Today’s Class: March 6, 2015

Salyna Rae Anza and Laura Reales. Salyna from the town of Northborough in Massachusetts and Laura from the country of Columbia in South America. Two successful students enrolled in Suffolk University’s Entrepreneurial Studies program came to Hope High today to

share their stories of ‘change’, ‘risk’, and ‘entrepreneurship’

and

the ‘perseverance’ and ‘hard work’ each requires.

Jennifer (top left) and Aileen (bottom left) introduce themselves to today’s guests from Suffolk University, Laura (top right) and Salyna prior to today’s Life Skills class.

Our Life Skills class hosts were Jennifer Quenes and Aileen Rodriguez Jimenez.

Aileen and Jennifer escort Laura and Salyna into the Life Skills class for their introduction to the rest of the class.

Jennifer and Aileen introduce Laura and Salyna to their fellow Hope High School Life Skills classmates.

Laura begins sharing her story while Salyna (right of Salyna), Jennifer (left of Laura) and the rest of the class listen.

Laura began today’s conversation. “My transition to Boston from Columbia wasn’t easy. It was cold! And, I didn’t know anyone. Initially, the people in Boston seemed distant. I really had to push myself out of my comfort zone to meet new people…..Now, Salyna and I are best friends……And

I work very hard to get good grades;

I only got two hours of sleep last night……“.

Salyna’s story was slightly different. “My path to Suffolk was longer. I didn’t do well in high school. I decided to go to community college to focus on my studies after high school. I then worked hard to achieve my academic goals. My grades were so good that Suffolk University gave me a full scholarship. Like Laura, I am in the Entrepreneurship program. I continue to studying long hours as well as having a job. College is a great experience. I’m glad I chose Suffolk”.

Laura and Salyna continued their stories about their families and the fact both women are the first to go to college from their families. Our conversation also turned to respect and the

importance of being ‘on time‘.

“We left this morning at 4:30am to come to Hope High. We got here early, around 6:30am, so we had breakfast at the Wayland Diner before coming to Hope…… I hate being late. It’s a sign of disrespect. Whenever you’re late, it essentially says to the person you’re meeting ‘your time is not important’. Being late doesn’t help your brand and certainly doesn’t help you get or keep the job you want” Salyna concluded.

Today’s class concluded with our usual networking session at the end of class and the hope of reconnecting with both Salyna and Laura in the near future.

Salyna exchanges business cards with Fernando Perez and Gisabel Salcedo while Salyna’s shares more of her story.

Isabel Romero, Aileen and Laura share a laugh during the Life Skills networking session.

Salyna exchanges business cards with Jessica Dough while Hafzat Akanni (back left in yellow blouse) wait to exchange her business cards and speak with Salyna.

Today's Class, Uncategorized

Posted on March 7, 2015

Field Trip: Teespring, Davol Square, Providence, Rhode Island. February 13, 2015

‘Teespring‘? you ask……

Teespring

Here’s what Forbes Magazine recently wrote about the company:

“Some tech companies look to change the way we communicate or travel in space.

Teespring helps people sell t-shirts. Custom, well-made t-shirts.

And it’s good at what it does.

Teespring sold 6 million shirts in 2014. Hundreds of its customers make more than $100,000 a year selling the teeshirts they design on the TeeSpring web site. ………At least ten customers have become millionaires selling their teeshirts through Teespring! ….. For 2015, the startup plans to go even bigger. The company has raised millions of dollars from investors.

“This isn’t about t-shirts, it’s not about crowd-funding, it’s about the concept that bringing something to market should be as easy as the idea,” says cofounder and CEO Walker Williams. “All we need is visionaries with the ideas.”

Teespring….handles the nitty-gritty of selling your own shirts, from payment to manufacturing and shipping. The idea came about as Williams and cofounder Evan Stites-Clayton were seniors at Brown University and a local favorite bar was closing. Amid the outpouring of student emotion on Facebook about that” closing, the entrepreneurs decided they wanted to sell shirts expressing support for the watering hole, only to find the logistics daunting. They eventually set up their own website and sold hundreds of shirts, then brought the idea to an investor group…….”

Dawn Hernandeze proudly wears the original teeshirt created by the Founders of Teespring which launched the idea for the company.

The Hope ‘Life Skills’ class arrived at the Teespring office at Davol Square in Providence around 11am and were quickly greeted by members of the TeeSpring team with

a thunderous Hope High cheer,

friendly smiles, handshakes and free ‘Euro’ teeshirts!

Ashley Nutini brought us to a comfortable lounge for snacks and drinks and began the day’s program with a presentation about the company. Ashley is in charge of ‘People Operations’. Some company’s refer to Ashley’s responsibilities as ‘Human Resources’.

Teespring’s Ashley Nutini begins the Teespring story of the two Brown University students who started the company.

Ashley then introduced us to a team of Teespring specialists who shared their stories of helping customers design, market and sell their teeshirts on Teespring.

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Posted on February 14, 2015

Today’s Class: January 13, 2015

Today’s guest was Junior Jabbe, the Executive Manager of Business Development and Customer Relationships at Banneker Industries in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Our ‘Life Skills’ host was Fernando Perez who welcomed Junior to Hope and our ‘Life Skills’ class.

