Metro State Blog TACII: Jeannine

"Baby Steps to Good Health"

2009-05-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went to Munroe and Knapp Elementary Schools and on Thursday we went to Castro Elementary School to implement our plan. The events at all three schools were a big success. We

decorated the walking area with posters that had healthy messages on them and balloons. We also placed signs around the walking area that had the number of steps walked up to that point. The kids were really excited to participate in this event. A lot of kids walked and even some friendly competition of who could run the most laps around the field was created. Some of the kids even wanted to help decorate and count how many kids had walked. And of course, we gave them a healthy snack of apples, whole wheat crackers, and water. It was so exciting to see the kids swarming to the table to get these snacks! At the end of the event, we handed out a trophy to the class who had the largest percentage of participants. The trophy was a pair of baby sneakers attached to a plaque with the phrase "Baby Steps to Good Health" written on it. Overall, all three events were very successful and a lot of fun to be involved in with the kids.

The Event is Almost Here!

2009-04-28T23:54:00.000-07:00

After much research and preparation, we will finally get to implement our plan tomorrow. Tomorrow we will be encouraging as many kids as we can to be active whether walking to school or doing a fun activity after arriving at school. We have many fun things planned. We have a lot of posters to hang up around the playground to encourage healthy habits as well as informational material to give to any parents who might attend. We will have special prizes for the kids and of course we will get to play with them and get them excited about moving! Kids of Westwood, get ready for some fun!

The Finale

2009-04-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

On Friday, April 10 we were introduced to our final project. Obesity is a growing problem among elementary children. Our job is to get as many kids as we can to walk to school for three different elementary schools. We are working mainly with Live WEll Colorado and specifically the Westwood community. They already have a program in place called Walking Wednesdays or Trotting Thursdays. Our job is to improve these programs and get as many children as we can to participate. This project was introduced to us at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. While we were there, we got the opportunity to see the new Expedition Health exhibit. This is a really cool exhibit that even includes a spot to participate in simple science experiments. Being a huge fan of science, I had a lot of fun. Lots of work is definitely ahead, but I think this will be a fun project to complete.

What I Learned from Project 3

2009-04-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

This project with CHFA was a very interesting and informative project. I have some financial knowledge and know how the home buying process works. I never knew a lot about foreclosure, though. There are so many details that I learned you really need to be well informed before you ever start your home search. I also learned that if you do get into trouble there are a plethora of resources available which if ultilized can actually turn around a situation and prevent a foreclosure from happening. I did a lot of the demographic research and it was interesting to study the data and find the trends that can posibly cause high amounts of foreclosures in a particular area. Overall, this project was a great way to learn about something that I will most likely do in my lifetime, buy a house. I ultimately learned that the key to preventing foreclosure is to be well educated before you ever start that home search.

CHFA

2009-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

For project 3, we are working with CHFA to propose a plan to inform more people about the options available to them if they face foreclosure. We are working with two specific zip codes in Parker that have a high rate of NEDs (Notice of Election and Demand which means that the pending foreclosure is public information). In both of these zip codes, the people have been informed through different means about the Foreclosure Hotline but are not responding that we can tell. Our job is to find a creative way to get these people informed and actually use the hotline to prevent their foreclosure. We must explore all possible ways come up with a report about our findings. This is a very relavent topic and one in which I think I will gain a lot of useful information.

Ecycle Event

2009-03-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today (March 7) was the ecycle event. Wow! What a turnout! I expected to see around 250 cars pass through today. Instead, we had such a response that the event shut down two and a half hours early because we could not handle any more electronics. It was so nice to see people responsibly disposing of their electronics. Today, a lot of waste was kept out of landfills. I never expected such a turn out!

Ecycle!

2009-02-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday February 13, we were introduced to our second project. This project is all about ecycling! Basically, we are working with Comcast to hold an ecycling (recycling of electronics such as tvs) drive. Each team has to come up with creative ways to get people to come to their event mainly using social media outlets. For this project we were divided into two teams: girls against guys. My team consists of Chantay, Rachael and I better known as The Triple Threat! We will be holding our ecycling drive on March 7 from 7AM-noon at Southwest Plaza down in Littleton. Did you know e-waste does not decompose but instead releases chemicals such as lead and mercury which could potentially end up in our soil and ground water! Ecycling is very important so bring your unwanted electronics to Southwest Plaza on March 7.

What I Learned From Project 1

2009-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of good experiences while participating in Project 1. There are so many lessons that can be gleaned from this project. One experience in particular happened when I volunteered at the Food Bank of the Rockies. When I arrived, I was assigned to help agencies fill their orders. Just talking with these people was amazing! Hearing their stories of how many people they help a week really put a face on hunger. It causes you to really think and realize how blessed you really are. It makes you passionate about the cause and really make a difference even if that difference is as small as volunteering at a food bank for a couple of hours. This is one of the experiences from this program that I will never forget.

Project 1

2009-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sure, as everyone else would tell you, I was incredibly excited about finally getting to start our first project. I was very excited when I heard that we would be working with a food bank. Now which food bank, was the question. When I heard it was Metro's food bank, I said, "We have a food bank?" I had no idea that a food bank on campus just for Metro students existed! They then explained that we would be providing a strategic plan for the food bank with the biggest problem being space. They are located in a very small space and can only accommodate so many students. One thing we had to do was come up with a creative way to better utilize the space they currently have. Along with creating a strategic plan, we were also required to either work at the soup kitchen at St. Elizabeth's (located on campus) or volunteer at the Food Bank of the Rockies. I chose to volunteer at the Food Bank of the Rockies. It was an amazing experience and would recommend that everyone at some point in there life volunteer at a place like this.

My Bio

2008-12-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

First and last name:

Jeannine Malm

Hometown:

Littleton, CO

Major(s):

Chemistry

Favorite class:

Chemistry Lab

Background:

I was born in Wisconsin and moved to Colorado when I was five. Throughout my life, I always remember election days and how it was a big deal in my family. In high school I became heavily involved in politics and started a club in my high school to get high school students involved in the political process. I have spent many hours working on campaigns for a myriad of candidates. I spent my first two years of college at a small university in South Carolina. While in South Carolina, I participated in intercollegiate debates and was very successful. After two years, I was ready for a change and some new opportunities, so I moved back to Colorado and applied at Metro State. Since starting Metro State this semester, I have been elected to the Student Government Assembly Senate.

Favorite quote:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” - President Ronald Reagan

Why I am excited about being part of “The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State”:

I am excited about being part of “The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State” because of the opportunities that this program has to offer. I will have networking opportunities in which I otherwise would never have. I will meet professionals around the Denver area in which I can learn from and be able to make a difference in the community. I will also be able to improve my presentation skills and team participation skills.

Why I should win "The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State":

I should win “The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State” because I have the knowledge and understanding as to what it takes to be successful at projects. I am organized and know how to manage time. I have held leadership roles and have been very successful with challenges in the past. I am not afraid of hard work and will do whatever it takes to finish the job well. I know what it takes to be a winner.