ACCESS Academies Welcomes New Principal at Most Holy Trinity School & Academy

ST. LOUIS, MO. July 25, 2013 – ACCESS Academies would like to welcome Mrs. Jessica Kilmade as the new principal at Most Holy Trinity School and Academy.

Mrs. Jessica Kilmade comes to Most Holy Trinity after serving successfully as a classroom teacher combined with extra-curricular experiences in athletics, tutoring, and mentoring. In addition, she brings to our school two years of administrative experience in education from Marian Middle School in St. Louis where she served as annual fund manager, student services coordinator, and assistant to the principal. Mrs. Kilmade holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Most Holy Trinity School and Academy, located at 1435 Mallinckrodt, has been an institution in North St. Louis since its founding in 1849. It offers a non-tuition based education for students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade through the support of the St. Louis Archdiocese, the Today and Tomorrow Foundation, and ACCESS Academies.

Students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade receive a strong academic base due to a carefully cultivated curriculum that offers:

• Small class sizes
• Instruction in core subject areas (Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Religion, Music, Art, Physical Education)
• Technology integrated into instruction and learning
• After school tutoring and mentoring
• Enrichment Activities (Violin, Choir, Ballroom Dance, Sports)
• Summer School

Students in Sixth through Eighth grade benefit from the St. Louis NativityMiguel Model of Education, which:

• Extends the school day and school year to provide additional academic support. This includes a robust academic curriculum, homework assistance, service projects, and enrichment.
• Encourages family involvement to further support the physical, social, emotional, and academic well-being of each student.
• Eases the transition to high school and into college through graduate support. This includes, but not limited to, tutoring, mentoring, academic scholarships, and monitoring each student’s individual academic growth and achievement through high school and into college.

Current and prospective students are invited to meet Mrs. Jessica Kilmade at the Back to School Fair on Saturday, July 27th, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at the school. The event will feature a bounce house, face painting, and food. Students will also receive a backpack. For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for ACCESS Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.

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NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner Raises More than $560,000 for Tuition Assistance

ST. LOUIS, MO. June 10, 2013 – Approximately 500 donors attended the NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner on June 5^th to support more than 300 middle school graduates attending college-preparatory high schools in St. Louis. The dinner was a remarkable success, raising over $560,000 in tuition assistance, an increase of more than $103,000 from the previous year.

“The program speaks for itself,” said Blake Youde, Executive Director of ACCESS Academies. Across the US, 6% percent of African-American students and 4% of Hispanic students are enrolled in private/independent college-prep schools compared to 97% for our Nativity Miguel students.

The NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner, sponsored by ACCESS Academies and the Vatterott Foundation will bridge the gap between the cost of private, college-prep high schools and the tuition available from each student’s family, the financial aid provided by the 27 participating high schools, and the high school scholarships provided to each student from one of the 8 NativityMiguel schools in St. Louis.

Brandon Ramsey, a NativityMiguel graduate, charmed dinner guests as he spoke about the bright future facing him as a high school graduate:
As I look toward the future, I know that the education I have received will prepare me for the challenges of college, and I am happy to announce that in February I received my college acceptance letter to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where I plan to study Dentistry. I want to become a dentist because of three reasons:
The first reason is because of a personal finance course I took my sophomore year. In this class I learned that Dentists make a solid income and will be an in-demand profession over the next 5 to 10 years.
The second reason is because there are very few African-American dentists.
The third and final reason is because I have braces and love going to the dentist.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of St. Louis NativityMiguel students are admitted to college. An impressive figure compared to the educational attainment of People 25 years and over within the City of St. Louis/St. Louis County as of 2011 (U.S. Census):

• Less than 9^th grade: 5.6% / 2.7%
• 9^th to 12^th grade, no diploma: 12.6% / 5.8%
• High school diploma or equivalency: 26.4% / 23.2%
• Some college, no degree: 21.7% / 21.9%
• Associate’s degree: 6.0% / 7.1%
• Bachelor’s degree: 15.9% / 23.5%
• Graduate or professional degree: 11.9% / 15.8%

The St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education offers neighborhood enrollment and features a rigorous middle school academic program to prepare students for success in college-prep high schools. The model includes a 10-hour school day, a 10-1/2-month school year, fundamental parental involvement and a demanding curriculum.

To view the video featured at the 5^th Annual NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner, highlighting two student success stories, please click here.  For more information about the St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for ACCESS Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.

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ACCESS Academies Kicks Off Summer School at St. Cecilia School

Saint Louis, MO. June 3, 2013 – Today, 55 NativityMiguel middle school students returned to class at St. Cecilia School as part of ACCESS Academies extended school year.
Some were smiling, some were a bit unsure, but all were in uniform and ready to learn.

“The purpose of the summer program is to extend the school year and work on foundational skills. By having a longer school year, the students’ attrition rate during July and August lessens, making them more ready for the following school year. In addition, we work on basic skills which will set them up for success in every subject area,” said Principal Joe Kilmade.

According to a report released in 2011 by the RAND Corporation, a student’s average summer learning loss in math and reading amounts to one month per year. More troubling is that it disproportionately affects low-income students, who are said to lose two months of reading skills.

At St. Cecilia School, students will attend class the entire month of June, which does include field trips. Tomorrow, for instance, students will be visiting Mid-America Transplant Services on a health sciences excursion. Later, students will attend a four-day college exposure camp at St. Louis University.

St. Cecilia students entering sixth grade will also be introduced to ACCESS Academies, who makes a seven year commitment to each child through the St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education. This includes a robust academic curriculum, homework assistance, service projects, and enrichment for students in grades 6, 7, and 8.

ACCESS Academies NativityMiguel program also encourages family involvement and eases the transition to high school and into college through graduate support such as tutoring, mentoring, academic scholarships, and tracking each student’s individual academic growth and achievement through high school and into college.

Students attending St. Louis the King at Cathedral and Most Holy Trinity, two other ACCESS Academies in the city, will start their summer school programs June 10^th. 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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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.

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

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:

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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