Power Ties Career Day at Junior League Headquarters

Throughout the school year, all FirstLine 8th grades participate in Power Ties, a six-week grade level experience career awareness program. The culmination of the program is the Power Ties Career Day!

Students gathered at the Junior League Headquarters to participate in mock interviews with multitude of local professionals.

Power Ties is a program of REACH, which is a program of FirstLine Schools - Reading, Entrepreneurship, Arts, Cooking, and Health. REACH provides our students a broad menu of extracurricular activities including - Power Ties!

For an extra special treat, Samuel J. Green Charter School's very own 2022ers performed a cover of Lorde's "Royals."

To listen to the impressive talents of our students click here. 

Attention, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans has a very important Shout Out!

Deborah Underwood leading an activity on Watermelon Day for Green

We would like to give a SHOUT OUT to all our interns and volunteers, for instilling environmental stewardship in our children; 

a SHOUT OUT to our interns and volunteers, for increasing our students’ academic success and upping the chances they'll go to college; 

a SHOUT OUT to our interns and volunteers, for maintaining safe, playful, and productive school gardens that show our city’s children the respect and beauty they deserve; 

and a SHOUT OUT to our interns and volunteers, for fighting the racial, economic, and social injustice in New Orleans one student, one seed, and one hour at a time.

Allow us to contextualize.

Zuri Obi shoveling compost at Ashe

This past calendar year, ESYNOLA offered 3,000 garden and kitchen classes for K-12 graders and hosted over 70 special events. Those are really high numbers, and it’s almost unfathomable considering that all of our classes involve experiential learning, which means small groups, hands-on activities, and lots of personal attention. This kind of intimate approach to education is how we teach kids and families about the ecology of Louisiana, where food comes from and how to prepare it, and how to live healthy lives.

Liz Mervosh participating in Iron Chef at Green

But our staff is not huge, and the communities we serve are expanding. As FirstLine Schools has soared in academic achievement, it’s grown from two to five schools (700 to 2,800 students) in the past five years. The support of our 500+ volunteers and interns in classes, on Open Garden Days, and at special events is the reason ESYNOLA has been able to keep up with this growth while maintaining the high level of personalized attention we give our students and our five school gardens.

So we are not exaggerating when we say that ESYNOLA could not do what we do without the passion, expertise, and generosity of our interns and volunteers.

The Saints and Pelicans Visit Arthur Ashe

Players from the New Orleans Saints and the Pelicans, teamed up to teach students at Arthur Ashe Charter School about the harms of tobacco.

Did you know that Louisiana is ranked 4th in the nation for states most addicted to smoking?

Players from both teams not only spoke about the importance of being tobacco-free, but also showed students how to throw a football and dribble the basketball.

For more on the story click here.

Poetry at Clark Prep: The Freedom Writers

The Freedom Writers poetry club, started in 2012 by current sophomore Kia Rowell, has been hard at work this semester recruiting new members and putting pen to paper. The group conducts open writing workshops after school twice a week in hopes of encouraging other Clark students to find their voices through writing. In each session, the Freedom Writers engage in a period of free writing to work through any issues they may have encountered during the school day. Afterward, they dive into a more in-depth writing prompt and are encouraged to write in any style - poetry, short story, non-fiction, etc.. After writing, any member of the group that wants to share what they've written reads aloud. Each member listens with an open mind and gives specific, positive feedback to each writer. Any piece written during a Freedom Writers session can be submitted for publication to this blog! 

Please check back for future posts featuring students' writing!

The Freedom Writers poetry club is open to all Clark students.

President: Kia Rowel (10th grade)

Faculty Sponsors: Sunny Summers (English II Teacher)

                            Kaycee Filson (College Counselor)

                            Ellenie Cruz (City Year Corps Member)

Farmer Russel visits John Dibert Community School!

Farmer Russell, from Red Barn Farm Tours, visited John Dibert Community School last week. Farmer Russell brought a miniature horse, bunnies, puppies, goats, baby chicks, a variety of different species of chickens, and even calf to visit our Dibert scholars.

