SLANT Spotlight On: Otis Brown 2nd Grade

Team:  2nd Grade, Otis Brown Elementary, Irving ISD
City:  Irving
Participants:  130

Otis Brown Elementary second grade students researched the need for food for kids at their school and found out about the North Texas Food Bank fire that occurred this summer.  Students were very concerned and decided to do something about it.  They wrote scripts, directed and filmed commercials for the school to promote the Cans for Kids food drive.  The children organized the drive, making fliers and posters to promote the drive.  They also counted and collected the cans and graphed the results, reporting the results to the school on the school television channel.

The children challenged the whole school to bring in cans and finally collected more than 1,000 cans for the North Texas Food Bank.  “The kids loved it and learned a lot about persuasion, graphing and service,” said teacher Michelle West.

SLANT Spotlight On: Girls On The Run, North Richland Hills

Team: Girls on the Run, North Richland Hills

City: North Richland Hills

Participants: 20

The girls are currently working on several projects:  posting notes to raise the self-image of girls at their school, holding a food drive and delivering baskets to residents of a local retirement center.

They will make announcements at school to collect food for a community program called Christmas Providers.  The girls will tally up the food from each homeroom, box it up each day until collection day on Dec. 5, and then announce the winning class in the food drive.  They are also going to create and deliver Thanksgiving baskets for the residents of Horizon Bay.  In addition, they have been making their school a better place by placing anonymous, encouraging post-it notes in public places in their school.  The girls want to encourage their peers as well as senior citizens and others in their community.

Read more about the great SLANT projects currently underway in this month's issue of The Compass!

SLANT 2011-2012 Kicks Off at H.O.P.E. Farm

The 2011-2012 SLANT: Service Learning Adventures in North Texas program kicked off with a bang at H.O.P.E. Farm in Fort Worth on Saturday, September 17.  Twenty-five boys from H.O.P.E. Farm and nearly 100 volunteers grabbed paint brushes, hammers, shovels and more to implement the service-learning project they designed.  With a goal to inspire a healthier, more active lifestyle, the youth spent the morning installing exercise equipment, landscaping, cleaning up trash and painting murals.  In addition to H.O.P.E. Farm, they also worked on projects at a nearby community center.

SLANT is designed to inspire youth to take up the challenge of improving their neighborhoods and communities in unique and creative ways.  Daryl Johnston, former Dallas Cowboys fullback and current FOX Sports analyst, continues to serve as the chair for the program and Bank of America has returned as the program sponsor.

Thank you to all of the partners who helped make this project a success:  Bank of America, H.O.P.E. Farm, Cooper Institute, Chicken Express-Fort Worth, Sherwin-Williams, Chameleon Chamber Group, City of Fort Worth, Kelsey Patterson, Willie Amos and Big Thought!

Get involved!  Register your team now at myslant.org.

Dallas City Council recognizes stars of SLANT 45 The Movie

On May 4, many of the stars of SLANT 45 The Movie gathered at Dallas City Hall for a special City Council recognition ceremony. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano acknowledged the students for their efforts to improve and give back to their communities through their SLANT 45 projects.

Representatives from Team Do Something Great of the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, Team FROGs (Friends Reaching Our Goals) and the Clarke Cougars Anti-Graffiti team attended the ceremony and spoke about their projects and how they impacted their communities. They also received a certificate from Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Medrano and signed movie posters for each council member.

We applaud these teams (along with the thousands of other teams that participated in SLANT 45) for their creativity, dedication and hard work to transform their schools, neighborhoods and cities.

Click here to see a video of a portion of the ceremony filmed by Will's dad.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano congratulates Veronica Tovar of the Clarke Cougars Anti-Graffiti team with a high five.

SLANT 45 teammates, coaches and parents with Mayor Dwaine Caraway and members of the Dallas City Council.

Will Lourcey of Team FROGs (with teammate John-Thomas Bolger) explains the impact of his service-learning project to City Council members.

Photo credits:  Margarita Martin-Hidalgo

Photo Friday: SLANT 45 Project Highlights

Check out a few of the thousands of great SLANT 45 projects that took place from February through December 2010.  From producing a school-wide health fair to painting a mural to raising money for the food bank, these teams made a difference in their communities.

Photo Friday

This week's photos come from the premiere of SLANT 45 The Movie. The world premiere took place on Friday, January 28 at the Angelika Film Center in Plano, and the public premiere was held Sunday, January 30 at the Colleyville Cinema Grille. If you haven't yet seen the film, there are still plenty of opportunities left. Visit slant45.org/themovie for a list of locations and dates you where you can catch a FREE screening.

Filmmaker Mark Birnbaum arrives on the red carpet with Big Thought president/CEO Gigi Antoni and her daughter Analise.

Filmmaker Mark Birnbaum and producer Shelly Seymour take questions following the premiere.

FROGs team captain Will is interviewed by FOX 4's Clarice Tinsley as he arrives on the red carpet at the world premiere of SLANT 45 The Movie.  The FROGs collected more than 1,000 cans and raised more than $1,000 for the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Clarke Cougars team captain Veronica signs a movie poster at the premiere post party.  Veronica's team developed a program to clean up and prevent graffiti at their Fort Worth elementary school.

SLANT 45: The Movie celebrates local champions

With Super Bowl XLV just over a week away, there will soon be more than a few famous athletes and celebrities descending upon North Texas for the big game. On Friday, SLANT 45 will celebrate with some stars of our own – the champions of community service featured in SLANT 45: The Movie.

Veronica, Darius, Will, Madeline, Ariel and their respective teams show that no matter a person’s age or circumstances, he or she has the ability to transform their schools, their neighborhoods and their communities in powerful ways.

Along with more than 44,000 other participants, these youth have changed the face of North Texas for generations to come as a result of their creativity, ingenuity and plain hard work to improve their communities.

Tune in to FOX 4 at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 28 to see a live broadcast from the red carpet, and visit slant45.org/themovie to find a free screening at a theater near you.

Click here to view the trailer for SLANT 45: The Movie.

SLANT 45: The Movie coming soon to a theater near you!

SLANT 45: The Movie is the inspiring story of teams who accepted the SLANT 45 challenge and found creative and innovative ways to transform their communities.  From collecting cans for the food bank and Legos for hospitalized children to starting a graffiti abatement program and producing a talent show for a homeless shelter, these children show that everyone has the power to make a difference.

For locations and showtimes, please visit slant45.org/themovie.  All showings are FREE, but some require a reservation.

SLANT 45 project highlights

With SLANT 45 projects continuing through the end of December, North Texas youth continue to transform their schools, neighborhoods and communities through creative and innovative service projects.  Kudos to these teams and to all of the other SLANT 45 teams making a difference.

Team E1 Rocks! of Starwood Montessori in Frisco collected 452 pairs of shoes for Trinity River Mission!  Several Starwood teams, with students from age 3 through 12, participated in SLANT 45.

Keller's Team Smileys collected 444 books for the West Dallas Community Centers.

The Bobcats, of Richardson's Brentfield Elementary,  volunteered their time at Community Partners of Dallas, sorting items in their warehouse.



The Dream Angels of Dallas worked with the Texas Trees Foundation to plant trees in their community.

Plano ISD students tackle hunger with Cowboy Felix Jones

Yesterday, 185 fourth and fifth graders from Wells Elementary in Plano kicked off their SLANT 45 project with help from Bank of America, a SLANT 45 title sponsor, and Dallas Cowboy Felix Jones.

Students participated in a variety of activities as part of the "Hunger No More" initiative, including creating holiday cards for the elderly and decorating and stuffing lunch bags for Meals on Wheels recipients.

Click here to see a video of the students in action.

First SLANT 45 art exhibit on display at NorthPark Center

The first exhibit showcasing the reflective art collages of SLANT 45 participants is on display at NorthPark Center in Dallas now through January 24. Located in the corridor between XXI Forever and LOFT, the exhibit represents thousands of hours of service from kindergarten through high school age students.

From neighborhood cleanups and anti-bullying programs to coat drives for the homeless and musical performances for nursing home residents, more than 33,000 North Texas youth have contributed over 400,000 hours of services in their communities – that adds up to more than 45 years!

Be sure to stop by and see the creative and unique ways in which these students expressed their service-learning experience.

For more information on the SLANT 45 Community Heroes art exhibition, including future exhibit locations, please visit slant45.org/art-exhibition.

Schools across North Texas launch hundreds of SLANT 45 projects

32 North Texas school districts are participating in SLANT 45!  Here are some of the projects they launched to improve their schools and communities:

The Ruby Young Elementary ACE Team from DeSoto created a community garden at their school to teach their community to grow food naturally, to maintain a garden, to share resources and to work together.
 

As part of the school-wide health and wellness fair produced by students at Valley Ranch Elementary in Coppell ISD, kindergarten students created a skit to educate their peers about dental hygiene.

The Dunn Elementary Dragons from Arlington collected gently used books to distribute to needy children.

