All 15

I thought that I was making a smart move by planning two blog posts at the beginning and end of my time with Jumpstart. But more and more I have realized that committing this last post to paper has been more difficult than I had originally imagined. I wish I could give deep insights into my last months in Jumpstart, but all I can think of how much I am going to miss it. I am going to miss the knee hugs that our kids give to us. I am going to miss their mis-timed clapping of ‘Bingo’. I am also going to miss the team of girls who have made this experience even more enjoyable. Without them, our time would not have been nearly as enjoyable. As we prepare to begin our last session, I am faced with some very real realities about the boys and girls we have spent the year with. DC graduation rates are one of the lowest in the country, coming in at about 60%. That means statistically, of our classroom of 15, only 9 will graduate from high school. I look at the bright faces our 3 year olds and wonder what will happen to them. For now, I can quell my anxieties by remembering to see the successes that they are achieving now: correctly identifying letters, reading words, rhyming words, and having intelligent questions about the activities we do. But that feeling can only last for the 2 hours that we run session. Then, we leave their fate up to the other adults in their lives. But the silver lining is that by intervening in their lives now, introducing tactics that will put them on the right track, maybe 10 out of 15 of our kids will graduate. Maybe even all 15. That is the beauty of intervening now: maybe we set one extra child up with the tools to succeed. Allow one more to enter school prepared to engage their learning environment. That is the reality that I have chosen to put my faith in. That is the reality that Jumpstart has helped create, and one I am proud to have been a part of for the last 7 months.

-Hannah Holley

Team Leader

Team Opportunity