Blog

Love Is Stronger Than Anything

by Stephen McDaniel ’16 (Priory ’22)

If someone were to ask you, why is there so much hate, what would you say? I would respond by saying the world has become a heartless place. Why did we become a heartless place? I couldn’t answer that. People fight, yell, and get mad at each other for no good reason.

When I see or hear about hate, I say to myself, one day this violence will change and we will treat people the same. We will stop with the violence and go down with the hate.

That is why I am a firm believer of love being stronger than anything

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

If You Try, You Will Not Fail

by Makyla Spann ’16 (Crossroads ’22)

This I believe; when you try, you do not fail.  In third grade I attended public school, I was one of the best students in the class. The homework was easy, and the teachers didn’t ask very much of me. In the middle of third grade I transferred to City Academy. I wanted to stay at my old school because it was elementary, and I was going to miss the light work. At City Academy, I had a lot more homework, and the teachers actually checked it!

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Family: The People Who Believe In You

by Sydney Williams ’16 (John Burroughs ’22)

In 2008, I was four years old. Whenever my mom and dad dropped me off at City Academy, I cried. This place frightened me. Everything was new. I didn’t know anyone. I felt like an outsider. It was as enormous as the Incredible Hulk. What a big baby I was. Yes, I was a cry baby who missed her family.

But quickly I found another family. One family that would never let me give up no matter how bad I wanted to. I found a family here who comforted me when I was sad or having a bad day.

I’ve realized that family is not just the people who share blood, but also the people who believe in you. People who will help you strive and flourish in whatever you decide to do in life. Families are people who will help you fix mistakes and encourage you to think for yourself.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

L.A. Can Have the Rams. We Get Milton Mitchell!

City Academy has named Milton Mitchell the school’s Principal beginning July 1, 2016. Mr. Mitchell grew up in Kinloch, MO, but has lived in California for the past fifteen years. He most recently served in administration at the Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, CA, just outside of Los Angeles, where he spearheaded the admission process and summer education program for over 800 students in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Mr. Mitchell received his Master of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University and has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. For more than fifteen years, Mr. Mitchell has been a pillar in leading, organizing, and advocating for both education and diversity. He has held positions in his community that ensure equity, inclusion, and diversity in independent schools.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Class of 2016 Alumna Graduation Speech

Dream wild. Dream big. Dream often.

“Whether you think you can or you think that you can’t, you’re right.”

This is a quote that I have lived by my entire life. I learned that I am able to do anything and everything that I believe that I can do, and that there is no stronger power than the will to succeed. I want each of you to know that you are able to do anything that you believe is possible.

Good evening. I would like to thank Ms. Nikki for inviting me to speak tonight and thank the class of 2016 for allowing me to share a party of my journey that I have never shared with anyone before.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Maintaining Momentum

For many schools, the end of the school year means that the pace of homework and assignments begins to wind down. Not so at City Academy. One thing I love about our rigorous program is that we go full throttle until the end. Many times this means contending with bumps and conflicts with the schedule which turn into opportunities for thinking outside the proverbial box.

Although fifth grade students have spent the past two weeks out of the math classroom visiting secondary schools, such as John Burroughs and MICDS, their math assignments continue. So how exactly do fifth graders receive instruction outside of the classroom? Well, we just tap into 21st century learning!

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Buddy Morning Spring 2016

“Buddy Morning is my favorite day because I love seeing my buddy!” -Kyleigh, 5th grade student

Exceptional education. Bold expectations. Community Transformation. These are the words that our school lives by, but what exactly do they mean? On April 15, 2016, more than 100 individuals from the community attended Buddy Morning to find out! Community partners and leaders in St. Louis visited the school to spend one-on-one time with a City Academy student to discover what makes our school unique. This great opportunity allows community members and corporations in St. Louis to learn more about how they can support high quality education that is transforming children, families, and St. Louis every day.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Change a Life by Volunteering

Come be part of something dynamic, positive, and powerful!

We’ve had a spate of negative news about St. Louis schools. Starting with the focus on the Normandy district after the Michael Brown shooting, it continued with the heart-wrenching story of kids trying to get access to accredited schools (profiled on the NPR program “This American Life”) and included the high profile struggles of some charter schools. The local education news seems to be relentless, boding ill for the future of our town and its most vulnerable citizens.

However, every time I set foot in City Academy I find it to be a perfect counterpoint to all the negative stories. Every week when I visit, I witness joy. I see kids who are plugged in and who are thriving. I see kids who are challenged to excel and who respond in amazing ways. When you see City Academy, you can’t help but to be full of optimism for these kids and their futures.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Alumni Give Back to St. Louis

City Academy alumni are dedicated to giving back to the community that has given them so much. Even after graduating from City Academy, the majority of our alumni realize the impact that the school has made on them and continue to come back to volunteer. In fact, a group of about a dozen alumni in middle school and high school have recently formed the City Academy Alumni Committee in order to give back not only to City Academy but also the St. Louis community.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

The Color of Love

Our teachers have bold expectations for students. For our music teacher, Mr. Laren Loveless, these bold expectations provide students a creative environment and safe place where they can fuse every day life with music. One of the results from this environment is that sixth graders had the opportunity to write an original song first performed at City Academy’s 2016 Black History Month Assembly.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin