Architectural Alliance, Inc.’s Post

Here we go again, headlines around Sport in schools….. but not quite getting the point. Yes PE can be massively improved, and yes providing opportunities to take part in team activities and compete has value way beyond the medals. But the core focus has to be creating the conditions within the day for children to be moving regularly, with PE and sport playing a role within that. https://lnkd.in/euSvXTsK

We're grateful and proud partners of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Youth sports is increasingly privatized and disconnected from the scholastic experience every year, and we see significant negative consequences. Lacrosse can have maximum impact on a child's academic progress, and do the most to build community, when it is directly connected to the school. Middle school sports are vitally important and this is a fundamental reason why Harlem Lacrosse is a school based intervention. This partnership highlights how the public and private (privately funded non profits like Harlem Lacrosse) sectors can come together to provide an educational system that delivers for our communities. https://lnkd.in/gB2X-dA2

Dear Friends, I’m trying to change the narrative in Gary, Indiana. Can you help? Our school has already helped improve high school graduation rates from the city’s chronically low 50% back in 2005 to our school’s current rate of 94% annually. More important than our grad rate is our best-in-state-among-all-charters “college and career readiness” rate. In fact, we are the only school in the country where students earn bachelor’s degrees while in high school. Three have done that already (from Indiana University Northwest and Purdue University Northwest) and five more will do that next year. They are college debt free, too. While we continue to improve our academic programs, we also need to improve our facilities. We share one gym between 1300 K-12 students. And our high school students travel 4 miles from their high school to get to their gym. We can do better. Our students deserve better. GEO Academies is committing $1 million toward this $10 million project. We are asking for support from corporations, foundations and individuals to help make this a reality. Be part of rebuilding Gary, Indiana. You will be glad you joined us. On behalf of our students, thank you. Davich: Gary charter school proposes $10 million athletic center: 'Who else is in?' https://lnkd.in/gmHqtF4H

Club ball in college?? …. I’ve recently been seeing several parents talking about their kids playing ‘club’ ball in college, these are some of the same kids that played club/travel ball in high school and played for their school teams too. They were some of the lucky to have the necessary means to get that luxury (money, time, and skills). What used to be labeled intramural sports in college has been rebranded as club ball. These universities and colleges saw an opportunity and decided they needed to P•I•V•O•T the way things were being done. Studies show that academic success is higher when students are involved in an activity, such as playing a sport. In my last facility, I was privileged to be able to host a Men’s College Volleyball Regional event. It was amazing to watch these very competitive and athletic players show their skills in a format that most might not have been able to if their school had chosen to not offer the option of club sports. Often, in sports there is a trickle down effect … it’s coming with NIL but high schools need to start looking at the way they offer athletic programming. I understand that some schools do not have the numbers to field multiple programs of the same sport, however many do. Many times the bigger schools that have those numbers would benefit from offering additional opportunities for their student body since the involvement in activities often lead to higher academic success. Developing partnerships between the community and the schools they support is crucial for not only the school spirit and driving a common community bond but also for the future of the youth within those walls. #youthsports #opportunities #womeninsports #communities

🌟 Our Family's Journey to Empowering Lake Norman's Future Athletes 🌟 Hello Lake Norman Community! It's us, Chase and Allison sharing a bit of our heart and vision behind bringing Mini Athletics to our beloved community. 🏡💕 👨👩👧👦 Our Story: Growing up, both Chase and I were deeply involved in athletics. It shaped our lives, teaching us discipline, teamwork, and the joy of achieving goals. When we started our own family, we dreamed of giving something back to Lake Norman - something we wished we had as kids and something that our little ones, Aubrey and Cayden, could benefit from directly. 🌱 Our Why: We realized the profound impact athletics had on us, not just as athletes but as individuals. This inspired us to create a space where other parents could help their kids succeed both cognitively and physically. We wanted to give children in our community the foundation they need to thrive as athletes and as adults. ✨ Why Mini Athletics? 🏀 Physical Literacy: Mini Athletics offers a structured environment where kids learn essential skills like running, jumping, and throwing, setting a solid athletic foundation. ⚾Cognitive Development: Our program isn't just about physical activity; it's about nurturing cognitive skills, teaching children to follow instructions and enhancing their problem-solving abilities. 🏐Social Skills: We focus on developing positive personality traits like confidence, self-esteem, and communication, ensuring a holistic approach to child development. 🏈Joy and Fun: Above all, we create an environment filled with joy, happiness, and lots of fun, making every session an adventure for your little ones. 👉 Ready to give your child a head start in life? Enroll them in Mini Athletics today! Click the link in our bio to sign up and join our growing family of young athletes and future leaders. Classes will be announced soon! Let's make a difference, one child at a time! Together, let's build a community where every child has the opportunity to shine, both on and off the field. 🌟🏃♂️🏃♀️ #MiniAthletics #LakeNorman #YouthSports #FamilyGoals #PhysicalDevelopment #CognitiveGrowth #CommunityImpact #SignUpNow 🎉👟🏅

