Jehoshabeath Eli: We Love Our North Side Schools

In order to raise awareness of and help bring unity to North Side public schools, a walk was hosted by newly formed education-advocate organization Jehoshabeath Eli on Saturday August 24th 2013. Parents, residents, school administrators, students and press came together to walk from Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square to the Fred Rogers statue across from Heinz Field and back. The walk was organized both as a thank you for all of the hard work the schools and teachers have put forth for North Side students as well as to bring together people from all neighborhoods who have concerns for public schools.

Millvale Community Library Grand Opening

On August 18th, 2013, residents and supporters of Millvale, Pennsylvania in Allegheny County celebrated the grand opening of their very first public library. A wholly communal project seven years in the making, the library–in addition to housing a wide variety of books and an array of state-of-the-art computers–will act as a hub of programming for educational, occupational, and community-based support for children and families of the Millvale area.

Grow Pittsburgh’s Urban Farmers in Training: 2013 Reflections

Grow Pittsburgh’s Summer Intern Program at Braddock Farms provides local teens with the opportunity to gain summer employment while learning about the value of growing and eating healthy food. Here, the interns from 2013 share their thoughts on gardening, harvesting, fresh food, herbs, and favorite experiences

The Green Compass Season 5

Where we are and where we are going…

In July 2013, twenty-eight recent high-school graduates created these radio features while serving as Summer Interns at The Heinz Endowments. The resulting features cover a range of community issues. While SLB provided training and coaching, the features presented here were conceived and created entirely by the students in a single week.

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 27 – The Omega (Man) Day

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve reached the end of Summer Dreamers 2013. It’s been a good ride–we’ve learned new things, made new friends, played new games, and lost a ton of Four Square. Today, two of our campers presented Radio Camp and our accomplishments to the rest of Summer Dreamers during the All Camp Meeting. We then setup an open house for all visiting parents, with a display table featuring each student’s final writing project. Afterwards, we headed outside to play our final round of Four Square.

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 26 – KICKBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

On our second to last day of camp, we played a little Teachers vs Students kickball! Both classes put up an admirable fight, but, in the end, Mr. Andy’s colossal right foot and Mr. Ben’s panther-like agility proved too much for the Radio Campers.

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 25 – Narration Recording Part Deux

On our 25th day, campers finished recording their narration! It was a long, tough road filled with revisions and repetitions, but they pushed through it like Jerome Bettis crossing the line of scrimmage.

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 24 – Narration Recording

On our 24th day, campers recorded the narration for their final radio pieces. Now, with scripts written and revised, and both interviews and said narration collected (a monstrous amount of hard work forged by the unparalleled dedication of our young broadcasters) the Frankenstein-like process of assemblage can begin with Mr. Andy and Mr. Ben back at the Saturday Light Brigade offices, banging away at their laptops, editing audio like Edward Scissorhands… if Edward Scissorhands ever decided to become an audio engineer… and if he exclusively used magnetic tape in his recordings.

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 23 – Script Finalizing

Our 23rd day of camp brought with it even more typing and finalizing of our interview scripts. Each group sat down with either Mr. Andy or Mr. Ben and went over grammar, syntax, and spelling. We fine-tooth-combed those things until even E. B. White couldn’t find something wrong with them. After polishing almost all of the scripts, we headed outside and played some Four Square–Roberta made it rain with her spikes!

Radio Camp 2013 – Day 22 – What I Want to be When I Grow Up

On our 22nd day, campers in our first class were asked the old classic: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They’re an ambitious bunch: Taijaun is going to lead the technological charge in nano-robot development, Anthony is going to be an actor and Sean is going to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The second class was given netbooks to type up their finished interview scripts.