Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pre-Thanksgiving Festivities

Today, performer Hernan Cortez volunteered to entertain the Woodstock campus (Home Sweet Home and AUSD Special Education) preschool children.

Hernan is showing Rosie a magic trick.

Luca is enjoying the show.

Afterwards, the entire campus enjoyed our 8th annual Thanksgiving lunch.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Help us build our Sound Recording Studio!


The Sound Recording Studio team is readying for its first Community Build day. Tomorrow, Saturday, November 22, 2008, youth, coaches and community members will begin major renovations of this space.

If you have time to help us out, you can find us at Room 19 from 10 AM to 3 PM.

Alternatives in Action is located at the Woodstock Education Center in Alameda:
1900 Third Street
Alameda, CA 94501
Contact: Dawn Humphrey, 510-748-4314 x. 315

Breakfast and lunch is served to all Build participants.

This is a unique way to help local youth literally build their dream. Please join us.

Happy Birthday to our Executive Director

Today we celebrated Patricia's birthday by surprising her at end of the Bay Area School of Enterprise's (BASE) community wide meeting.


BASE students, Vanessa and Jessica, created a wonderful poster for the party (above). Another BASE student, Helen, gave a meaningful speech to her fellow students about Patricia. Donesha, one of our new student photographers, took these shots to capture the event in images.

Patricia (above) was surprised and touched.

Scarlett, one of our Home Sweet Home (HsH) Preschool students, presented Patricia with a special gift (a beaded bracelet) she made all by herself.

And then there was cake.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Teamwork Makes the Dream work


The First World Culture Cuisine Festival

The idea was born through a lecture I was giving on the diversity of cultures & countries around the world. As I was lecturing to the students, the topic of food in various cultures created this stimulating conversation between the students and I , therefore I immediately announced that I saw this excitement come over them.

I then asked if they would like to put on a World Cuisine Cultural Festival..they eagerly said "yes".


The ninth grade students of BASE High School put on the their first successful production of the year! Cuisines from countries such as: Japan, The Phillipines, Mexico, Jamaica, Samoa, North America, Africa and Creole cuisine were represented at the festival. Each dish had it's own colorful flavor and personal touch. Most of the students cooked their own dish, while other students received assistance from their wise parents on how to prepare their dish. The students provided recipes and descriptions of the cuisines represented at the festival and wrote essays on the importance of food and culture throughout the world.

I, the teacher really felt proud and appreciative of the students taking on this project. The students' diligence, ambition and participation in this project is greatly appreciated.

--SamZie Hudson, BASE coach

photo by BASE student, Vanessa