First Impressions of Trenton

As part of our service-learning, we ask the Pre-College students to think critically and respond to a few discussion topics.  Here are a few of the responses to our first prompt! 

What were your first impressions of Trenton? Where did you go, what did you see, and how did your experience match up to your expectations of the city? 

"As we loaded up in the fifteen passenger van towards the Martin Luther King School in North Trenton, I did not know what to expect. My family and friends warned me about the neighborhoods and violence in the area. As we pulled up to the school, it was like an oasis in the desert. This beautiful school was placed in a neighborhood filled with trash, broken windows, graffiti, and abandoned buildings on all sides. Knowing the crime rates of the city, I prepared for the worst. I expected to be dealing with some of the worst children in Trenton. This assumption cannot be further from the truth. With guidelines from the counselors, the campers followed the rules of the camp and respected all of the Bonner volunteers. We played basketball, tag, and soccer and learned reading and math skills throughout the morning. This camp is an excellent opportunity for leaders such as Greg Grant and volunteers to give back to the community and give children the same opportunities they had."

"My first impression of Trenton was the lack of spirit and vitality. We went to North Trenton where the Martin Luther King Jr. School was located. North Trenton had a lot of abandoned buildings, trash filling the streets and run down business. My experience at the school was very pleasant. The campers were very inviting to teenage strangers. It completely changed my view of the young kids in the neighborhood. They were well mannered shared their food with their peers and bonded nicely with one another. This changed my perspective of the city's demographic of young children."

"I have personally volunteered in Trenton so I already had an idea of what Trenton looked like. However, my first impression when walking into the Martin Luther King Junior Middle School was that the Bonner students were the minority. The majority of the kids were either Black or Hispanic. I was hesitant to go say hi everyone but after introductions the kids loved us all."