Student Advisory Program Launched at all APS Middle Schools

This week, Young Middle School launched it Advisory Program as part of the Middle School Transformation district initiative in which all middle schools will implement a student Advisory Program this year.

 

Advisory is way to ensure that all middle students have an adult advocate at school. It is a way of personalizing the middle school environment so that each student has an adult who knows him or her well and is the vital link between school and home. The advisory program will focus on college awareness, career exploration, and academic support and life skills.

8th grader Caleb Smith, center, participates in a human chain activity with classmates as part of Young's advisory program

 

“Throughout our advisory activities today, there was a lot of self-reflection by students which in turn made it easier for them to buy into advisory. They were able to express how they felt without being judged,” said Felix Ruffin, 8th Grade Georgia Studies Teacher and Young’s Advisory Program Coordinator.

 

All Young Middle School students will engage in advisory activities one hour per week throughout the entire school year and take an active role in planning the activities. “The human chain team building activity was really great and gave me a chance to bond with my friends. I also enjoyed our discussion about what my hero means to me in my life,” said 8th grader Caleb Smith.

APS elementary- and middle-schoolers get scientific at One Academic Fair, hosted by B.E.S.T. Academy

We spent some time Wednesday surveying the science projects by APS elementary- and middle-schoolers at the One Academic Fair that ran through Thursday at B.E.S.T. Academy. Come back to this post for more information.

SCAD-Atlanta explores the world of art at B.E.S.T. Academy

SCAD-Atlanta’s Buzz Bus, filled with students, faculty and staff from “The University for Creative Careers,” made a surprise visit to B.E.S.T. Academy Middle School in December to lead students in a hands-on workshop in art and design. The event was coordinated by B.E.S.T. Academy’s guidance counselor, Joni N. Lawson.

The SCAD representatives demonstrated the use of the grid method to analyze and create art. The B.E.S.T. students, each of whom was given a photo of President Barack Obama, were asked to recreate their favorite square from within the gridded image. Once the squares were completed, each student’s square was placed with the squares of their classmates to recreate the original, whole image.

B.E.S.T. art teacher Sammie Gordon was also presently surprised to receive SCAD’s surprise donation of art supplies for his classroom. “I am so grateful and appreciative,” Gordon said. SCAD’s mascot, Art the Bee, participated in the fun, presenting the students with backpacks and notebooks.

Principal LaPaul Shelton was overwhelmed with gratitude at having SCAD conduct the workshop for his students. The finished piece will hang in the school as a testament to his student’s creativity.

Coretta Scott King YWLA earns honorable mention in the 2011 High Flying Schools Award competition

We recently learned that Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) will receive an honorable mention at the 2011 High Flying Schools Award ceremony at the National Youth-At-Risk Conference, March 6-9, 2011, in Savannah. CSKYWLA was one of only 10 schools out of the 40 placed in nomination to receive this distinction. 

Each school that will receive an honorable mention will be honored at the opening session on March 7 in the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency, the site of the conference. Details about conference registration may be found on this page of the conference website. 

Following the opening session a special High Flying Schools Award Winners Showcase will take place that I know you will find of particular interest. Presentations will be given by the 2011 High Flying Schools: McKinley School (Newark, N.J.), Pauline Jones Elementary (Fayetteville, N.C.), L. M. Smith Middle (Birmingham, Ala.), Parkland Magnet High Winston-Salem, N.C. and Wilkinson County Middle (Irwinton, Ga.).

B.E.S.T. Academy High School students go for the bowtie look

The young men of B.E.S.T. Academy High School chose to wear a bowtie as a part of their school uniform. Principal Boris Hurst is convinced that “the bowtie fosters a new look of distinction among the high school students.” Students received their bowties at a formal ceremony where school partner 100 Black Men of Atlanta was on hand to assist with distribution of the ties.

B.E.S.T. Academy High School is a part of the latest phase in the Middle School Transformation Initiative that includes single-gender academies. B.E.S.T. and the all-female Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) each opened high schools this year, starting with the freshman class that grew out of their respective middle schools, and will continue to grow until they feature all four high-school grades.

Coretta Scott King YWLA students get ‘pearls of wisdom’

Students at Coretta School King Young Women’s Leadership Academy wore evening dresses this morning as the staff presented them with “pearls of wisdom” necklaces in recognition of their transition to high school.  While not a traditional graduation ceremony per se, it was a colorful event on this last day of the school year for most Atlanta Public Schools students. SCLC President the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King, served as keynote speaker, while APS  Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall also spoke to students. Hall thanked the Atlanta Board of Education members in attendance, as well as community partners including the Atlanta cluster of The Links Inc. and Spelman College, and CSKYWLA Principal Melody Morgan and SRT-4 Executive Director Tamara Cotman.

