Just a Day in the Life of The Ginn Academy

Welcome! The Ginn Academy is nearing the end of its sixth year. Our seniors, the class of 2013, will begin their senior projects on April 29th with such organizations as the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland City Hall with Councilman Polensek, Independence Excavating, Quasar, NEON, Cleveland Fire Department, Cleveland Courts, the NAACP, and the Cleveland Public Library, to name a few.

Seniors will also participate in annual events including Senior Honor Day, Dining-In, prom, and the annual cookout to which the entire school and families are invited. The festivities will culminate with commencement on June 2nd at 5:00 p.m. at CCC Metro Campus. The Ginn Academy will also host Alumni Day on May 28, and underclassmen are looking forward to promotion and embracing a new cohort of freshmen in the fall. .

In this story, we invite you to a normal, uneventful Tuesday like that of any of the thousands of schools in the United States. Step inside and see what it might look like if you dropped by Ginn Academy to see what goes on in our school.

One thing that was not normal on this particular day was Mr. Ginn's return to the school after a long illness and hospital stay. Our miracle man and leader spent months in the hospital battling pancreatic cancer and the complications that arose with it. His absence was keenly felt by everyone and many of the boys, especially our ninth-graders, who were just beginning to get to know him on this day. As you can see in the second photo, he might have lost weight, but Mr. Ginn has not lost his exuberance for talking with his students!

Four seniors ready to leave for the day. Our young men speak regularly of the brotherhood that they are a part of here.

A few members of the 10th grade group at morning session.

Seniors changing classes. Ginn Academy students form orderly lines in the hallways to move from room to room.

More seniors, ready to leave for the day. Camaraderie after class.

Common ground, common goals. Freshmen in chemistry class.

Putting down roots at Ginn Academy in art class.

Seniors wait to be dismissed from morning session as the sophomores exit the gym. 

Juniors turning in their work as they exit Mr. Robinson's chemistry class.

A Ginn Academy sophomore working on his English class assignment.

 

Three photos above: Juniors working collaboratively on their chemistry project.

One of our seniors works on his Kent State housing form with our College Now advisor, Brittany Anderson. College Now helps our students two days a week with the college application process.

Mrs. Khan, our librarian, assists two of our seniors with a project.

Nearly finished with their first year of high school. Ginn Academy ninth graders, in art class and in morning session.

Community of learning. A Ginn Academy eleventh grader working on his chemistry project.

Mr. Fisher, GA youth support, Dan Coughlin, Cleveland sports reporter, and Coach Ginn. Mr. Coughlin and Coach G were heading down to the Cleveland Public Library to record an interview for a new series that they've recently launched.

Mr. Chinchar, college advisor, reviewing test scores with two GA sophomores.

Planting and cultivating in many different ways at Ginn Academy. Mrs. Jackson, instructional aide, tends to our vivarium's inhabitants.

Mr. Robinson's love for chemistry is not difficult to see.

Awaiting dismissal from morning session, one of our ninth graders.

Youth support staff member, Mr. Holsey, with a group of GA juniors. Our youth support staff is instrumental in holding the boys accountable for scholarship, leadership, and service.

Thanks for visiting with us! If you are interested in a real tour of our school, please call us to set up an appointment: 216-531-GINN (4466).

Wishing everyone a joyful springtime!
Kind regards from The Ginn Academy

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!