ROPP at METROPOLITAN

Clothing Drive #1: DONE!

ROPP-ites had a great time hustling and fellowshipping at our first "Let it Go!" Clothing and Household donation drive. We had a goal of 1000 lbs in donations. We collected 970 lbs. Almost there! Special thanks to the great folks at SAVERS who offer this awesome fundraising opportunity, and do such great work in the community.
We have a goal of 2000 lbs for the next drive, April 3, 2016. Tell your family and friends to gather their gently used items so we can have an even better turnout next time!
#ROPPnRoll #JamaicaBound

"Let it Go!" ROPP Donation Drive

Yeah Mon! ROPP is Rolling to Jamaica!

The ROPP Power Tour 2016 will be a 7-day visit to Jamaica, a lovely tropical island in the Caribbean West Indies. Travelers will experience a blend of recreation and personal development that promises to make a lifelong impact! Students will be assigned challenges that will enhance their research and communications skills and they will perform domestic tasks in and around the property at which they are staying. In addition to educational and life skill development, travelers will participate in various sightseeing and recreational activities. Travelers under 21 years old will be closely supervised at ALL times. Contact us to make a donation to this exciting undertaking today!

ROPPing and Rolling on the 2015 College Tour!

Six high school students were selected to participate in a 5-state college tour in June 2015.

Tour participants were treated to a mix of student-led and self-guided tours at a variety of colleges and universities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia. In addition to the college visits, they enjoyed down-home cooking and sightseeing in Alabama!

First things first: Make that money! ROPP-ites invested some time and sweat through fundraisers.

Selling popcorn at the Erwin Center and chicken wings at church paid off in the end!

All packed up and ready to go!!! The ROPP-ites prepare to depart bright and early June 15th!

Guess who's coming to dinner? ROPP-ites just before their dinner meeting hosted by Durstcrew, LLC. They looked so nice! The chaperones cleaned up pretty well, too! :)

ROPP-ites with special guests, Victor Glover, NASA, Anthony Samuel, ExxonMobil and Marc Nieto, smallimporting.com

2nd State Down! 3 to Go! The Lousiana State Line.

We didn't have a guided tour scheduled at Southern, but we did swing by the campus.
The representatives in the Admissions office shared lots of great material on study habits, time management and other helpful topics and invited us to come back.

LSU got 3 new fans! The guided tour was great and the kids picked up lots of swag!

In New Orleans, a student guide led us around the beautiful Dillard University campus after hours!!!
We are grateful for the hospitality and attention they gave us!

ROPP-ites chill after a long, hot day in the gorgeous colored pool at our hotel. Our rooms overlooked the French Quarter and we loved it!

3 states down! 2 to Go! Mississippi State Line.

We loved the Tuskegee campus so much, we revisited on our way back!! Salute to Booker T 'nem!

FINALLY made it to Georgia!!! Georgia State Line.

Morehouse Men for a day!

Sis. Lisa INSISTED on visiting Spelman College, her #1 choice that she never got to attend.

One of the last stops was at the Dexter Baptist Church parsonage in Montgomery, Alabama. No pictures allowed inside, but many of the furnishings were the same as those used by Dr. Martin Luther King and his new bride, Coretta Scott King when they moved in.

ROPP is Going to the Movies!

Join past and present ROPP-ites as we go see the movie, "Selma".
Saturday, January 10th at 3:00 PM.

Put Your Peace Sign Up!- ROPP Goes to See Lecrae

Continuing with the April theme of Hip Hop history, ROPP Candidates went to the Lecrae/ Skillet/ Toby Mac tour at the Austin 360 Amphitheater on May 1st. It wasn't quite the same without ROPP Candidate Tiffany, but ROPP Candidate Zuri brought a classmate and at least there was the traditional four-pack! After all sorts of stops and starts, we proved that together we can beat all odds! We made it to the 360 before Tedashii, Lecrae's opening act even started!

We didn't know what to expect from our seats on the lawn, but with perfect weather, a clear view of the stage and plenty of room to stretch out...they were perfect!

From broad daylight...

Through dusk... (Check out Leander Rocking out to Christian rock band, Skillet!)

And on into the night, we ROPP'd and Rolled...with Tedashii, Lecrae and Skillet!

Thanks to Sterlin being hooked on Maui Wowi smoothies, we had to kill time at the exit gate because drinks couldn't leave the area. So, we just took more pictures!

ROPPing and Hip Hopping

Hip Hop music has been the language of young America for decades now. Bro. Terrence Stith led April's ROPP Core Focus workshop and shared the evolution of the "spoken word" from the drumming griots across the African Continent to the call and response spirituals throughout the diaspora and into today's popular music here in the US.

Indigenous African
Bid dap bop bop bip bip (Drumming griot at one village- Sending)
Bid dap bop bop bip bip (Drumming griot at another village- Receiving)

Black American religious tradition
Preacher: "Can I get an Amen?"
Congregation: "Amen!"

Secular Hip Hop
Rapper: "When I say 'Hip", you say 'Hop', "Hip..."
Audience: "Hop!"
Rapper: "Hip!"
Audience: "Hop!"

Candidates were given an extensive list of hip-hop related vocabulary words to define...and a perfect notebook in which to write the definitions! They should have noted the 5 elements of Hip Hop: