All posts by Carmen Lawrence-Billé

News

ABC Hosts Community Connections Day at Winton Hills Academy

All images owned by West Creek Photography and Handmade Goods

On Monday, September 27th, Cincinnati Public Schools had a teacher resource day, meaning that students would not have their regularly scheduled classes and extracurricular activities. This can cause a households for parents where both parents are working. Who is going to stay home and take care of the kids? Will the families be able to afford someone staying home to take care of the kids? Where else can the children go?

ABC answered that question by providing them with a day of fun, new activities for them to try. On 9/27, ABC hosted Community Connections (CC) Day at Winton Hills Academy, for K-6th grade students. CC Day is a piloted initiative at Cincinnati Public Schools, designed to assist families with care when students have the day off of regularly scheduled classes due to CPS professional development days.

“It’s like a day of summer camp in the middle of the school year,” said Deputy Director Rachel Stallings. “The students spend all day trying new things and learning new skills, all from the familiar and safe territory of their school.”

On this day, 69 Winton Hills students participated in activities such as flag football, soccer, coding, video game design, pottery, visual arts, street dance, poetry, and tennis. Each student received an ABC cinch bag full of goodies and a bottled water to keep them hydrated. The students also received breakfast, pizza, and salad from LaRosa’s, and a snack at the end of the program.

ABC Coordinates Quality Programs for Students

Onsite coordination for Community Connection Day was led by Kim Ronnebaum, the After School Coordinator at Winton Hills, and Shelby Zimmer, Resource Coordinator at Winton Hills (both ABC employees). Shelby and Kim worked with the program staff at ABC to ensure their students had a wide range of activities to keep them engaged while developing new skills. ABC partnered with professional organizations within the community to lead activities and lend their expertise to the children. Organizations such as Abrakadoodle, Elementz, Goal Getters, and more were on-site to provide high quality programming to students at Winton Hills.

Carmen Lawrence-Bille, ABC’s Director of Advancement, got a first-hand look at Community Connections Day, and shares her thoughts. “I looked at those students dancing and creating pottery and trying out coding for the first time, and I saw a younger version of myself. I saw a nine-year-old version of me, swinging a tennis racket for the first time and trying new dance moves. These kids started their days a little tentative, a little hesitant- and these amazing teachers brought them out of their shells and out of their comfort zones. As the day moved on, these students became so comfortable trying new things, even if it looked or felt silly. Can you imagine if everyone in our communities was so comfortable trying and learning new things? Imagine how different our world would be if all people were as open to new experiences as these students were.”

One elementary student told Carmen that if she couldn’t come to school today, she probably would have had to stay with a relative and help take care of her younger siblings. “I like taking care of my little sister,” she said as she finished making her pottery and prepared for a game of soccer outside, “but this is a lot more fun!”

ABC looks forward to partnering with CPS for the next Community Connections Day!

News

ABC Clubs Return to In-Person Format For 2021-22 School Year

Students learn how to fly and control drones, one of many activities offered through ABC Clubs (all photos taken prior to COVID).

The 2020-21 school year saw many challenges around the world, and ABC was not exempt. Given that Cincinnati Public Schools moved to remote learning for the school year, ABC couldn’t offer many of our programs to students in-person, including ABC Clubs. Feeling that it was still necessary to give students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, ABC pivoted our ABC Clubs program to be offered virtually during the 2020 school year. CPS also asked us to offer these programs to students in grades 7-12, instead of K-6, and make them available to students from every CPS School. Virtual ABC Clubs were a success and saw students from across the entire district participate in activities such as American Sign Language, Anime, Coding, and the STEM Bicycle Club. 

Now that CPS has returned to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, ABC is excited to announce that ABC Clubs will return to their traditional, in-person format. Starting October 18th, students in grades K-6 at Winton Hills Academy, College Hill Elementary, and Covedale School will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, at no cost to the students or their families. 

Taking place after school lets out, ABC Clubs give CPS students the opportunity to participate in a wide array of activities, including chess, dance, performing arts, opera, drone flying, coding, STEM, team sports, martial arts, foreign languages, and many more. To ensure the quality of ABC Clubs, ABC partners with organizations throughout the Cincinnati community who are professionals at their craft, such as Abrakadoodle, Goal Getters, Elementz, The Children’s Theatre, and more. These local partners not only provide high-quality programming, but are also dedicated to the advancement of youth in their community.