Ms. Fisk's Sherman ISD team wrote letters to children hospitalized at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.

Students from Mackey Elementary in Balch Springs painted over graffiti and participated in several other community cleanup projects.

SLANT 45 salutes our community partners!

SLANT 45 community partners are local organizations who committed to promoting the SLANT 45 program through their regional structure. By offering the program to the youth they serve, our partners have ensured that children from all across North Texas were given the chance to participate in a SLANT 45 project.

Our community partners include:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas
Boys and Girls Clubs of Arlington
Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Worth
Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council
Camp Fire USA Lone Star Council
Clayton YES!
Communities In Schools Dallas Region, Inc.
The Dallas Opera
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas
Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, Inc.
Girls Inc. of Tarrant County
Girls on the Run
International House of Blues Foundation
International Museum of Cultures
Rachel's Challenge
SPCA of Texas
United Way of Tarrant County
YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas


Here are a few of the SLANT 45 projects done by some of our community partner teams:

Girl Scout Troop 530 of Red Oak held a food drive at their school for the North Ellis County Outreach Center.

The Torch Club team from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Arlington collected DVDs, games and toys for Children's Medical Center.

The Carter Park Angels, from the Clayton YES! afterschool program at Carter Park Elementary in Fort Worth, visited the Fair Park Fellowship Retirement Facility and provided socks for residents and asked them to participate in yoga. They also brought arts & crafts for residents' entertainment.

SLANT 45 teams take a stand against bullying

If you've watched the news lately, you've no doubt seen the stories of children who were so bullied and harassed at school they were driven to take their own lives.  It's a national epidemic that affects the lives of many North Texas children daily.

The Department of Education recently issued guidelines urging schools to do a better job of protecting students from bullying. 

President Obama recently said in a statement, "We've got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage, or an inevitable part of growing up.  It's not.  We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all our kids.  Every single young person deserves the opportunity to learn and grow and achieve their potential, without having to worry about the constant threat of harassment."

The task of educating parents, teachers and students in every school to prevent, identify and stop bullying seems daunting, but several SLANT 45 teams have taken the initiative to put an end to bullying, one school at a time.

Girl Scout Troop 1273 of North Richland Hills, Brownie Troop 1296 of North Richland Hills, Barbara Jordan Elementary in Dallas, Bishop Elementary in Everman and Souder Elementary in Everman have all launched anti-bullying programs in their communities or schools.

"If we can lower the statistics on bullying in our community even a little, we have made a difference.  We expect all of our members to be able to end the major bullying around them and their friends.  Every positive touch our girls have will grow exponentially over time.  Being nice is contagious!" said Girl Scout Troop 1273 leader Angela Davis.

From making educational videos and leading role-playing games to creating posters and holding assemblies, all of these SLANT 45 teams have developed creative ways of educating their classmates about practical ways to prevent bullying and the importance of doing so.

Stacy Wells, SLANT 45 coach at Barbara Jordan Elementary, said, "We believe that bullying is not only a problem in our community but throughout other communities as well, and that if a change in attitude and behavior toward others is going to happen, it can begin in our community."

We're proud of all of these SLANT 45 teams for being champions of peace, kindess and tolerance in our schools!

Members of the Bishop Bulldogs SLANT 45 team stand proudly in front of some of the anti-bullying posters they created.

SLANT 45 Goes International

When SLANT 45 launched last February, our goal was to give children in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties the opportunity to participate in this historic service-learning program.  A little more than 100 days out from Super Bowl XLV, we not only have participants representing more than eight North Texas counties, we also have out-of-state participants and even a participant in Ontario, Canada (according to Google maps, that's 1,432 miles from Dallas)!

Garrett's SLANT 45 project was GO GARRETT GO, a fundraising initiative where people were asked to pledge a dollar amount for every touchdown Garrett either threw to someone or scored himself during the spring 2010 Ontario Minor Football League season. Garrett scored 15 touchdowns himself and passed for one more for a total of 16 touchdowns.  People pledged $1,260 per touchdown, which multiplied by 16 touchdowns equals...$20,352, which was donated to Children's Miracle Network!

After being attacked two years ago by a virus that caused seizures, Garrett was unable to play football.  When he was well enough to play, he wanted to do something to help sick children not as fortunate as himself.

His father, Gerard, said, "Garrett's brush with mortality at such an early age has made him keenly aware of how lucky he is to be able to play any sport, let alone one he loves. He also knows that many kids are not so lucky - something he saw first hand while at SickKids. His experience, is something he thinks about every day. He knows that things can happen in life and that you could wake up one day and not be able to do something you love to do anymore.

