[0:01] I want to say happy 50th anniversary to

[0:03] our volunteers and partnership program.

[0:05] For 50 years, you've been doing a great

[0:07] job of bringing in volunteers to support

[0:09] our students, our teachers, and our

[0:12] staff. Thank

[0:17] [Music]

[0:19] you. Volunteers and partnership is a

[0:22] really special program here in the

[0:23] Robbinsdale Area School District. um

[0:26] giving community members a chance to

[0:28] connect and use whatever skills they

[0:31] have to uh be a part of supporting our

[0:34] classrooms. Uh it's a very special uh

[0:37] opportunity.

[0:39] My mother and father have always told me

[0:40] that in life you need to be a volunteer

[0:42] at something or with someone because

[0:44] everyone doesn't have the same

[0:46] opportunity.

[0:49] one's worth is measured principally by

[0:53] how much one cares about the well-being

[0:55] of others. And I've always believed that

[0:58] I well first of all I think empathy is

[1:01] everything. It makes the world go around

[1:03] and

[1:04] it it is good for the person

[1:07] volunteering to get out of themselves.

[1:10] In my opinion,

[1:12] it's really nice to know that there's

[1:14] someone that they can go get help with,

[1:15] help from um somebody who can help them

[1:19] organize, give some ideas, um kind of

[1:23] talk about the field experiences that

[1:24] they've had specifically with math and

[1:26] science um for AVID. Um, but it's it's

[1:30] just nice to have another volunteer in

[1:32] that classroom. Um, and to have somebody

[1:35] who can make a connection and it really

[1:37] just makes a really big impact to have

[1:39] another person there who cares about our

[1:41] kids.

[1:42] when you have volunteers in the

[1:44] classroom helping, they are able to help

[1:48] the students um with their needs in a

[1:52] worksheet or a lesson um pull back with

[1:55] a small group or just working with a

[1:57] student individually. So, they're really

[2:00] hitting those needs that that student

[2:01] might need at that time that a teacher

[2:03] is not able to get to.

[2:07] The stories he's shared with me are more

[2:09] of his his journey in high school to

[2:12] college and how it's made him today and

[2:15] what what his what it's put him in as an

[2:18] adult. And with him sharing those

[2:20] stories, it makes me realize that what

[2:22] I'm doing now can often project what

[2:25] I'll be doing in the future and how I

[2:26] take care of it now is what's going to

[2:28] be happening later on as well.

[2:32] they can connect the information that

[2:34] I'm teaching to real world experiences

[2:37] and that creates buy

[2:40] in. He bring he brings out the

[2:44] best. When I say the best wherever I'm

[2:48] slacking, you know, mentally, he know

[2:51] how to bring that comfort zone out of me

[2:55] and I can get going and and I love that.

[3:00] I think it's particularly satisfying

[3:02] knowing that the time I spend with

[3:04] someone and the relationship that we

[3:06] develop truly makes a difference. And I

[3:08] also think that I have a greater

[3:10] appreciation and maybe understanding for

[3:13] people whose experiences and

[3:17] uh life journey may be different than my

[3:20] own.

[3:22] Having that extra person in the

[3:25] classroom that that can maybe work with

[3:27] somebody one on- one is just a very very

[3:30] special experience for some students. It

[3:32] it really does does help um students out

[3:35] tremendously.

[3:38] When the volunteers can't come in or if

[3:41] they are late, the kids are always

[3:43] asking for them like when are they

[3:44] coming today? When are they coming

[3:45] today? So they might not always hear or

[3:47] see that they are needed and wanted, but

[3:49] the kids really really love having them

[3:52] in our building.

[3:55] there was an article, a front page

[3:56] article I might add, about um corporate

[4:00] mentorships and there was a picture of a

[4:03] former student of mine and I like to

[4:06] think that I maybe had a small role in

[4:10] uh in this student's uh course in in in

[4:14] life and in academics and in career.

[4:18] What I've enjoyed doing is like seeing

[4:20] students who want to work with me. You

[4:22] know, every now and then a teacher will

[4:24] say, "Okay, who wants to work with Mr.

[4:26] Jack?" And I'll come in and, you know, a

[4:29] whole bunch of hands go up. And that's

[4:31] really satisfying to think that you have

[4:34] an impression that kids want to want to

[4:36] work with you. Putting community

[4:38] together is bring

[4:41] connection,

[4:43] trust when you work hand to hand. When

[4:46] you share something or you're helping

[4:48] something with

[4:51] somebody, this is my community. This is

[4:54] where my kids go to school. This is

[4:56] where I live. Um, and I have seen good

[4:59] teachers, good administrators, and want

[5:02] to be part of that. I want to join with

[5:03] them in in the effort of of supporting

[5:07] students here.

[5:09] Volunteering is the highlight of my week

[5:12] because when I walk into the classroom

[5:14] and a student runs and comes and hugs

[5:17] me, it makes me feel valued just as I

[5:20] like to make them feel valued when I

[5:22] come to the school.

[5:25] We need our volunteers not just

[5:27] for not just for the work they do in the

[5:30] school but

[5:31] for what they do to then go out and

[5:34] share their stories. And they I mean

[5:36] there are number they're are number one

[5:41] advocates as we celebrate 50 years of

[5:45] volunteers and partnership in our school

[5:47] district. I just want to thank everyone

[5:49] who's been a part of this throughout

[5:50] those years, both as volunteers and

[5:53] sustaining it to continue to support our

[5:55] schools to make them the best they

[5:57] possibly can be. Strong communities and

[5:59] strong schools go together, and we can't

[6:02] do it without the amazing volunteers who

[6:04] help make this happen. Congratulations,

[6:06] and thank you for serving Robinsdale

[6:08] Area Schools.

[6:11] [Music]