The Core Focus for November was about setting goals and helping each other reach them.
ROPP Candidates watched The Pact, a documentary about 3 young men from Newark, NJ. Sampson, Rameck and George, despite coming from very challenging backgrounds, made a decision to work together to make it through medical school. They did it. Two are physicians and one is a dentist. ROPP candidates discussed how their story impacted their personal commitments to their goals.
Candidate Imani, who plans to become a pediatrician, was inspired by their focus against the odds (only 6% of new medical students are black males!)
Candidate Jabari said while watching the film, he was thinking about how important your choice of friends is to reaching your goals and staying positive.
Candidate Quincy said watching the three doctors motivates him to fight harder against the distractions he knows he will face.
Sis. Yolanda pointed out to the boys how attractive men in suits look and how favorably the world responds to you when you are well-dressed. She point out that sharp clothing can convey power and a sense of importance that can make a difference.
Sis. Deborah reminded the candidates of Malique, the young narrator in the film, whose father left after his younger sister was born with a severe disability. She encouraged the candidates to think about how God provides alternate resources in our lives when there is a void. However, she pointed out, we have to recognize the resources and take advantage of them, as Malique did with his relationship with the three doctors.
Sis. LeBerta talked about her career in the medical field and how few black people are in any medical capacity outside of nursing. She encouraged the candidates to explore the wide range of occupations related to saving lives.
The candidates took a pop quiz over the documentary, and Candidate DY won $5 for being the only one to get ALL the answers correct. Congratulations, DY! Everyone came close, though!
Candidates received their November Core Focus project for the month, which was a set of 5 short essay questions related to The Pact. Assignment: Answer each question, using at least 100 words.
1. Who were the people that made a positive difference in the lives of the three doctors? What did they do that helped? Who can you identify in your life that is a positive influence? How can you connect to their help to be successful?
2. How did peer pressure impact George , Sampson and Rameck? How did they keep the pact alive despite peer pressure? How does peer pressure affect you?
3. Rameck's grandmother made him give back money once when she found out his mother used it to pay the utility bill rather than for the portfolio pictures for which it was intended. "You can't help nobody til you help yourself," she said. Do you agree with her philosophy in this case? Why or why not?
4. In the book The Pact, Sampson said that a lot of teachers "...just didn't know how to reach us and didn't seem to care. They expected and accepted mediocrity and, unfortunately, we usually gave them no more." Who is to blame for this situation and why?
5. How do you feel overall about the story of the three doctors? If anything, what will you do differently as a result of seeing it?
DUE DATE: November 30th. 11:59 PM.
At the last group visit to the Blackshear community garden, Candidate Diante suggested making a scarecrow for the garden. So, in addition to watching the documentary on Saturday, ROPP candidates made a scarecrow that will be taken to the garden.
Candidates also created garden plot markers to identify who owns each section of the garden and hopefully discourage people from taking produce that doesn't belong to them. The markers were delivered after church the next day, and Caitlin, the garden manager, said they were awesome!
Candidates also signed "thank you" cards for all the donations that were received at the 2011 ROPP Quiz Bowl...and ate nachos...lots of nachos.
It was a busy, yet fun-filled day! Which is how we ROPP and Roll...