“It’s hard to believe that we’re already celebrating the first class of students to complete their middle school studies and ‘step up’ to high school,” Dr. Hall said. “What a difference three years can make!”

College freshman and first-time author Noni Carter inspires Coretta Scott King YWLA students

Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy welcomed Noni Carter (pictured, above center), a metro Atlanta native, Harvard freshman and first-time published author of the novel Good Fortune. CSKYWLA’s Pen-Pal Club Project hosted the visit. In two morning sessions, Carter met with students who have scored in the 70% in ELA/Reading Comprehension. It is the school’s hope that by sharing her story, students are encouraged and inspired to continue to explore the world around them through literature, and to express their ideas and to tell their stories through writing.

Pen-Pal Club Project members, and the two top students who have shown the greatest improvement in ELA/Reading this year, received an autograph copy of Good Fortune. Hat tip to Zola Mullen for sharing the news!

Community partners give Sylvan Hills Middle students a Career Day they can work on

Nearly 50 representatives from a range of professions in the Atlanta area gave Sylvan Hills Middle School students a window into their future for Career Day on Wednesday. Everyone from the Atlanta Braves to Zen Massage to UPS and the Atlanta Police Department spent the day showing students why preparing for high school is just the next logical step on a path that could take them to any number of professional possibilities.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate what you’re doing,” Sylvan Hills Principal Gwen Atkinson told the professionals. She explained that Sylvan Hills is one of the few schools in the district that is separated by gender (as opposed to single-gender schools like B.E.S.T. Academy), and listed some of the school’s supplemental offerings such as Success for All reading program. Two Hands on Atlanta volunteers were available to assist in the day’s activities.

Franklin Lecture Series serves as inspiration for women’s history at CSKYWLA

(UPDATE: For more photos, visit Scott King’s gallery here in the Media Gallery.)

Attendees at the third-annual Shirley Clarke Franklin Lecture Series, held Friday morning at the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, were treated to a doubleheader of women’s history. Not only did students, faculty, staff and other guests enjoy an inspiring lecture from guest speaker Dr. Christine King Farris — the only surviving sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — but they also were treated to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the school’s new building that opened in January.

Dr. Farris told the audience she was proud “to have the opportunity to speak at a school dedicated to someone who I loved like a sister. This is the first and most significant thing that has been named after a woman who served Atlanta so well.”

King Farris challenged students to live the legacy that Coretta Scott King shared with her husband: working hard for peace, social justice and non-violence. She also made reference to March as National Women’s History Month, saying “We are truly writing women back into history!”

After her speech, Dr. Farris and Franklin fielded questions from students. CSKYWLA sixth-grader Radiant Harrison asked what advice Dr. Farris gives her Spelman College students.

“Take your work seriously, and whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability,” Dr. Farris said. “And two, remember those who made it possible for you to attend Spelman, and to give something back.” Another student asked Franklin what advice she would give her successor, newly elected Mayor Kasim Reed. Franklin repeated advice given to her by former mayors, including Andrew Young, who was in the audience with his wife. “They told me to listen to my head, and listen to my heart,” she said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony that preceded the lecture served as a family reunion of sorts. Two of Dr. King’s children — Southern Christian Leadership Conference President-elect Bernice King and activist Martin Luther King III — and several other relatives joined in the ceremony. King III and his wife, Arndrea, helped their daughter, Yolanda Renee King, cut the ribbon as the crowd cheered.

APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall and Atlanta Board of Education Chair LaChandra Butler Burks also spoke at the event, as well as CSKYWLA Principal Melody Morgan, Bernice King, CSKYWLA PTSA President Barbara Mobley, SRT-4 Executive Director Tamara Cotman, and Brian Newell of CD Moody Construction, which supervised construction of the school’s new building.

U.S. Education Secretary visits Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Coretta Scott King Academy students greet U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan (left), Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall (left center) and Principal Melody Morgan (center). (Photo by Scott King)

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) today, where he observed classes and hosted a roundtable discussion with educators, students and community members. Atlanta Board of Education Chair LaChandra Butler Burks and APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall participated in the roundtable discussion. Burks initiated a brief discussion on how the federal government could better support local school boards in governing school districts. Much of the discussion centered on single-gender schools and how they provide a unique educational experience. CSKYWLA is an all-girls school currently serving students in grades 6-8. Several students and Principal Melody Morgan contributed to the discussion.

Duncan said he was impressed with the new school and campus, which opened for the first time last month. Earlier, Duncan addressed the 62nd annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel.