St. Louis Review spotlights ACCESS Academies seven-year commitment to St. Cecelia Academy students in the May 23, 2013 issue.

ACCESS Academies Student Highlight: Terrence G., a Senior Athlete at CCA

Saint Louis, MO. May 22, 2013 Terrence G., a senior at Collinsville Christian Academy, will become the first in his family to attend college this fall thanks to the education he received during his early formative years through ACCESS Academies.

The oldest of six children, Terrence was an active and eager participant in the St. Louis NativityMiguel program at Most Holy Trinity Academy in North St. Louis, when his mother moved to Georgia with his three sisters. Because the quality of education he was receiving at Most Holy Trinity School, his Aunt Debra stepped in to became legal guardian for Terrence so that he could remain with the program.

After completing middle school, Terrence’s academic achievements place him at Collinsville Christian Academy (CCA), where he became involved in the academic and athletic programs offered at the schools.

“At CCA, Terrence plays soccer and basketball and is one of the most athletic people at the school,” wrote BJ Brinkley, on the CCA Warrior weblog.

Even though money was extremely tight, Terrence’s aunt was able to use ACCESS Academies’ financial aid to help pay for his college-prep high school tuition. However, shortly after he started at CCA, Aunt Debra’s employer cut back her hours threatening the future of Terrence’s college-prep education. Mr. Anthony Lemons Sr., the Academy Director at Most Holy Trinity, and ACCESS Academies, then stepped in to offer additional resources and support to ensure that she was able to secure additional financial aid to safeguard Terrence’s education.

While at CCA, Terrence “lit up the halls with his humor,” and remained motivated to excel academically in all of his courses.

Sadly, Aunt Debra, a role model of strength and support for Terrence, passed away in November 2012 after a battle with cancer. Terrence persevered during this painful time thanks to the support of friends, CCA, ACCESS Academies, and another aunt and uncle who welcomed Terrence into their home.

Terrence is dedicated to his family and has stepped up as the oldest to help raise his two brothers and cousins, whom he lives with now, but his aunts shared his vision for a better life and offered support and strength, enabling Terrence to work hard in the classroom and on the court.

As a result, Terrence’s personal goals in are becoming a reality. Not only will he graduate this year with a 3.5 GPA, in April 2013, Terrence received a full-ride basketball scholarship to McKendree College in the fall, where he will continue his studies in hopes to become a sports agent.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for ACCESS Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.

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Josselyn Adams Named 2013 Scholar Athlete by the St. Louis Post Dispatch

The Scholar-Athlete program, now in its 47th year, honors one senior from every participating school in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch immediate coverage area. Chosen by administrators from each school, the Scholar Athlete program honors students for their academic and athletic achievements. Â Profiled is Jossselyn Adams, a NativityMiguel graduate from Most Holy Trinity K-8 School.

Josselyn Adams- Senior at St. Elizabeth Academy

Academic rank:Â 8 of 38

Sports:Â volleyball, track

Academic bio:Â Second honors (three years).

Athletic bio:Â Track team MVP … track team 110% award.

Activities:Â Student Ambassador … dance … St. Louis Variety Children’s Choir … volunteers at Most Holy Trinity grade school.

College, major:Â University of Missouri, Missouri State or Southeast Missouri, biology (pre-med)

Goal:Â “I hope to become a pediatrician when I get older, because I have a passion for helping children, but my biggest dream is to become successful in a dancing, singing and acting career.”

Favorite subject:Â Math and Spanish. “As a child math has always come easy to me, especially algebra, and I love learning new languages, but to me Spanish is the best of them all.”

Favorite book:Â To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

Favorite musician:Â Beyonce

Role model:Â “My true role model would have to be my mother. She has been through so much and has sacrificed so that I could have a better life. She put me in private school all of my life for an excellent education and has pushed me to better myself and become confident in what I do. She is such an inspiration to me, and that’s why I love her so much.”

Personal story:Â “My school, St. Elizabeth Academy, has been around for 130 years. In those years our track team has never made it to districts, sectionals, or state, but that all changed in 2012. Four athletes, including myself, became faster and stronger, and our hard work took us all the way to state. We finished in 3rd place, and everyone including our school were so proud. Most of all we were proud to say that history has been made.“

Adams will join the 150 Scholar-Athletes to be honored Wednesday night at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals play the New York Mets.

ACCESS Students Learn About Professional Vocations at Career-a-Palooza

Saint Louis, MO. May 9, 2013 Recently, students from six NativityMiguel schools travelled to Notre Dame High School for Career-A-Palooza.