ABC Clubs aim to ensure that students have the proper nourishment and to help alleviate a burden from parents and guardians. We’re proud to share that, with the return to in-school format, students will again be provided with a meal and a snack. 

If you would like to learn more about ABC Clubs, click here.

Thank You to ABC Clubs Supporters

ABC would not be able to provide ABC Clubs to students at CPS without the generous support of caring organizations. We would like to thank all of those who made the return of ABC Clubs possible. Thank you to the US Bank Foundation, The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation, The Woodward Trust, The John A. Scroth Family Charitable Trust (of PNC Charitable Trusts), Nordstrom, and Cincinnati Public Schools. 

News

Resource Coordinators: The Bridge Builders of Our Communities

Children enjoy a hip-hop dance class, an extracurricular activity which is part of ABC Clubs. Resource Coordinators play a vital role in organizing these activities for students.

It’s resource coordinator appreciation week and we have a lot of tremendous people to celebrate! Across Cincinnati, Activities Beyond the Classroom has nine (soon to be ten) resource coordinators in Cincinnati Public Schools. These fantastic people change the lives of the students they serve on a daily basis, and we’d like to send them a round of applause this week.

What does a resource coordinator do?

A resource coordinator identifies needs within a school and community and works to find the resources to fill those needs. These people are creative, collaborative listeners that find ways to create solutions out of problems.

You may be wondering, what does that actually look like? Good question: there is no one answer! Resource coordination looks different for every school and community, even within the smaller sample size of Cincinnati.

For example, take two of our awesome resource coordinators: Dana and Onyango. Dana is the resource coordinator at Aiken High School, and her time is spent cultivating community gardens, connecting students to healthcare providers, and supporting student musicians in overseas development opportunities.  Onyango, on the other hand, is the resource coordinator at Cheviot Elementary School, and his time is spent coordinating technology learning at the Cheviot House, overseeing athletic programming, and ensuring students have access to a variety of free after-school activities.

While Dana and Onyango’s days may look completely different, they share one common goal: listening to and supporting a community to make school and life better.

We Thank You!

We believe that our resource coordinators have the power to change lives every day in their jobs. We believe it because we have seen it happen! These superheroes make the world a brighter place everyday by showing up for our communities, and we cannot thank them enough for all they do for our students, our neighborhoods, and our city.

See below for a complete list of our ABC resource coordinators. Thank your school’s resource coordinator and let them know how they brighten your day!

Darcus Anderson, Roselawn Condon School Resource Coordinator
Dana Bierman, Aiken High School Resource Coordinator
Onyango Collier, Cheviot School Resource Coordinator
Sheena Dunn, Frederick Douglass Elementary Resource Coordinator
Cheri Jordan, Silverton Elementary Resource Coordinator
James Lacey, Woodford Academy Resource Coordinator
Taneeka Porter, Covedale School Resource Coordinator
Cortnee Smith, College Hill Fundamental Academy Resource Coordinator
Shelby Zimmer, Winton Hills Academy Resource Coordinator
News

ABC Hires Colleen Cheek as AAA Pathway Manager

Colleen Cheek

Colleen Cheek joined Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) in September 2021 as the AAA (Athletic and Academic Accountability) Pathway Manager. In this role, Colleen oversees the AAA Pathway, which is a comprehensive student-athlete development program designed to provide every CPS athlete with the supports needed to achieve success in both their academics and athletics.

Colleen comes to ABC after working over seven years at the Reds Community Fund (RCF), rising to Senior Outreach Manager through her outstanding performance with the organization. With the RCF, Colleen managed the Reds Rookie Success League in five locations, created the Reds Home Base program, implemented educational programs for the P&G Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, analyzed RCF program data, and more. Before that, Colleen worked in Community Relations with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. In that role, she managed educational programs and donations. Colleen looks forward to using her decade of experience in the professional sports world to build upon an already impressive program.

More About AAA Pathway

Started during the 2018-19 school year through a partnership with CPS Athletics, AAA Pathway provides mentoring and resources to every student athlete throughout Cincinnati Public Schools. This could include everything from tutoring, mental health counseling, nutritional guidance, study groups, mentoring, and career coaching. In addition, AAA Pathway helps 11th and 12th grade students prepare for post-graduation, with trainings such as ACT Bootcamp and athletic-specific college resources.