Junior’s story was about ‘change’.

Fernando (left in photo) and ‘Life Skills’ class guest, Junior Jabbe (right)

“I was a ‘knucklehead’. My high school experience started poorly. Bad grades and trouble with the principal. But then, I found something I became passionate (my ‘Element‘) about. Or, maybe it found me. Football. I enjoyed it; it made me feel good. As a result, I worked hard to keep playing. I became an honor roll student and stayed out of trouble. I also worked hard in the weight room so I could excel on the field.”

Fernando and the rest of the class listening to Junior’s story about his bright, red socks!

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Posted on February 14, 2015

Today’s Homework: February 13, 2014

1. Read pages 78 to 86 in your “A Study of Change” textbook. Please consider traveling back in time to go to dinner with President Abraham Lincoln and his good friend, Frederick Douglass, in 1865. Please list 3 questions you would ask Frederick Douglass during the course of your meal.

2. I’m interested in your feedback on today’s field trip to Teespring. We had several objectives for the trip:

Prepare you for our KG3 activity on designing, marketing and selling your KG3 teeshirt(s)
Encourage you to continue to push yourself out of your comfort zone and build confidence
Expand your network of talented, trustworthy, diverse people
Learn more about the benefits of collaboration, diversity, persistence and creativity
Learn about the culture, employment/intern opportunities and business model of one of Providence’s fasting growing and fun companies – Teespring

Hope students opening their gift bags from the Teespring staff and quickly sporting their Teespring shades!

Please share with me your reaction to today’s Teespring field trip:

what did you get out of today’s trip to Teespring? Please explain in a well written paragraph what you learned during the field trip that will help you with our ‘Life Skills’ teeshirt activity and any other lessons that may help you in your future.
was there anything you wish YOU did during our visit to Teespring but didn’t?
what, if anything, you would suggest we change for a visit to Teespring with next year’s class.
AND, list the names of the people in your KG3 North American division who will be designing and selling teeshirt(s) through the Teespring web site.

Homework, Uncategorized

Posted on February 13, 2015

Today’s Class: February 6, 2015

Sydney Flanagan is a singer, songwriter, musician and performing artist. She is presently a sophomore at Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School. Sydney visited our ‘Life Skills’ class yesterday to share her story. Gisabel Salcedo was our class host, welcoming Sydney and her father, Matthew, to Hope and introducing them to her ‘Life Skills’ classmates.

Sydney Flanagan (right). Matthew Flanagan (center) and our host, Gisabel Salcedo, listen as Sydney began her story.

Sydney’s story is about a person finding their “Element“;

as creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson, has told the world, a person finds their ‘Element’ when they’re doing things they like to do and they do it well! Robinson contends the “Element” experience enables people to be themselves, to be excited about what they’re doing and, in the process, achieve the highest level of personal satisfaction. Sydney told the class “I found music. It’s always been a part of our home. My Dad’s a musician…. I enrolled in the School of Rock and met a lot of new people who also have a passion for music…. I felt a little nervous in the beginning…. Because we all love music, I made friends quickly…….We practice together, collaborate to write songs and perform in different clubs in the area…… music has helped me push myself out of my comfort zone to do things I once questioned I could….. I feel good when I’m playing, singing and composing with my friends.“

Sydney performing one of her songs for the class. She explained she composed this particular song in 90 minutes, just in time to play it for her father as his gift on Father’s Day.

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Posted on February 8, 2015

Today’s Homework: February 6, 2015

1. Field trip preparation: This Friday we will leave Hope High at 10am for a field trip to the amazing office of “TeeSpring” in Providence, Rhode Island. We will return to Hope High shortly after 2pm. You are expected to research “TeeSpring” on Wikipedia, the TeeSpring web site and any other credible source you can find. Part of the search should include the founders of the company and any other important people or products associated with the company. This will prepare you for our question and answer session with the TeeSpring staff. Finally, check with Ms Lora to make sure you have passed in your permission slip. You don’t need to write anything to send to me for this part of our homework. I simply ask you to prepare for this field trip as you would for any important event. Preparation enables you to get the most out of an event as well as maximizing your brand and our Hope Life Skills brand. Finally, preparation will enable you to successfully complete your assignment on page 55 and 56 in your “My Story” textbook to design, market and sell your KG3 North American division teeshirt on TeeSpring.

2. Metaphor: As you have probably been informed in an English class long ago, a metaphor is “something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; a metaphor is a symbol representing something else“. Examine the cover of your newest textbook, “A Study of Change“. The cover is a photograph by the famous Rhode Island photographer, Richard Benjamin. Explain why you believe the author of your textbook chose this photograph for the cover of this book and if you feel the photograph may serve as a metaphor for something. As always, your explanation must be well written with perfect spelling and capitalization, good grammar and NO RUN ON SENTENCES. Thank you.

