"We Kane, We Shaw, We Crawford"

How ‘bout those Chicago Blackhawks last night! *Cheering* Don’t mind the title, I was on twitter the night the Chicago Blackhawks claimed the title, Stanley Cup Champions, and saw someone posted a tweet as in the title. I thought it was the perfect phrase for this blog, if you’re out there reading this and you came up with that phrase, I give you credit. I mean, it is the best phrase I’ve seen yet. “We Kane, We Shaw, We Crawford”, talk about creative. I hope they make t-shirts out of these.

Anyway, let’s start talking about how proud we are of our Chicago Blackhawks. After three long years of hard-work and drive, the Blackhawks takes the Stanley Cup again. That’s right, I said it, again! I mean the Boston Bruins have done a tremendous job last night and let me tell you, they are not sore losers, that’s for sure. Even though they did not take home the cup last night, let us take a moment of silence and honor them because it was a great game and they did not go without a fight. Now, let us take a moment of silence and honor the Chicago Blackhawks. Who am I kidding, cheer on my friends, cheer on! The Blackhawks really did their thing last night. They made us all proud and I am sure they are overly excited right now. I’m most definitely sure that they couldn’t have done it without their drive and ambition, their awesome coach, and let’s not forget the amazing fans. I mean Chicago has the best supporters in North America, do you not agree?

The greatest thing about Chicago is our pride. It’s times like these where we value life. As you can see, last night was a perfect time for everyone to come together and cheer for that one team. Many yells were yelled, many friends were made, but at the end of the day, Chicago came together for one night. We came together and supported our team. You see how support really has an effect on the game. I mean WOW! For a minute last night, I really did think that the Boston Bruins were going to be our Stanley Cup Champions, but my goodness did the Blackhawks work. At the end of the day, one player doesn’t make a team; it takes a team to play the game and a team to win. Chicago made one huge team last night and that included the fans, supporters, the coach and the actual Chicago Blackhawks team.

I remember watching the news last night and seeing a lot of fans who were very young. A lot of young boys were so proud to see their team win the championship. When you see that, you can tell how much support affects the young children. The Blackhawks gave it their all last night and they showed it to many young boys and girls. They made way for the younger generation. They show them that dreams do come true, but it takes time, dedication, effort and support.  I know the Blackhawks love the kids and want to set a great path for them. It really makes me proud to see how there are good people out there looking ahead for the future of the children. It’s not about Kane or Crawford or the Blackhawks team, it’s all about the future. If the Blackhawks keeps this up, the future is looking mighty nice right now.

As we honor the Chicago Blackhawks for a season’s worth of ambition and triumph, let us not forget the future. So celebrate and have fun at the Blackhawks parade on Friday, but remember your jobs, your family and your life because your decisions contribute to your future.

Congrats Chicago Blackhawks! We look forward to more Stanley Cup Championships!

Why You Should Get Involved!

Schools provide many benefits for their students. The academic curriculum is only the beginning in the importance of attending school. Some of the best advice I have ever received about school is to get involved. Getting involved in extracurricular activities truly strengthens a student’s ability to grow on a mental, academic, and personal scale. Extracurricular activities give you a chance to explore a creative, physical, social, or career related side to yourself. You are given a chance to shine outside of the classroom. The variety of extracurricular activities ranges from varsity to club sports, competitive to just-for-fun clubs, internships, and much more. I personally believe that becoming involved in activities outside of the classroom has given me a chance to put my academic work to use. I joined clubs in my career field, which gave me a chance to see my lessons play out in the real world. I was able to join cheerleading at a young age, which formed my social skills far beyond what my shy personally would have been capable to achieve solely in the classroom. Aside from my personal experiences in joining extracurricular activities, it has been proven that the additional involvement is necessary for students. Healthykids.org has an informative article stating many benefits including the social expansion, physical gains, and decrease in potential for forming bad habits.

So, now that you know the benefits you might be wondering how you can get involved, or get your child involved, in an extracurricular activity? We believe you should find a school-based activity that fits the passions and needs of yourself or your student. There are numerous amounts of national clubs branched at school’s around the nation along with programs unique to each school. Contact your school and sign up for Newsletters to keep updated on any new opportunities. Most importantly, if you are not finding the extra commitment to be helpful, do not be afraid to keep trying. It is common for students to try many different clubs before sticking to one; it is part of the growing experience involved in after-school activities.

Femi Memorial Outreach is an academic based after-school program. We provide our students with a chance to get extra help on their homework in a positive environment. Our tutors are educated and experienced students from Loyola University Chicago, Dominican University, and the University of Chicago. Our twelve locations are spread throughout the North, West, and South sides of Chicago in order to accommodate as many students as possible. We hope to empower students to see their own potential inside and outside of the classroom. Our students come from at-risk and immigrant backgrounds. This provides students for a chance to get the help they need and make friends who may have similar situations as they do. Although we are academically based, our program strives to turn the lives of our students around.

Femi Outreach is just one example of the many great extracurricular activities available to students around Chicago. We wish that each student will take action and get involved in something positive and fun!