Congratulations 2011 Graduates!

ASA Graduates, we salute you! On June 10th, 59 ASA seniors dawned cap and gown, walked down the aisle of New Zion Baptist Church in Chicago, and earned their high school diploma. The ceremony featured welcome and farewell addresses by salutatorian and valedictorian Dre'Von Brown (below left) and Rosalind Brooks (below right). In her keynote address, Earlean Collins, First District Cook County Commissioner (top right), urged the graduates to go on to college, citing education as the only way to be self-sufficient and free. A highlight of the ceremony was a medley of spirituals sung by the ASA Glee Club, featuring seniors Morissa Grays, Jazmine Stubbs, and junior Sarah Cockers. For more graduation pictures, click here. 

Students, Staff Take on State Capital 

By Mariah Lobley, ASA 2011

This year's Illinois Reading Conference took place March 17th to 19th in Springfield. The conference was attended by hundreds of English coaches from across the country including some familiar faces. ASA English teachers Danielle Lewis and Elissa Knight spoke at the conference about the pros and cons of reading/writing workshops in an alternative school setting. Both Lewis and Knight are National Board Certified teachers.  

I had the chance to sit down with Ms. Knight and ask her some questions about the trip. I found out that not only did she and Ms. Lewis attend the conference, but so too did two ASA students, juniors Darrica Patrick and Brea Lobley. Ms. Knight says the students were brought along "to give their perspectives." She went on to say, "I think the students' voice is underrepresented in discussions of education."  

Below is an interview with ASA junior Brea Lobley, who I spoke with to get her views on the conference.

Mariah: Why did you go?

Brea: For the reading/writing workshop convention.

Mariah: What did you talk about at the convention?

Brea: How successful the (ASA Reading/Writing Workshop) program has been thus far and things that can be improved.

Mariah: What was the highlight of the trip?

Breah: The highlight of the trip for me was being able to have my voice heard concerning the school.

ASA junior Brea Lobley presents at the Illinois Reading Conference while fellow student Darrica Patrick and ASA English teacher Danielle Lewis observe.

International Day Bridges Cultures 

ASA senior John Harris in discussion with international students from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin.

What do you get when you take college students from 14 countries including El Salvador, Indonesia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Honduras, and Nicaragua and bring them to a small alternative school on Chicago's west side? You get an immersion of cultures, a diffusion of stereotypes, and a group of youth ready to learn. That's exactly what happened in January at ASA's first International Day. About 60 students from Northcentral Technical College in Wisconsin spent a few hours with ASA students studying American slang, discussing the impacts of the cold war, and watching and making student videos. "It was a really great opportunity for the students to learn about different cultures and learn a little about themselves," said English Teacher Elissa Knight who coordinated the event. The international students are in the U.S. thanks to Northcentral's partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and Georgetown University's SEED program and the school's U.S. State Department's Community Colleges Initiative Program (CCI). Both SEED and CCI provide exposure, technical training, and leadership skills to youth leaders from economically disadvantaged and historically underserved countries. Students get trained in civil society, volunteerism, and free market economics in hopes that they will spark economic and social development in their home countries. "The trip to Chicago's west side really hit home for them," said Chris Knight, Northcentral's SEED Coordinator. "The inter-cultural exchange and service learning is big for our scholars as most of them prepare projects to help their home communities."  ASA plans to bring back International Day next year. For pictures of the event, click here.

Calling All ASA Alumni... Join Us in July!

On Wednesday, July 20th ASA is hosting an alumni event at the school from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. All ASA graduates are welcome. Join us for a fun night and a chance to get re-acquainted with former classmates and mingle with current and former staff. Alumni will tour the school and learn about all the goings on at ASA. We'll bring the food, drink and raffle prizes. You bring the company. In lieu of an admission fee, please bring a book to help us build our school library. Your book donation is appreciated. To RSVP, contact Sabine Champagne, Development Director, at 773-921-1315 or via e-mail, at [email protected]. Tell your fellow ASA graduates. Don't miss it!