The Red Barn Farm spent two full days at the Dibert campus, to ensure each student had a chance to spend time with all of the animals. Farmer Russell teaches our scholars about the animals and also does an amazing chicken embryo display for all middle school scholars. The experience can often be therapeutic for our scholars. Farmer Russell extends the invitation to all special need and counseling students to spend as much time as they can with the animals while he is at the school. Watching the students interact with the animals is priceless!



Additionally, Dibert features an entire Kindergarten unit that revolves around farms; animals, food, and plants. Red Barn Farm Tours' visit to Dibert is integral to the students learning experience and has opened the door for teachers to expand lesson plans and build on the interactions between animal and scholar.

Clark Prep Students Attended 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Screening

Clark Prep students were invited to attend the 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' screening here in New Orleans. The film debuted back in October, at the New Orleans' Film Festival. The movie was screened, for free, for local college students.

The event was one of several similar events being held for college and high school students across the country, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Co.

Clark Prep students who attended include Cassie, Marshante, Jude, Alonso, Jerome, and teacher Mr. Schwindt.

For more on the movie click here. 

Dibert's Debate Team Takes 4th Place!

The Dibert Middle School Debate Team spent last Saturday at Tulane University competing in a debate tournament. During a tournament, teams of 3 are given a topic and time to prep before debating. After 4 rounds of debating, scores are tallied and points are awarded to both individuals and teams based on performance.

Dibert had 3 debaters place in the top 20, with top overall scores for all four rounds. Additionally, a team of three Dibert scholars, Kayla Short, Karrie Short, and Kennadi Robinson, went undefeated for the day. A total of eight Dibert scholars participated in the tournament, and collectively place 4th out of all competing schools.

The debate team formed in the fall of 2012. Led by teacher advisors, Ms. Specht and Mr. Carter, and a team of Tulane undergraduate students, 5th through 8th grade meet twice a week to prepare for tournaments.

A big congrats to Dibert and Kayla short who placed 1st overall!

Our very own Cassie Thomas is published in the Times-Picayune!

Cassie Thomas, a Junior at Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School, had an editorial published in the Times Picayune today, November 22, 2014. 

Cassie's essay is in response to student protest at Clark Prep last week.  At FirstLine Schools we are committed to the academic success of each of our students. Having a voice is a part of that success. To take a few words from Cassie - we hope the students at Clark Prep continue to feel empowered in their own education, as we continue to work to close the achievement gap. 

We want to wish Cassie the best of luck in the coming year, and that she may continue to inspire us and others in the community. 

Cam Jordan visits Langston Hughes Academy

The New Orleans Saints' defensive end, Cam Jordan visited Langston Hughes Academy this week. Cam Jordan joined a group of third graders at LHA, during their Playworks class time. The third graders and Cam Jordan played "multiball" - a modified version of kickball. Jordan threw the ball for the kids, while they ran in his place. In addition to a ton of high fives and hugs, Cam Jordan talked to the third graders about being in the NFL and took the time to answer all of the student's questions.

A big thanks goes out to Cam Jordan and the New Orleans Saints for making this day possible!

Iron Chef ESYNOLA!

You are probably familiar with cooking reality shows: chefs looking fierce and competitive, dramatic music, sweat, barked orders, fire and smoke, slander and tears, and at the end: disappointment or bragging or a plot of revenge.

Well, Iron Chef ESYNOLA-style is nothing like that.

When adapting the event to our garden-based cooking program, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans only kept the good parts. On Wednesday, November 6, at Arthur Ashe and Thursday, November 7, at Samuel J. Green, chefs from restaurants across the city joined FirstLine students to concoct creative dishes using a secret ingredient: Satsumas.

At ESYNOLA’s version of Iron Chef, esteemed chefs were paired with student cooking teams. At Ashe, teams bustled in the hallway, kitchen, and garden classroom, and the fifth graders who participated were the envy of all the passers by. “Do we get to do that one day?” an Ashe third grader asked a cooking teacher. “Yes you do!” she replied. At Green, teams of seventh grade teams set up in the teaching kitchen and outside in the courtyard overlooking the garden.

