MSA Today 1

MSA Today A Publication of the Journalism Enrichment Class at Mayor’s Scholars Academy

Volume 2, Issue 4 Cane Ridge High School Week 4: June 29 – July 2, 2015

A Chat with the Leader of

Nashville

MSA Today journalists interview Mayor Dean.

By Chandra Bennett

MSA Today Advisor

Can you guess Mayor’s Karl Dean’s favorite snacks?

Three of our MSA Today journalists — Perla Domingo,

Machi Lockhart, and Alondra Serrano — can tell you

his favorite in-office treats are jelly beans and pistachio

nuts. That’s because they had the opportunity to

interview Mayor Dean in his office on Wednesday,

July 1, 2015. After learning about the history of

Nashville from Mayor Dean’s assistant and from

looking at various pictures of the city, our journalists

explored Mayor Dean’s sports memorabilia and

pictures with notable people, including singers,

politicians, and his favorite authors. Describing the

experience, journalist Perla Domingo commented, “I

like that Mayor Dean was so open and willing to talk to

us.”

When asked about the legacy he will leave at the end

of his term, Mayor Dean commented, “We have been

very optimistic about the future of the city …and we’ve

moved the city forward. That could be buildings, but it

also could be projects and attitudes of being a

welcoming city, a city that celebrates diversity. Overall,

the message we have tried to send is that Nashville is a

great city, and it’s going to be an even better city.”

After telling about his high school and college

experiences, Mayor Dean wanted to share this advice

with scholars: “Don’t be afraid to dream and to take

risks. Day-to-day, whether you are in high school or

whether you’re my age, pushing 60, you will have

different challenges. At times you may think, Nothing

good is going to happen, so why try? But a lot of good is

going to happen. … The important thing to do in high

school is to keep your minds open to different

experiences … and possibilities about the future. Be

willing to do the work. …At the darkest hour when it

seems there are so few possibilities for you, [just know]

that’s not the reality because it will turn and there will be

all sorts of possibilities. So don’t give up. Keep believing

in yourself and the future. Never get discouraged.”

Perhaps the most interesting thing we learned was that

after our interview, Mayor Dean would be leaving to

meet President Barak Obama, who was visiting our

wonderful city a little later that day. We felt pretty special

to be on his calendar when we realized this.

To listen to the entire interview with Mayor Dean and to

see more pictures and videos of our visit, go to

ScholarsAcademyCRHS.wordpress.com.

MSA Today 2

Listening Is an Act of

Love: Scholars Share Their

Stories

Rising 8th graders listen, learn, and connect, as they

tell their stories and listen to the stories of those

around them.

By Kenan Kerr

8th Grade English Advisor

The rising 8th grade scholars have been

experiencing the great power and significance of

storytelling through conducting Storycorps style

interviews with members of the Scholars Academy

family. Storycorps is a unique oral history initiative

that “provides people of all backgrounds and beliefs

with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve

the stories of [their] lives” (http://storycorps.org). At

the heart of Storycorps’ work is the belief that

everyone has a story — and that every story matters.

To learn about “doing” oral history, scholars first

explored several oral history case studies. Notably,

they read and analyzed stories from the Griot

tradition, particular to West Africa, and listened and

analyzed the “Unheard Stories” of LGBTQ identified

Americans advocating and organizing for full

equality. Scholars also had the opportunity to

interview one another, with the help of Luke Herbst

and Amber Williams, two librarians from the

Nashville Public Library who trained with Storycorps

in Brooklyn, New York. Students enjoyed using the

“official” recording equipment and learning more

about each other. Eighth grader, Naria Doss, noted,

“Listening to someone’s story is a great way to get to

know them on a more personal level.” Detoye

Adewole added, “The interviews taught me that all

stories have value — and that it’s okay to be

yourself.”

“Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.”

-Madeleine L’Engle

Finally, scholars interviewed their teachers, Mr.

Hook, Ms. Haag, and their peers across grade

levels, creating a comprehensive oral history

project entitled “Voices of MSA.” Scholars

recorded their interview using the free

Storycorps app. Then, they curated individual

installations, making a visual representation of

their interviewee’s story. Reflecting on his overall

experience, 8th grade scholar, Isaac Hayes,

stated, “The Storycorps project taught me that

storytelling is a powerful form of communication.

I will continue to tell my story and listen to others’

stories.”

MSA Today 3

I Can, I Will, I Must…

Rising 9th graders discover what it takes to be leaders.

By Chandra Bennett

MSA Today Advisor / 9th Grade English Advisor

This summer has been full of fun and learning, and our

9th graders have proven they have what it takes to

change the world. Our key symbol for the summer was

the bridge, and it represented the pathway that

connects the past to the present and the present to the

future. Each morning we began with our chant, which

reminded freshman scholars of character qualities of

bridge builders (or leaders) — responsibility, courage,

influence, and determination. Not only did our scholars

analyze the role and influence of children during the

Children’s March of the Civil Rights Movement, but

they also selected a symbol that represented one of the

four bridge characteristics. After picking that symbol,

they used algebra and geometry skills to “dilate,” or

increase, the picture from centimeters to inches.

In addition, 9th grade scholars created and authored

their own children’s books based on lessons learned in

their lives, designed and built bridges from craft sticks,

and hosted a community literacy celebration for the

kids at the St. John Summer Enrichment Camp (where

they read the books they authored).

Senna Hayes commented, “I enjoyed the hands

on activities this summer — writing my own

children’s book and drawing by grids.” Kena

McDaniel added, “I enjoyed independently reading

the two books our class read from the Bluford

Series, meeting new friends, and connecting with

old friends. Jordan Field explained, “I like the fact

that people here are so positive — they don’t bully

— and that the teachers are patient and

enthusiastic. I enjoyed the field trips and the

projects we did in class, especially the dilation

drawing and writing my own children’s book.”