Sports are a large part of school, and student equity, acceptance, and #SEL is as important there as in the #classroom. This is a decades' old separation in #schools that I know first-hand: https://lnkd.in/e4bQtzyD #Schoolchange #Schoolleadership #RestorativePractices #Teachers #TeachersofLinkedin

My good friend, Jeffrey Benson, has written a thoughtful piece about SEL in school sports. The time has come to question the way we teach sport. #superintendents #principals #athleticdirectors #socialemotionallearning #sportpsychology #EndAbusiveCoaching #GetPsychedSports

(10/10) St. Louis, Missouri I moved to St. Louis, MO, in 2015, largely sight unseen. I knew about the Gateway Arch; I knew the St. Louis Cardinals were a dominant baseball club. I had been following the national media following Michael Brown's death and I knew I was moving to a City with an incredible amount of opportunity and potential. As a parent deciding where to live and what the future of our child’s education might look like, I discovered the St. Louis public school landscape is unlike any other and frankly, it’s incredibly challenging to navigate and can be a divisive topic. What it comes down to is this: ✓ The St. Louis Public School District (SLPS) lost accreditation in 2007 which started a major charter school movement. (SLPS regained accreditation in 2017). ✓ Now, over a decade later, nearly half of the kids attending public schools in the city attend charter schools. ✓ Charter schools are free, publicly funded, but don’t operate under a district. ✓ One could argue the many pros and cons of charters vs SLPS, because there are many. But, let's not spend our time here. Let's invest in the kids. After my divorce, I began teaching middle school PE at a charter school in 2019, Lafayette Preparatory Academy. The school was newly a full middle school and didn’t have athletics. I thought I might be the right gal for the job to get a program going. As I began investigating who we might play, where we could play, how to coordinate it all, I discovered that nearly half the middle school kids in St. Louis who were attending charter schools didn’t have the opportunity to play school sports. They just didn’t exist. Without a district to coordinate these programs, there were none. I decided to make it happen. And not just make it happen, I wanted this to live and breathe beyond me. That first year, I supported 10 charter schools to launch athletics programs, and now we are partnering with 12. Last year more than 720 kids participated in the four school sports programs we offer: volleyball, cross country, basketball, and soccer. I want to ensure that every kid in St. Louis has the opportunity the experience some of the same transformative moments I had the privilege of as I've shared in my previous 9 posts. I have a huge vision that has the potential to transform St. Louis in a major way and I cannot do it alone. If you are inspired by my story, or want to see this vision come to life, I invite you to be part of it. https://lnkd.in/gjTKD_KG In 2020, I taught a Learn to Ride a Bicycle PE course and taught 35 kids, my own daughter included, to ride a bike. I cannot wait to implement a Learn to Ride program in City League's future. The video captures the joy we all experienced.

What is National School Choice Week? 🧐 Picture this, your child finds a learning environment where they are happy and thriving. But it doesn’t quite look like the traditional school setting. National School Choice Awareness Foundation conducted a survey asking parents about their kids’ educational needs. The survey showed that only 29% say that the same school type works well for all of the children in their home. Education choice brings together different school types: 🎒 Private schools 🏠 Homeschooling 🏘️ Microschools 🏫 Public schools 🍎 Charter Schools One child might benefit from the structure of private or public school. Another might benefit from the flexibility of either homeschooling or a microschool. National School Choice Week is a national movement that partners with organizations like Cardinal to put on events celebrating education choice. We want to connect you with schools like those mentioned above. Plus we’ve included other learning experiences like martial arts, speech therapy, tutoring, and more! Please join us on January 27th, 10 am - 1 pm at the Morgantown School Fair. Register today!  https://lnkd.in/dTSWAVVQ Also, check out the NSCW survey here: https://lnkd.in/gxxKdseX

The Survival of the Fit team applauds Spelman College for being a beacon of excellence in promoting physical wellness. Their mandatory physical education requirement sets a standard for educational institutions at all levels, from elementary schools to colleges, should aspire to follow. This policy agrees with our belief that a healthy body is the cornerstone of a sharp mind. How did they do this? They eliminated interscholastic sports competitions for the 10% of students participating for daily physical activities for all. By adopting similar physical education requirements, educational institutions can make a substantial contribution to the holistic development of their students, equipping them not only academically but also physically and emotionally for the challenges ahead. By incorporating physical education and health education into their curriculum, Spelman College emphasizes the importance of its students' well-being. This helps cultivate lifelong habits of physical activity and wellness among them. This is the type of revenue and program shift we should see at all schools. See Dr. O’Neill’s interview with the team from Spelman at SurvivaloftheFit.net in the video section. Explore their program here: https://lnkd.in/g-UAKJsA We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments! #physicaleducation #healthcare #healthylifestyle #physicalidentity #teachers #parenting #exercise