During the competition, students were engaged in the planning process, and offered suggestions about preparation, names for dishes, and presentation. Everyone pitched in to get all the tasks done: shelling peas, stirring batter, dicing and stir-frying veggies, and boiling pasta. Visiting chefs relayed their expertise in small lessons, like how to filet a fish, how to brown butter, how to candy a kumquat and quick-pickle a turnip.

In the final dishes, Satsumas appeared in the most unexpected places: dessert soup, with apples and lavender in smoothies and juices, ceviche, sweet & savory bread pudding, barbecue sauce, beignets. All of this made for a tough job for the judges from each school and the two surprise celebrity judges (record-breaking barefoot runner Joseph Michael Liu at Ashe and Green Charter’s recent retiree sweetheart Grandma Luke). As the judges tasted and scored each dish, visiting chefs told the crowd how impressed they were with the creativity, hand skills, intuition, and teamwork of their student teams. “I wish my kids at home were this good in the kitchen,” one told the judges. “I look forward to this event all year. It is an honor to be part of it,” said another.

Yes, our Iron Chef was a competition, just like on TV. And at the end of each day only one team got to go home with golden spoons. But the difference is that at FirstLine Schools, it doesn’t really matter who won. What’s more important is that, in the words of a fifth grader, “This makes me feel so special.”

Thank you to everyone who made our children feel special: FirstLine faculty and staff, our celebrity judges; Fresh Market, who donated the food for the event; and the generous chefs from Woody’s Fish Tacos, Pizza Delicious, La Petite Grocery, Sylvain, NOLA Pie Guy, Delachaise, Juan’s Flying Burrito, Louisiana Seafood Exchange, Moe’s Pizza, Pagoda’s Café, Dinner Lab, Shortall’s BBQ in 12 Mile Limit, Full of Flavor (Chef Gason Nelson), Restaurant August, Broussards, and Whole Foods Market, Arabella Station.

Get Excited! John Dibert at Phillis Wheatley Construction Update

Dibert's new home, at the former Phillis Wheatley Elementary School campus is coming along.

John Dibert is moving to a brand new building in the 2014-15 school year! The former Phillis Wheatley Elementary School campus is being rebuilt into a state-of-the art education facility.

We got to tour the construction site this past week, and our new home is looking great! Our new cafeteria will have an incredible view of all the historic shotgun houses, in this historic location at 2300 Dumaine Street, just behind Dooky Chase restaurant. Our new facility will have beautiful large windows to let lots of natural light in, as well as an outdoor reading area, a music room, a computer lab, and an expanded ESYNOLA garden.

Please check out Dibert's website for construction updates. 

Sweet Potato Fest!

Sweet potatoes are sneaky. They hide beneath the soil under vines that bloom like morning glories. They are shape shifters in recipes, and can be used in everything from deserts to salads, soups to sushi, burgers to bread. They seem like junk food in French fries and pie, but are packed with potassium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene. When cooked correctly, sweet potatoes are healthier than broccoli or spinach.

Edible Schoolyard New Orleans can be sneaky too. We throw an event like Sweet Potato Fest (which was Saturday, November 2, at Arthur Ashe Charter School) and at first glance it looks like it’s all fun and games: kids frolicking in the dirt, discovering not only 8-pound sweet potatoes but frogs and worms and butterflies; siblings helping each other roll dough for their sweet potato pizzas, complete with pesto made with basil from the garden; sack races; spoon relays; jams blasting from a speaker in the back of a truck; and at the end of the day everybody walking away with goodie bags and sacks of potatoes and smiles.

But we have our ways. While celebrating this seasonal food, Sweet Potato Fest also had a health and wellness slant. What tasted like a milkshake was a nutrient-packed smoothie. The sachet that looked and smelled better than potpourri actually uplifted the mood and calmed the nerves, because it was aromatherapy. And while families played games and made pizzas and tasted Satsumas and got massages at the event, they also received health screenings and pedometers and flu shots, learned how to reduce stress, exercised with a yoga mat and a shovel, and helped us harvest 311 pounds of potatoes.

