Five students at Winton Hills Academy can now add the title “published author” to their list of accomplishments. The youngsters, who are currently in grades 5 – 7, co-authored the story of Misunderstood Micah, an anti-bullying tale.

Activities Beyond the Classroom’s Resource Coordinator, Shelby Zimmer, learned about the national book writing competition through her community partnerships and encouraged the students to submit their story to the National Youth Foundation. National Youth Foundation’s goal is to enrich the lives of children through creative educational programming. Their annual book writing competition, Student Book Scholar Contest, is designed to give young writers a voice and provide a platform that celebrates youth literacy.

The story submitted by the students at Winton Hills Academy was one of 75 entries from students across 20 states. Each story was judged by professional athletes from the NBA and NFL. As winners of the contest, the team of students will receive a cash prize of $500 and copies of their published book. The books will also be donated to schools and libraries nationwide. National Youth Foundation is currently working to allow the general public to purchase copies of the book as well.

A special surprise assembly was called at Winton Hills Academy on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. The students did not know that their book had been selected or even why the assembly had been called. “The book was submitted late last year and judged over the summer. The students would periodically inquire about the book’s status and ask if we had heard anything,” said Zimmer, who managed to keep the foundation’s decision a secret for several weeks. “The best part was getting to see their faces as their names were called!” added Zimmer.

The story Misunderstood Micah, is told from a unique perspective, that of the bully. Micah’s story challenges the reader to look beyond a person’s actions and attempt to understand what a person may be going through. According to the student authors, there may be an underlying reason for the bully’s action that is unknown.

Carlos Dunlap, defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, attended the assembly and helped celebrate the student’s achievement. During the assembly Dunlap autographed copies of the book for students in attendance. According to his Twitter FeedDunlap marked the festivities as the kickoff to his 2nd annual Anti-Bullying Tour.

The writers Zoey K., Michael P., Dahnelle B., Jayma M. and Bra’shae S. were also recognized in a proclamation from Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, in which Mayor Cranley proclaimed September 18, 2018, Winton Hills Academy – National Youth Foundation Anti-bullying Day!

Gibbs brings two decades of advocating for families and children of inner-city Cincinnati to ABC

Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) announced today the addition of Carol Gibbs to its Board of Directors.

Gibbs, a long-time community activist and volunteer, is currently the President and CEO of the Mt. Auburn Community Development Corporation, which Gibbs founded in 2015 to strengthen and coordinate business and housing development in Mt. Auburn. Prior to her current role, she spent 15 years in the role of President and CEO of ACT (Accountability and Credibility Together), an organization she founded to increase self-sufficiency skills of families to reduce their need for public assistance.

“I am honored to be part of Activities Beyond the Classroom, an organization that is able to give children the opportunity to make real-life choices for themselves,” Gibbs said. “I have spent my entire career in various roles that help children through the self-discovery process necessary to become successful adults. Success is only possible when children have experiences that give them reasons to hope and dream, and whether it’s playing tennis, kicking a soccer ball, or singing on stage, learning that there is a whole world outside of the classroom enables children to imagine the impact they can have on the world.”

In addition to her professional roles, Gibbs has been involved in a number of Cincinnati organizations, including the Strategic Engagement and Planning Committee for Cincinnati Public Schools, Mt. Auburn Community Council, Taft Elementary School, William Howard Taft Historic Site, Neighborhoods of Uptown Leadership, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Ohio Foodbank Association, and more.

Dick Friedman, President of the Board of Directors, said “We are very pleased to have Carol join the board leadership of Activities Beyond the Classroom. Her many years of service in the community at large and her experienced wise counsel will add yet another success-driven planning voice to our efforts assisting the children of the Cincinnati Public Schools.”

When the Ohio Board of Education moved to a point-based system to evaluate student’s eligibility for graduation, Lisa Votaw, Principal of Aiken New Tech High School, worried that many of her students who struggle with end-of-course exams would not meet the new requirements. Then when Votaw got wind that the state was reconsidering alternative pathways that would allow students to earn points toward graduation through internships and career tech pathways, she and her staff began putting a plan in place.

In early 2017, Votaw and Dana Bierman (Resource Coordinator at Activities Beyond the Classroom) began meeting with Tim Arnold, the owner of Lawn Life, to discuss career options for Aiken students who were at risk of not graduating. Through their combined efforts, students at Aiken now have an alternative path to graduation—the SWOOP program—designed to do even more than help at-risk students graduate on time.

