Getting Our Hands Dirty at The Ginn Academy

Judy Rickel, Ginn Academy's art teacher, is on a mission. This tiny fireball of a woman has seen what a small amount of makeshift supplies can do and will not stop until she has a fully-outfitted art room and ceramics studio for her students."They need this and they are thriving. I'm amazed at what they already do with what we have here," she says.

We do not have many electives, so art is a treat for most of the boys. It was added in 2009 when we moved to our current location and had more space. Our students are starting to speak the language as they settle in to this new place outside of their comfort zone. "This is what we are doing in other areas of the curriculum: hands-on, small group collaboration, sharing ideas, movement. Boys need movement!" says Mrs. Hazel Parker, GA's Assistant to the Executive Director. "The art classes have been an opportunity for the boys who didn't know they had creative talent," she explains. "Some have even decided to pursue graphic design in college. This catapults them to levels they didn't know existed for them."

At the beginning of her fourth year at the Academy, Mrs. Rickel, whose father grew up in Glenville, where many of our students live, has begun a feverish push to gather the supplies that she needs for the GA students to really get their hands dirty. With a degree in ceramics, her current passion is pottery, specifically Native American pottery. She has the boys making olla pots (water vessels), seed pots, and story pots. They learn the history behind the objects and hope to eventually be equipped to sell their work. "We can have all sorts of experiences with the business aspect of this: making pots, selling them. How should we market and who is our customer?" explains Mrs. Rickel. "I also have a dream where each student makes a full place setting and then we all sit down to share a meal together. It would be very spiritual."

To get the program rolling, Mrs. Rickel hopes to be able to purchase ten new wheels, a ton of clay (as in 2,000 pounds of clay!), sturdy stainless steel tables, tools (currently brought in from Mrs. Rickel's own supply), secure drying cabinets and shelves for storage. Another kiln is also needed in addition to the one that was kindly provided by the Jewish Federation last year. To accommodate the kilns, some electrical updates are needed. "I'm not going to let it stop us. We make do with what we've got right now," she says.

As for now, our students are benefiting in so many ways from Mrs. Rickel's classes. Some come in early, before school, to work and open studio is each day at lunch time. "It's calming, therapeutic for them," Mrs. Rickel says. "I was looking for something new for these boys and I found something ancient."

Kind regards from all of us and thank you for your interest in our school.

Introducing Ginn Academy's Class of 2016

When school started at the end of August, a brand new group of Ginn Men entered our doors and the brotherhood of the Class of 2016 started to take shape. Our fifty-one Freshmen come from all over the Cleveland area, from different backgrounds, and with a diverse range of big dreams.

Ninth graders have the biggest adjustment each year as they are typically transitioning from a co-ed school to our all-male Academy, often not knowing anyone, and adapting to a whole new set of stringent expectations. Depending on where they come from, some of our boys might take up to 3 RTA buses to arrive at school on time each morning. Between the school's high standards and what it takes to simply get here every day, it takes courage and commitment to be a Ginn Man, and we're proud of how well this group is coming together already this year.

Five of the boys took some time last week to talk about what brought them to GA and where they see themselves going in four more years. Rajeem has wanted to be a commercial pilot since he was 8 years old and came to the Academy to better focus on his studies. "My mom wants me to go here because she knows there are a lot of opportunities for me," he says. Ben wants to be a public defender, inspired by a situation that his cousin is in in Florida, and Howard plans to explore the field of science. "I like doing all of the labs and experiments and stuff. I like testing things," he explains. Howard is actually the nephew of James Gordon, a member of our first ever graduating class, now playing football at the University of Toledo. Another of our ninth graders, Darnell, is inspired by police officers and plans to join a force in Florida after he graduates. "I would risk my life to save others," he says. Hard work and dedication are key to Christian who either wants to be a professional basketball player or an entrepreneur.

All of the young men mentioned better focus as the main reason that they chose The Ginn Academy. They all agreed that it was strange at first to see only male faces, but that they've quickly adapted. "Some of the others wanted to quit at first," explains Ben, "But no one did and now we all like it. We're developing a brotherhood." Outside of school, interests revolve around sports and video games, some skateboarding, and a few of the boys are very into chess. This group, like the others before them, holds a lot of promise. We hope you'll tune in for the next four years to see who they become.

Thank you for your interest in our school!

Kind Regards from The Ginn Academy

Moving Forward, the 2012-13 School Year Begins

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year at The Ginn Academy. In this, our sixth year, we are very excited about our 230 young men and all that they will learn and accomplish in the next nine months.

First, we welcome our new principal, Mr. Nicholas Petty, who came to us ready to give 120% and is already re-shaping the landscape of our learning environment. Ginn Academy is progressing toward a more global focus. We're looking at how our students' education compares with students in China, in Russia, in India. Our steadfast main themes of scholarship, leadership, and service remain at the forefront of our teachings, with a new requirement for each young man to give 30 hours of service over the course of the year.

