Chelsea, MA Unsorted, 8 Jul 2021

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Reach Graduation Dinner 2021

Description

City of Chelsea

A

Hi everybody. Thank you everybody for coming. Thank you. Thank you. We're waiting on two more people, but we're gonna go ahead in the interest of time to start. um First of all, thank you everyone for making it here today. um Thankfully we all got here when it was nice and dry outside. It's not looking like that right now, um so I'm going to jump right into it. I have um I'm going to.

B

A

Till room settles down. I'm going to have I'm going to start off with a small speech that.

C

I have for the seniors.

A

And then we'll jump into a couple speeches and a senior video.

A

All right, how do you sum up years of building relationships or watching each and every one of you mature, going through the struggles and then letting it all go, letting you go the truth. Is you really don't?

A

First, I want to thank the rich staff for staying on board throughout uncertainty throughout a global, racial and health care crisis through closures and barriers. I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for our team. I am forever grateful to have received this opportunity to lead this program with the staff that I have today to my seniors and in bold letters. I kid you not.

A

I wrote don't cry, try to remind myself um I'll, never forget anna's loud voice screaming at me, and I all of us all the time or how I told her not to clean the gym before a field trip and she went anyways and we ended up at the hospital.

A

I never forget how jorge our skater slash it guru hates pictures, but I got to speak so many years how jamil is so puerto rican at times that I have to.

B

A

Myself from being that puerto rican, mom right back how elmar and jamil were our music throughout the years because they always had their speakers on glass, how elmer meditated one day in my office just so, he can return to class hal hacienda came out of a basketball game, one time and joined us for an open, mic night and same pearls. For the first time. We had no idea.

C

A

Person was inside of him I'll, miss ricardo, calling me mom up and down the hallways literally all day and watching him play ball. I remember randy for his big smile and his interview to be a student worker because he exceeded himself and you kept your word game until today.

A

um Hal ziggy has been embraced since before me and how he always used to be on time when there's food and field trips except regular programming.

A

I remember alex for being focused on creating his own little secrets and jv events.

A

um I remember kennedy always playing soccer and always checking in and bringing his younger brother, who is now basically his twin omari for the facial expressions, the dance moves, omari and chris for having the guts to speak at the state house, chris for being my backbone for changing how reach operates and helping me along the way.

A

You're welcome.

A

um Oh my gosh chris for the way you would check people in heated disputes, but would always allow me to bring you back down and for apologizing every time you were wrong. What.

D

A

Going to do without you guys cadence for always allowing me to stalk her and bring her back every single year every single summer and never pushing me away I'll, never forget isaiah's roller skating skills, but, more importantly, how basketball has always been your outlet so much so that I would even go to the boys and girls club to see you play how there was so many times I may vera put on a sweater for showing too much, but always having her fashion and style.

A

On point, I remember andre for being a silly, annoying and mature kid, but growing up to be such a good hearted young man. I remember how I feel today.

A

I remember because I had 16 more kids that I'm so proud of.

A

I needed to write another note, don't cry now all right throughout the years in reach, you probably have done things that you wish. You would have done differently and some that you wish you can replay in your head a thousand times, but every choice, every hardship, every tear, every laughter made you who you are today down to the very last detail.

A

If we go back and we reverse any of them, we wouldn't be- who we are today I want to. I want.

B

A

Guys to live, I want you to make mistakes, call me when you do, but more importantly, keep creating memories without second guessing who you truly. Are I see you? We see you. I know you're headed towards the brightest future.

A

Congratulations.

A

All right next up, I'm gonna introduce um group leader.

E

F

And I am the leader for reach one of the group leaders for beach.

F

B

F

Just excited to sing for you guys tonight, so if you guys know the song help me out.

B

G

As we go on, we remember.

G

G

Change come whatever.

G

We will still be friends forever.

F

The last two years have been difficult years and we couldn't get away from it.

F

Breaking news posted everywhere from our social media apps to televisions having to deal with demons that we never thought we would ever have to face, having to adjust our way of learning and working be pushed push to see the greatness in ourselves mentally physically, emotionally and intellectually.