The work of AAA Pathway would not be possible without several key partners, such as the Cincinnati Bengals and Honest Game. The Bengals have provided financial support, school supplies for students, and their players have even provided mentoring to student athletes. Honest Game has been amazing at helping students track their progress through their interactive software and up-to-date progress reports. After rolling out this new partnership with Honest Game at four CPS high schools this past year, ABC and CPS are excited to see it expand to every CPS high school for the current school year.

A student athlete at Aiken High School receives school supplies and other items donated from the Cincinnati Bengals, as part of AAA Pathway

ABC To learn more about AAA Pathway, and all of the achievements this program has seen in its brief existence, click here: https://abccincy.org/aaa-pathway/

News

Meet Your RC: Silverton Elementary’s Cheri Jordan

Across Cincinnati, Activities Beyond the Classroom has over nine different resource coordinators placed in public schools. These resource coordinators are charged with serving “the whole student,” which means something different for every community and school they work with. It can mean assisting families that need access to healthcare, or getting them access to transportation.

You might be thinking to yourself, what does any of that have to school success? At ABC, we think it has everything to do with school success. We acknowledge that it is hard for a student to thrive academically when they are worried about their family’s health, food security, how they’ll get home, or other issues they’ll return to when they arrive home.

ABC’s Resource Coordinators are bridge builders and switchboard operators, connecting students and families to the resources they need to be more successful. These remarkable heroes come from a variety of backgrounds and have a range of skill sets, but all of them share one common quality: they are expert connectors.

To learn more about what ABC Resource Coordinators do, please visit our website. 

Q&A

We sat down with Silverton Elementary’s Resource Coordinator, Cheri Jordan, to get to know her better. Cheri has a degree in English Language and Literature from Miami University, and she’s been working in the Cincinnati Public School district for over 13 years. Her main goal as the Resource Coordinator for Silverton Elementary is to build and continue meaningful relationships between the surrounding community and the families of the school.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Greeting the students in the morning and being a part of the team that helps make their day great through various resources!

What is something particularly unique/special about the Silverton community?

Silverton is a magnet school, which means that it is a public school with a special curriculum that accepts students from all over Cincinnati. At Silverton, we offer the Digital Leadership Academy program, which equips young students with the tools and context to become responsible leaders in technology as they proceed into junior high and high school. This is really cool because we have a blending of neighborhood cultures within the school.

If you had $1,000 today to make a difference at your school, what would you do with it?

I would use $1,000 to create an emergency fund at Silverton Elementary. Urgent needs pop up out of nowhere often, and that’s been especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic. We currently have a few families that are in dire need of assistance due to health issues in the family.

What is something you are excited about this school year?

I’m excited that our sports teams will be able to compete against other schools this year, since COVID temporarily suspended our ability to play. I’m also excited to increase parent involvement in and with our Parent Teacher Association.

Learn more about Silverton Elementary:

To learn more about Cheri Jordan, Silverton Elementary, or the Digital Leadership Academy, we recommend you check out Silverton Elementary’s website.

News

The New Who’s-Who at ABC

New Deputy Director, Rachel Stallings, speaks at the dedication ceremony for the new turf athletic field at South Avondale Elementary School

Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) is outfitting its staff for its next growth phase and there are introductions to be made.

Brian Leshner, long-time Executive Director at ABC, has stepped down from his position and will become the new Director of Special Initiatives. In this position, he will be able to help ABC in a more project-based fashion. Meanwhile Sally Grimes, former Director of Advancement, stepped into the role of Executive Director on July 1. She will oversee and pilot the organization through this next phase of growth.

“This is a really exciting time to be a part of ABC,” Grimes shared as she stepped into her new position. “In his 17 years at the helm, Brian [Leshner] led the creation of a well-respected, impactful, and efficient organization. Thanks to these strong roots, we’re ready to expand our programming, our fundraising, and our partnerships so we can serve even more children in Cincinnati Public Schools.”

