We are excited to recognize Tyra S. for our ACCESS Academies Student Spotlight program!

According to her teachers, Tyra is “a very well-rounded and motivated leader. She is also at the top of her in class in academics.”

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ST. LOUIS, MO. July 18, 2016 –ACCESS Academies is pleased to announce the new appointments of Marian “Bo” V. Mehan as the Chair of the Board of Directors and Thomas M. Mackowiak as Vice Chair. Their appointments are effective immediately.

 

Marian “Bo” V. Mehan has served on ACCESS Academies Board of Directors as the Vice Chair since the organization’s inception in 2005. She is preceded by John Vatterott, founder, who will assume the new leadership role of Emeritus Chair. Mehan is the Co-Chair of Lewis Rice’s Estate Planning & Probate Department, and a longtime member of the Firm’s Management Committee. Other charitable works include serving as the Board Secretary for the Edward Mallinckrodt Foundation and as a member of the Board of Governors for the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Foundation.

 

 

Thomas M. Mackowiak joined ACCESS Academies Board of Directors in 2013, and has been actively engaged with the organization’s strategic long-range plan, including fundraising, organizational growth, and school-based programs.  For more than 28 years, Mackowiak has worked for Enterprise Holdings, Inc. in a variety of management positions including, Vice-President of Finance, St. Louis subsidiary; and Assistant Vice-President-Business Management at the Corporate Headquarters supporting various subsidiaries. He currently serves as the Assistant Vice President – Truck Rental Division.

ACCESS Academies (Academies Creating Challenging Education for St. Louis Students) ensures 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. Beginning in middle school, ACCESS makes a seven-year commitment to each student, and extends the school day and school year to support a robust academic curriculum, homework assistance, service projects and enrichment. ACCESS also provides a school-based Graduate Support Director, who works directly with each student, and their family, from middle school, through high school, and into college.

During the 2015-16 school year, 87% of ACCESS students qualify for federal poverty programs; however, because of the hard work of each student, dedicated parental involvement, strong partnerships, and ACCESS’s support and services:

• 98% of ACCESS students are admitted to private, college-prep high schools
• 99% of ACCESS students graduate on-time
• 94% of ACCESS students are accepted to college or other post-secondary institutions

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

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We are so proud of our ACCESS seniors! Graduation isn’t the end of a tough journey, it is the beginning of a new adventure, and we wish our college-bound graduates all the best!

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ACCESS is excited to welcome Jesuit Father Paul Sheridan to the Board of Directors

In 1977, Fr. Sheridan decided that he’d seen the promise of too many young lives extinguished by negative factors and decided to found an organization that would help children reach their potential through a holistic, whole-person, “arms-around” approach. He called the organization Boys Hope, and placed children in the top-rated schools best suited to their needs. He set high expectations—and gave his scholars everything they needed to meet them. As word of the program grew, interest in the program also grew, and Boys Hope expanded into Boys Hope|Girls Hope, encompassing 17 homes around the country and in Latin America.  After almost two decades of service, he retired in 1996.

From 1996-2005, Fr. Sheridan served as the president of St. Louis University High School. During his tenure at SLUH, Fr. Sheridan taught theology and coached the C-baseball team, in addition to his responsibilities as president. Perhaps his greatest achievement as president was to conceptualize VISION 2000, a community-wide endeavor that provided the strategy to secure the future of SLUH, beginning in 1997. This comprehensive campaign, which surpassed its $32-million goal, has made enhancements in the following areas: academics, technology and student life services; scholarship and debt retirement programs; community and campus development; and competitive, on-campus athletic facilities.

While at SLUH, he also helped to found Loyola Academy, a Jesuit middle school for boys in St. Louis that follows the Jesuits’ Nativity School model.

From 2005-2015, Fr. Sheridan served as the president at Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose, CA. During his tenure, he successfully launched and completed a $90M campaign.

Fr. Sheridan holds a Master of Divinity degree from Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a master’s degree in History from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Letters from Fordham University. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1975.

ACCESS would like to congratulate Aaron Tucker and Dwayne Simmons for earning the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Model of Justice Awards!

Aaron Tucker is an Academy graduate from St. Louis the King School at the Cathedral who was named a school honoree by Bishop DuBourg High School.

Dwayne J. Simmons is a NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner recipient from Central Catholic Academy who was named a parish honoree from St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist.

For a complete list of honorees, please click here. 

ACCESS Academies is pleased to announce Terry Mehan as the newest member to our Board of Directors

Since the late 90’s Terry Mehan has advocated on behalf of students in Catholic schools. First, he served as the Associate Director at Loyola Academy teaching Spanish and offering support to the Executive Director as well as counseling services to students. He then moved to Christian Brothers College High School as the Director of Development to spearhead fundraising efforts.

In 2006, Mehan joined ACCESS Academies as the Director of Development to expand fundraising efforts, including new donor cultivation, and coordinate the annual Scholarship Dinner. He served until 2011 before returning to the schools and joining St. Cecilia School and Academy. There he has found a passion providing counseling and support for Academy graduates and their families as the Associate Graduate Support Director.