Annual Conference July 15-18, 2015 in Arlington, VA Winter/Early Spring 2015 Contents Issue 5 Peer Network Newsletter • News from around the network: Heisman Gala, Irvington, Dieruff, Seqouyah, James Madison, Coaches in the Classroom and more..........1-4 • Save the date for the Summer Conference!...........................................2 • Resource Connection.........................3 s! Tweet u feArmy i L h t A @ Student athletes from Irvington HS (NJ) pose with the holiday cards they sent to children in a local hospital. Stephanie Kaplan, Irvington’s new Academic-Athletic Coach, is pictured in center. For more about Irvington’s program, see page 2. @AthLifeArmy Members Attend the Heisman Gala It’s a black-tie affair for these members of the AthLife Army! Ten student athletes representing 5 network schools (Curtis HS, Park East HS, Holcombe Rucker School, Urban Dove Team Charter, and Irvington HS) attended the Heisman Dinner Gala on December 15, 2014. These student athletes had an experience of a lifetime, and were joined by their respective Academic-Athletic Coaches: Joe Baratta (Curtis), Steven Serling (Park East), Leo Bruno (Urban Dove), Stephanie Kaplan (Irvington), and Tiana Millen (Holcombe Rucker). The AthLife Foundation is currently in its 3rd year of partnership with the Heisman Trophy Trust, and was a featured charity as part of the night’s program. Also attending as part of the AthLife network were Dan Sanacore (Athletic DirectorIrvington HS), AthLife Foundation Board member Aaron Taylor, NYC PSAL Sports Coordinator Tyrone Parker, and National Advisory Board member Gerhard Sanchez. At left, from top: Curtis High School student athletes Maliek Kelley & Bowlee Kortee with Coach Joe Baratta pose with Aaron Taylor (L) and Tyrone Parker from NYC Public Schools Athletic League. Urban Dove student athletes Asim Way and Briana Mcilwain pose with Joe Torre, former New York Yankee Skipper and winner of the 2014 Heisman Humanitarian award. (Bottom Left): Holcombe Rucker junior Yashlie Mejia and senior Raykwon Fenton pose with Tiana Millen; (Bottom Right): Park East High School student athlete Jermaine Cooper and Heritage senior Raquel Cortes pose with Matt Leinart, 2004 Heisman trophy winner. Peer Network Newsletter 1 )! s ( e t a d e h t e v a S Irvington HS: New AcademicAthletic Coach, New Travels The 2015 AthLife Foundation Conference will take place July 15-18 in Arlington, Virginia We look forward to seeing you all at our summer conference! This year, we are hosting some outstanding new speakers and planning programming fit for both new and veteran attendees. Some of our confirmed speakers include: • Dr. Tyrone C. Howard, author of “Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools, Closing the Achievement Gap in America’s Classrooms” and “Black Male(d): Peril and Promise in the Education of African American Males” • Dr. Taunya Marie Tinsley, Associate Professor of Counselor Education and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Certificate in Sports Counseling at California University of Pennsylvania. • ...and you! Would you be interested in presenting at this year’s event? Contact Meg, [email protected] The Marriott Key Bridge Hotel, in Rosslyn (VA) directly across the bridge from DC, will once again host the Conference. 2 Peer Network Newsletter This school year came with a new leadership energy for Irvington High School student athletes: Stephanie Kaplan is now on board as the school’s Academic-Athletic Coach. In February, Kaplan brought students who have been participating in her challenge program, Tally your Touchdown, to a Rutgers leadership workshop and basketball game. According to Kaplan, “the leadership strategies that were taught are tools that our student athletes can utilize in their everyday lives. This experience had a positive impact on the students desire to attend a four year college and further their education. What made this trip all worth it was hearing my students say to me, I am going to work harder so I can go to a school like this Ms. K”. Dieruff HS Expands Academic Support Program More student athletes at Dieruff HS in Allentown, PA, are now supported by Academic-Athletic Coaches, thanks to the hard work and persistence of the staff at the school. The Husky Leaders began with only one sport in their program, football; but now the school district is providing funding support for three additional sports: boys’ basketball, wrestling, and baseball. Next up in their planning is further expansion to reach the girls teams by the fall. The success of the Dieruff program, like so many others, happens when dedicated professionals make big impacts on student achievement. Congratulations to Dieruff and to another school in Allentown, Allen HS, who continue to impress. Check them out in this article: Ms. K’s student Stevenson Sainval said “from the guest speaker, it made me want to go to a big time school even more”; and another student, Nelson Cheridor, reported “the athlete that was talking help me understand why school was important and to work very hard in high school and in college”. Irvington HS student athletes visiting Rutgers University. Dieruff Academic-Athletic Coach Chris Smith with student athletes. Welcome to the Network, Sequoyah & James Madison! This fall, the AthLife Army grew in the South Central United States when Sequoyah High School of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma joined our national mission. Academic-Athletic Coach, Angel Goodrich, and Athletic Director, Marcus Crittenden, have been working hard to lay the foundation for strong leadership and support programming for their highly successful Girls and Boys Basketball teams. Most recently, the Girls team won its 4th Oklahoma 3A State Title since 2005. Congrats to all and we look forward to supporting your efforts! Another school that is off and running with a student athlete development program is James