Spring Fever

It's officially spring in Wisconsin. It's been raining nonstop, my allergies are going crazy, and the kids at my site has lost their minds. I blame all the pollen in the air.

Spring also means that it's time for the garden kickoff party at Maple Tree. Growing Power has been here for the past few weeks getting the plots ready, and they've been happy to report that they've had a good amount of neighborhood kids volunteer to help out. We've set the date for the party for next saturday, and I've already made flyers to be sent out. We're having a meeting this afternoon to finalize our plans and plan future events at the garden for the summer, including a back-to-school bbq in August.

Planning events here has become difficult at this point in the school year. The HIP coordinator has been taking even more sick days than usual since she announced that she's pregnant. It's been at least two weeks since the last time I saw her. I'm unsure of whether or not this will affect the health fair she planned with school nurse for this month, but I'm not involved with the event so it is not an immediate concern of mine (remember how we're supposed to plan everything collaboratively? apparently this isnt a huge priority for her, since she planned the whole event without talking to anyone on the action team).

In trying to pick a date for the BBQ in August, several staff members realized that I'm not returning to Maple Tree next year (NOTE: this is something I never planned on doing. I always saw my time with VISTA as a one-year thing and never attempted to renew my contract). Some of the staff got it in their head somehow that I was going to renew my contract with VISTA, so they were surprised when I told them I was done after August 21st. The thing is, even if I were to renew my contract with VISTA, I could not work with Maple Tree. They had two previous VISTAs who left the school before the year was over for various reasons, but still finished their years of service with Americorps. Plus, I dont think Maple Tree has as great a need for a VISTA as other schools in Milwaukee for various reasons.

So now that I've got a happy stomach full of leftover indian food, it's time to get some work done! I'm also expecting a call from a prospective VISTA for next year.