So I guess Sweet Potato Fest accurately reflects the sneaky essence of its signature vegetable; under a veneer of sugary delight, it packs a healthy punch. We hope to see you next year! Don't forget to check out ESYNOLA's Facebook page. 

LHA's 6th Annual Fall Fest

The LHA community came together last Friday to celebrate the 6th Annual LHA Fall Fest! The festival featured an inflatable obstacle course, wrecking ball and joust, and an inflatable bounce from About to Bounce. Other activities include face painting, cookie decorating, Imagination Playground time, snacks, sno balls, a haunted crawl-through bat cave, and a pie toss at School Director, Mark Martin. There was even a dance floor for scholars and teachers to groove out to the tunes of DJ Class-E.

A big shout out to Jamie Trent for taking home the best individual Dreamkeeper costume, and to the 2nd grade team for winning best ensemble.

Without our parent volunteers, Fall Fest would not have been possible. Thank you to everyone that worked to make this our best Fall Fest yet.

Thank you Capital One!

As part of Capital One's One Week service project, volunteers served at Arthur Ashe Charter School. The group did a variety of gardening activities including sowing seeds. However, the biggest accomplishment was the 4 beautiful benches the Capital One group built. The benches even have wheels to help with transport!

A big thank you for all of your support, we hope to see you again next year! 

Capital One has helped create a serene space for our teachers - check out one of our Ashe teachers is enjoying our new bench, and the beautiful Ashe garden during her lunch break. 

Trunk or Treat

John Dibert Community School celebrated Trunk or Treat, yesterday, October 30, 2014.

Students from the elementary and middle school, along with friends and family, dressed up in costume to "trick-or-treat" around Dibert. Parents parked their cars all around the school, filling their trunks with candy as students made their way around the block collecting candy.

Trunk or Treat featured a number of activities including a face painting booth and a health and wellness table hosted by Edible Schoolyard New Orleans. Performances also included the middle school dance team.

A big thank you to the Dibert community for making this event possible.

Happy Halloween!

Food Day at LHA!

Scare tactics? Bribery? Proselytizing? How exactly do you get kids to eat healthy? How about using the language of deliciousness!

Educators at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans

are always pioneering new ways to teach healthy food choices, and part of how we do this is to connect children to the larger food community through collaboration. In celebration of Food Day and National Farm-to-School Month, on October 24 community partners, faculty, staff, sixth graders and their families came together in the Dreamkeeper Garden at Langston Hughes Academy to participate in interactive, edible activities that taught kids fun, easy, and creative ways to eat healthy.

At the table for the Crescent City Farmer’s market, students “Guessed the Gross” by sticking their hands into towel-shrouded bowls to touch the creepy substances within—eyeballs, worms, brains. They were scared to reach in, but each was a food that could be found at the farmer’s market. 

At the LPHI table students found out that satsumas have only ten calories apiece. And at the ESYNOLA table they rolled and cut sweet potato gnocchi and used fresh herbs from the garden to make salad dressing. 

“I never liked salad until I tried this dressing,” said one student, declaring in better words that we ever could that Food Day was a complete success. 

ESYNOLA is grateful for LPHI School Health Connection, the New Orleans Food Co-op, the Crecent City Farmer’s Market, LHA faculty and staff, and ESYNOLA volunteers for making Food Day so awesome. Look for recipes from Food Day on ESYNOLA’s website, and check in with our Facebook page to see more photos of the event. 

For more ESYNOLA recipes click here!

We are closing the Achievement Gap!

Today the Louisiana Department of Education released Letter Grades for schools across the state. This year marked the eighth straight year of growth for FirstLine Schools.

Two of our schools earned a "B":

• Arthur Ashe Charter School (Ashe), was rated a "D" last year
• John Dibert Community School (Dibert), was rated a "D" last year

Two of our schools earned a "C":

• Samuel J. Green Charter School (Green), was rated a "D" last year
• Langston Hughes Academy (LHA), did not receive a letter grade last year

One of our schools remains a "T", which indicates a transition school:

• Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School (Clark Prep), in its second year of transition, showed a second straight year of significant growth in terms of its school performance score. 