F

So when I look at this group of graduates, I'm looking at conquerors winners in odysseyware defeaters, that's the insider, but to each member of reach. Thank you for allowing me to be.

C

A part of your journey.

F

Into my group, chris.

C

F

Vera cadence, thank you for the challenges, the laughter, the debates, the disputes. um Every may me where's. My haitian foolishly is embedded in my memory, so class of 2021. I want to leave you guys with these eight things.

F

Things persevere, great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.

F

Be yourself. The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself don't miss a chance. Don't worry about the failure worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try have courage. It takes courage to go up and become who you really are. Do.

B

F

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being apply yourself. You have to apply yourself each day to become to becoming a little better by becoming a little better, each and every day, over a period of time, you will become a lot better.

F

You are in charge you're in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way, keep going. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop congratulations. Class of 2021.

A

So now we're gonna go through the senior.

C

Video, but if you.

A

Give me a second: I'm gonna shut down the lights lights, camera.

B

A

Your right, thank you all.

E

Right, I hope you guys enjoy.

A

It hey pay attention.

H

A

H

E

E

E

E

E

E

They say the best things in.

E

E

E

E

C

C

E

C

I see he got you crying.

C

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

A

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

A

Problems that was so many.

E

E

A

E

G

E

A

E

E

E

G

A

All right all right, I hope you guys like this. um I cried a few times watching it. um I'm gonna turn things over to generous who's gonna, take over the performances and all that stuff am going to take the second to say: if you want another round of food, go ahead. Do.

C

Not wait on anybody, okay and then I'll, give generous.

A

A few minutes, so she can do um a few.

H

Performances, hello.

I

Everyone welcome to the party part of this whole event. I'm daenerys, I'm the host for this part of the party yeah. Congratulations.

G

I

And I will definitely talk more about y'all after um after some performances, so.

B

Hacienne, I know you.

I

J

This is my way by frank sinatra:.

K

K

Is the fly no curtain, my friend I'll, say it clear I'll stake, my case of which I'm certain I've lived a life, that's full, I traveled each and every highway and more much more than this. I did.

L

K

More way regrets I've had a few, but then again too few dimensions.

K

I did what I had to do inside through without exception.

K

I planned it charted course. Each careful stuff along.

K

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew where I bit off more than I could choose, but through it all and.

K

And did it tomorrow wait I've loved, I laughed and cried. I've had my though my share of losing now as tears of sight. I find it all so amusing to think.

B

I did all that.

K

K

For what is a man, what has he got if not himself, then he has not to say the things.

K

B

E

I

Y'all are some special people. Let me tell you a lot of y'all started to reach at seventh grade and I believe that that was our first year. I started literacy through hip-hop and none of y'all could stand me or my class until you really did it and then you know we switched it up and then you know we had real talk and then y'all had like just so much to say and so much to express about, and I was just always advocating and like encouraging y'all to like be yourselves period right.

I

So I want to thank y'all because y'all loki raised me too. As an educator I feel like I went through it. We went through so much like you know, ups and downs and, like you know everybody out here in in in hip-hop, trying to do it and then trying to not do it and then oh miss. We like this, and um I really don't like that and y'all really taught me about engaging what it is to engage students to the fullest, because I, at the end of the day, this is your experiences, your educational experience.

I

This is your after school experience and I I'm so grateful so grateful for you all. So thank you for raising me as an educator period, and I'm just so happy to be here because I haven't seen y'all in so long and today my heart is just like.

I

So this poem about to do and I'm also the final person I know when the party's over right, um I'm also the the final person presenting um this poem. I wrote for this entire program and every time I've done this poem in new york. I've done this all mouth and lawrence. I've done this poem everywhere. Every time I say this poem like I. This will always be a dedication to my students in chelsea massachusetts.

I

um It starts off talking about me and myself. It sounds really selfish, like where'd. She go with this poem but then and you'll hear something.

I

G

True colors shining through.

