Jessica Butay could be at home with her family in Hawaii. On the beach.
Instead, she’s spending a second year serving with City Year Tulsa through AmeriCorps.
“I wanted a new adventure,” said Butay. “I wanted the opportunity to grow as a person. I came here alone. I had to grow.”
Butay is among 82 City Year AmeriCorps members who are spending a year working alongside Tulsa Public Schools teachers and students to give kids the best chance at success.
What does that mean?
“Well, we are there to support the teachers, but we are also there to mentor the students,” said Jeremy Lee, who graduated from Mannford High School in 2017. “We are there every morning to greet the kids and give them all high-fives. We are the last people to leave the school in the afternoon.
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“I see the impact we have on the students. I believe it is life-changing for the students. But I believe it is life-changing for us, too. It is an amazing group of people.”
City Year AmeriCorps members, ages 18-25, spend a year or two in national service. More than 3,200 City Year AmeriCorps members nationwide are serving in 300 high-need schools.
This is the fifth year for City Year AmeriCorps members working in Tulsa schools. Mayor G.T. Bynum and others will help kick off the school year of service during a City Year Opening Day ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 28 at the Tandy Children’s Garden at the Tulsa City-County Library downtown.
“I have never done anything so fulfilling in my life,” said Cheyenne Fletcher, a second-year City Year AmeriCorps member. “We’re not the disciplinarian. We’re not the teacher. But you are teaching, and you are guiding the students. We want these kids to have a positive relationship with adults.
“We are there to support these kids socially and emotionally. In some cases they have no one else to talk with them about things all students face. We aren’t there to teach civics, but we are there to help them deal with problems that could impact them in civics class.”
The City Year AmeriCorps members serving in Tulsa work at 10 TPS schools: Eugene Field Elementary, Kendall-Whittier Elementary, Sequoyah Elementary, Will Rogers Junior High, McLain Junior and Senior High, Webster Middle and High, and Hale High.
“My first year here in Tulsa was difficult and a struggle at times,” said Butay, who works at Rogers Junior High School. “Luckily, I had a great support system with all of the other City Year members.
“I love working with the kids. And I have really grown to love Tulsa. This has changed my life. I have seen the impact we can have on young kids. I now want to finish this year and then come back next year as a teacher in Tulsa.”
Lee first heard about City Year through an AmeriCorps recruiter when he was in high school. He loved the idea of spending a year in service to his country. He felt the year would be a great way to continue his growth as a person.
Lee loved the first year so much that he is back for a second and is working at Sequoyah Elementary.
“We work with such a diverse group of kids, and the people in City Year are also very diverse,” said Lee. “It has had a tremendous impact on my life.
“I love greeting the kids in the morning. We encourage the kids to keep going and learning. We encourage them to open up to other people. I really believe we make a difference in their lives. I can see it in them. I was very shy and quiet as a student, too. This program helped bring me out of my comfort zone and open up. I think it does it for the students, too.”
Fletcher, in her second year with City Year Tulsa, works with eighth-graders at Rogers Junior High. Last year she worked with seventh-graders.
“So I have a lot of the same kids from last year, and it is fun to see their growth,” said Fletcher. “You also learn a lot about yourself. It is a difficult job. It is a lot of long days.
“Giving up a year to do national service is great. I’m really glad I did it. I believe it has made me much better equipped for my next step in life.”
Elizabeth Edwards, development director for City Year Tulsa, aims to improve graduation at Tulsa Public Schools through the individual mentoring of students by City Year members.
“We are seeing increases of graduation rates all over the country through City Year,” said Edwards. In many cases, these City Year members are kids not much older than the students; students may find it easier to talk with them. They can be a mentor, someone to talk with about anything.
“They are there for the kids. They are there for the teachers, too. We want to give the kids the best possible chance at succeeding in the classroom.”