The scores released, October 24, 2013, show a steady increase of student achievement in the 2012-13 school year at all of FirstLine's schools. Additionally, Ashe, Dibert, and Green are also all 2013 "Top Gains Schools."

"The hard work of our scholars and teachers in partnership with our parents has resulted in marked increase in student achievement, which is only one indicator of the continued improvement of our schools," said Jay Altman, CEO of FirstLine Schools. "While we still have a long way to go, these letter grades reflect the progress we are making towards a shared vision with schools across the city -- that New Orleans can be the first city in America where every child goes to a great school."

FirstLine's schools are accepting students for the 2014-15 school year, as part of the RSD OneApp, beginning on November 4, 2013. For more information about enrolling your child visit www.firstlineschools.org or www.enrollnola.org

Samuel J. Green Charter School celebrates Science Night

Science Night at Green Charter is a time for the elementary scholars to get excited and for Middle School scholars to show what they know.

 This year all grade levels were represented, along with a special guest from Loyola, US wildlife and fisheries, and Birds of Prey!

Students and parents circulated tables to learn about air pressure,  systems of the body through frog dissection, chemical changes, making slime and butter, physical changes by making ice cream and a host of other activities! Green's art program and the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans put together a special presentation for students and the 5th grade ELA's literature table was an amazing addition,  making the event cross curricular! 

LHA is CLASS-E and using their Imagination!

CLASS-E Celebrations every Wednesday:

LHA Kindergarten, first, and second grade scholars earn points for demonstrating the school values - community, leadership, affection, sacrifice, success and enthusiasm. Scholars who are CLASS-E 80% of the time, during a 3-week cycle, receive an invitation to celebrate their outstanding achievement. 

Each 3-week cycle has a theme. Check our our classy, CLASS-E LHA scholars. 

NEW! Imagination Playground

Through a partnership with KaBOOM!, Dr. Pepper, and Snapple, LHA acquired their first ever Imagination Playground! Imagination Playground gives scholars a safe place to play both indoors and outdoors. The playground is not only loads of fun for out scholars, but encourages physical activity, helps to develop creativity, imagination and social skill. 

Meet Felix and the Green Flag Football Team

Green Flag Football Team

The Green Flag Football team has dominated the Charter School Athletic Association (NOCSAA) flag football league, as the undefeated champions for the last four years! The team's success can be attributed to the inclusive, supportive environment both the coach and teammates have created.

Meet Felix!

Felix and Coach T going over goals

Felix has been on the Green flag football team for two years. Felix is in the 6th grade, and lives with his mom, dad, older brother and two sisters. In addition to training for flag football, Felix loves to go camping, take trips with his family, and play laser tag. Felix has been working with Coach Tamara Schuit since the second grade. Hard work along with the support of family and teammates, has enabled Felix to excel on the flag football team. 

We asked Felix a few questions:

Q: What motivated you to be on the team?

A: Peyton Manning on the Denver Broncos because he finished college, he's an awsome player and he worked hard for what he wanted.

Felix and Coach T practicing

Q: What steps has he taken to get where he is now? (football?)

A: Lots of running so I play longer, push-ups, sit-ups and working with Coach T for 5 years (she helps me to do my best and work hard).

Q: What are your future goals?

A: Go to high school, then college for 2 years and then work with my brother Lewis.

A big shout out to the Green Flag Football team! Good luck on your next game.

What you missed in athletics over the weekend.

Saturday Samuel J. Green and Langston Hughes Academy played each other in football. Coach Richardson has led Green to 4 consecutive championships, riding an undefeated season each time. On Saturday, Green lost for the first time in four years. The team’s reaction at the end of the game: to applaud LHA for a great game, shake hands, and walk into the team huddle with their heads held high. Saturday’s game was not only a fantastic display of respect, but demonstrated the lessons of self-control and pride Coach continually instills in our young athletes. 

