Blog

2021 Brightman Award Winner – Najaah Muhammad ’15 (MICDS ’21)

At the 2021 Virtual Annual Luncheon, we were thrilled to present alumna Najaah Muhammad ’15 (MICDS ’21) with this year’s Brightman Award. The Brightman Award is named for John Brightman, one of City Academy’s original board members and supporters. John was integral in the start of the school, and this award, including a $1,000 scholarship, honors and carries on his legacy. Najaah is brilliant, determined, and a fierce community advocate, and a wonderful example of the long-lasting impact of City Academy. Read Najaah’s speech below for more on what this award, and City Academy, mean to her.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

An Important Message from Don Danforth

Dear City Academy Family,

I am writing to share that Nikki Doughty has accepted a position at Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership. Nikki will be “graduating” from City Academy at the end of this school year, after 15 amazing years.

At Washington University, Nikki will continue the important work of removing barriers to transform lives through exceptional education, by working with multiple schools and districts. This will no doubt make our community and region stronger. I am pleased that Nikki’s new role at WU will allow her to continue to help broaden City Academy’s impact by building a collaboration between two amazing institutions, City Academy and Washington U, and helping implement our Strategic Initiative of building an institute for educators. Like our City Academy graduates, Nikki is fully prepared for her next exciting challenge. Nikki shares about her next steps in the video below.

Jeff Horwitz, our Interim Principal, will be our Interim Head of School for the 2021-22 academic year. We will not fill the Principal role. A search process will begin late this summer to identify our next Head of School.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

A Legacy of Optimism

This year’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King is especially timely as our country tries to heal from the recent events in Washington and all of the challenges that we faced in 2020.

While dedicating his life for racial equality and justice for all, Dr. King was also an optimist who, even in the darkest of times, saw a bright future for our country and all its people. In accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King said this, “I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history.”

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Squid Science – Hands-On Learning in 4th Grade

Engaging hands-on experiences are a hallmark of City Academy’s STEAM program, and our faculty are finding creative ways to make that possible during virtual learning. This week in 4th grade science, our scholars dissected squids as part of the biology curriculum. Each student was given their own specimen to dissect, following along with 3rd and 4th grade science teacher Ann Luciani on Zoom.

Before the dissection, students were asked to draw a squid from memory. This helped them identify questions they had about the structure and form of the animal, which they were then able to answer during the dissection. On Monday, students completed an external examination of squids, and on Tuesday they completed the internal examination.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Introducing Our Onsite Learning Team

Alison Slama – Onsite 3- and 4-Year-Old Teacher

Alison came to City Academy in 2019 to launch the first three- and four-year-old classroom in the newly expanded Early Childhood Center. Alison has over 10 years of experience in early childhood education.

Alison is a St. Louis local and a graduate of MICDS. She went on to earn a BA in Psychology and Early Childhood Education and a Teaching Certificate from Webster University, and a MA in Special Education, also from Webster University.

In her free time, Alison enjoys hiking, playing and watching sports, and spending time with her friends and family.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Congratulations Class of 2020!

Last Friday was our last day of virtual learning for our graduating sixth graders, and while graduation has been delayed, we still found ways to celebrate the class of 2020!

Teachers and staff visited graduates to deliver yard signs, mementos and gifts to each sixth grader, and even got to see most of them (from a safe distance).

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Third and Fourth Grade Scientists Zoom with Fox 2 Meteorologist Chris Higgins

Students in third and fourth grade science classes wrapped up their ecology unit this week with a livestream Q & A with Fox 2 meteorologist Chris Higgins.

The unit began with creating nature journals to record daily abiotic elements of weather such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind and clouds. After students practiced recording data, they incorporated analysis in small ways by looking at how the weather/abiotic elements interacted with the biotic elements such as the plants, animals, and us!

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Learning at Home – Tips from Our Counselor

As the City Academy community moves online, our faculty and staff are hard at work making sure that students and families are supported through these challenges. Counselor Joan Bates shared these tips for setting a schedule for learning at home that works for each family:

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Third Grade Wax Museum Project

Every year, City Academy’s third grade class completes a Wax Museum project. Each scholar chooses a historical figure to research and eventually portray in the living Wax Museum. To prepare for the presentation, students write a research paper, draw a portrait, and create a display backdrop about their chosen historical figure.

Share this:
Facebooktwitterlinkedin