I

I am the sun, a mystical, morena, spiritual and good soul hood. I remember showering with three of my cousins in the bathtub at the projects where the cockroach is colonized, no matter how much ajax and fabuloso my grandmother use, I'm a mash-up of hippie and hypebeast a romantic helpless, never needing to be saved. I am bright and if I was god, I'd rain, pink light and heal every single brown girl crying because her daddy, don't love her or her man left or her hair ain't enough.

I

For today I am the queen of quit with sass and speaking so fast. I forget what I say: I am mount and spicy blano maduro with my rice and beans on a sundae. I am laughter, I am sadness, a pisces girl with too much heart and not enough sacral.

I

I am red light orange light, yellow light, green light, blue and purple I'm a balanced beam of chakras all the lines who adore and whoop your don't. Try me, okay, facts. You are not the minority facts. Statistics will never add up to the richness of your culture and happiness. Facts. Don't let them take that away from you, yo facts. You are black magical, black and brown children facts your mind can create mountains, facts you can create graciousness after greatness and fumble after failure and still survive in this dog-eat-dog world facts.

I

Your redemption lies within your light focus on the sky, focus on the rainbow and the treasures that come with it focus on when you refract your life through the prisms that shape your red light orange light, yellow light, green light, blue and purple, for you are far too often covered by the system that hides your true colors, so don't be afraid to let them show your true colors are beautiful.

M

Like a rainbow thank.

I

You, but with gifts um we have extra uh books that y'all created yourself so shout out to y'all. Y'all went through a whole book with us. You guys came to new york with us. Y'all went to lawrence with us, y'all educated students. We all got educated by students, so we have more books and I have a little message for you all in there. So I love you all. Congratulations and I hope to see something at least this summer, because I will be back in chelsea, so pull up all right mondays.

I

All right, I got you okay! Thank you.

A

Y'all nice to be freaking out what is happening.

B

A

um So next up um we're gonna call up each senior one at a time. So you can look at the rio and we have something for you. It's a little kid. um So we're gonna call up every senior one at a time and we're really just gonna. Ask you guys to introduce yourself to the room. um Basically hi, my name is so-and-so.

A

I started reaching so is so great and just share with some share with us, something that you're taking from the reach program, a memory, a relationship with a staff member anything that stands out to you that really changed. Who you are and bill you who, who you are um today and just give us a piece of you and um with that we're giving you a small gift and um the published book that you guys published so.

A

Okay, so first I'm going to add cadence to come up here.

H

Yes, you got the first one, you got this.

J

A

Be right here: let's go.

E

A

And just kind of say who you are when you started.

E

A

Something that you're taking from the week program- okay, hello, hello, hello,.

H

H

My name is kadence, I started reach in seventh grade and the one thing I've taken from it is stephanie always pushes me to do stuff like this, and I don't like to do it. So that's good.

A

All right next up, we have kennedy.

N

E

A

All right next up is jorge.

E

A

All right next up is jamil.

E

D

I started in eighth grade.

A

Or something that you're taking.

N

Oh, so you see them those two boys over there. The only way I met them and then, when I just met.

A

All right next up is anna. Oh my.

E

M

Hi name anna and I do enrich my freshman year, and the only thing I will always remember is that when I wrote my name, um it was a day that we were going to skype in sky zone and stephanie told me not to go to the gym and I went and I broke my neck and I had to get you for that and I thank 72 for always being there for me in the bad times and she's, like my.

A

All right next up.

E

E

L

uh I go by day, that's my nickname. I joined about freshman year. I believe and something that was like that I dealt with the love, was having stephanie. I was like a school mom because I was always around her most of the time, so she taught me a lot of stuff. So I appreciate you a lot for.

A

That all right next up is.

A

O

My name is andre and I went to reach when I was in, like seventh eighth grade around that range. That's something I wanted to talk about, though I mean no rhinos. No rhino um is that when I first started reach, this was one of the people who actually support me at this person, even though she's still talking about my background.

O

But um when I first joined this stuff, it was at first about him, like his wife.