Former Executive Director, Brian Leshner, and current Executive Director, Sally Grimes, pose with members of the Cincinnati Bengals before a press conference

One of Grimes’ first priorities was developing a Leadership Team to steer the organization through rapid growth and expansion. This team includes leaders of each department within ABC who will guide executive level decision-making and ensure organizational strategies stay true to the mission and values of the organization. The Leadership Team includes:

  • Sally Grimes, Executive Director

Sally has worked at ABC for almost four years and in nonprofits her entire professional career, with roles in leadership, marketing, finance, communications, and fundraising. This is her third time in an Executive Director role. As a longtime CPS mom, a foster parent, and a volunteer at her children’s schools, she brings a multitude of valuable perspectives and experience to her new role at ABC.

  • Rachel Stallings, Deputy Director

Rachel joined ABC in 2015 as a site coordinator under the Ohio Department of Education 21st Century Grant and has managed programming for years since. As the new Deputy Director, Rachel directs extracurricular programs such as ABC Clubs, tennis, soccer, and ABC Safety Patrol for elementary students. Rachel is incredibly passionate about bettering the lives of children and prides herself on learning from and utilizing her experiences with students, families, and the community to provide quality programming to students attending Cincinnati Public Schools.

  • Carmen Lawrence-Billé, Director of Advancement

Carmen has spent her career working in fundraising, marketing, and executive leadership with nonprofits. She’s worked in theater companies, universities, museums, and more, all with the intent to be a force of positive change in the world. At ABC, she oversees fundraising, marketing, community outreach, organizational storytelling, and data management.

  • Sophia Scott, Director of Operations

Sophia brings with her a diversity of experiences from growing up in a single family home, being a first-generation college student, obtaining an advance degree in Integrative Studies concentration in Public Administration and Social Work, as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management (NPM). Sophia is the mom of 3 and can be found enjoying life with her husband, also in non-profit community work. At ABC, she oversees human resources, accounting, and finance functions.

From left to right: Sophia Scott, Carmen Lawrence-Bille, Sally Grimes, Rachel Stallings

“This leadership team isn’t about making decisions in a vacuum,” said Carmen Lawrence- Billé. “It’s about having people that are incredibly close to the different programs and arms of this large nonprofit, so we have complete visibility to all the good we’re doing and all the things we can do better. It’s a team of listeners and learners.”

In addition to the many new employees that have been hired to support this enhanced structure at ABC, several familiar faces have accepted new positions within the organization. The team may look similar, but there’s a lot of change going on! “Our team here is great because we’re all ready and willing to do the hard work together,” said Sophia Scott, Director of Operations. “None of us will hesitate to get the job done, whether that job is done behind a desk or out in the field. There’s never a ‘wrong’ person to go to at ABC, and it’s such a close-knit group that if there’s someone more qualified to help, we can easily point you in that person’s direction.”

Visit the “Our Team” page of our website to get to know our entire team. If you’d like to get connected with one of our team members, reach out and we’ll direct you to the right person.

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News

Band in a Bus Provides Music for CPS Students

When an organization’s focus is bringing music to communities via a Band in a Bus, but COVID makes that work impossible, it’s time to get creative. Enter Band in a Box, a COVID-safe program of Band in the Bus, developed by Executive Director Nick Rose. 

In pre-COVID times, Cincinnati-based Band in a Bus made music education accessible to every child by driving to schools in Cincinnati where music programming was lacking, bringing all the elements of a band into the school community. The goal was to turn down the growing disparities apparent in arts education and turn up the availability of instruments and engaging musical activities that greatly benefit youth in our communities.

When COVID-19 hit and schools went virtual, Band in a Bus amped up its mission by launching the ‘Band in a Box’ program. Rather than letting instruments sit on a shelf, the nonprofit boxed them up and sent them to students across Greater Cincinnati and beyond.

The idea of Band in a Box is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in musical activities at home, giving them the needed outlet to explore their creative, social, and personal development. This was especially important while students were learning from home, as kids needed a creative outlet after staring at a computer screen all day. 

Every student received rhythm sticks, a djembe (drum), a tambourine, and a ukulele, all easy to use at home with the mentorship of a music teacher- even from a social distance. Students also received a book of introductory sheet music. Bonus: the kids got to keep all of the instruments as their own.

Rose’s goal was lofty: provide one box of musical instruments and equipment for every 3rd grade student in CPS.  In order to reach this goal, Rose needed two key elements: funding and partners.