Sponsored by ACCESS Academies, Career-A-Palooza gave students the unique opportunity to engage with area professionals and learn about different careers and vocations.

“For us, it is about giving students exposure to career options while helping them set goals and plan for their futures,” said Blake Youde, Executive Director of ACCESS Academies.

Working in small groups, students heard firsthand the real-world experiences of some of the area’s leading experts. An important lesson not taught through a textbook.

John Jones, an eighth grader from Most Holy Trinity who has been accepted to St. Mary’s High School, enjoyed meeting with Roberto Garcia, Associate Brand Manager at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

“I plan to do something with game design or marketing, and wanted to know how he (Garcia) got to where he is at today,” Jones said.

Garcia, Jones learned, graduated from Notre Dame with two degrees before earning his MBA. He then worked for a variety of organizations specializing in brand management and marketing before joining AB-InBev.

The day concluded with two simultaneous panel discussions broken down by gender to facilitate networking contacts and mentoring relationships. Panel members discussed their careers, from their first job to present positions, and shared advice, such as what they majored in while attending college. Some of the professionals also discussed what made them decide to follow different career paths over time, while others talked about what they liked and did not like about their career paths.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for ACCESS Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.

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ACCESS Academies would like to thank the following professionals for presenting at Career-A-Palooza:

Â

Pictured: Roberto Garcia.jpg- Roberto Garcia meets with students during a session on marketing

Pictured: Joe Jedlicka.jpg- Joe Jedlicka talks about career path to becoming a lawyer

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About: Established in 2005, ACCESS Academies (Academies Creating Challenging Education for St. Louis Students) is a not-for-profit corporation established to ensure that socially-and/or economically-disadvantaged students in the St. Louis area have access to top-quality, values-based education, regardless of race, ethnicity or religious affiliation.

ACCESS Academies makes a seven-year commitment to each student by employing the St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education and currently serves 153 middle school students at Most Holy Trinity School, St. Cecilia School, and St. Louis the King School, and provides comprehensive graduate support to more than 300 high school students who have graduated from the St. Louis NativityMiguel program at ACCESS Academies.Â

ACCESS Academies Thanks Educators for Contributions

Today, Tuesday, May 7, is the official National Teacher Day for 2013, and ACCESS Academies would like to take a moment to thank faculty and staff at all St. Louis NativityMiguel schools for their continued dedication in educating our students.

The St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education is a robust curriculum that requires an extended school day and school year for teachers as well as students. Daily, teachers must develop daily lessons that are meet the state and federal grade level expectations, but also individualized to meet each child’s learning pace and adaptable to each child’s learning style. This is quite a challenge giving the unique needs of the student population served. However, our teachers and schools support a nurturing environment by addressing social, emotional, moral, and spiritual needs of each student.

Gratitude is often felt, but rarely expressed, which is why it is important to take a moment today and just say “Thank You” to our educators.

Most Holy Trinity Student Teaches Chess to Classmates While Learning to Master the Violin

Saint Louis, MO. April 29, 2013 – Justin Harris, an eighth grader at Most Holy Trinity School, has a bright future. Not only has he received an academic scholarship to attend St. Louis University High School(SLUHS) next fall, he spends his afternoons teaching chess to classmates while learning to master the violin.

“Most Holy Trinity is a pretty cool place. Right now I am learning about electricity in science, equations in math, and poetry in English. However, the main reason I came here is because they offered a violin class,” said Harris as he proudly tuned his new violin.

“I’ve been taking private lessons too, and I think I play pretty well now. I was able to join “The Ambassador’s, a special violin club at the school,” he added.

Harris also teaches chess to students in first through fifth grades after school Mondays through Thursdays. Â Studies have shown that chess programs and/or clubs in schools have a positive impact on academic achievement. Including a landmark study by Smith and Cage in 2000, which showed that students who receive chess instruction scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability.

“I’ve been playing since the third grade, and enjoy helping others learn the game. My favorite part is watching them think through different strategies and try new moves. I am definitely learning as much as my classmates,” he laughed.

Harris, when asked about his future, is excited to move on the SLUHS.

“It will be a change, but I am ready. I want to be a success,” he said.

Supported by ACCESS Academies and the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Most Holy Trinity is a Catholic, K-8 school. All students in sixth through eighth grade participate in the St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education, which extends the school day and the school year to ensure that the students are academically and emotionally prepared for their futures. This includes, tutoring, mentoring, service projects, character development, and setting goals that include high school, college and career planning.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for Access Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.

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