Athlos Schools Celebrate Successful Student-Led Conferences
Flexible Classroom Seating Encourages Student Engagement
Amy Dolan Discovers New Species of Insect
It’s remarkable how fast time has flown from the publication of our very first quarterly newsletter in October to this, the publication of our winter edition. If you’ve been following along with the progress of our organization and successes of our schools over the past three months, you know what a busy and exciting time it has been.
In my forward in our fall newsletter, I discussed my optimism about watching our two new schools in St. Cloud, Minnesota and Herriman, Utah settle into their first semesters as school communities. Their growth has far surpassed our expectations in so many ways. Both schools hit the ground running with their amazing and talented administrators, educators, and staff taking on all of the challenges of a first-year school with integrity, initiative, energy, and zest! They have created wonderful communities for our students to flourish.
A major milestone for these schools was their first ever student-led conferences, where the students themselves took the lead in reflecting on their successes and opportunities for growth and where they set goals for their bright futures. The great accomplishment of these conferences is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our team both in our schools and across the country.
In addition to the achievements of these new schools, we have continued to expand partnerships, worked to secure several school-level grants to better serve our students, and have started construction on the site of our newest Athlos school in Terrytown, LA.
In the next three months, we optimistically look forward to the many exciting opportunities we have been given. Our schools in Utah and Minnesota will expand their grade-level offerings with the addition of the seventh grade; our Boise team will be working diligently on our many partnerships, including recruitment efforts in Louisiana; and our Healthy Body pillar will grow as well, adding a new level to their program, which is implemented in schools nationwide.
Thank you all for taking the time to keep up to date with our organization. Here’s to another quarter of growth and to student success.
Sincerely,
David Jeppson
President, Athlos Academies
The holiday season is a time for giving, and students, staff, and families at our schools were especially in the giving spirit this year. School communities banded together to help those in need, assisting families and individuals in so many ways, from providing coats and meals, to volunteering. Here’s a look at some successes from our school communities.
Athlos Leadership Academy, Brownsville, TX
On Wednesday, Nov. 16 students from Athlos Leadership Academy in Brownsville, TX volunteered to help feed those in need during the holiday season.
The school’s Character Ambassadors, a group of high school students with a goal of making a difference within the school and community while displaying Athlos Performance Character traits, participated in the annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing.
During the event, volunteers and community members served up 3,000 pounds of sliced turkey, 2,500 pounds of cornbread dressing, 750 pumpkin pies, 380 gallons of mashed potatoes, 140 gallons of turkey gravy, and 95 gallons of cranberry sauce.
During the month of December, the school took part in a campus-wide coat and food drive. In a period of two weeks, the school community collected 1,339 cans of food and 134 coats. These cans and coats were donated to two different local homeless shelters.
Athlos Academy of Utah
With a theme from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the school community at Athlos Academy of Utah collected food items during the month of December for their ”Who-liday” food drive. The goal they set was to line their hallways with non-perishable food donations.
The school collected an astounding 6,181 items which equaled 5,314 pounds of food for those in need.
Athlos Academy of St. Cloud
Students and staff at Athlos Academy of St. Cloud held a food drive during the month of December. The school community collected 187 food items making a total of 756 pounds of food donated to those in need during the holiday season.
For families in need during the holidays, the sixth-grade class and school staff members put together turkey dinner baskets. With donations from staff members, the sixth-grade students put together turkey dinners with all of the fixings. The baskets were picked up and distributed to various families in need.
These are just a few of the many stories of our very generous students, staff, and families in our school communities. We’re so proud of their initiative!