Funding and Distributing Instruments to Over 1500 Students

Band in a Bus worked diligently to raise the money for this new concept, and local organizations, such as ArtsWave, the Haile Foundation, Cincinnati Bell, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, were kind enough to come forward and lend their support.

The effort could not have been accomplished without the support of Dr. Isidore Rudnick at Cincinnati Public Schools, identifying which students would have the greatest need for this type of program. Activities Beyond the Classroom also gladly signed on, ensuring that every third grader at the ten CPS elementary schools where ABC is a lead agency received a box. By the end of the school year, Rose successfully sent 1534 boxes of instruments to 31 schools across multiple districts.

Band in a Bus plans to make even more noise with their box program by providing a Band in a Box to every third grader at Cincinnati Public Schools for the upcoming school year. ABC is proud to help such a great program reach students at Cincinnati Public Schools, and we look forward to working more with Band in a Bus in the future! For more on Band in a Bus, visit their website: bandinabus.org

News

Connecting Children Experiencing Homelessness with Summer Programming

In one room, students are watching Luca, a new Disney movie only accessible to families that can afford Disney’s streaming service.

In another classroom, students are playing math games and learning about animals.

In another classroom, students are painting toys in faux stained glass patterns.

In all of the rooms, students are playing, learning, and trying new things together. And that’s what makes all the difference.

These students were all enrolled in The Project Connect Summer Academic & Enrichment Program, a 6-week summer program serving children ages 5-13. These students struggled through the last school year just like every other student did (COVID-19 wasn’t easy for anyone), but they had one additional variable to contend with that other students did not. These students are experiencing or have experienced homelessness this school year.

“Imagine undergoing the stress of this last year, and doing it all without the guarantee of a roof over your head, without the consistency of knowing where you’ll sleep tonight or next week or next year, without knowing if the helpful role models you’re surrounded with today will be there tomorrow,” said Rebeka Beach, Project Connect’s (PC) Program Manager. “Our programs ease some of those troubles, creating structure and consistency for these students so they can learn even in the most stressful of circumstances.”

Project Connect grades K-3 collaborated on portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama, while 6-7 created a picture of LeBron James.

During the summer program, students receive daily academics focusing on math and reading. This helps to mitigate summer learning loss with the intent of achieving academic success for the upcoming school year. Students also participate in a number of enrichment programs/opportunities which provide them with character building, self-esteem, social emotional skills, and overall exposure to new concepts. In addition, each child is provided daily breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, and each child receives a weekend food pack provided by Childhood Food Solutions.

“It takes a village to support a student. That’s true for all kids, including our Project Connect students,” said Rhonda Lewis, PC Program Enrichment and Development Specialist. “Our summer staff consists of CPS classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, university interns from Xavier and the University of Cincinnati, a foster grandparent, and other PC Staff. It’s truly all hands on deck for this program, because we know how much impact we can make if we all put in the time.”

In addition, the PC summer program involves the community as a means of providing awareness of child homelessness and encouraging ongoing community participation, thereby strengthening community partnerships. This summer’s theme “Back Outside” was chosen to encourage participation in outdoor activities as children have been forced to remain indoors due to the recent COVID-19 Pandemic. “Our goal is to introduce students to life changing experiences that will carry over through adulthood,” continued Lewis. “We understand the importance of exposure and the impact it makes in forming and shaping future lives of our students.”

Partnership with ABC

As part of an annual tradition, Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) staff brought in lunch for all the PC Summer Program’s staff and students during their final week of the program. “Getting to see the kids learning and having fun and working together, even when they’re masked up and social distancing, is enough to brighten my month,” said Carmen Lawrence-Billé, Director of Advancement at ABC. “These kids have had a rough year, but you’d never know it from the smiles on their faces.”

ABC serves as the fiscal agent for Project Connect, which means ABC helps Project Connect with many of their laborious financial duties. These duties can range from fundraising and grant acceptance to accounting and fiscal administration. “It’s a privilege to be able to work so closely with Project Connect,” said Sally Grimes, Executive Director of ABC. “Our missions align so well: both organizations are about providing enrichment opportunities to students in our area. Whether a student has a place to call home or not, they deserve enrichment and education that feels fun.”