Mayson Harris noted, “I enjoyed trying new things,

like I’d never read a book from the Bluford Series

before Scholars Academy. I really enjoyed our

summer reading. I also liked making the bridges.

Overall, this whole summer has been a fun

learning experience.”

All in all, the students will leave remembering the

words of our daily chant: “I can, I will, I must…be

the bridge.”

MSA Today 4

Building, Filming, Reflecting

Rising 10th graders use their hands and minds to

engage.

By Graham Mote

10th Grade English Advisor

The rising 10th graders are an active group, full of energy

and enthusiasm. They have spent the summer engaging

in hands-on activities that increased in complexity and

level of self-direction. The final week culminated in the

final products produced during these projects.

In Geometry, scholars learned the fundamentals —

angles, parallel and perpendicular lines, and careful

measurements. After the scholars grasped the

foundational skills, they began constructing a maze to

race hamsters. The students developed the criteria and

requirements for each maze — how many parallel lines,

what kinds of angles, and how many obstacles each

would have. During the final week, the scholars

competed in their classes to determine who would be the

grand Hamster Maze Champion! Perhaps rising 10th

grade scholar Devin Humphrey says it best: “Build,

become better, and learn.”

In English, scholars embarked on a journey of visual

literacy. They began by viewing science fiction, and

discussing philosophy. This formed the basis for the

discussion of plot and all of the elements needed to

create a film. We had two special guests — a film

director and a fight choreographer — who gave scholars

tips on how to make their own movies. We took a field

trip to the Belcourt Theatre, where we saw The

Wolfpack, a film about young men who made movies to

escape their abusive home life. By the end of Scholars

Academy, students storyboarded, filmed, and edited their

own films. “When you shoot the film new ideas pop into

your head,” explained Chloe Dowell. Frederick Reid

added, “Making the movie changed the way I think about

English.”

MSA Today 5

Juniors Excel and Serve

Rising juniors prepare for the future and serve the

community.

By Michael McKibben and Chandra Williams

11th Grade Advisors

Because all 11th graders who attend Metropolitan

Nashville Public Schools take the ACT during their

junior year of high school, this year’s rising juniors

focused on strategies for success on the

ACT. These scholars also focused on becoming

more confident individuals as they discovered more

about personal identity and motivation.

In Ms. Williams’ English class, scholars put to

practice the skills and character traits they learned

by organizing a sock drive as a way of giving back to

the community. Scholars collected more than 130

pairs of socks, which will be donated to various

homeless shelters in Nashville. In Mr. McKibben's

math class, scholars focused on the math learning

process, which will continue their success beyond

Scholars Academy.

Confident they have what it takes to make the scores

they need to go to the colleges they want to attend,

the juniors planned how they intend to celebrate

being accepted to college.

MSA Today 6

MSA Today 7

What Will You Take from

Scholars Academy?

Scholars are ready for future success.

By Machi Lockhart

MSA Today Staff Writer

As we all know, we have reached the end of Scholars

Academy. Realizing this, MSA Today wanted to

determine the effect this program had on the scholars.

Fortunately, we only heard positive responses. Rising 8th

grader Nick Scales explained that Scholars Academy

was better than he expected, and his academics have

improved. Perla Domingo, a rising 9th grader, said that

the program expanded her knowledge of college and

opportunities for DACA students. Rising sophomore,

Tamaria Griffin, noted that the program helped her learn

more about college. Scholars Academy motivated 11th

grader Maharry Engedaye to take school and college

more seriously. After talking to scholars, it’s clear that

Scholars Academy has met its goal of preparing students

for success in high school and college.

Stay Connected AFTER Scholars Academy

1704 Charlotte Ave, Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 327-4455

www.oasiscenter.org

Scholars Visit Volunteer

State University

Scholars learn community college is a wonderful option

for higher education.

By Alondra Serrano

MSA Today Staff Writer

Scholars took their last college field trip, this time to

Volunteer State Community College, located in

Gallatin, Tennessee. Scholars toured the campus,

learning how much a community college has to offer.

During the campus tour, scholars experienced what it’s

like to study in the Health Sciences department. They

also had the opportunity to try some of the training

doctors and surgeons receive. What a great trip to end

the week at Scholars Academy and to increase our

awareness of our college options!

MSA Today 8

What have you learned at Scholars’

Academy? By Kaylee Bland

The start of a new generation of scholars is upon us. The likely hood of these young adults graduating is strongly high. They are very excited about joining the program. I interviewed several young adults about what excited them about this academy so far. What did they learn so far? What’s fun about the enrichment they are in? They’re responses were exhilarating and refreshing. They all mention how they love meeting new and old friends. Surprisingly enough, the summer is just beginning so they have plenty of chances to meet more people and have fun while learning.

[Insert picture of young adults holding the signs here]

Michael Williams, 9

th, Art Enrichment, (first left)

“I’ve learned how to meet new people, and how to be a risk taker.” Mayson Harris, 10

th, Dance Enrichment, (last right)

“I like the new enrichments, how the teachers are really nice, and the thought of meeting new people.” Senna Hayes, 9

th, Dance Enrichment, (middle right)

“Nothing in particular, but I enjoy dance.”

I love Scholars Academy because…

For more pictures and videos of

Scholars Academy at Cane Ridge and to read our newspaper in

color, visit:

ScholarsAcademyCRHS.wordpress.com

@CaneRidgeMSA

Quote of the Week “There are two ways of spreading light.

You can be the candle or the mirror that reflects the light.” ~ Edith Wharton

BE THE CANDLE! BE THE LIGHT!

We are Scholars! We will change the World!