 

Big congratulations to LHA’s flag football team for defeating Green!

Also this Saturday was the Tipitina’s Foundation Rhythm and Blues 5K run. The race was hosted by the Tipitina’s Foundation in partnership with New Orleans Track Club. Proceeds from the run went towards supporting the purchase of marching shoes and uniforms for New Orleans area school marching band programs. Check out our Dibert scholars who ran as members of Youth Run Nola.

The Joseph S. Clark Preparatory Bulldogs took home a victory against Ben Franklin on FridaySeptember 27th. Bulldog quarterback lead the team with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries while going 1-for-3 for 35 yards. Go Bulldogs!

Clark Prep student moves to next round for Posse Foundation Scholarship

Clark Prep nominated 10 students for the prestigious Posse Foundation scholarship, one of which moved to the next round.

The Posse Foundation (Posse) works to develop tomorrow’s leaders, as one of the most comprehensive and renowned college access and youth leadership development programs in the nation. Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse scholars receive four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships to a Posse partner university. Posse New Orleans partners include Bard College and Tulane University.

Congratulations to our one of our very Calvinisha Pep for making it to the second round of interviews. We are wishing her the best of luck!

Langston Hughes Academy Kicks off Fall with Reading!

LHA’s Scholastic Book Fair started this week. The fall book fair is open from September 16^th through September 20^th at Langston Hughes Academy. Each LHA scholar will receive a $5 Scholastic Dollars gift card to use for book purchases!

In addition to the book fair, PRIME TIME kicked off the fall semester on Wednesday September 18^th with a special presentation from author Alex McConduit.

PRIME TIME Family Reading Time at LHA will meet every Wednesday until October 23^rd. The program is a unique family literacy program designed for students, ages 6 to 10, and their families. Each week a storyteller reads an illustrated children book consisting of culturally diverse stories from around the world spanning fairy tales, folk tales, fables, historical accounts, and other narrations of real-life circumstances that are familiar to adults and children alike. Following the reading, the discussion leader or scholar, guides the group to make personal connections. The program demonstrates how literature can enrich one’s life, models strategies for continue family bonding through reading, and provides families critical information on school and library resources for continued reading.

PRIME TIME Family Reading is a part of FirstLine’s Comprehensive Literacy Initiative. The initiative aims to affect literacy not just during the school day, but also at our student’s homes.

Introducing NOLA Tech!

 This morning Reginald Coleman, Principal of NOLA Tech (and founding Principal of Clark Prep) was on WWL-TV to talk about NOLA Career and Technical Academy.

NOLA Career and Technical Academy (NOLA Tech), opening for the 2014-15 school year, will offer a compelling pathway to students interested in pursuing a career directly after high school graduation.  Through a partnership with Delgado Community College City Park Campus, NOLA Tech will provide students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and technical certificate concurrently.  

NOLA Tech will also focus on soft-skills for the workplace, career awareness, character development, community service and independent living skills.  The creation of this high school will help diversify the range of educational program offerings for high school students in New Orleans.  

NOLA Tech is an innovative model for expanding workforce development capacity in our region by preparing high school graduates to take advantage of opportunities in burgeoning industries across New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and beyond.

We are excited to be opening this new school in New Orleans next year. The NOLA Tech website will launch in early November - and we'll continue to share information here, as well.  

Watermelon Day!!

 A first grader teaches Farmer Ben the Spanish word for
watermelon: sandia!

Where did the seeds in watermelons go?
Do watermelons grow on a tree, a bush, or a vine?
Are watermelons good for you?

For students at three FirstLine Schools - Green, Arthur Ashe, and Langston Hughes Academy - these questions have been a part of their regular garden and cooking classes. Friday, September 13, was Watermelon Day, an annual celebration of all things watermelon organized by Edible Schoolyard New Orleans as part of their Farm-to-Table program. With a truckload of at least 100 jubilee watermelons, Farmer Ben Burkett and others arrived from Mississippi. Farmer Ben has become a fixture of Watermelon Day over the past few years, but what many may not know is that he’s an inspirational leader of the Indian Springs Farmer Cooperative, and has been building community, empowering farmers, and acting as a force of radical change for over 30 years.