SWOOP: More than just graduation

Students Working On Occupational Pathways (SWOOP) is a work readiness initiative. Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, students who were involved in SWOOP earned credits toward graduation through on-the-job training at Lawn Life.  Furthermore, the group’s plan would put SWOOP Participants on the path to lifelong success, while allowing them to earn prevailing wages.

Votaw said, “We reached out to Lawn Life about the SWOOP concept and asked if they would consider interning our students.  They immediately said yes, but not only would they sponsor them, Lawn Life would also nurture and pay them!”

Students who are involved with SWOOP learn valuable on-the-job training in HVAC, plumbing and electrical repair, masonry and hanging dry wall. But more importantly, SWOOP participants learn skills designed to set them up for long-term success including timeliness, productivity, and self-sufficiency.  Through their hard work, the students earn a sense of ownership in improving their circumstances as well as a paycheck to help the youngsters transition into early adulthood.

Upon successful completion of the SWOOP program, students are able to graduate high school with a tool belt filled with employability skills that they can use to continue earning a livable wage. Like Aiken’s mascot, the falcon, students are trained to focus on their target and defy the odds by pushing themselves to succeed.

Alternative pathway for life-long success

Aiken is on a mission to increase the graduation rate among the students they serve. Many of the students who attend Aiken live at or below the federal poverty level. Additionally, some of Aiken’s students face serious life challenges that may have caused them to fall behind in their school studies, thus increasing the risk for them to drop out of high school. Such challenges including aging out of foster care, homelessness and run-ins with the law have made it difficult for the at-risk teens to keep up with their schooling.  Without a program like SWOOP, many of the at-risk students could end up on the wrong path.

According to Bierman, the SWOOP initiative has been a huge success, “In the first year we celebrated 100% graduation rate!  Of the 15 students who were involved in SWOOP, all 15 graduated on time!!”

Get your business involved

Principal Votaw and her team plan to continue to grow SWOOP. They are adding new career options including cosmetology, barber, healthcare and retail options in an effort to expand the number of students they can serve. Businesses who are interested in providing internship opportunities to Aiken students are encouraged to contact Dana Bierman at biermad@cps-k12.org or by calling her (513) 363-6700 to discuss how they can help foster personal development and provide at-risk students with invaluable work readiness skills.

Watch a video to see SWOOP in action. 

Fifteen CPS children attended the Western Southern Open Kid’s Day, met tennis pros, and practiced their tennis skills

Through Activities Beyond the Classroom’s partnership with Tennis For Charity, ABC was presented with an opportunity to expose students to professional tennis at the Western Southern Open Kid’s Day on Saturday, August 11th.

15 youngsters participated in the Kid’s Day festivities as a result of the collaborative efforts of Activities Beyond the Classroom and Tennis for Charity. Of the 15 students, 4 students were from Oyler School and 11 students were from Roll Hill Elementary. Adult chaperones included volunteers from community organizations, including GRAD Cincinnati, Amicus Childcare Learning Center, and Santa Maria Community Services.

ABC first launched its tennis program in 2014 in an effort to help teach Cincinnati Public School students valuable life lessons through the sport of tennis. Players actively learn about sportsmanship, teamwork, perseverance and determination in a fun and safe environment. The tennis program is taught through Physical Education classes as well as through ABC’s after school tennis programming.

The young tennis enthusiasts who attended Kid’s Day were able to interact both with the sport of tennis and with professional tennis players. In most instances, the pros have had to overcome their own personal obstacles in their quest for greatness. The students even got to meet Stan Wawrinka, aka “Stan The Man”, a Swiss tennis player who according to The Economist is “Tennis’s great latecomer” (The Economist September 12, 2016). Stan Wawrinka’s philosophy on perseverance is evidenced by his catchphrase “Ever Tried. Ever Failed. No Matter, Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.” (http://www.stanwawrinka.com/).

Certain lessons, such as those taught on the tennis court, are best received when taught through hands-on experiences that go beyond the classroom. Teaching young people to overcome obstacles is a lesson that can serve students throughout their academic and professional careers. The collaborative effort of the organizations involved helps to create a thriving community by giving rise to youngsters armed with the resilience and grit required to face life’s challenges head-on.