The blog will feature a profile of Mr. Petty in the near future. We are all excited to introduce him in more depth to all of you. In the meantime, many of you might have read about Mr. Ginn being in the hospital. He is recovering and will be back at school shortly. Not a man known for resting, he's in touch with the school every day and can't wait to be back at work.

Until things really get going, we'd like to proudly show you a few of our first day of school photos. In the first shot, you'll see Mr. Petty with one of our Juniors, Marcellus.

You might notice that the boys wear different ties. The colors and patterns signify their grade level. Black ties = Freshmen, red ties = Sophomores, striped ties = Juniors, and the ties with the Ginn crests are reserved for the Seniors. The Sophomores were all in class when these photos were taken, but we'll make sure to have a few shots of them soon.

Many thanks for going back to school with The Ginn Academy! Please let us know if you have any questions about the school or even a story idea. We appreciate you taking the time to learn more about what is going on here.

Kind Regards from everyone at The Ginn Academy

The Last of the Originals, Part Three: Where We're Going!

On May 31st, 2012, Ginn Academy's graduating seniors, the last of our originals, took their last steps as high school students, and their first as the adults that they will soon become. We'd like to share some images from that day, and brag just a bit about these courageous and strong young men that have been with us for the past four years. We've shown you where they come from and who they are, and we're very optimistic about where they're going.

One week prior to graduation is our yearly Senior Honor Day, where the GA student body, faculty, and families gather for a warm send-off. The last part of the ceremony takes place with the Junior class filling the seats vacated by the Senior class. This year's class has amassed $1.7 million in athletic and academic scholarships. In addition to those awards, very personal attributes and challenges are recognized each year with awards given by members of our community and those close to our school.

Mrs. Jeanette Ginn, wife of Ted Ginn, Sr., presented the Ted Ginn, Jr. Winning Against All Odds award to Maurice "Mo" Stearnes.

The evening of graduation was a long one for the boys as they rehearsed and readied themselves for their big night. Families filled the lobby of Cuyahoga Community College's Metro campus auditorium. The excited and joyful crowd was treated to speakers from The Ginn Academy and the CMSD School Board, and the featured speaker, Ms. Danita Harris, News Channel 5 anchor. Ms. Harris's powerful speech about our boys being transformers electrified the crowd. Singer, Maleya Johnson, brought many tears with her rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," and Humble G Tha Fiddla used his violin to bring history and remembrance to the ceremony when he played "Lift Every Voice," the Negro National Anthem.

At the end of this story, there will be a list of all of our graduating seniors along with their next destinations.

 

Finally, we present the Class of 2012 and Where We're Going!

Dashawn Adams, Hocking College

Myron Adamson, University of Cincinnati

Brandon G. Baldwin, Central State University

Marshawn J. Bell, Kenst State University

V'Angelo D. Bentley, University of Illinois

Tye'Sean D. Berry, University of Toledo

Albert J. Black, Mercyhurst College

De'Van Bogard, The Ohio State University

Denzell Burton, Kent State University

Sam Byrd III, Erie Community College

Davonte M. Congress, University of Findlay

Sean P. DeBose, Jr., West Virginia Wesleyan University

Darnell C. DePriest, Jr., Marian University

Xavier Dowdell, Lake Erie College

Sean C. Draper, University of Iowa

Richard Evans, Entering Work Force

Michael Fairfax, Cuyahoga Community College

Alvin J. Hale, Wright State University

Justin Hardee, University of Illinois

Evan J. Harris, University of Toledo

Aykee Henderson, Notre Dame College

Willie E. Henry, Jr., University of Michigan

Dionte T. Hood, Kent State University

Aaron J. Johnson, United States Marine Corps

Jamil D. Johnson, Cuyahoga Community College

Kevin C. Kinds, Hutchinson Community College

Walter Lee, Thiel College

Terry Lewis, Jr., Entering Work Force

Kieante McGee, Northeast Oklahoma Community College

Michael A. McMillon, Kent State University

Marcus H. McNeal II, Capital University

Raymond Melton, Jr., Lake Erie Barber College

Rahmere A. Merritt, Cuyahoga Community College

Willard Osborn, Cleveland State University

Alex D. Pace, University of Cincinnati

Derek A. Perkins, Jr., United States Marine Corps

DaVaughn Reid, Ohio University

DeAnthony Riggs, Ohio Dominican University

James E. Robinson, Cleveland State University

Joseph J. Shihadeh III, United States Navy

Jason Simmons, Cuyahoga Community College 

Steven Sims, Kent State University

Maurice Stearnes, Cuyahoga Community College

Raphael C. Stedmire, Cuyahoga Community College

Larry D. Stormer, Lake Erie College

Darrione K. Waldon, Kent State University

Levert Williams, Cleveland State University

Trevari Williams, Entering Work Force

Amir Wright, Entering Work Force

Justin Young, United States Army

Thank you for your support of our young men. We're so very proud of them and appreciate your interest in The Ginn Academy.

Kindest regards from everyone at our school...