This month we are continuing our student spotlight in News & Notes - from time to time we will use this newsletter to introduce our students to you! For July, we would like you to meet Shamond!
Meet Shamond, our athlete and developing leader!
Shamond is a student in the CAC’s Pathways classroom. With school starting in just a few weeks, Shamond is excited about moving to a new school and meeting new friends. He’s especially looking forward to adding his considerable talents to the track team as a freshman!
Shamond likes sports, and watching him play basketball with the Pathways students it’s easy to see how he broke several school records running track in middle school. He also plans to play football, preferably as a running back. Shamond is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also a fan of math and science, and was the valedictorian of his eighth grade class. STEM will be his focus in high school, and if a sports career isn’t in the books, Shamond would like to be a teacher.
Born and raised in East St. Louis, Shamond has been coming to the CAC since first grade, and says it always been fun. Gregarious and extroverted, a lot of his free time is spent playing “the game”, 2K, and GTA, as well. If he could meet with anyone from the past or present, Shamond said he’d like to meet Kobe Bryant; and if he visit anywhere, he’d choose Las Vegas.
In Pathways, Shamond is learning to use his leadership skills for good, and how to set goals for the future he wants. As he contemplates being a freshman, Shamond has this advice for kids just starting middle school: “It’s gonna go by fast. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
Good luck, Shamond: you got this!
#ICYMI: Our Q2 Update
Earlier this month Pastor Jef provided an update on what we accomplished at CAC during the second quarter!
“What a joy it is when a child walks through our doors to experience God’s gift of love. Love produces empathy, which is exactly what was needed to help our students embrace the extended school year. The extra few months in the classroom proved to be challenging for many students in East St. Louis. Nevertheless, our CAC students remained optimistic and soon realized the importance of the school district’s decision. The CAC remained flexible to the needs of the school district and provided a hybrid blend of virtual learning in the morning and after school programming.”
Teaching the Essentials
In July we hosted a construction workshop for our Pathways students in order for them to learn essential life skills. During the three day camp our students built dog houses to put their skills to the test and receive guidance from the R3 Development team. Thank you to R3 Development for your partnership!
Reading Feeds the Brain
We instill in our young people the idea that, "reading feeds our brains.” Last week our staff tag teamed for storytime with our K-4th graders. Each staff member brought their own flair to the books they read to the children and helped the stories come alive in an effort to stimulate our young people's passion for reading! They were enthralled!
Food Drives & Vaccine Clinics
Focusing on the health and wellness of our community is core to what we do - that's why we continue to host food distribution events and COVID-19 vaccine clinics at CAC! We want to ensure that our children and families continue to have access to nutritious and fresh food while school is out for the summer - and in order to bring the pandemic to an end, we're making it easier than ever to get the COVID-19 vaccine. These events will continue for the next few weeks as the summer comes to an end!
Meeting a Few Furry Friends
A few weeks ago we focused on the biblical theme of Noah and the Ark. As a result, some of our furry friends visited our younger members for show and tell! Our children learned about two different kinds of mammals. The first was a little calico kitten - Monet. Did you know that all Calico kittens are females? We also had two guinea pigs - the hairless one was named “Fat Boy" and the furry one named “Chubbs", after their healthy size and love for veggies. Our kids were in love!