HealthCorps

Thanks to a generous grant from the Cleveland Clinic, Ginn Academy students are in their second year of an advanced health education curriculum. We are currently the only school in Ohio to be part of the HealthCorps program established by Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife, Lisa.

HealthCorps, started in 2003, is currently in 66 high schools in 14 states, and continues to grow. Its mission is to educate students in under-served areas about the importance of mental, physical, and nutritional health. Lessons are taught by a HealthCorps Coordinator, typically a recent college graduate who serves a two-year stint as an educator, peer role model, and advocate for their assigned school. 

Our coordinator, Jasmyne Jackson, is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She plans to begin medical school in the fall of 2014 to become a pediatric oncologist. Following is an interview with Ms. Jackson about the program, how it is benefiting our students, and why she's chosen to be here with us in Cleveland for two years.

Jasmyne Jackson, GA's HealthCorps Coordinator

Hometown: Southfield, Michigan

Why did you sign up with HealthCorps?  From implementing HIV education in South Africa to raising over $1,000 for breast cancer research with my sorority, health has always been my heart. HealthCorps' service-oriented mission to improving the holistic health of teens directly aligns with my desire to continue the service and mentoring that brought me joy and fulfillment in college.

I hope to inspire students have a standard of excellence in all aspects of their lives. I want them to understand that health is not just eating fruits and vegetables, but making informed decisions about what you are putting into your body, how you are exercising, and how you are letting your environment influence your behaviors and mindset.

How do you like Cleveland and Ginn Academy so far?  My mom's side of the family is from Ohio and I have family from Cleveland, so I spent a lot of time in Ohio growing up. The Ginn Academy has a profound mission, exuberance and great sense of community. The University of Michigan/ Ohio State University rivalry is always a topic of discussion with my students and family so I just have to add GO BLUE :)

What are some of the HealthCorps programs that you've introduced at Ginn?  During my first year of HealthCorps, I focused on implementing some of our national projects. I held several Cafe O Yea events in the cafeteria. In one of them, we learned the three components that should make up every breakfast, which gave some students the opportunity to taste raspberries for the first time! I was pleased to find out that several students made their own green smoothies after one Cafe O Yea.

In December, we had the Hunt For Health health fair. Outside organizations that participated were Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health, The Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Residency Program, Whole Foods, the Marines, and the Cleveland Clinic Center For Sports Health. The seniors organized and ran the event. Our soon-to-be-college-bound seniors also have had lessons focusing on professionalism, decision making, leadership, and finding one's purpose this year.

The Staff Wellness Competition is well underway. Several staff members have stated that the competition has them making healthier food choices and their activity levels have increased! To help out in our community, we took a group of students to sort donations at the Cleveland Foodbank for the MLK day of service. 

Teen Battle Chef is a program that focuses on students developing culinary skills and nutritional knowledge as well as public speaking and presentation experience. Last week the teams made Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls and Spinach Quesadillas.

Some other programs that we're working on this year are Will To Chill- learning that anger is a secondary emotion and more productive ways to respond to frustrating circumstances. Think Before You Drink- becoming more conscious about the amount of sugar in drinks. Four Factors of Fitness- the importance of integrating flexibility, stamina, strength, and cardio in a workout plan and finding creative ways to stay fit. Big Deal About Breakfast- learning why breakfast is important. Macronutrients- learning about healthy sources of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The students really enjoyed the competitive breakfast knowledge and macronutrients relay races.

What are the most popular subjects with the students?  I  have many conversations about sports nutrition and exercises to become a more dynamic athlete. Just about every week I have discussions about the difference between college and high school, professionalism, study skills, time management, healthy decision making, goal setting, future plans, traveling, and since it is almost March Madness we talk about Big Ten Basketball (Go Blue!).

We are very fortunate to have this wonderful program and Ms. Jackson in our school and we are grateful to everyone who continues to make it possible.

Kind regards from everyone at Ginn Academy!

National Letter of Intent Signing Day 2013

Big congratulations to our seniors who signed their letters of intent recently to go on to play football in college. Ginn Academy boasts nine young men this year who will take their talents to various colleges and universities.

Because I was unable to make it to the event, we have a few photos taken by the students and their families. It's a very happy day to witness, and it was so disappointing to not be there this year.

Very heartfelt and sincere good wishes go to all of our young men and their families, and also to Chris Overton, who attends Glenville H.S.

