The neighborhood that surrounds Crenshaw High is not what you’d expect. There were quant, well-kept houses, lusciously green trees, and a light, cheery neighborhood vibe. My first visit was on the last Friday of the semester at 3:30pm. Thus, the campus, and the classroom were mostly empty. Rick, the site coordinator and director of after school programs at Crenshaw, greeted our group and lead us to his office. As most of the kids had gone home for the day, our meeting’s purpose was to get acquainted with Rick.

Right off the bat, our group could tell Rick was passionate about these kids. Throughout our meeting, kids would casually walk up to his desk and grab a pen, a computer game or just give him a high five goodbye. My group outlined our ideas for the Fades for Grades project. We discussed the idea of the kids conceptualizing and eventually writing and creating an EP (a three track album) using Ptones as a foundation to assist in the album production process.

I feel confident that my group’s relationship with Rick will be strong and supportive. Judging from Rick’s enthusiasm for our ideas, I am confident the kids will respond well and accept us into their after school lives. The classrooms that have been allocated for after school programs are deceiving. They fit cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover”. The outside was grey and had little vegetation or life. The inside is different story. The room’s perimeter is lined with computers, equipped with games, printers and the occasional scanner (all the equipment a young student would need). The wallpaper was bright and covered with photos of the kids and the schools after school schedule.

I am excited to meet the kids and begin our project. I look forward to my next visit to Crenshaw High School, something I didn’t think I’d say before I visited.