plans and prepare games and activities. The summer program begins at 12:30 and ends when parents pick up students around 6:30. During the day, tutors not only teach kids, but they find ways to make kids want to learn, which is even more of a challenge in the summer.
“It’s a process, but it’s more than worth it,” said Christina Parrish, a fourth and fifth grade tutor at LaSalle Elementary School.
Parrish, a rising senior at Georgetown, began her year-long commitment with Heads Up with the three-week training in June. “At first I was so overwhelmed. It was so much work and I was so tired,” Parrish said. “But then on the first day, I met my kids and all my complaints faded away.”
Parrish joined Heads Up because of her love for kids. She is currently considering applying to Teach for America, and Heads Up provides the perfect opportunity for her to see what teaching is really like. Parrish attributes her newfound confidence to her involvement with Heads Up, as the program pushes tutors to become public speakers in front of groups of kids.
“The kids here give me a different energy,” Parrish said. “I walked in yesterday morning, tired and not in the best of spirits. Then one of my kids ran up to me and gave me a big hug and my mood was completely uplifted.” |
How You Can
Help
This summer, eBay is encouraging everyone to raise money for organizations dedicated to educating America’s youth, including Heads Up!
Giving to Heads Up with eBay Giving Works just takes a minute. The next time you list an item on eBay, simply choose to donate a percentage of your sale to Heads Up.
Your listing will benefit from several unique program features that have been proven to attract more buyers. Every donation is tax deductible and MissionFish will provide you with the tax-receipt.
To learn about other ways to support Heads up, visit http://headsup-dc.org/support/index.php.
About Heads
Up
Heads Up provides rigorous after-school and summer
programs to help children in underserved neighborhoods
gain the skills they need to succeed in school. By enlisting
college students as classroom tutors, we inspire a new
generation of leaders to strengthen their communities.
Heads Up relies on individuals to achieve our goals:
providing children with a quality education and giving
college students life-changing opportunities to serve
their community.
Special
thanks to our generous funders.
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