NEW MONUMENTS
A Proposal from
Ms. Shanel’s 2nd Grade Class at Detroit Prep
FIRST EDITION 2021 AN 826MICHIGAN DIGITAL PUBLICATION
NEW MONUMENTS Memorials That Matter
826 National’s Commitment to Inclusion As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps of learning occur, we commit to inclusion: We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, immigration status, military service, or disability.
826michigan Staff Dr. Naimah Wade, Executive Director Judy Tipton, Development Director Catherine Calabro Cavin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Megan Gilson, Program Manager Ariel Kaplowitz-Hahn, Volunteer Engagement Associate Josi Ezinga, Development Associate
Copyright © 2021 by 826michigan and Blotch Books. All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, and the authors. The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study. Many thanks to Detroit Prep, University of Michigan Museum of Art, and our volunteers for their participation in this field trip. By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org
Table of Contents About the Program New Monument Proposals A Monument to Bees............................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 A Monument to Family. . ......................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A Monument to Magical Creatures............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Monument for Parents........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Design Your Own Monument.................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 About 826michigan.. ....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About the Program This book contains writing from 826michigan’s New Monuments virtual field trip program, hosted in partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Art. During this program, students explore what a monument is and can be, dreaming up new possibilities for local ways to honor heroes and specialties, from the playful (coney dogs and magical creatures) to the serious (activists and abolitionists). In collaboration with 826michigan volunteers, students envision and draw these new possibilities, and then write about why they think their new monuments should be built. This project is based on the work by student writers at our sister chapter 826 New Orleans and their publication Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse: New Monuments for New Orleans.
A Monument to Bees
Group 1
Did you know that without bees we couldn’t have pizza? Bees deserve a monument because you see bees every day, like every day in the spring or summer. They’re actually more important than you think, and they don’t always want to sting you. If you have flowers in your backyard, they will visit and pollinate them because they’re pollinators. Pollinate means when you move one part of the flower to another flower, it’s called pollination. Bees like nectar, and when they go to flowers to get nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies, and then they accidentally take pollen to other flowers when they’re getting nectar. A bee monument would be made out of recycling, like clump all of that stuff together to make a sculpture of a bee. It could also be made out of flowers, and then it could be flower-scented. The monument would combine these ideas, with a recycling base that holds the flowers. The recycling would hold the flowers together and the statue together.
New Monuments | 1
A Monument to Family
Group 2
A monument dedicated to family. This matters because family is important, because they are the ones that raised you. Families are important because they can buy the food you need and all the lessons and stuff you need. If your family lives far away, like on the other side of town, then they can look at the monument to remember family. Even if they live close you can still go visit them. People should feel happy, surprised, and comforted when looking at this monument.
2 | Ms. Shanel’s Class
A Monument to Magical Creatures
Group 3
Our monument is to magical creatures. Magical creatures deserve to be memorialized because “without magic, life would just be dull.” Life is boring when you don’t believe magical creatures are real. Magical creatures can also be in stuffed animal form. We should make this monument because we want to be role models for others and add a spark of imagination and magic to their lives so they feel special. Our monument could be built of feathers, imagination, and pink fairy dust. We would place our monument on a fairy island. The other fairies could see it, and other unicorns.
New Monuments | 3
A Monument for Parents
Group 4
We want to make a monument for parents in our school playground, where all can see it and celebrate it. Our parents have been in our lives for a long time and help us. Making a monument for parents matters to us because our parents always do stuff for us. Our parents buy us toys and play with us. Some parents are stressed, struggling, or homeless. A monument would make them feel special. We want parents to feel happy and good when looking at the monument. We also want our parents to read this. We would build a huge statue of two parents together, made out of marble.
4 | Ms. Shanel’s Class
Design Your Own Monument WHO or WHAT would you like to memorialize? _______________________________________________________________ Opening sentence to hook the reader’s attention: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ What are some facts to support your proposal? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Share your feelings about why the proposed monument is important. _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Describe your vision of the monument. Where would it be located? What does it look like? What is it made of ? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Conclusion to support your proposal: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________
New Monuments | 5
inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities. Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing. Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members.
ONLINE LEARNING LAB For the 2020–21 school year, our programs will remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!
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IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.
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WRITING IS
A way to figure things out by ourselves
We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)
A way to help us connect to our world
We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose
A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become
We work with a group of writers who help and support each other
A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world
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826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities. We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization. We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands. As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability. The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
by Gerald Richards, CEO
