Achievement Through Leadership Foundation Hosts Inaugural Summer STEM Academy For Black and Hispanic Boys
Achievement Through Leadership Foundation’s 2016 Project S.L.A.M. students at Marshall Middle School with mentors and presenters
Achievement Through Leadership Foundation (ATLF) recently presented its inaugural STEM educational outreach program for young men at the Houston Independent School District’s Marshall Middle School from June 20 through June 23. Project S.L.A.M. includes STEM and Leadership Academy for Males and engages 50 Black and Hispanic boys in grades 6, 7 and 8 over four days. The curriculum included STEM, which is science, technology, engineering and math, as well as communications enrichment. Daily lessons were provided by NASA aerospace engineer Michael Ruiz from Johnson Space Center; former Texas Southern University chemistry professor and technology entrepreneur Dr. Robert L. Ford; Dr. Justin Washington, a Houston dentist; and Houston Chronicle reporter Cindy George. Daily sessions offered students examples of pathways to STEM excellence and presented “models of achievement” through speakers and classroom mentors including Katy High School English teacher Christopher Brown, who is ATLF’s Education Chairman.
The STEM program allows ATLF to fulfill its mission to provide mentoring and leadership development initiatives in the Greater Houston community. The 2016 Project S.L.A.M. academy was dedicated to the memory of 11-year-old aspiring physician Josue Flores, who was stabbed to death in May while walking home from the Marshall Middle School Science Club’s end-of-year party. Project S.L.A.M. students received program T-shirts and were presented certificates of achievement by ATLF Chairman Fredric A. Navarre and Marshall Middle School Principal Michael Harrison at a closing program. “Always do the right thing. Stay out of trouble. Make sure you continue to focus on your math and science studies,” Navarre told the young men at the ceremony. Navarre, Brown and Washington are members of the Missouri City-Sugar Land (TX) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., which established ATLF in 2005. Story insight was provided by the board members of the Achievement Through Leadership Foundation (ATLF). For additional information or questions, contact ATLF Board Chairman Fredric A. Navarre at fred.1911@yahoo.com or 225.939.1966.
Marshall Middle School Principal Michael Harrison (left) and Achievement Through Leadership Foundation Board Chairman Fredric A. Navarre (right) present John Vann (center) with a certificate of achievement for completion of the inaugural Project S.L.A.M. (STEM and Leadership Academy for Males).
Project S.L.A.M. presenters and mentors: ATLF Board Chairman Fredric A. Navarre, NASA Johnson Space Center aerospace engineer Michael Ruiz, ATLF Board Member Haroon Taylor and ATLF Education Chairman Christopher Brown.
Indestructible Beginnings Hosts Charm & Beauty Summer Camp
Judge Clarease Yates pictured with students & parents
On Saturday, July 30, 2016, Indestructible Beginnings recently hosted a charm and beauty summer camp that was taught by Judge Clarease Rankin Yates at LAMIK Beauty. This camp taught youngsters about the rules of etiquette. Judge Clarease Rankin Yates, is the Founder and Owner of Indestructible Beginnings, whose mission is to immerse our youth into an exciting and educational experience which will stimulate their appetites to enjoy all of the wonderful and positive experiences that are available to them. Judge Yates is a judge and former law professor who earned her undergraduate degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. and her Jurist Doctorate at Temple University School of Law. You may also order her new book on etiquette “Indestructible Beginnings ABCs of Common Courtesy” on Amazon.com by using ISBN: 978-0-8059-7639-7. For more information about Indestructible Beginnings visit their website at www.indestructiblebeginnings.com.
Talking Protest & The Media Presented by HMAAC
Media panel included Melanie Lawson (KTRK), Cindy George (Houston Chronicle), Chauncy Glover (KTRK), Keith Garvin (KPRC), Melinda Spaulding (KRIV), Jerome Solomon (Houston Chronicle) and Lisa Valadez (Houston Style)
On Thursday, July 28, 2016, the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) invited members of the Houston Association of Black Journalists (HABJ) to give the community a more in-depth discussion on a wide range of topics regarding the community and how those events affect the media. This talk jumped right into many current events that have taken place and was moderated by HMAAC Board Member Melanie Lawson (KTRK). Members of the panel included Cindy George (Houston Chronicle), Chauncy Glover (KTRK), Keith Garvin (KPRC), Melinda Spaulding (KRIV), Jerome Solomon (Houston Chronicle), & Lisa Valadez (Houston Style). HMAAC’s CEO, Mr. John Guess thanked everyone for attending and promised that there will be many more discussions in the future. #StayInTheMoment
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Community Town Hall
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Community Town Hall Panel
On Tuesday, July 19, 2016, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church recently held a community town hall at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church from 6-8:30 p.m. This community town hall was free and open to the public. The town hall’s moderator was Rev. Marcus D. Cosby Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. Members of the community participated in this community town hall including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Constable May Walker, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Rev. William A. Lawson and others. The topics that were discussed were:
• Police Brutality
• Police Interaction with youth, young adults, men and women
• How to Encourage Change in your Community
• Peaceful Protest, Formal Complaints and much more
This community town hall was an effort to get the community engaged and to find solutions to the issues that we are facing our community.