Students roll watermelons in the Watermelon Relay Race

During their recess and garden classes, students visited with Farmer Ben, learned about watermelons, and played games like the watermelon relay race, in which they rolled watermelons, answered trivia questions about watermelons, and cheered each other on. And, of course, everybody got a slice of watermelon, a refreshing treat on such a hot afternoon.

Watermelon Day is not only fun for the students, teachers, and farmers who participate. It's yet another way that ESYNOLA collaborates with FirstLine teachers to get kids moving in healthy ways, teaches integrated core academics, and connects kids to fresh foods that grow locally and to farmers like Ben Burkett and their stories. But because Watermelon Day is so fun, kids may not realize that they're forging relationships and learning things that will influence the choices they make for years to come.

 ESYNOLA garden teacher Mr. Jahmal poses a
watermelon trivia question: "Name a cousin of the watermelon."
 It takes her a second... "Squash!

First Week of School!

All five of our schools welcomed scholars for the 2013-14 school year starting yesterday.  Many of our schools have a staggered start, with some grades arriving on different days.  There are a variety of exciting things that happen in these first few days of school.

Dibert's 8th graders arrived back at school yesterday and were introduced to "Instant Recess".  The below video shows the enthusiasm and excitement about this new addition to their school day.  Green scholars experienced "Instant Recess" last year - and we're excited to see this fun and easy activity take hold at more FirstLine schools this year.

Ashe's middle school had an ispiring morning meeting today, welcoming students back and setting the tone for the year.

Welcome back, scholars - we're thrilled to have you back with us and look forward to a successful and fulfilling school year.

City Council Honors Clark Prep Students

Councilmember Palmer presents the proclamation

This morning the New Orleans City Council recognized Clark Prep's Digital Media Club's First Place award with a formal proclamation.  Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer presented the proclamation to the Digital Media Club as well as Tulane University students who acted as mentors.  Present for the proclamation from Clark Prep's Digital Media Club were Nelson Powell, Alexia Laneheart and Anthony Bingham, along with principals Alex Hochron and Reginald Coleman.  Amelia Senter, one of the Tulane mentors, was also present, along with local filmmaker, Louisa Dantas, who taught the Tulane University Place-based Storytelling in New Orleans class.  Darcy McKinnon, Executive Director of NOVAC, and also the advisor for the club, spoke to the chamber about the project.

We are so proud of our students and excited that our city has recognized their hard work!

Revenge of the Nerds

NERD Blvd!

Network-wide Professional Development is about collaborating to hone our skills as educators and administrators and prepare for the coming year, and FirstLine teachers and staff took it a step further this year when they came together for “Revenge of the Nerds”. Faculty from all five schools (and the central office) arrived at the Arthur Ashe campus bright and early this past Monday morning (August 5), full of enthusiasm. With some in goofy glasses, some in suspenders, and some with colorful socks, it was clear that they'd embraced the theme (“Revenge of the Nerds”), and the majority wore tee shirts that declared their pride for their respective schools.

Clark Prep's staff all nerded out and ready for 2013-14!

After exchanging greetings over a healthy breakfast buffet, the enthusiastic participants filtered into the gym, where a lively “pep rally” set the tone for the day. Kelly (ESYNOLA's Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator) kicked things off by applauding the days theme, and contemplating how we redefine and celebrate “nerdiness” in our schools. She made a point of recognizing the nerdiness of enthusiasm and engagement and passion: applicable to any subject, invaluable to any pursuit, and evident all around her. A trumpet sounded from the Green section. Two teachers in Clark led their colleagues in a Bulldog chant resurrected from the 1970’s, a rallying cry with which they tapped into the history and legacy of their school. (B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S!)

