WWE and Otis visit Langston Hughes Academy

Stephanie McMahon, AJ Lee and Cody Rhodes from WrestleMania visited Langston Hughes Academy first graders to celebrate reading! Otis, from Otis by Loren Long, also came along to share his story. Otis has travelled across the country on the Read Mobile, visiting students to tell them about the importance of reading. Reading is a celebration!

As a farewell gift, each student received a copy of Otis' story to share with their friends and family.

To watch a video of WWE stars reading to Langston Hughes Academy first graders - click here!

To view the photo gallery from the WWE visit - click here!

A big thank you to We Give Books and the Read Mobile and to WrestleMania!

Jason: A Star-studded Day at FirstLine Schools

In the ESY NOLA Garden at Green

“Dan still has a good arm!” James “JB” Brown – host of The NFL Today on CBS – announced with a laugh. “You need that to work in the garden.” He was talking about Dan Marino, once quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, now analyst for The NFL Today.

Mr. Brown and Mr. Marino are touring the city with a bus full of volunteers, making Samuel J. Green Charter school their last of 16 stops. The volunteers come from all over the country, here for AARP’s Life@50+ National Event. This year, for the first time, the Washington, D.C. organizers decided to make community service an integral part of their convention.

Hands were shaken, weeds were pulled, and, according to Denise Richter, “The volunteers got worm castings, saved flower seeds, and helped prep production rows.”

But Green wasn’t the only FirstLine school with a visiting sports star today. Langston Hughes Academy attracted a gym full of media attention when Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon walked in with a message of love for New Orleans.

After speaking, #10 refereed a quick 1-on-1 between one of the third graders and an eight grader. Gordon finally jumped in and set up a screen when the younger competitor found himself overwhelmed. When it was over and prizes dispensed, the scholars chanted from the stands: “Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!” Gordon obliged with a lesson in perseverance, sinking a three pointer on his third attempt.

Enjoying the Bookmobile

And because no story is complete without a good book, the Hornets player led a line of 3rd grade scholars out of the gym and into the Bookmobile parked outside. Scholars climbed into the little painted bus in groups to receive a free paperback from the star.

While Eric Gordon didn’t help in the Dreamkeeper Garden, LHA did get an assist from Dillard University. The new partnership between Dillard and LHA, called “From Seed to Table,” kicked off today. Funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Impact Grant, it creates the opportunity for Dillard University students and LHA scholars to utilize the Greenhouse located on Dillard’s campus as an educational facility twice a week. 

In Dillard's Greenhouse

As part of the project, vegetable seeds will be started in the greenhouse and then transplanted to the LHA Dreamkeeper Garden. This allows ESY NOLA at Langston Hughes Academy to move forward with its new Family Supported Agriculture (FSA) program, bringing fresh school-grown food to students and their families.

It’s been a star-studded day at FirstLine Schools, but in the end our focus remains on the health and success of the scholars who depend on us. Thanks to everyone for your support, and don’t forget to visit the new Arthur Ashe campus – at 1456 Gardena Drive – for Community Day this Saturday from 10am to 2pm! 

Jason Lacoste is the AmeriCorps VISTA K-8 Outreach Coordinator for FirstLine Schools.  

Jason: This Week at LHA

Nothing sounds so sweet as a bustling school community, and this week at Langston Hughes Academy has been busy.

In celebration of a love for reading, LHA held its annual Book Fair this week. In preparation, scholars watched a video of authors stressing the importance of books and describing the literary process. Afterwards, they shopped around the shelves looking for their favorite superhero, animal, celebrity, or just a fantastic story. If students were unable to afford a book, Ms. Sergio – who organized the Fair – encouraged them to pick their favorite and write it down as a “wish.” Who knows, maybe some generous benefactor will make a wish come true!

The week culminated at LHA’s Open House on Wednesday night.

Coinciding with the event was a Health & Wellness Fair. Ms. Carolyn Trask organized the event, bringing in seven health providers for parents to learn about. “The mission,” she explained, “was to show our parents that there are services out there for them in the community.” She intends to organize another such Fair before the holidays. Next time, scholars will be invited to receive free health services right on campus.

Wednesday night also drew much attention to the Dreamkeeper Garden, just finishing its recovery from Hurricane Isaac. Amy Zellweger, Lead Garden Teacher at LHA, shared information with attendees about the benefits of fresh, healthy food. She is also spearheading a project to provide school-grown produce to the families of Langston Hughes Academy. This Family Supported Agriculture (FSA) will offer a portion of food grown at the school to families for free. Already, seventeen families have signed up to receive the produce from 1300ft of garden space planned for this year. “Production is ramping up,” says Edible Schoolyard NOLA Network Gardener Denise Richter.

Tonight is the first of many Family Connection meetings, a space for the parents of LHA to become involved in their children’s education and to learn about available opportunities. This year will bring with it many adult education initiatives, designed to improve the lives of our community members and to strengthen the parent organization throughout FirstLine Schools. Make sure to be there for the next meeting!  

Questions?  Leave them in the comments and we'll get back to you!

Jason Lacoste is the AmeriCorps VISTA K-8 Outreach Coordinator for FirstLine Schools.  

PRIME TIME at Green

Students are enthralled by the storytelling.

This fall, we’re excited to be joined by 27 families coming together for Prime Time with the mission of transforming Green Charter School students into life-long readers. In case you haven’t heard, PRIME TIME is a free, state-sponsored, six-week program of reading, discussion, and storytelling. For each workshop at Green, after a delicious meal provided by a local restaurant, our facilitators Natalie Williams and Freddi Evans conduct readings for children ages 6 to 10 and their parents. The goal is not to just tell great stories -- but to encourage parents to ask their children critical questions about the texts. After each reading, we talk about major themes, analyze the characters, and debate the message of each book. The award-winning children’s books introduce fairy and folk tales from around the world. They are stories that deal with questions and dilemmas children commonly encounter. For children from 3-5, we also offer pre-literacy activities and crafts.

Natalie Williams reading "Who's In Rabbit's House?".

We are fortunate for our weekly discussions to be facilitated by local author Freddi Evans and storyteller Natalie Williams. For our first session, we read the South African folk tale, Abiyoyo. Afterward, children and parents deliberated the idea of judging good people with bad habits. For our second session, after we dined on some authentic, freshly prepared Mexican food donated by Sarita’s Grill, our friend Sharon from the Children’s Resource Center came to talk about the New Orleans Public Library System and shared information about their children’s programs and events. Last week, we had red beans, rice, and jambalaya from Liberty’sKitchen, and read the classic tale of The Wren and the Eagle. After debating the merits of brains over brawn and the significance of ambition, several lucky students walked away with books and Walmart gift-cards from our weekly raffle!

This week, we’re going to be reading Odd Velvet, eating more locally-sourced food, and giving away more prizes to promote family literacy!

Paul Kramer is the Community Initiatives Coordinator at Samuel J. Green Charter School.  Check back regularly to hear more updates about his work at Green.