College and Career Conversations on the Westside

As part of a yearlong study, fifth graders at Seymour Dual Language Academy visited different organizations and businesses in the Westside community. Their purpose was to tour the facilities to learn more about the services they provide and to interview the professionals who supervise the delivery of these services to understand what preparation is needed to do their jobs.        

The Warehouse   Home to Syracuse University Programs and the Near                             Westside Initiative

We visited the Warehouse and saw many interesting things. When we first got to the Warehouse, we met Mr. Jacobs who is the Director of the Near Westside Initiative.  He showed us through the Warehouse and introduced us to different people who work in the building.

We saw the model houses of the buildings in the Blodgett neighborhood. There were architectural sketches of the models.

We saw students working on projects. We saw a lot of equipment like the 3 D printer and he told us how it works. There was a laser that made a design generated by a computer on a piece of wood. You have to draw the picture first.

Mr. Jacobs talked about his job. He said his job is to observe and supervise everything that happens in the neighborhood and give help when someone needs it. He had to go to college for his job. We learned that he went to college and then got a master's degree. He told us that he works about 45 hours a week. To do his job, he has to be organized and a "people" person. It helps a lot to be able to speak Espa ñol because so many people on the Westside speak it. He also told us that he needs to be creative to work on projects. He needs to collaborate with other organizations. He must be able to communicate well when he writes grants and talks with other people. He needs to do a lot of critical thinking to solve problems.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Brianna, Daquon, Jacier, Michael, Nelson, Phoenix, Quamir, Rasheed and Shadiamond!

Nojaim Bros. Market Grocery Store on the Westside

We went to visit Nojaim Market. We met Mr. Nojaim who is the owner and the person who runs the store. He talked to us about his family and how his Dad ran the store before he did. He took us around the store and went up and down the aisles to show us what is on the shelves.

Mr. Nojaim says he spends a lot of time in the store to make sure everything goes well. He has to make sure everybody does their job. He hires the people who work in the store and you have to be a certain age to work there. He also has to make sure all the shelves are stocked and has a machine that keeps track of what is on the shelves so he knows when to order more.

He talked to us about Healthy Monday and how they are trying to get people to eat healthy. He told us about foods that are healthy. You have to read what it says on the labels to know if what you are eating is good for you. He asked us if we drink juice and if we think it is healthy. We all said yes but he said some juices are not healthy so you have to look at the label to make sure. It's not good to eat a lot of one thing.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Cynthia, Elizabeth K., Janiel, Jonathan, Kevin, and M.J.!

St. Joseph's Hospital Westside Health Center

When we went to the Westside Health Center, we got a tour of the building.

We met a supervisor who showed us the building and every room in the building. She showed us the supplies that were in every room in the building. She showed us the supplies that were in every room such as the hand sanitizers they use 50 times a day. She told us how many years you need to become a nurse or a doctor. She's a master nurse. She gets important jobs so it was very, very, very cool that she talked to us. She told us that you can't faint at the sight of blood if you want to be a nurse.

There are different types of supplies like gloves and equipment like the special blue phone that they use if the patient doesn't speak English. The doctor can dial a translator who can help him understand the patient.

We went to see Ms. Donna who we interviewed about being a nurse. She told us how she does her job. She takes lots of phone calls about patients and she knows a lot of different languages so she can talk to them. She has been a nurse for 30 years and needed lots of training. At the end, we took a picture with her.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Antonie, Joushua, Lexaris, Naijanell, and Xiomara!



Fire Station # 6

We went to visit Fire Station # 6 near Seymour School. We met the firefighters who work at the station. They talked to us about their jobs and showed us the equipment they use to fight fires.

We got to sit in the fire truck and we watched a firefighter put on what he needs to wear when he goes to a fire. Firefighters have to wear heavy clothes, helmets, and masks. They carry oxygen tanks that help them breathe when they go into fight a fire.

We asked a lot of questions about their jobs. To be a firefighter, you need to take an exam and do a lot of physical training. You work 2 days and 2 nights and then have 4 days off. You must be able to work under pressure and always try to do your best. 

We interviewed a firefighter who supervises other firefighters. He has to be creative when he teaches others to fight fires. Firefighters have to collaborate to put out fires. It is huge that they communicate with each other when they go in to put out a fire. Everyone has to get out safely. We asked if girls can be firefighters and they told us that there are two girls who work at Station #6.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Jasmine, Markel, Miguel, Sebastian, Shamel, Stephanie, and Tatiana!

The Redhouse Arts Center

We went on a trip to the Redhouse.  We saw the Sub Cat Sound Studio, the stage and the theater, and the artist Arlene Abend.  We had a tour guide named Marguerite Mitchell-Sundberg.  Our tour guide was an actor and a dancer. We met lots of local artists. Arlene Abend was one of the artists we met. She makes cast resin sculpture. Everybody in our group likes art in some way such as acting, dancing, singing, and theatre. We were so excited we had a chance to go there.

We went to the Sub Cat Sound Studio first.  It was cool because we were asking what some of the buttons were for and this man would answer all of our questions.  We heard someone doing a beat with a drum in one studio. Each studio was sound proof. Everybody liked that part the most. It was so cool that I wanted to start singing there and I even asked how much it cost to sing there. The good thing is they have the buttons that, if you sing with an ugly voice, they can change your voice to a nice voice.  My group took lots of pictures of all the things that were in the studio.

We also went to the Redhouse. We went inside the theatre. They were making the set for a new play called “Noises Off,” coming March 24^th.  We saw a man putting together wood as a house. They are also presenting “Peter Pan, the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up,” as a play. Everything there was fun.