Ways to Support

Project Connect always accepts donations to support their programming, which serves students experiencing homelessness year-round. In addition, Project Connect is hosting a drive through and drop-off school supply drive at Woodward High School on Saturday August 7 12-4pm. These school supplies will then be distributed to children and youth experiencing homelessness in Butler, Clermont, Warren, and Hamilton counties. Giving a little goes a long way to help our families in need!

News

Q&A With Barry Lucas of the ABC Board of Trustees

1) The age-old Cincinnati question… Where did you go to school?

I attended North Avondale Elementary School and later went on to Woodward High School. North Avondale is such a great school, I still have a lot of elementary school friends. When I was at Woodward, it was very big, we had students ranging from the 7th – 12th grades. Woodward was made up of approximately 3,500 students. My graduating class was around 525 students. It was an excellent experience, there was no recognition of color in our school. Our teachers earned and demanded respect. As a product of Cincinnati Public Schools, I believe in the public school system, the more of a cross-section of kids you’re exposed to, the better off you are later in life.

2) What is your professional background?

After graduating from University of Cincinnati, I went on to work in the family business. Our business was part of the soft drink supply chain. In addition to collecting returnable glass bottles and sending them back to the appropriate bottler, we were responsible for repurposing the broken glass, selling new bottles, and repairing beverage boxes. 

After the beverage industry shifted to plastic bottles, I purchased a costume jewelry wholesaler, My company sold jewelry to drug stores and variety stores throughout the country. In the early days, we employed road salespersons, later we switched to selling to larger retailers like Meijer, Walgreens, and CVS. My role included a lot of travel, including overseas to source components from countries throughout Asia, back and forth to Providence, Rhode Island where we produced jewelry in bulk. At our peak, we employed around 500 individuals nationwide. 

3) Tell us a little about your family.

Both wife and I are Cincinnati natives. We grew up in the same neighborhood, we both even went to North Avondale (at different times). We have a son, who is not married, and a daughter, who is married with 2 children. Our oldest grandchild attends University of Wisconsin and our youngest will be a freshman at the University of Wisconsin. Both my wife and I come from rather large families and have lots of extended family members throughout Greater Cincinnati. 

4) Did you participate in any extracurricular activities? If so, which ones, and what skills do you think you gained from them?

I played knothole baseball in elementary school and junior high. I was also a member of the Safety Patrol. In those days, safety patrol was manned by the athletes. It was a great team-building effort; we served together and we played together at recess and after school. In high school, I was involved in gymnastics and track. 

My involvement in extracurricular activities helped me tremendously in business. It helped build my interpersonal skills. It taught me to be comfortable with people. As a manager and boss, I was able to better relate and talk to people. It gave me the confidence I needed to go out into the world. 

5) Outside of ABC, in what ways do you give (or in what ways have you given) back to the community?

I have been involved with the Police Citizens Academy for the past 5-7 years. The Academy is offered twice each year. The Citizens Academy is open to the public. At each of the 12 sessions, the public is introduced to speakers from different police departments. It gives citizens a fresh outlook as to what various departments do and what the officers go through. 

My wife and I along with 6-7 other couples, reached out to the then-police chief, Chief Blackwell and asked if there was more that we could do. We were assigned to the Police Chief’s Advisory Board, where we meet monthly with other community organizations to discuss various issues of concern. 

For example, during Principal Jeff Hall’s first year at Douglass, Frederick Douglass Elementary had a lot of issues that he brought before the Advisory Board. As a result, we started what is now the ABC Safety Patrol program, at the Police Chief’s recommendation. Chief Blackwell gave us one of his best officers, in an effort to help improve Community-Police relations. Officer Princess Davis has been instrumental in providing the training and working with the students at Douglass and 35 other CPS elementary schools.

6) How did you become involved with Activities Beyond the Classroom?

I was one of the original board members (one of the only ones not involved in the tennis program). Brian Leshner invited me to join the board because I believe in CPS education and feel strongly about the importance of afterschool and extracurricular activities. 

I feel strongly that opportunities for kids to be involved in a variety of activities help develop character and help keep kids off the street. The skills learned in these activities give kids a sense of purpose. Parental involvement is up, the kids are more vibrant, their attendance has improved, and they are more engaged in the learning process. 

7) What do you see as the greatest challenge for today’s students, and what do you think ABC’s role is in addressing this challenge?

