Opening Day: First Day of B-SAFE
/By Mauryn Perkins - Site Manager, St. Stephen’s
The first day of B-SAFE 2020. I am not sure if the participants were more excited or I was. After being in quarantine without the constant sounds of fun and learning since March, I couldn’t have been more excited. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it until I saw them all standing outside anxiously but patiently waiting to enter. Seeing their joyous voices brought a tear to my eye.
I could sense in the air a sense of wonder as they entered the building. Most of them were shy and maybe a bit nervous. I could tell that they didn’t fully understand how this new “normal” was going to be for them.
I was so impressed with how well the kids did with all the changes put in place due to COVID-19. They were responsible; wearing their masks properly, washing their hands often, and understanding why we need social distance.
As the day progressed they became more comfortable with their surroundings and became a bit more vocal with one another. They made B-Excellent Pacts and chose group names representing people of color that they considered great leaders. We have The Travis Scotts, The Malcolm X, and The Kobe Bryants.
As part of their programming, they learned to do a Tik Tok Dance or make collective art using individually made pie pieces. They chose DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) books and colored. They played board games and went outside.
Though amazing programming happened, to me that wasn’t the best part. The best part was them being able to interact with other children while maintaining social distance. I have heard the term “physical distance” being used before and I would say that is what we are doing here. These kids are making friends, building relationships, and becoming part of an amazing community.
It sure is wonderful to see this building filled with the little ones once again.
Mauryn Perkins has been with the B-SAFE program for 12 years. She has served at Saint Luke's in Chelsea, Epiphany School in Dorchester, and Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. She is now serving her first summer with B-SAFE at St. Stephens. During the school year she is a 7th grade Spanish teacher at a charter school in Malden. She loves teaching children. She loves all things Disney. In her spare time you will find her organizing and planning all of her family adventures, especially to Disney Parks.