We met an artist named Arlene Abend.  We saw her art and got a chance to ask her questions.  Her art was made out of wax and steel. She sanded it really well. Her art had light that reflected on it. Arlene Abend has been making art for 38 years. Her art has deeper meaning to it. For example, one of her pieces of art was a person who was scared of life and trapped inside herself. 

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Lee Ellen, Neomar, Salomé, Shakira, Sorelys, and Tayshi!



King & King Architects

On Wednesday, we went on a field trip to King & King Architects. We met Dave Green. He gave us a tour and we learned many things. The building used to be a warehouse built in 1913. When they refinished it, they did it to be good to the environment. There have been more than two generations of Kings who worked in this firm. There are two Kings who lead the firm now. They are Peter and Jim King. There were different partners for each generation.

We learned that King & King made things out of recycled materials like the floor that is made out of recycled glass bottles.  Also Mr. Green showed us a table that is made out of sunflower seeds and another table that is made out of wheat.King & King also had a tree house, not in an actual tree, but it was wood hanging to make it look like branches and leaves. We learned about the way they try to protect the environment. We visited the bathrooms that were cool. King & King saves a lot of water because of the soy-based system that has less water in the toilet and keeps the stink of the sewers from coming up.  This helps them to conserve water. You can push a button if you need more water. The soy-based urinals and everything else were hands free in the bathrooms.  King & King has plants on the roof and rain catchers.  They also save electricity by having skylights and lots of windows.

 One of our favorite parts of the building was the first floor conference room. It had a HUGE screen that was actually a tv screen that worked for computers. They mostly used it to see YouTube videos related to business. On the table in the conference room, there was a special phone to talk to many people at the same time.  The chairs were really comfortable and made of seat belt scraps.

Another favorite part of the tour was when Mr. Green let us sit in his office. It was our favorite part because he had a personal heater. King & King has an efficient displacement system that heats the building. He had a LED light and he showed us drawings he made for buildings. He told us he needed a college degree to do his job. 

This was a fun field trip, probably the best.  We learned about what architects do, eco-friendly things, technology and things made from plants and unused materials. This was an awesome experience.

Student interviewers, recorders and photographers were Alberto, Carlos, Ivana, Jonaira, Raymond, and Will!         

La Casita Cultural Center

We went to La Casita for out visit in the neighborhood. We met Ms. Lara-Bonilla who gave us a tour of the Center. First, we were in the gallery where they have artwork on the walls. We saw the posters that Favianna Rodriguez made. She was the artist who visited us in the classroom to talk about her career and show us her posters. Then we saw the place where the library will be. In the library, there will be books in Spanish an d English. Next we saw the classroom and the kitchen. We also saw the place where they put on performances and dance. There was artwork hanging from the ceiling. Our posters that we made at La Casita were hanging on the walls. It was very fun to see our artwork. We had a lot of fun making our posters about what is important to us.

Our posters that we made were hanging on the wall. It was very fun to make the posters. We had a lot of fun making our posters about what is important to us.

We went back to the classroom to sit down and talk more about La Casita. We asked Ms. Lara-Bonilla many questions about the work she does. She decides what is going to happen at the Center and is there every day to work with the people who come to visit. Groups of children learn to dance and play the drums. Tayshi has been coming to dance here a long time. They also make artwork like the masks we saw. Ms. Lara had to have a college degree for her job. She also teaches at Syracuse University. She says it is very helpful to be bilingual because many people who come to La Casita only speak Spanish.
We learned many things. We can come to La Casita after school to do things. It was interesting to learn about how La Casita was started and to see the pictures in the classroom. It was interesting to see all the beautiful artwork. We hope we can come back again to make more artwork.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Daphnielys, Khalik, Mara, Nayomi, Sedequiel, and Wileyka!


Subcat  A World Class Recording Studio and Education Center                                                          

We sent to the Subcat Recording Studio. We talked with Elliott. He took us on a tour and he told us about what goes on at Subcat. We saw the room where the recordings are done and the room where the machine copies the discs.

Elliott showed us the equipment that is used to make recordings. We spent some time listening to music on albums that were made at Subcat. It was fun when we got to listen to the beat on the base and to hear how you are able to change the sound of the music that is being played. We got to see the instruments like the guitar that famous people play. That was interesting.

Elliott talked to us about how it can be hard work going to school to learn how to work at a place like Subcat. He said you need to have a knowledge of technical equipment. Some engineers make about $30,000 and people who produce labels can make several million dollars. The hours you work might be just 40 hours a week or around the clock. 

It was all very interesting. We didn't know much about it before we came but learned so much while we were there.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Nye'Kerria, Shymani, Antawand, Phoenix T., Havier, Clayton, and Eddie!

La Liga Spanish Action League of Onondaga County

                    On our neighborhood visit, we went to La Liga. We took a tour of La Liga and learned all about the things they do to help people. We learned that the people who work at La Liga help families who may want to buy a house or who need to get more education to    work at a job. They help them in other ways also.

Mr. Oscar and Ms.Elisa told us about their jobs and how they work with families and kids. Some of us did not know that there are programs for kids afterschool and in the summer. Mr. Oscar said that he likes to work with kids and to draw and paint. We learned that it is important to be bilingual for them to do their job at La Liga. Many of the people that come to La Liga only speak Spanish. 

It was fun to do a drawing to connect the dots for a house and to color the house. We learned a lot about what La Liga can do to help people with problems.

Student interviewers, recorders, and photographers were Elit, Juhan, Kiara, Leoneidys, Anamaris, Beatriz, and Elizabeth D.!

Many thanks to everyone who helped make these visits possible as part of the seymourofus 5th Grade College and Career Conversations!