Spelman College
Spelman College Bonner Scholars Program
Campus Box 1540
350 Spelman Lane
Atlanta, GA 30314
About Our Campus
KEY FACTS
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Enrollment: 2,117
Other interesting tidbits:
- One of two All Female Historically Black Institutions in America.
- Has Been Ranked as the Top Historically Black College or University by the U.S. News and World Report for 4 consecutive years.
- Spelman is a part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium--the largest consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America. The institutions allow cross registration with each other and share a library.
- Spelman College prides itself on its culture of service, a popular motto being "Women Who Serve."
About Our Program
Name of Campus-Wide Center: The Bonner Office of Community Service and Student Development (BOCSSD)
Relevant website: http://www.spelman.edu/service
Type of Program: Bonner Scholar Program
Year Began: 1992
Bonner Program website: http://www.spelman.edu/service
Number of Bonner Scholars/Leaders: 78
Active in Bonner AmeriCorps Ed Award: 21
KEY CONTACTS
President: Beverly Daniel Tatum
Director, Bonner Office of Community Service & Student Development: Vacant
Bonner Scholars Program Coordinator: Sheryl G. Belizaire
Bonner Program Assistant: Kiesha Cooper, kcooper4@spelman.edu
Bonner Senior Intern(s): Arienne Jones and Lauren Taylor
Bonner Sophomore Interns: Venita Blanson and Dana Stigler
Bonner Congress Representatives: Tyler Smith and Shelbi Augustus
Community Impact Interns: Lauren Guerrido, Sydney Brown, Christina Scott, Michaele Evans, Shantel Monk
Public Relations Interns: Briana Haymon, Tyler Smith, and Amberlace Moore
Humanitarian Interns: Lauren Bailey, Alexis Carter, and Delia Roy
Spelman College Bonner Scholars Program Activities and Service Calendar
Click here to view your 30 Boxes calendar
MORE ABOUT US (our partners, trips, structure, best or unique practices)
1st Year Service Trip
SANKOFA: Returning, Reclaiming, and Renewing
A Service trip for the class of 2014 to Birmingham, Alabama
March 6-11, 2011
The Class of 2014 Bonner Scholars traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to participate in service projects with the Ecoscapes Community Garden, Christian Service Mission, Ronald McDonald House, Estes Northway Nursing Home, and Habitat for Humanity. The Bonners also had an opportunity to visit Vulcan Museum and Park; the home of Birmingham Alabama's colossal statue is the world's largest cast iron statue and considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States.
The various service projects the students participated in are as follows:
Ecoscapes Community Garden: landscaping, planting, harvesting, mulching and plowing
http://www.bsc.edu/sec/ecoscape/index.cfm
Christian Service Mission: landscaping, painting, renovations and construction
http://www.csmission.org/index.html
Ronald McDonald House: cleaning, sorting and organizing donations, and baking cookies for the residence
Estes Northway Nursing Home: arts and crafts, manicures, board games and companionship with residents
Estes Nursing Facility--Northway
1424 N 25th St
Birmingham, AL 35234
Habitat for Humanity: painting, rehabing and renovations
http://www.habitatbirmingham.org/
Faith Porter, a Bonner Scholar from the Class of 2014, shared these thoughts on the First Year Service Trip:
"The Spring Break Service trip was both humbling and eye-opening. This experience showed me how the seemingly unimportant things that we Bonners do can make such a big difference in the lives of others."
Christina Scott, another Bonner Scholar from the Class of 2014, expressed similar sentiments:
"Our service trip was an amazing opportunity to explore a community outside of our own and to help fulfill their needs. The service trip to Alabama allowed the class of 2014 to not only serve the community but to strengthen our bond as Bonner sisters."
Junior or Senior Enrichment Projects
Alternative Spring Break: You Better Belize It!
Belize City, Belize
March 4-13, 2011
The Bonner Class of 2012 and members of the class of 2011 participated an international service trip to Belize City, Belize. We coordinated with a global service organization called Peaceworks, to plan a dynamic service trip. Peaceworks was chosen because their mission is to strive to alleviate poverty and economic disparity through innovative partnerships of higher education. This correlates with the goals of the Bonner program, to impact our community locally and globally in the areas of health, education, economic development and the environment. The international service trip was designed to incorporate full-immersion into the Belizean culture, cultural activities, enrichment activities, and educational activities with a focus on community service and volunteering with the Belizean people.
This was the first Spelman College Bonner Scholars Program experienced an international service trip, therefore, the goal was to begin a legacy to broaden our impact on more than just the West End Community and other areas in Atlanta, Georgia.
