Dear MBK Colleagues, Partners, and Friends,
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we are celebrating by sharing educational resources from the Library of Congress, the U.S. National Archives, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian to help students learn about Native American history and traditions. Students can also learn about the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Native people with the “Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative,” a feature from the National Museum of the American Indian.
To highlight Native American Heritage Month, the New York State Museum is honoring the cultural heritage, diverse histories, and continuing contributions of Native people. The Museum created a dedicated Native American Heritage Month web page with many resources to explore, including highlights from the Museum’s collections, featured videos, online exhibitions, educator guides, a list of events happening statewide, and much more. I encourage you to take a look at the special virtual programming and educational materials that are available to help celebrate Native American Heritage Month with your students.
New York State is also celebrating Puerto Rican Heritage Month in November. This celebration highlights the social, cultural, and economic contributions of Puerto Rican communities across New York. The Smithsonian offers an extensive digitized collection spotlighting people, places, music, art, and other items related to Puerto Rico. In addition, the Centro Education division at Hunter College provides resources and teaching guides to help students and teachers become involved in Puerto Rican Studies.
In October, the nation celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring Hispanic Americans' histories and cultures. We can all continue learning with these classroom resources from the Library of Congress, the U.S. National Archives, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian to help students learn about the influence of Hispanic and Latinx communities on American society.
Finally, early next year we expect to present our comprehensive New York State My Brother's Keeper evaluation. Thank you all for what you are doing to support this historic initiative.
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Your Partner in Education,
Dr. Anael Alston
Assistant Commissioner
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Indigenous Education Program |
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The purpose of the MBK Indigenous Education Program is to increase the academic achievement and college/career readiness of Native American students, with an emphasis on boys and young men.
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2022 MBK Indigenous Education Grant Applications |
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Applications for the 2022 My Brother’s Keeper Indigenous Education Grant are now open until December 7, 2022. The purpose of the grant is to incentivize and support school districts to accept the My Brother’s Keeper initiative and implement a coherent cradle-to-college/career strategy aimed at improving life outcomes for disadvantaged Native Americans, with an emphasis on boys and young men. Eligible applicants are public school districts that contract with the NYSED Office of Indigenous Education for tuition, operating costs, and/or transportation.
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Massena Central School District MBK Native American Program |
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Traditional Wooden Lacrosse Stick Presentation |
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Over the summer, Akwesasne Mohawk youth participated in a presentation by Akwesasne's Jack Johnson, a traditional wooden lacrosse stick maker. |
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Jack Johnson showed students how to shave down the head and body of a lacrosse stick to the proper form. |
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Students posed for a photo with Jack Johnson after he showed them how to steam the sticks and bend them to form the head of the lacrosse stick. |
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Mr. Printup, a Massena Central School District elementary teacher from the Oneida Nation who has ties to Akwesasne, held a 3D printing summer camp.
Here, Mr. Printup's students are talking with Dr. Yang, an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington about her work with 3D printing.
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28 Lacrosse, a Mohawk-owned business, held a two-day lacrosse workshop with students at Massena CSD. The staff included young Mohawk men from Akwesasne currently attending college. The goal of 28 Lacrosse is to spread enthusiasm for the game, teach about the significance of lacrosse in Mohawk culture, and help students pursue a college education through lacrosse. |
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Niagara Wheatfield Central School District MBK Summer Program |
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Twenty-three students in grades 3-12 from Tuscarora Nation in the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District joined a hands-on STEAM learning experience over the summer, which included building, painting, and flying rockets! Team building activities helped students learn how to work together, persevere, problem solve, and respect their fellow teammates’ ideas and opinions.
Artist and former MBK student LilyAnn Truesdale joined the campers to teach painting skills. Students painted a tree landscape, then used their newfound knowledge to paint a beautiful sunflower on a pot to give to their Elders. From cultural activities, to the arts, to building projects, to flying drones, the MBK summer camp was a fun, successful STEAM learning opportunity!
