Young Women s and Young Men s Leadership Academies in GPISD

Young Women s and Young Men s Leadership Academies in GPISD

Mission of YWLA and YMLA The YWLA and YMLA offer 6th-8th grade girls and boys a dynamic learning experience that encourages critical thinking, inspires confidence and nurtures the intellectual and social development necessary for success in college, career and life. Rigorous coursework, field-based exploration and personalized counseling help students transition from middle school to high school and to higher education and beyond.

Visitors to YMLA or YWLA Gregg Hodges- Quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders Amy Bean- Foundation for Educating Young Women Austin ISD Fort Worth ISD GPPD DPD Chamber of Commerce City of Grand Prairie

Accomplishments Hosted the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce: A Crisis in Education YMLA student offered a Scholarship to Texas Southern University Mary Mendez- Named PE Teacher of the Year for Texas (YWLA) Students from both campuses have gained accolades in Fine Arts Competitions and Academic Competitions Featured on News 8 Daybreak

Community Service Canned Food Drive Puppy and Kitten Food Drive Toy Drive Jacket Drive Girls Give Back Event: Food Baskets for needy families at Thanksgiving, Money for uniforms for homeless students at our campus, Care packages for troops of students relatives Adopt a Highway Program Teaching elderly citizens how to use computers Visiting Nursing Homes Bonham EEC and Hobbs-Williams Elem Mentors (YWLA) Seguin Elem Mentors (YMLA)

How the Academies Are Different All-girl or All-boy setting Bell Schedule Advisory Period Standardized Dress Code Focus on Leadership Leadership opportunities Extracurricular clubs/events PreAP/College Readiness focus Advanced Technology

Leadership Focus During Advisory, students participate in leadership topics such as Character- Successful Women and Men of Tomorrow Presentations- Be Confident in What You Know Social Media 101 Sportsmanship Teamwork and Competition Study Skills and Time Management Setting Goals Peer Language vs. Professional Language Community Service- Giving Back College Readiness and many more topics to help our students become productive, confident, and successful young women.

Leadership Focus, cont. Students will have the opportunity to participate in leadership and community service events at other campuses and in the Grand Prairie community. They will have opportunities to participate in events with their brother or sister school to practice appropriate communication skills with the opposite gender.

Dress Code Standardized Dress on most days: Khaki or black pants or finger-tip length skirts or shorts No skinny jeans (YWLA) Belt and shirt tucked in (YMLA) Solid red, white, navy, or black collared shirts Shoes- solid black tennis shoes; black or brown dress shoes Spirit Days- YMLA/YWLA spirit t-shirt (sold by PTA) Jean Days will be earned by reaching leadership goals Appropriate hairstyles and jewelry No unnatural hair color Must wear ID at all times

Dress Code- Electives Athletics/PE- Spirit t-shirt or white t-shirt, black shorts, tennis shoes Dance (YWLA)- black leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet flats Ballet Folklorico (YWLA)- black leotard, nude tights, school provided ballet folklorico shoes Leadership Outings for the Leadership Elective class will be professional dress or school standardized dress. This will be discussed as part of the Leadership class.

YWLA Houses Students are divided into 4 houses Alpha Beta Delta Kappa Students earn merits for excellence in the areas of academics, athletics, fine arts, behavior, and service The house with the most points earns jean/spirit shirt days as well as other privileges Demerits occur when students do not follow procedures or behavior expectations

Rigorous Coursework Spring Board Curriculum for PreAP Math- written by The College Board PreAP available in all core subjects All 6 th grade students encouraged to take at least one PreAP course in the 2013-2014 school year High school credit courses such as English I, Algebra I, Spanish I, II, and III, BIM (technology), and Health Education College level course- AP Spanish Students learn and use the Cornell Notes technique AVID

Electives YWLA and YMLA offer a variety of electives such as Athletics, Cheerleading (YWLA), Dance (YWLA), Ballet Folklorico (YWLA), Orchestra, Mariachi, Choir, Band, Theater, Visual Arts, Spanish, AVID, Speech, Health, BIM, and Leadership

Extra Curricular Activities All students are encouraged to join clubs Can earn points toward their house Parents are encouraged to attend extra-curricular events with their daughter or son Student Council and House Leaders National Junior Honor Society Some clubs include: Book Club, Poetry, Blog, Photography, Garden, Recycling, Scrapbooking, Art Club, Step Team, Robotics, Chess Club, Technology Club, Homework Club, FCA, Rachel s Challenge Club, Football Club, etc.

Parent Involvement PTA- Parents are encouraged to be part of helping enhance their student s learning. It s only $7 to join PTA. Volunteers- We are always looking for volunteers to help us in the workroom and help with events and projects! Club/Elective Chaperones during events Mentors Community Service Adult Education (Ingles sin Barreras, Computer, etc) Parent Wellness Program- Parents come to workout and improve their health

Thank you for your interest in our schools! Questions? Jennifer Oliver Sterlin McGruder YWLA Principal at Arnold MS YMLA Principal at Kennedy MS jennifer.oliver@gpisd.org sterlin.mcgruder@gpisd.org