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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.
 
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Student Documentary Takes Top Prize
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From Left: ASA junior Brea Lobley, ASA Video-Film teacher Joseph Riina-Ferrie, ASA seniors Julius Lucas, Olivia Toney and Aquiella Green. |
ASA won 1st place for Best Documentary at the 2011 Chicago Youth Community Film Festival in May. The student-produced video, Second Chance, chronicles the positive and negative influence music has on the life of a young high school student. The 10-minute video was produced by students in ASA's Video-Film class. It also provides insights from students, staff and international students (see below, "International Day Bridges Cultures") on how music impacts our lives. "I'm proud of the students, and they should be proud of themselves," said ASA Video-Film teacher Joseph Riina-Ferrie. "The students chose a topic that interested them, and they addressed it honestly. That's why they made a great movie." To see the award-winning documentary, visit www.youtube.com/hardcoverchicago. |
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Prom 2011: Truly A Night to Remember
 The 2011 Prom took place at the Palmer House Hilton downtown Chicago in May. This year's theme: A Night to Remember.
Approximately 150 students from ASA, and sister schools Community Christian Alternative Academy (CCA Academy) and CSW Career Academy (CSWCA) took part in the dinner and dancing. Community Services West Inc., (CSW) hosted the event for the second year in a row. ASA Seniors Antwon Curtis and Kadeja Lindsey (left) were named ASA Prom King and Queen. Click here for more prom pictures. |
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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.
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ASA English Teachers Elissa Knight (left) and Danielle Lewis (third from left) accompany ASA juniors Brea Lobley (second from left) and Darrica Patrick (far right) to Springfield, IL. |
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.
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ASA junior Brea Lobley presents at the Illinois Reading Conference while fellow student Darrica Patrick and ASA English teacher Danielle Lewis observe. |
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International Day Bridges Cultures
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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. |
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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 info@asaschool.org. Tell your fellow ASA graduates. Don't miss it! |
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Congratulations are in order for ASA senior Darnell Milton! For the second year in a row, Milton took home the $1,000 first place prize for winning Alternative Idol. Sponsored by Alternative Schools Network (ASN), Alternative Idol is a talent show modeled after the popular television hit American Idol. In Alternative Idol, students from ASN member schools compete in rap, poetry, song and dance, and winners are selected by local celebrity judges. This year's contest took place in May at DuSable High School. Milton beat 14 finalists to take home the top prize. |
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Sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDs, and hyper-tension were just a few of the diseases students researched for the Health Fair held in June at ASA. About a dozen students presented their research on common diseases affecting the African American community; more than 50 students participated in all -presenting and conducting peer reviews. "We built the fair as a way to educate our community," said science teacher Frehiwot Gebrehiwot. For more health fair pictures, click here. |
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Don't Take Our 2nd Chance!
Editorial by Mariah Lobley, ASA 2011
Everybody (including me) makes mistakes. Sometimes they are as minute as misspelling or mis-pronouncing someone's name. Sometimes they are as large as dropping out of school. Luckily, everyone is allowed a second chance. Twenty-one alternative schools around the city of Chicago are currently at risk of losing 11% of the $3.6 million allotted for the Re-enrollment Program. This program re-engages high risk, out-of-school youth and helps them develop their social and educational skills, earn a high school diploma or GED, and go on to higher learning or employment so they can become self-sustaining adults. This past April there was a hearing at the Illinois state capitol building to address this issue. Even though many students showed up in support, only six young voices were heard. I, being one of the six, sat nervously in front of the microphone waiting to deliver my "testimony." When I finally did speak, I flowed from the heart, expressing the gratitude I was pretty sure every student in that room had for the Re-enrollment Program. I explained how attending ASA changed how I saw myself and helped me realize how important my voice is. Afterward, I spoke with James Kosin (the teacher who escorted me and four other ASA students to the hearing) via e-mail about his take on how things went. He said, "When legislators are faced with making budget cuts, it is important to put a face with the issue. It is harder to cut benefits when you are face-to-face with the people whose lives are affected by your decisions." Kosin went on to say that he not only felt the six students made an impact, but he also believes having a room full of people ranging from teachers, students and administration brought "a conscience to the process." |
Approximately 16 students attended Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics at Second City Theatre in March. The play, by teens, for teens, is a powerful, cutting edge musical that targets teen issues like teen prengancy, bullying, self-mutilation, prejudice, hate crimes, sexting, peer pressure, substance abuse and more. "The play was really good," said ASA senior Asia Hill. "It talked about real-life issues that we are really dealing with." ASA would like to thank Stand Up's executive director, Kimberly Farah, and the play's sponsor, the R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation, for making our viewing possible. For more information on Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics, call 630-876-0100, or visit www.redifoundation.org. |
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ASA Mission
To accept students where they are academically, socially, and emotionally by educating, supporting, celebrating and empowering students to achieve a higher quality of life.
ASA Vision
To cultivate compassionate, self-sustaining, globally-minded, critical thinkers who can compete and succeed in the world economy.
ASA Core Values
Integrity
Discipline
Compassion |
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