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In this photo:
Kindergarten teacher, Cierra Mt. Pleasant,
enjoys the gazebo with her students
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During the summer, Niagara Wheatfield CSD students built benches and stained the gazebo at the Tuscarora Indian School. The school's cultural teacher, Vincent Schiffert, helps students learn traditional songs, art, and culture, reminding them of who they are as Native people and their responsibilities to the Tuscarora Nation. |
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In the spring, Niagara Wheatfield CSD students had fun competing against one another and learning about sportsmanship during their pinewood derby races. Students also learned how to use a bandsaw to shape their pinewood derby cars, which included instruction on the importance of using personal protective equipment (PPE) and the safe use of power tools.
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New York State Mentoring Program |
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The New York State Mentoring Program is the nation’s first school-based one-to-one mentoring program. The program offers mentoring support to the My Brother’s Keeper community to ensure that students benefit from impactful training based on best practices.
Additionally, the NYS Mentoring Program offers Opportunity to Partner, a partnership to help support a site-based modeled, one-to-one mentoring program. Weekly mentoring sessions match students with the undivided attention of a volunteer (or peer) who will listen to the student, offer suggestions, and provide encouragement throughout the year. They provide logistical and technical support including consultation, forms, training (for students, volunteers, and staff), recruitment support, fingerprinting and screening, activities, and ongoing support.
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My Brother's Keeper Community Network |
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The New York State My Brother's Keeper Community Network includes more than 30 member communities that have joined the growing initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. To join the NYS MBK Community Network, the school superintendent and local government official must sign a joint letter to the Commissioner of Education indicating their support of and commitment to meeting the six MBK National Milestones and the six New York State MBK Goals. Detailed instructions for becoming a New York State MBK Community can be found here. Upon becoming a member of the statewide network, a community gains the support of NYSED's Office of Access, Equity, and Community Engagement Services to help build a community initiative and develop a local MBK action plan.
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Greenburgh MBK Mental Health Walk |
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In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Greenburgh MBK worked with NAMI-National Alliance for Mental Illness to host the annual NAMIWalks event. Students, teachers, and families participated in a walk around the school campus holding banners and posters to bring awareness to the importance of taking care of themselves, each other, their school, and their community. MBK students also walked around the Labyrinth Maze they created in 2019 and made posters and bracelets with positive affirmations and motivational sayings. This experience was intended to provide students with strategies for dealing with everyday challenges. |
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Westbury Union Free School District Accepts the MBK Challenge |
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In October, scholars from Westbury Union Free School District gathered to accept the My Brother's Keeper Challenge. They were joined by the entire school board, Board of Regents Chancellor Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr., NYSED Assistant Commissioner Dr. Anael Alston, Westbury UFSD administrators and teachers, community mentors, and members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Renowned speaker, Keith Brown (Mr. I'm Possible), provided a powerful keynote address.
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Brentwood MBK Stands with Buffalo |
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MBK students at Brentwood Union Free School District on Long Island organized a campaign called "Brentwood MBK Stands with Buffalo." As part of the campaign, Brentwood MBK students coordinated a food drive to help members of the Buffalo East Side community get essential food and supplies following the horrific shooting at their local grocery store. The "Brentwood MBK Stands with Buffalo" campaign allowed students to show their support by creating banners and fundraising.
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My Brother's Keeper Fellows Program |
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The purpose of the MBK Fellows Grant is to provide rising 12th grade high school students, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color, with opportunities to gain authentic leadership experience(s) and develop service projects beneficial to the schools they attend and the communities they live in.
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My Brother's Keeper Fellows Grant Applications |
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Applications for the 2022-2026 My Brother’s Keeper Fellows Program (MBKFP) are now open until December 7, 2022. Through a partnership between a New York State My Brother's Keeper (NYSMBK) Community and at least one postsecondary education institution, local business, or community-based organization, MBKFP seeks to provide rising 12th grade high school students, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color, with opportunities to gain authentic leadership experience(s) and develop service projects benefiting the schools they attend and the communities in which they live. Approved New York State My Brother’s Keeper Community Networks are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.