That's why he wants to 'go' for the kids who 'can't', to let them know there is someone who understands what they are going through and is on their team. That's why he thought of GO GARRETT GO. He wants to raise money to help kids who can't play because of sickness or poverty, in Canada and around the world."

We are proud of Garrett and the BIG difference he made in his community.

SLANT 45 Project Highlights


Here are just a few of the SLANT 45 projects that took place around North Texas recently:

The SLANT 45 team from the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas planned, facilitated and performed in "Party for Change", a talent show and party for the children of Family Gateway Homeless Center, and also collected over 100 backpacks, umbrellas and other supplies for the children and families.  "They were enabled to feel powerful and important in a world in which children which Down syndrome are often overlooked or thought of as "not able". On that day, they were the STARS!" said team coach Cara.



Students from Lakehill Preparatory School in East Dallas participated in several projects, including working in the Promise of Peace Community Garden.



Girl Scout Troop 1181 participated in a graffiti abatement project with the city of Fort Worth, helping paint over graffiti  downtown with a rain forest landscape.

Join us for FREE SLANT 45 art workshops on Oct. 16!

If you've read our last few posts, you know that SLANT 45 is gearing up for the Community Heroes Art Exhibition, which will showcase the reflective art collages of SLANT 45 participants.  The art exhibition will be on display at NorthPark Center, D/FW International Airport and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History prior to Super Bowl XLV. 

Thousands of North Texans and Super Bowl visitors from around the country will have the opportunity to see these collages and the different service-learning projects they represent.

If your SLANT 45 team has not completed their reflective art collages (or if you aren't part of a SLANT 45 team but would like to create a collage depicting a secret act of kindness you've done) we'd like to invite you to join us for two free SLANT 45 art workhops on October 16.

Professional artists will be on hand at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to lead the workshops, and all art supplies will be provided.  Admission is free, but you must RSVP by calling 469-621-8989 or emailing info@slant45.org.

For more information about the workshops, including session times, please visit slant45.org/art-exhibition.

The Power of Reflection

Guest blogger and SLANT 45 Community Heroes Art Exhibition Committee Chair Lisa Glasgow shares her thoughts on the importance of creative reflection.

Reflection is essential to learning. Teachers have understood this for hundreds of years. Parents know this intuitively. Given time and instruction on how to reflect, children are better able to make meaning of their experiences and integrate them into their values in meaningful ways. Yet in the pressed-for-time, test-based world our children are being raised in, too often time for reflection is the very thing missing from their lives.

Recognizing this powerful opportunity, the designers of SLANT 45 built a reflective component into their service learning program, which asks participants to consider the service they have performed – what that work has meant to their community as well as what it has meant them – in a piece of art. In this way we increase the likelihood that the lessons of service will be lifelong. And that is the goal after all: giving children a chance to understand that they can affect the world around them for good.

Now through October 31, 2010, the SLANT 45 team is gathering the reflective art of North Texas children and from it will create three art exhibitions – one at NorthPark Center, DFW International Airport and at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Each will tell individual stories of children who, through service to their communities, discovered their own capacity for problem solving, giving and grace. Each will be a celebration of the power we all have to make a difference in the world around us.

For more information about how you can participate in the Reflective Art component of SLANT 45, click here.

Service-learning in action

Right now, there are hundreds of SLANT 45 projects going on all across North Texas, from Weatherford to Terrell to Sherman to Midlothian, from big cities to small towns and everywhere in between. 

Take a look at how a few of our SLANT 45 teams are transforming their communities:

The Green Team picked up trash around Lake Grapevine to make the area cleaner and safer for their community.

Girl Scout Troop 2692 from Dallas set up a lemonade stand to raise money for The Family Place shelter.

Mrs. Lilly's 5th grade class in Lewisville created and presented lessons to help teachers at their school utilize the "Smartboards" in their classrooms.

First and second grade students from Sherman ISD wrote letters to and made suncatchers for children at Scottish Rite Hospital.

Feeling inspired?  You, too can do something positive for your community.  Start by registering at slant45.org/register today!

SLANT 45 team encourages their community to get up and get moving

A team of fifth grade students from Hill Elementary in Arlington created this workout video, Get Fit with 5th, to promote physical fitness in their school and their community.

“We feel like we provided our community with a fun way to exercise. Our 5th grade friends at school love going through our workout. It is a great feeling knowing we helped our community,” said team coach Katie Newman.

What’s your SLANT 45? Register now at slant45.org!