Tuesday, August 9
Greetings!, It has been a busy summer here at Hope Academy. Here are just some of the highlights: First, something remarkable has been happening over the last three months. We have been inundated with applications from low-income families desperate for an excellent education for their children. This week alone, I have fourteen New Family Interviews scheduled with the parents of incoming students. One of the new dads I just interviewed is Jeremiah Walker, father of Jeremiah (3rd grade) and JayShaun (K) (pictured below). Jeremiah is a single father who works part-time as a security guard. His son, Jeremiah, had been bullied at his previous school--and his dad says that, "there was no discipline or rules, and the other kids were such bad influences." Jeremiah had heard about Hope's academic reputation, and he is so excited to have his sons in a Christ-centered environment. His mother is a minister, and it is important to him to train his boys up to be Godly men.  | | Jeremiah Walker with sons Jeremiah (3rd grade) and JayShaun (K) |
Second, we received our 2011 SAT standardized test results--confirming what Jeremiah has seen. Hope students continue to surprise us with their hard work and excellent results: Grades 3-11: Reading: 77% proficient; Math: 71% proficient Grades 6-11: Reading: 83% proficient; Math: 76% proficient Third, our mandatory four-week summer session ended in mid-July. A highlight was our middle school Arts Camp (with in collaboration with Inverted Arts), culminating in a Showcase Event. You can see and listen to all of the work they did here. I particular enjoyed the song He Is Strong by seventh graders Myriama Gillespie, David Anleu, Savannah Davis, which you can listen to here.) Fourth, construction on our locker rooms and assembly space continues, and will be completed in time for the start of school on Monday, August 29th. For a sneak peak, please give Dan Olson a call--he would love to show you around. Finally, this next year will see our first class of graduating seniors. Be praying for these seniors, and for all of our students this year, that God would continue to train them up to be oaks of righteousness for our city. I praise God for you, and the surpassing grace he has given you to help redeem the youth of the city. As I conduct these New Family Interviews, many parents like Jeremiah have asked me specifically to thank you for your continued love in making a school like Hope available for their children. Grateful for your partnership,  Russ Gregg Head of School Upcoming Events--Invite Others to Learn About Hope
- Partner Day (11am-1pm, Thursday, September 29) - RSVP to Dan Olson at dolson@hopeschool.org or 612-721-6294 ext. 106.
- Weaving Kingdom Dreams: An Evening of Hope (6:30-9pm, Thursday, November 10th) with Jearlyn Steele -- Learn more and register here. We still have room for 15-20 more table hosts (there is NO COST to host a table).
Each One Reach One--Sponsor a Student
We will be serving more than 330 students this fall in grades K-12, and still 35 of these incoming students do not have Partners. If you would like sponsor a student (full: $5,800; half: $2,900), please let Dan Olson know. A matching gift $40,000 has been pledge for all first-time partner gifts between now and November 15, 2011. Boaz Partner Update We are still praying for at least four more Partners to commit to being a Boaz Partner for the 2011-2012 school year, please contact Dan Olson at 612-721-6294 ext. 106 or dolson@hopeschool.org if you'd like to discuss an opportunity to give in this way. | 
