Pizza, soda pop and pool time was what this past Tuesday consisted of for Seth Frechie’s SEM 300 class, Literature and the Common Good.
Every week for the past semester the class traveled to Central East Middle school in North Philadelphia to tutor students in risk of failing. The students in the class decided that they wanted to reward the students that they have tutored for the past four months.
“It was really gratifying to see my student improve over the past semester. I loved that we were able to reward the kids for all of the work that they did,” said junior Lisa Simonetti.
It was the perfect day for the kids to visit the tree-lined campus. As the vans rode up the main road the kids watched out the window as the boys from Xavier Hall played football in the parking lot and baseball on the lawn out front. There were students laid out on blankets on the front of Founder’s Hall doing homework and a few students sitting on the benches listening to one of their friends playing the guitar. As the van neared the mansion where the kids were dropped off to meet their tutors they saw a class being held outside by the peace pole.
The day started off with a tour of Cabrini’s campus. They were in awe of the houses that sit on Residential Boulevard.
“They look like mansions,” one student commented.
Next they were taken to the radio station’s on-air room. There they were shown how WYBF 89.1 FM The Burn, Cabrini’s radio station, is operated. The kids asked all sorts of questions and really enjoyed seeing how all of the equipment worked.
After the tours the groups met up outside on the side patio of the Dixon Center. The SEM 300 students set up a table with goodies for the kids. Coolers lined the cement patio filled with soda. Bags filled with beach towels, binders and t-shirts were awaiting the kids.
Jessica Snow, a SEM 300 student and a member of the Improv Troupe, along with Brian Fry, Haven McMickle, Katie Hernson three other members of the Troupe put on a much enjoyed show for the kids. Everyone sat on the lawn and giggled as the four students performed random skits. They had the Central East students participate, which made the show even more enjoyable.
After that it was pool time. The kids got into their bathing suits, or in some cases t-shirts and shorts and jumped in. They floated on inner tubes and doggie paddled from one end of the pool to the other.
After a little splish splash, everyone headed back outside for some yummy pizza from Peace A Pizza.
The day turned out to be a success. After months of the SEM 300 students going to Central East, the kids finally got to see where their tutors came from. It was a whole new world for them and one that they all hope to be part of someday.