Thank you to all of the Ginn students, their families, and others who forwarded their photos for the blog. Congrats to everyone!

Our Coach Ginn

Those of you with connections to The Ginn Academy have known for months that Mr. Ginn has been battling some health problems and has not been at school or on the sidelines at the Glenville football games. An article in the Cleveland Plain dealer today explains further and illuminates the love, courage, and healing that surround Mr. Ginn. We are all so blessed to know him and to see firsthand how he makes our world a better place.

It's Not Too Late to Begin at Ginn!

"It takes courage to be different; to be a Ginn man." 

Theodore Ginn, Sr.

The Ginn Academy is looking for a few good men -- well, actually 100 good men! If you are a young man currently in the eighth grade, looking for a unique high school experience that is guided by scholarship, leadership, and service, you should consider becoming a Ginn man. 

It's never too late to begin at Ginn. To help you learn a bit more, we talked to one student from each of our grades, 9-12, about their reasons for enrolling at GA. You'll notice that each student has a different tie. As each new year begins, our young men transition to the next grade's tie as a rite of passage. Freshmen wear solid black, sophomores have solid red, juniors' ties are striped, and finally, in their senior year, the boys earn the privilege of wearing a custom-made tie bearing the Ginn Academy crest.

Shawndel (above), a freshman, attended Maple Heights schools until this year. For his high school years, his father looked at a private school that his cousin attends, but ultimately decided to send Shawndel to Ginn. "He actually went to this school when it was Margaret Spellacy Jr. High, so when he looked into Ginn Academy, he thought it would be a good school for me. He wants me to grow and to be a young man."

Though he's had to make all new friends and he gets up early to take two RTA buses to get here, Shawndel has no regrets about moving to his new school. He recently even recruited a classmate, Donald (above left), from Maple Heights to join him. One of his favorite aspects of our school is the youth support staff. "They actually know what we're going through, so there's a lot that they can help us out with," he says.

Our sophomore, Will (below), comes from a parochial school background and came to Ginn for the athletic and the academic opportunities. "I knew there would be fewer distractions being in an all-male school," he explains. "And the academics are more challenging. I like the youth support here. They stay on top of our needs in the classroom." Will started at GA feeling familiar with his new school because he already knew a lot of our students from football.

Moving on to eleventh grade, meet Ralpheal (above), who came to Ginn in his sophomore year seeking a more successful path for himself. "Originally I went to John Hay and I made a couple of not so good decisions, so they removed me from there," he explains. "I met Coach Ginn over the summer and he said that he knew my grandmother and told me that he thought Ginn Academy would be a good place for me to learn to make better choices and teach me to be a better man. Ever since then I've been making good choices, staying out of trouble. I'm happy that I chose to come here."

Ralpheal considered Ginn Academy before he enrolled at John Hay, and figures that if he'd come here intitially, he would not have gone down the path that he did. "I had this idea that Ginn Academy was for bad kids, though," he recalls. "I was surprised when I came here that the students really behave well, do their work. It's kind of cool. And it's working out for me."

Raijon (above), a senior in his first year with us, originally made the decision to transfer to Ginn because of some changes at home and also football. Shortly after starting, though, he realized that he should've been here all along. "It would've helped me be better than I am today. I was a little skeptical at first, but once I figured out what everything was about and got to know all the kids, it wasn't like an all-boys school, but more like my brothers. We have a lot of fun," he explains. He's found it much easier to focus on what's important with far fewer distractions in his life.

While academics are important in every school, Raijon sees a fine distinction between GA and his previous high school. "The craziest thing is that at Cleveland Heights, it was all about school and grades. When I came here, it was more about me being a man. We do our schoolwork here not just for good grades, but because we should; because we know it's part of becoming better in this world."

As you can see from these four students' stories, it's not too late to begin at Ginn!

Thank you for your interest!

Kindest regards from everyone at The Ginn Academy...

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For more information on enrollment:

The Ginn Academy holds an annual open house where families and potential students have an opportunity to meet and greet current Ginn men, faculty, and staff.  An informational session is provided by Theodore Ginn, Sr. and Principal Petty, along with a guided tour.

The recruitment process consists of the submission of an application, current transcripts, two (2) letters of recommendation, and a student essay. Interested students may obtain an application by calling The Ginn Academy at 216-531-GINN (4466).