Most of my exposure is with elementary school-aged kids. The greatest challenge at this age level is needing more support for our teachers. ABC provides vital activities including afterschool clubs. These clubs help kids stay active and help them mature. These opportunities help the kids focus on improving their grades and to do that they must listen to their teachers, follow rules and take direction. Essentially their involvement in these programs helps prepare them for life.  

8) What is one of your favorite ABC programs, and why?

ABC Safety Patrol and Soccer are my favorites. Through the ABC Safety Patrol program, we teach leadership skills and good hygiene. Additionally, our Safety Patrol students are exposed to the Steer Clear program which also teaches drug and alcohol prevention and anti-bullying. 

In 2019-2020 ABC brought the Safety Patrol program in-house. The additional support that ABC offers makes it a win-win for the students, and schools involved. Currently, Safety Patrol is offered in schools throughout the district, our goal is to be in all 54 CPS elementary schools.

Our Soccer programs are great too. Soccer reaches a wide range of individuals. This international sport helps level the playing field and brings kids together from a variety of backgrounds. 

9) ABC is expanding its arts programs, and hosted the inaugural CPS International Jazz Festival on October 5th, 2019. What benefits do you think this event brought to the city of Cincinnati?

Every time ABC can do something that is out in the public, it is good for the kids that we serve. I believe we need more exposure like this. Programs such as the Jazz Festival provide a value-add to the community at large. Additionally, it offers us an opportunity to showcase the talent possessed by CPS students and highlight the positive activities of our kids with the general public. 

10) What are some goals you’d like to see ABC accomplish in the future?

Our future goals including strengthening funding for the arts programs. Also, we need even more afterschool activities for students in every grade from Kindergarten through 12th grade. I would also like to see more programs that deal with personal hygiene and citizenship. I would love to expand our Steer Clear program and do more to prevent bullying and the impact it has on children.   

11) What is the most important thing you would like the public to learn about ABC?

I would like the public to know more about Activities Beyond the Classroom. In my opinion, we need more opportunities to get our story out there. I feel that the more that know about the work we are doing the better. Additionally, I would like the public to know that we have a great organization, highly competent people and we are getting the job done.

News

Sally Grimes Succeeds Brian Leshner as Next Executive Director

As of July 1, 2021, Sally Grimes has assumed the role of Executive Director of Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC).

Grimes has been with the organization since 2017 as the Director of Advancement. She brings hardened experience with her, having previously been the Executive Director of the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition and of the Winter Wildlands Alliance. Her transition into the role of Executive Director had been approved by ABC’s board nearly a year ago, which has allowed time for Grimes to craft a vision for where she’d like to take ABC in the coming years.

Left to right: Richard Friedman (Board Chair), Brian Leshner, and Dave Dierker (former CPS Althletic Director)

Grimes succeeds Brian Leshner, who served as the organization’s Executive Director for 17 years. Leshner leaves behind a legacy of leadership and generosity. During his time as Executive Director, ABC has grown to support over 50 Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), providing over 200 programs and activities, and impacting over 15,000 students every year. ABC has also been the fiscal agent to over 100 donor-directed funds, totaling over $800,000 in financial support to over 15,000 CPS students.

“Brian has never been the kind of person to say, ‘we can’t help with that,’” said Rachel Stallings, Deputy Director at ABC. “If a school or community had an idea and asked for help, Brian found a way to make it happen. That search for solutions and collaborations will endure, thanks to Brian’s hard work.”

Leshner will be taking a sabbatical before rejoining the organization as the new Director of Special Initiatives. “After 17 years of being on call, I’m ready to take a short break,” Leshner said, “but I’m not done yet. I’m excited to return to ABC and use my skills in different ways, while [Sally] takes the reins.”

“Whether a child lives in poverty or not—and 80% of our CPS students do live in poverty—they should have the opportunity to try different activities and find the ones that ignite their fire, instilling skills and a passion that will last throughout their life,” Grimes said.

Grimes has already begun creating a strategy and plan for the next stage of ABC’s growth, including building a leadership team and looking at long-term organizational plans and opportunities. “What’s beautiful is that Sally has a vision for where ABC is going, but that vision was not made in a silo,” said Sophia Scott, Director of Operations and member of the new leadership team. “That vision has been informed by CPS students and parents, by CPS teachers and staff, by ABC staff, and by organizations like ours across the world. A vision like that, made by and for the community, is one we can all get onboard with.”