Summer has come to a close and the 2016-2017 school year is off to a great start. As we gear up for the beginning of Higher Achievement’s Afterschool Academy, we want to update you on all the exciting things that happened this summer and our plans for the fall!
We Grew!
This summer we officially announced that Higher Achievement is expanding to Henrico Public Schools, opening the Wilder Achievement Center. We also added the Binford Achievement Center, our third in Richmond. We now have four achievement centers in the area! This fall, we will welcome a total of 285 fifth through eighth graders to Higher Achievement in the Richmond area.
ABC 8News was live at our ribbon cutting for the Binford Achievement Center. Watch this great coverage about our expansion!
Summer Academy 2016
We had a great Summer Academy, with 120 new scholars joining our program. Below are some highlights!
This summer, our 5th graders visited Virginia Commonwealth University, while our 6th, 7th and 8th graders visited William & Mary for an overnight college experience. Their favorite part, as always, was eating in the dining hall!
You can check out more photos from college visits on our Facebook page!
Another highlight was our annual Olympics of the Mind competition, which was held on the last day of Summer Academy. This year, Boushall and Henderson scholars welcomed scholars from our newest centers – Binford and Wilder! They shared a day of intense academic and physical challenges, and also participated in chant and banner competitions.
Check out more photos from Olympics of the Mind on our Facebook page!
Field Day RVA
Our young professionals board held their first-ever fundraising event this summer – Field Day RVA! This event, which took place at the Redskins Training Center, was a day of friendly competition among 10 teams. The field day ended in a tie between “CBS6 Working for YOUth” and “RJ’s Friends”, with a game of rock, paper, scissors serving as the last-minute tiebreaker. The event raised more than $3,000 to support Higher Achievement. Keep an eye out for announcements soon about next year’s event.
CBS6 Working for YOUth with Higher Achievement’s staff team at Field Day RVA
We are still looking for more mentors. Are you interested in mentoring or know someone who is? Email us!It’s not too late. To learn more about being a mentor at one of our achievement centers, please visitHigherAchievement.org/volunteer or contact Marcos Martinez at mmartinez@higherachievement.org.