Keisha Jefferson, a Bonner Scholar from the class of 2012 shared this reflection of the trip:
"The Junior Bonner class, in partnership with a few seniors, wanted to take the Bonner Scholars Program to the next level by going global. With the charge from Dr. Tatum to go beyond the nation's borders and to properly align themselves with Spelman's motto of, "a choice to change the world" they coined the service trip "You Better Belize It!" The purpose of the trip was to conduct community service overseas, but more importantly in a country in which an African Diasporic community existed. On March 3, 2011, ten Bonner Scholars went to Belize City, Belize to work with the PeaceWorks agency by performing a number of workshops with the Belizean Youth. The first part of the week was spent exploring the city, experiencing culture and working with the Youth Leadership Council. The Youth Leadership Council is a privileged group of students who have outstanding academic achievement and good behavior. Because high school is not free in Belize, these students have been granted scholarships to continue their studies.In the second half of the week the scholars worked with the young women of the YWCA. At the YWCA, young women who did not go on to high school for a number of reasons are able to take classes in the areas of sewing, hospitality, and cosmetology. They can also prepare for the exam that allows them to try to re-enter the school system. In small groups temptation, peer pressure, HIV/AIDS, and sexual health were discussed with the young women. In the last session the Bonner Scholars worked on self-esteem and empowerment. They supplied the YWCA with journals so that the young women could write affirmative statements to get through hard times. The week concluded with the construction and painting of the play structure funded by the Bonner Scholars. You better Belize that this community service trip was extremely rewarding. The Spelman College Bonner Scholars hope to make this an annual endeavor of the program, reaching even more diasporic communities and helping to change the world."
Fall 2011 Class Service Projects & Initiatives
Bonner Scholar Fall Retreat
Hosted by Class of 2012
Spelman College October 1, 2011
On October 1 2011, the Bonner Scholars Class of 2012 was charged with the responsibility of putting on a Fall Retreat for the entire Bonner Program. This has been an ongoing tradition in which each year the senior class plans the retreat. When reflecting on the retreats they had attended the past 3 years, the senior class wanted to do something different, something that had never been addressed before. Many of the past retreats have focused on team-building, self esteem, or meditation/relaxation. While all of these topics are important the senior class wanted to take a different approach. Lakeisha Jefferson, a senior class representative, said "We wanted to do something new and innovative. We wanted to be creative and engage our fellow Bonner Sisters on a topic that as yet to be discussed in our program" in reference to why they chose a theme centered on Disability Awareness.
The day of activities included a speaker from the Center for the Visually Impaired, who was visually impaired herself, activity stations, and a community service project. The speaker shared with the students information about the services offered at the center as well as highlighted some products that have been created to help visually impaired individuals lead a productive life. Furthermore the senior class designed 6 workshops or stations that focused on autism, learning disabilities, communication disorders, hearing impairment, visual impairment, and mental retardation. The Bonner Scholars were able to rotate to each station and participate in activities that "put them in the shoes" of a person suffering from a particular disability. During the reflection time many of the scholars from other classes commented that these activities truly opened their eyes to what it would be like to have different disabilities and look forward to being able to implement what they learned during the retreat at their service sites.
The retreat ended with a community service activity in partnership with the Elaine Center for Exceptional Children. This center services children of various backgrounds and needs in the Atlanta area. The site requested our assistance in gathering classroom supplies for each of their 5 classrooms. At the event, the students were divided up into 5 groups and each group was able to decorate a plastic bin in accordance with the theme of each classroom (i.e. ladybug, flamingo, hummingbird, caterpillar, and butterfly) and through the use of the community fund, the Senior class was able to write a proposal to get the items to stuff in the bins with the supplies requested by the center. Overall it was a great event that was not only fun and interactive but also informative and enlightening!
HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE BINS THE LADIES CREATED!
Adventures in Culture
Hosted by The Class of 2014
The Spelman Bonner Class of 2014 hosted an International Fair at as their class service project. The fair, named Adventures in Culture, was held at Atlanta Prepatory Academy (APA) on November 19, 2011 from 12pm-3pm. The purpose of this fair was to give the students an opportunity to experience the variety in different cultures and countries, and to have fun while doing it! The structure of the Fair was similar to the concept of Amazing Race, a television reality show that requires teams of people to race around the world to a finishing point by figuring out clues that lead them to the next destination. The children who participated in Adventures in Culture were divided into teams and given clues to lead them to each country. The team that made it through all of the countries and returned to the “airport” first was the winner.
The countries included in the fair were Mexico, Japan, Egypt, Columbia, Australia, Spain, Haiti, Brazil, and Italy. In these countries, the students got a chance to learn about the culture, participate in arts and craft projects, taste ethnic foods, and so much more! A reflection was held at the end of the day which really proved that every participant learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience.