Madison HS in Brooklyn, NY. Matthew Nanes is the Academic-Athletic Coach for the James Madison Dream Makers program. Under the helm of Athletic Director William Dumont, student athletes from Madison’s Football, Girls’ Flag Football, and Girls’ Soccer will now have this vital academic support. The school has wasted no time in “branding” this new aspect of their athletic culture. Check out their logo below! Annual Conference July 15-18, 2015 in Arlington, VA Resource Connection New or unique resources to help your student athletes in the classroom and beyond! Maximizing the AthLife Foundation Platform Prep48 & Westhill High School (Stamford, CT) The Purple PACT program is the latest network school to full embrace Prep 48 in their efforts to educate student athletes, their parents and guardians, counselors and staff on the NCAA Initial Eligibility process. Academic-Athletic Coach, Joe Devellis, and Head Football Coach, Frank Marcucio, are driving Purple PACT’s goal to have every student with an account on Prep48, with special focus on educating the freshman class. Prep48 allows for year round emphasis on gaining a complete understanding of all the NCAA requirements. Shabazz High School (Newark, NJ) Set to Take on Total Recall Learning This spring, Academic -Athletic Coach, Kizzy McFadden, and Head Football Coach, Darnell Grant, are launching an SAT/ACT Prep supplement through Total Recall Learning for a group of their student athletes. Online Fundamentals of Algebra and Vocabulary Building modules are FREE for all AthLife Foundation network schools. Curious about our resources and how they can work for you? Contact Meg, [email protected] Other Resources Khan Academy Are your students using Khan Academy yet? Have them add you as a Coach so you can monitor their progress! You’ll get reports that show you what topics they’ve mastered, and what they have yet to conquer. It’s an amazing tool. http://bit.ly/khancoach MathPapa A free online calculator that breaks down any algebra problem into the steps your student needs to solve it! Helps you answer the age-old question “why do I have to show my work?” www.mathpapa.com LinkedIn YOUNIVERSITY Recently at an AthLife Foundation professional development day hosted by the Heisman Trophy Trust, member schools from NY and NJ got a preview of a new resource for college planning. Ben Ortman, Senior Manager of Global Accounts at LinkedIn, presented a powerful new search engine for high school students to aide in their college search. Get a preview of LinkedIn YOUNIVERSITY right here: https://www.linkedin.com/edu/ Peer Network Newsletter 3 willed their way into the finals, but may have felt the all too common sting of fatigue as they finished short of taking the title. It was a tremendous day of fun, competition, and networking with Notre Dame Alumni. It’s with much appreciation for their efforts that we welcome these Golden Domers to the AthLife Army! Coaches in the The Power Classroom (CITC) of Soccer at Schools Attend 4th a Network School and Life Event If you ever wondered what can happen In October, CITC schools were invited by the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation to attend their annual 4th and Life event. At 4th and Life, current and former NFL players offer guidance and mentorship to high school football student-athletes. The day includes a lunch and a visit to FedEx Field in Landover, MD. The 4th and Life program is curriculum-based and meant for high school student athletes focusing on what it takes to be successful on the field, in the classroom, and in the workplace. DC area schools attending the program included Park View HS (Sterling, VA), Friendship Collegiate Academy (DC), first year CITC school Ballou HS (DC), and Columbia Heights Educational Campus (DC). And four schools from Richmond (VA) also made the trip: John Marshall, George Wythe, Huguenot, and Armstrong. An educational and motivating event for all involved. Pictured above are the Richmond member schools that were able to attend; from Upper Left, clockwise: John Marshall HS, George Wythe HS, Huguenot HS, and Armstrong HS. 4 Peer Network Newsletter when you take a young people’s passion for their sport, mix it well with caring adult mentors, and provide a structure and context for growth . . . well . . . check out what the student athletes from Oakland International High School took on with support from Soccer Without Borders! A Little March Madness . . . Special Thanks to the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco On Sunday, March 22nd at St. Ignatius College Preparatory school, the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco hosted its Annual Bookstore Basketball Tournament, with the AthLife Foundaiton as the partner charity for the event. Nine teams battled it out all day, with two AthLife Army schools, International Studies Academy and Phillip and Sala Burton High School representing the AthLife Army well with teams of staff and students. Burton Career Day at Park East HS Recently the AthLife Foundation worked with Park East HS AcademicAthletic Coach Steve Serling to secure some fantastic community members as participants in a Career Day event. National Advisory Board member, Andrew Fink from Getty Images, and AthLife supporter Kevin McAleer (Chief Building Engineer for Equity Office) joined other professionals at the successful event for Park East HS students. Each participating professional spent 35 minutes with 3 different student groups discussing their profession, education, and answering pertinent questions from students. They also stayed for a Career Fair-style experience after the sessions. Coach Serling gave his student athletes a top-notch event with a diverse group of professionals. Bravo, Coach! Pictured below is Andrew Fink speaking with Park East students at their Career Day on March 23, 2015. 8! 1 5 1 y l u J ou y e e S
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