O

See different things happening and stuff and even though people don't get reached, which is my brother, for example, I'm trump yeah relaxed um for someone. That is important talks a lot of that all of them talk about this at the end of the.

O

A

E

N

Hi, my name is.

N

I joined the reach program I believe in eighth grade and something that I always take back is me running into stephanie's office at all hours of the day, driving her crazy, telling her everything, that's happened and her being able to bring me down from about 2 000 degrees about to 50, and I always appreciate nahimi for explaining things in the life that I've never seen them before and I'll appreciate daenerys for bringing out the literacy in me that I didn't know. I had.

N

All right next up is.

N

M

M

N

My name is awari. I joined reach freshman year. I think right next year, and uh one thing that I'll take with uh with me is the fact that, like all the group leaders like we each have our own memories with them, but no matter who it was like, even if you were from a different group like nobody ever like, really gave up on you like whenever you need to help with school work, something at home. Anything like that. So that's definitely going to take back me behind.

N

E

All right next up is elmer.

E

P

My name is elmer uh joined sophomore years. One thing I always carry is when you help me that one day meditate help.

C

P

Kind of still go into this day clears my mind.

A

Hours and it was like the middle of the day and elmer was ready to like quit school and- and you know he had that day and I literally like googled, I'm like how do you meditate, because I don't even like something I want to get into right for my own mental health, and so I literally put on youtube and googled it, and I was like laying there on the floor.

B

A

He laid there on the floor and I was on google reading like steps like breathe in breathe out. Think about the moon in the sky. He was like how is this gonna help, but it was it helped us both and then that day he went back to class and I seen him at the school and it was like a brand new elmer. So so there's a little confession. I don't always know what I'm doing, but I try my best next up.

A

E

J

Sophomore year, I believe, because I was I had learned to do after school, so I was like people were telling me like. Reach is a good program. You get to have to have some activities and hang out with peers and stuff. So I was like, maybe I'll, be a great opportunity. Like say I have troubles, I'm not supposed to do it. You know enjoy myself, I have to go with other kids and stuff, and a good memory I got is that I never really performed in front of.

C

Like audiences, like that,.

J

And so stuff asked me if I would ever like sit in front of my peers and for a talent show and stuff, so I did it one day and sorry I kept with me almost.

A

All right all right, I remember that day I was he was like. I just missed. I'm sweaty I just got out of the basketball.

C

B

Down the stairs.

A

And you're next generation, like yeah you're on the list you're next and he started singing and we were all so shocked um next up.

E

H

Hi, my name is vera. For those who don't know me, um I started reach in seventh grade. I believe um there's so many memories. For a reason, I can't even like okay before I started in seventh grade, there's like so much that went on, but but one thing I did take away from me is just being able to balance um school and work with my first job made me. My group leader, he's always been putting up with me. I love you and.

B

H

Me always cheating the program like she's, the mother of all of us. I really appreciate it engineering. It should be even why they're like writing yourself for you, but you taught me so much, and I appreciate it. Thank.

A

You all right next up is.

E

A

Could I could still hear my.

E

A

A

D

um I joined weeks and freshman.

L

D

C

D

Is coming in the summer, but we used to take the field trips. I was um bruising.

D

D

And I remember how he used to have me clean everything up.

A

All right, let's go.

A

All right here you go.

A

A

O

When you have a job.

A

All right, all right so give it up, give it up for the class of.

A

2021., I just want to say thank you all for being here today. Thank you guys for an incredible couple of years and and this cohort means so much to me, um you know kathleen break kathleen texted me today and she was like crying is okay. She already knows who I am and- um and I was like kathleen- I wear my heart on my sleeve man. I don't want to cry and she was like it's all right.

A

Crying's, okay and I was like I don't have no sleep tonight, like I'm gonna cry from the beginning to the end. She was like it's all right and she made me realize that this cohort not only advocated for the reach program but you've advocated for each other. You guys really stuck with me from being a group leader, an outreach worker into leading this program.

A

Like you guys, I have literally so many good memories with each and every one of you guys that I am literally who I am today because of every single one of you guys. So thank.

B

B