3. Read pages 1 through 33 in your new textbook, “A Study of Change“. The author presents his perspective on ‘change’ throughout these pages. In a well written paragraph with perfect spelling and capitalization, good grammar and NO RUN ON SENTENCES, compare your perspective on ‘change’ with the author’s stated perspective on ‘change’. If the perspectives are different, explain how your perspective is different from the author’s. If they are similar, explain the similarities of your ‘change’ perspective and the author’s.

4. After reading the assigned pages in “A Study of Change“, please tell me in one well written sentence what you believe your “Element” is as defined by Sir Ken Robinson. Thank you.

5. I am always looking for feedback on our conversations with our class guests. Please give me your feedback on our conversation with Sydney Flanagan yesterday. Did the conversation make you think and reflect and, as a result, did Sydney’s story help you refine or embolden your plan for success? As always, I expect your candid, constructive opinions. My objective for our class is to provide an experience for you to improve your skills, expand your perspectives, and build confidence in your ability to extend yourself out of your comfort zone. In the process, you will be better prepared to create and exploit opportunities for success, both now and in your future. Thank you for your feedback.

Homework, Uncategorized

Posted on February 7, 2015

Today’s Class: January 30, 2015

Today’s guest was Nick DeCesare, the Creative Director at TWOBOLT. Today’s ‘Life Skills’ class host was Joan Tueros who introduced Nick to the class.

Joan Tueros (right) introducing TWOBOLT Creative Director Nick DeCesare (left) to today’s Life Skills class.

The class’s conversation with Mr DeCesare focused on

the creative process and the importance of pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone to access and express our creative abilities.

Nick DeCesare sharing his story with the class. Zachary Reyes (seated to Nick’s left in the photo), Joan and Gisabel Salcedo (far right in the photo) listen intently.

He claimed “everyone has creative abilities. Some people are just better at finding, developing and using them.”

Continue Reading →

Posted on January 31, 2015

Today’s homework: January 30, 2015

1. Read the article distributed in class today entitled “Graduate of the Year” by New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. Refer to a specific line in the article that resonated with you the most and CAUSED YOU TO REFLECT. Next, explain in a well written paragraph why this particular line in the column affected you the way it did. AND BY THE WAY, ‘Thank you’ JENNIFER, for your recommendation about providing links to the articles. IT WAS VERY HELPFUL. Click Here.

2. Last week, I was teaching a ‘Personal Branding‘ seminar to a class of Boston high school students in Cambridge. I was showing pictures of various people and companies, from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the Nike logo to England’s King George the Third, and asking the students what their opinions were of the personal and corporate brands they saw. When I held up the picture of King George the Third of England, a student’s reaction was “a tyrant, an evil leader. He was brutal. He was a person who did bad things to America“. I then gave this student a copy of your textbook, “My Story“, and asked him to read King George’s telling of his own story. The next day, the student returned to class to once again share his perception of England’s King George the Third’s brand. I AM ASKING YOU TO READ KING GEORGE’S STORY AS TOLD BY THE KING HIMSELF FROM PAGES 25 TO 47. IN A WELL WRITTEN PARAGRAPH WITH PERFECT SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION, STATE YOUR PERCEPTION OF KING GEORGE THE THIRD’S BRAND. The intended lesson of this assignment is the important of getting all sides of a story before drawing any conclusions about anyone or anything.

3. Thanks to TRAVIS for the constructive criticism on this site. Today’s guest, Nick DeCesare, and I await examples of other sites to look to for improvements.

4. You, once again, were great in class today. You always make me proud. Every guest we’ve had in class this year has given me the same feedback on your brand: “Wow. These students are impressive. They’re bright. They present themselves well. They’re so respectful and curious. I’ve never met 16 year olds like this; in fact, I don’t find many professionals who act like this. Their eye contact during introductions and handshakes. Their genuine smiles. They say ‘Please’ and ‘thank you for coming to our class’; they’re great hosts. And, they’re so curious. An impressive bunch of young people. I’m glad I met them……..”. You all are developing great networks and brands for yourself and the school.

Homework, Uncategorized

Posted on January 31, 2015

Today’s Class: January 23, 2015

Today’s guest was Adriana Dawson, the Director of Employer Outreach & Engagement at Roger Williams University.

Isabel Romero (left) served as today’s class host welcoming Adriana to Hope High and introducing her to the Life Skills class.

Adriana’s story was one of success and

the mistakes along the way that made it possible.

Continue Reading →

Posted on January 25, 2015

Today’s Homework: January 23, 2015

1. Part ONE: ‘The Ask’. From pages 20 to 22 in your “My Story” textbook, I introduce the concept of ‘the ask’. Please write a well written paragraph explaining your understanding of ‘the ask‘.

2. Part TWO: Please state if you have or have not had the opportunity to ‘ask’. If you have had the opportunity and did, in fact, ‘ask’, please share in a separate paragraph how you felt about asking and what the result was. Jessica did during our networking segment at the end of yesterday’s class with Adriana.

3. Permission slip: Make sure you have passed in your permission slip for our field trip to TeeSpring next Friday morning after class. Bus will leave at 10am. I anticipate this trip being an exceptional experience. I know all of you will have done your research on TeeSpring prior to our trip.

Homework, Uncategorized

Posted on January 24, 2015