This abounding energy was then ignited with a relay race in which participants balanced books on their heads  and answered trivia questions while their colleagues cheered from the stands (LHA led the way, winning the relay race). An inspiring speech from CEO Jay Altman then channeled the energy of the athletic interlude, to unite the gym once more around the FirstLine mission.

Green's Staff - loving Pi and ready for a new year

Charged with the excitement of the rally and infused with a sense of purpose, the FirstLine “nerds” left the pep rally ready to make the most of the day. Teachers from all five schools met with others at their grade level (or by subject area), to collaborate around the launch of this year’s revamped curriculum (tied to our transition to the Common Core). Other sessions addressed a wide array of topics, ranging from Crisis prevention to Interventionalist and CY training, to Assistive Technology. With such abundant opportunities to “nerd out,” the day was a great success!

We Love Volunteers!!

Volunteers hanging new signage

The summer is a very busy time here at FirstLine Schools.  While our teachers are taking a much deserved (and needed) break (though a short one), our operations team is hard at work ensuring all of our buildings are ready for the next school year.  This includes deep cleaning, reorganizing rooms, retasking rooms from one function to another - and in some cases, even building computer labs for our Personalized Learning Project.

We believe that beauty is the art of caring - beautiful buildings really do make a difference.  We couldn't do all of this work over the summer without the help of volunteers.  Over the summer, we have many different volunteers (in groups and individually) help out at our schools.  Last Friday, August 2, we had a group of 37 from Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman, Freeman and Sarver join us at Clark Prep.  This group split into smaller groups to take on a number of different projects.  They painted rooms, helped reorganize rooms, hung new signage throughout the building, and helped move supplies and books to their new homes.

While we are putting the finishing touches on our buildings, our teachers and administrators have been working hard on professional development - new teachers joined us four weeks prior to the first day of school and returning teachers joined us last week (two weeks prior to the first day of school).

Thank you so much to this group of wonderful volunteers - as well as the myraid others who have joined us this summer to ensure we are well organized and well prepared for our students.  We can't wait to welcome our students this coming Monday, August 12!

FirstLine's Wellness Initiative - Update!

This time last year, at a network-wide professional development day, FirstLine Schools (FLS) and its signature program EdibleSchoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) unveiled a new wellness initiative for FirstLine’s five schools. With a full-time Health and Wellness Manager to oversee wellness initiative and track progress and a Network Wellness Council of network-level FirstLine administrators and community partners already in place, the new FLS Comprehensive School Wellness Initiative was prepared to hit the ground running.

ESYNOLA collaborated with the FirstLine operations team to develop more stringent food quality standards and systems for tracking food quality in our school food program. ESYNOLA also held their first daytime, parent-only, hands-on cooking classes this year, in partnership with SecondHarvest Food Bank, and all five FirstLine schools held family food events for National Food Day in October. To inform school food reform efforts, ESYNOLA piloted a plate waste study at Green Charter School to assess student eating habits and school food nutrition content. Tulane Prevention Research Center also got involved in efforts to track student health outcomes, collecting BMI and Fitness Gram data.

In the spring, the Health and Wellness Initiative brought free fitness classes to FirstLine students, family, and friends. Running from 5:30 to 6:30, the afterschool offerings included Zumba (Tuesdays at LHA and Thursdays at Ashe), Yoga (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at Green), and hip hop line dancing (Thursdays at Dibert). At  FirstLine’s four K-8 schools, ESYNOLA also coordinated Instant Recess workshops, in partnership with School Health Connection, to promote increased physical activity during the school day.

All five FirstLine schools earned the Healthier US School Challenge Gold with Distinction Award for the initiative’s pilot year, and this is only the beginning. As FitNOLA partners, committed to helping Mayor Mitch Landrieu move New Orleans from No. 37 to one of the top 10 healthiest and physically active metro areas in the U.S., ESYNOLA and FLS’s Physical Education Department are committed to communicating the importance of eating well and moving more, and providing examples of how this can be done through a variety of programming options.

Please keep checking back for updates on our progress and enjoy the summer!  In the meantime, check out this video of 2nd graders at Green Participating in some Instant Recess: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQNxAAk-UeI