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Peekskill High School Fellows Travel to Philadelphia |
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Peekskill High School MBK Fellows, Tyler Robertson and Lamar Kingwood, were invited to travel with their mentors, Mr. Mark Andujar and Dr. Margie Daniels, to take in the local sights of Philadelphia, PA. They visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and ran the great Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Class of ‘97 Peekskill High School alumnus, retired NBA basketball player, and 76ers General Manager, Mr. Elton Brand, learned of the MBK Fellows' visit to the city. Mr. Brand highlighted the MBK Fellows at a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game and even provided them with a tour of the 76ers Headquarters in Camden, NJ. The history of the facility and the dedication and hard work of the players on and off the court were emphasized. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Mr. Peter Dinwiddie, took time to meet with the MBK Fellows to discuss their future plans and aspirations. He encouraged the Fellows to be role models, take advantage of every positive opportunity that comes their way, and give back to their communities, as Elton Brand has.
Peekskill is proud of its MBK Fellows and grateful for the opportunity to visit Philadelphia and learn from prominent, successful members of the community.
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Ossining Research Internship Program |
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Two 2022 Ossining High School graduates, Nicholas-Ajani Davis and John Jarama, were selected to take part in a summer research internship with the My Brother’s Keeper Fellows Research Intensive. The Summer 2022 My Brother’s Keeper Fellowship Research Intensive provided MBK Fellows with the opportunity to collaborate in an assessment of the NYSMBK program. Students shared their experiences, conducted Participatory Action Research, and created oral history interviews. These experiences helped the young men learn about the NYSMBK program and improve their college readiness.
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Buffalo Public Schools Internship Program |
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The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Initiatives (CLRI) in the Buffalo Public Schools, led by their Chief, Dr. Fatima Morrell, sponsored high-leverage internship experiences for the Fellows in their My Brothers’ Keeper Program over the summer. These experiences gave the Fellows exposure to the real world of work while building their skills to become true leaders and pillars in their schools and the Buffalo community at large.
The Fellows were matched with mentors in various departments within City Hall and the City Government offices. Izzah Ringer worked with Mr. Artis Green who coordinates Youth Recreation for the city. Sadik Sadik worked in the office of Mr. Ulysses Wingo, one of the city’s councilmen. Jaden Coronado worked with Mr. Franklin Carter in the Office of Summer Youth Employment, and Prince Mandilou worked with Mr. Ronald Dixon in the Office of Citizen Services.
During that time, these dynamic young men also completed service projects with the theme of “Improving the Mental Health of Young Men in Our Community.” They began to implement a true peer mentoring process as they presented their work, findings, and best practices to the younger MBK program participants in 6th and 7th grade. The Fellows also assisted on field trips with the younger MBK scholars and began to develop effective relationships with their student mentees that they plan to build on as the school year progresses. The Fellows have shown the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and through the written word. They have put together presentations for their younger peers and left favorable impressions on the mentors who volunteered to supervise them.
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Syracuse City School District Mental Health Video |
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Four MBK Fellows from the Syracuse City School District organized an event centered around Men's Mental Health Awareness. MBK Fellows Stephon Adams, Jr., Syinih Clark, Anthony Southammavong, and Malcolm Starling sought to spread a positive message in their community and encourage men to recognize the importance of caring for their mental health. Please enjoy the video below. |
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Find out more about New York State's My Brother's Keeper initiative by visiting our MBK website.
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If your school or community would like to share a story to include in a future edition of this newsletter, please email photos and news items to NYSMBK@nysed.gov.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and tag us in your posts so we can follow you and share your success stories. Be sure to use the #NYSMBK hashtag!
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