Guiding Youth Toward a Hopeful Future
|
|
Urban Compass
11100 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90059
phn (323) 383-7588
fax (323) 564-9009
|Newsletter |
|
|
Programs
Field Trips
An integral part of the Urban Compass program is taking our participants on field trips throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area. This is done in an effort to expose our participants to the world that exists outside of the confines of Watts.
Field Trips during the 2010 school year:
Thanks to all who sponsored these fun field trips!
Ice Skating
The Urban Compass students have really enjoyed the field trips in 2010! Urban Compass along with a group of students from Mater Dei High School went ice skating and even though this was the first time for many students on the ice they got the hang of it.
Retter's Acadamy of Dance
The girls of Urban Compass have had the opportunity to attend two dance classes at Retter's Academy of Dance in Agoura Hills. The girls learned dance routines taught by Linda Bernabei-Retter and Retter's dance students.
LifeSail, Inc. Sailing Trip
LifeSail, Inc. a nonprofit organization invited a couple Urban Compass students to be sailors for the day. For all of the students this was their first time on a boat and they can’t wait to get back on the water.
Field Trips during 2009-2010 school year:
- Kidspace Pumpkin Festival
- Loyola Marymount University for Fright Night
- WBC Movie Screening
- Venice Beach Skate Park
- Dance Studio Trip
Kidspace Pumpkin Festival
On October 3, 2009 Urban Compass students and Mater Dei volunteers went to Kidspace Pumpkin Festival in Pasadena for a day of fun. The kids enjoyed face painting, cookie decorating, jumpers, and lots of games. One lucky Urban Compass student won tickets to Disneyland and another student won tickets to a Dodgers game! And at the end of the day everyone got to take home a pumpkin. Thanks to the Mater Dei volunteers and Kidspace Museum for a fun-filled day!
Loyola Marymount University's Annual Fright Night!
Urban Compass students dressed as ghouls and goblins for Loyola Marymount University's annual Fright Night on October 29, 2009. The students were partnered with LMU students that led Urban Compass students around campus to different Halloween activities around campus. Urban Compass' favorites were the scary haunted house, pumpkin decorating and of course the candy! A special thanks to all the LMU students who held the Urban Compass student's hands all through the haunted house. It was a great afternoon and we hope to return next year.
WBC Movie Screening
On December 5, 2009 the Water Buffalo Club sponsored a trip to the movies for 20 Urban Compass students. The students got the royal treatment at the movies being treated to popcorn, snacks, a magic show, as well as book bags and gift cards from the Water Buffalo Club. It was certainly a special day for the students. Thanks Water Buffalo Club!
Venice Beach Skate Park
The Urban Compass boys love skateboarding, but many of them have never been on a skateboard. Two Sundays in November Theresa and a friend of Urban Compass took the 5th grade boys to the Venice Beach skate park where they were taught how to skateboard. They boys had such a great time and they are planning another trip soon.
Dance Studio Trip
Well rested from their Winter Break, the girls of Urban Compass got the opportunity to attend a dance class at Retter’s Academy of Dance in Agoura Hills on January 16, 2010. Linda Bernabei-Retter and some students of Retter’s Academy taught the girls how to stretch before dancing and also a dance routine! Urban Compass girls had a great time; they even kept doing the dance routine in the car on the way home!
Thanks to Retter's Academy of Dance, Linda Bernabei-Retter and Kathy Greco for sponsoring this field trip.
Field Trips during 2008-2009 school year:
- UCLA vs. Arizona football game at the Rosebowl
- Loyola Marymount University for Fright Night
- Pumpkin Festival at Brookside Park in Pasadena
- Ice skating at Glacial Gardens
- Clippers Game at the Staples Center
- USC football practice to meet Pete Carroll
- Surfing in Santa Monica
- Watts Towers
UCLA vs. Arizona football game at the Rosebowl
The UCLA vs. Arizona football game was a great field trip to kick off the 2008 school year. It was a sizzling September day at the Rosebowl, but perfect for hot dogs and cold sodas. The students enjoyed venturing out to Pasadena to experience a professional sports event.
