On Thursday, September 14th, we held our sixth annual
Back to School Night/Community Cookout, and it was a huge success! Around 400 people turned out to kick off the beginning of the school year in style. The night began with a “meet and greet” in the gym, and families and staff were able to introduce themselves, get a taste of the curriculum for the year, and sign up for rolling parent/teacher conferences.
The second portion of the evening was moved outside, and the grill was quickly fired up! Attendees munched on burgers, hot dogs, pizza donated from Riverside Pizza down the street, and sandwiches donated from Redbones BBQ in Somerville. Families were able to meet various out-of-school time providers and city-wide community organizations including the Middle School Network, Breakthrough, CitySprouts, Science Club for Girls, Workforce, Moore Youth Center, Innovators for Purpose, David Walker Scholars, Cambridge Community Center, East End House, CityStep, YMCA Boxing Lessons/Cambridge Police, Olympia Fencing, and the Moses Youth Center.
We were also treated to rousing performances from Illstyle & Peace Productions, a hip-hop dance group that has even garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times. In addition, kids and families had the opportunity to test out parkour equipment provided to us courtesy of Parkour Generations (parkour is the fast-rising sport of traversing obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly). Balloon animals, snow cones, and cotton candy were other highlights of the night. Even a sudden visit from Mother Nature wasn’t able to put a damper on the evening or on our spirits--despite a brief rain shower, the celebration continued far into the evening. All in all, it was a phenomenal start to the school year!