CMSD & Michael R. White

     Working in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District elementary schools and at Michael R. White STEM school has been a lot of fun so far this semester! As many of you know from our community clinicals, the CMSD kids are generally really excited about having FPB nursing students in school with them and want to talk to us about a lot of things, ask us questions, and tell us about their lives. The teachers are also pretty glad to have us there because they know we are trying to increase the students’ health through various measures.

     The drive to Michael R. White is a nice drive down Wade Park and East Boulevard. There is a lot of trees and general green space and you pass the Cultural Gardens on your left. The houses vary somewhat in terms of the conditions of their upkeep but in general it is a pretty and pleasant drive and the neighborhood feels safe. Michael R. White itself is a nice brick building with a playground out front where lots of kids are running around and playing, depending on what time we arrive there. The inside is not brand new but it is clean and well-maintained and has a nice homey feeling, as schools go. When we go there we usually meet and work in the parent resource room, which currently has fall-themed decorations on the tables.

     The project for the three of us (me, Kayla, and Thea) is the continuation of what some seniors started as their capstone last year and what some of our class did as juniors in the spring—taking Michael R. White 5^th and 6^th grade students to the Case farm and teaching them lessons about farming, ecosystems, soil, nutrition, etc. We do this with the hope that seeing a real live farm will get them excited about their science curriculum and make them more mindful of their food choices, because they will have seen a place where food originates and had lessons and hands-on activities there. We took a trip to the farm (which is gorgeous!) to discuss field trip dates and lesson plans with two of the farm employees, who were very accommodating and enthusiastic about doing trips with the Michael R. White 5^th and 6^th graders. This week we have been having meetings with different faculty at the school to confirm our lesson plans and find out more about the students and the community.

     We have also been spending a lot of time going into many different CMSD schools to help conduct eye screenings in preparation for the OneSight clinic vision bus. We have been screenings kids of all ages but the kids ages 8 and up are eligible for free glasses if their vision is bad enough. That has been an incredibly eye-opening experience because in a short time we have gotten to see a huge range of student population types and schools within CMSD. It is also very interesting to see how many of the kids desperately need glasses but haven’t had them before, and it feels great to know that they are going to get a pair for free that will help them see and achieve more in school and in life.