Fright Night at LMU
Fright Night was held at Loyola Marymount University on October 23, 2008. Our group was partnered up with LMU student-athletes that led the Urban Compass students around campus to participate in all of the Halloween activities. The best part of the night was seeing (and hearing) the reactions to the science-lab-turned-haunted-house!
Pumpkin Festival at Brookside Park
The Urban Compass students attended the Pumpkin Festival at Brookside Park in Pasadena on October 25, 2008. They were treated as VIPs by Kidspace Children's Museum and given extra tickets for the food, games, and jumpers. This was a great event and one that we hope to return to again next year!
Ice Skating Excursion with Urban Compass
"They put water on the floor…and froze it?" "Is it cold in there?" "How do I walk in these things?" The Urban Compass students were full of questions and anticipation before stepping into—or rather, gliding—into their first ice skating experience.
Urban Compass took 25 elementary students from our after-school program to the Glacial Garden Skating Arena in Lakewood on Saturday, January 24, 2009 for an ice skating excursion. We had a blast!! The students were fearless and thrilled to experience the excitement of sliding effortlessly across the ice.
This event would not have been possible without the fantastic volunteers from Mater Dei High School. The high school students helped chaperone the field trip and were a great support, literally, for the students. The Mater Dei students held hands with the Urban Compass participants to prevent them from falling as they attempted to skate around the rink. Despite tumbling onto the ice every few minutes, the Urban Compass students were cheerful and persistent in their effort to learn how to skate.
Before we made it out of the parking lot, the students were begging to go again. We hope to continue to plan field trips like these to expose our participants to new activities. It is through the generous support of our donors that we are privileged to be able to provide our students with fun and enriching experiences like these. We are grateful for the on-going contributions that allow Urban Compass to better the lives of youth in Watts.
Clippers Game
Urban Compass got VIP treatment at the April 11, 2009 Clippers game thanks to a generous sponsorship from Nestle. The Urban Compass participants enjoyed a hot dog dinner before the game at the Los Angeles Clippers Kids Block Party at the Staples Center. The students also received complimentary Clippers hats and t-shirts at the party.
The Los Angeles Clippers Kids Block Party promoted reading by offering books to all of the participants. Each student was able to pick out a book to bring home with them.
The Urban Compass participants were excited to have early admission to the game for a sneak peak at the stadium before the other fans arrived. The UC participants cheered for our Clippers throughout the game and loved being Urban Compass sends a big thank you to Nestle for this great excursion for our participants!
University of Southern California Football Practice
The Urban Compass students were treated to a behind the scenes look at the University of Southern California's (USC) Football team on April 18, 2009. The students had a ball watching the team scrimmage on their practice field. After practice was over, our students were introduced to Pete Carroll and were able to meet some of the USC football players.
The USC players generously gave the Urban Compass students some of their equipment and gave them their signatures. The football players also repeatedly told our students to stay in school, which was a great message for the Urban Compass kids to hear from athletes they admire.
A big thank you to Megan Stanford and her family for connecting Urban Compass with the USC Football Team!
Surfing in Santa Monica
In June 2009, Urban Compass left Watts for the day to go surfing in Santa Monica. Fifteen of our students were given a chance to leave all their worries behind for the day and just enjoy being kids at the beach. It was thrilling to watch our students go from a nervous fear of the waves to confidence on a surfboard.
A big thank you to Das Jesson at Islands Surf Camp http://www.isurfcamp.com/ for donating his time and talent to teach the Urban Compass students how to surf!
Thank you also to Jim Kawahito, one of our board members, and David Shraga, who covered lunch and transportation costs for the field trip.
This was an amazing experience for our students and one they will not soon forget.
Watts Towers
Urban Compass was invited to join the Watts House Project