Thanks to Dr. L. Walker (Principle of APA), Mrs. K. Brooks (Curriculum Specialist at APA), and all of the APA faculty and staff, this international fair was a success. The Spelman Bonner Class of 2014 really put in hard work, and most importantly a passion for service, as they pressed toward the goal of giving APA students a day where they could increase their knowledge of the global community.
Program-Wide Initiatives
Keshia Knight-Pulliam Community Schools Day
On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, the Bonner Scholars Program hosted 41 third through fifth grade young ladies from A.F. Herndon Elementary School in an event known as Keshia Knight-Pulliam Community Schools Day. The purpose of the day was to expose the young ladies to a collegiate setting and inspire them to work toward attending college, as many of them do not have this type of exposure from their families. The day included a tour of Spelman; a drama workshop facilitated by Bria Henderson and Maya Prentiss, both Bonner Scholars and members of the class of 2015; lunch from Chick-fil-a, during which time Deloris Wilson, C’2012, Bonner Scholar, and First Attendant to Miss Spelman and Her Court, spoke to the young ladies about a myriad of things; a community service project for a children’s home; and a self-esteem workshop presented by Tyler Smith, Bonner Scholar class of 2013. The day was a huge success, and we suspect there are a few future Spelmanites in the group! A special thanks to Arienne Jones, Senior, and Shantel Monk, Junior, for their hard work in planning this event and ensuring that it was a success!
1st Annual Georgia Bonner Conference!
October 21, 2011 - Spelman College & Morehouse College
The Georgia Bonner conference was created with the purpose of opening up lines of communication between Bonner Schools of the Gold Region in hopes that ideas on service project and implementation techniques can be shared and used to strengthen our respective programs. This year’s theme was "Service on our Mind", and was intended to aid in building and maintaining a collaborative relationship between the servant leaders that are Bonner Scholars and Leaders. Berry College, Oxford College at Emory University, and Young Harris were in attendance along with host schools Morehouse College and Spelman College. The workshops touched on topics including service through the arts, economic development and incorporating service beyond our college careers. During the service component of the conference, students from each school participated in a service project, which included planting trees with Trees Atlanta and serving meals to the homeless at Jefferson Place. The conference provided the sophomore class of each school to exchange with not one, but four schools, where they worked together to develop at home learning resources for the students of Jumpstart. We feel that the conference fostered stronger ties between the Georgia schools involved. Through the workshops and service projects, different ideas and initiatives were shared that each institution could take back to their school and use to help address the challenges of and opportunities within their local communities. The Conference spearheaded by Junior Bonner Scholar Tyler Nicole Smith of Spelman College and Tre’vell Anderson Junior Bonner Scholar or Morehouse College, was a huge success and will continue to be hosted by one of the Bonner Scholar schools in the Gold Region!
Bonner Scholars' Individual Initiatives!
Some Bonner Scholars recognize a pressing need at their service sites. In order to address this need, they decide to develop their own service project or initiative at the service site. Here are some of the projects the Spelman Bonners have developed!
Scikids
Courtney Sykes, Class of 2013
The fall semester of the Scikids Saturday Science Program was held at Atlanta Preparatory Academy. The program is to introduce the children to other areas of science outside of the classroom with the hopes to spark an interest for future exploration. At least two Saturdays a month, five 6th grade students perform experiments that focus on different scientific topics such as density, magnetism, anatomy, chemical reactions and more. Along with experiments students cover essential information like velocity, calculating scientific information and the importance of units, note taking, and etc. In the beginning of the semester studentship are given a pretest based on their knowledge of topics we will cover in class. Once all experiments have been performed a post assessment is given to determine how affective the lessons have been. Based on this semesters class of students their knowledge increased by 88%. The Scikids Saturday science program has provided each student with a better understanding of science and what it entails to be a scientist.
Adventures in Economics
Charnee Butler, Class of 2014
This semester at William M. Finch Elementary School, sophomore Bonner Scholar Charnee’ Butler, created a five week program titled Adventures in Economics to teach students basic economic principles and budgeting skills. The program design included a pre/post test to gauge the effectiveness of the program with students and five lessons that included: Budgeting, Opportunity Cost, Supply and Demand, Scarcity, and Trade/Bartering. Students in Ms. Reddick’s fourth grade class participated actively and enthusiastically. Lessons began in late October with rave reviews from students and faculty.
The Future of The American Dream
Shantel Monk, Class of 2013
Bonner Scholar, Shantel Monk is also a member of Spelman College Social Justice Fellows Program and she was recently nominated to speak about the future of the American Dream for the Arthur Blank Foundation. “The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation promotes positive change in peoples’ lives and builds and enhances the communities in which they live. We seek innovative solutions that enable young people, families and communities to achieve results beyond what seems possible today.” To hear Shantel’s thoughts on the future of the American Dream please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcXkFFVGbQ or YouTube search “The Future Of The American Dream: Shantel.”