Dr. Ken Kunz, ELA consultant working with Link, secured a large number of young adult books from Book Smiles, a non-profit organization that puts books into the hands of youngsters. Kathy McCue also facilitated the donation of books to Link on the same day through her company, AKJ Education. The generosity of the book donors will yield about 800 books that will be offered to students to include in their home libraries. Students who were in the school selected a book to take home, and students learning remotely will soon be able to make a selection as well. Thank you Dr. Kunz and Ms. McCue for encouraging the love of reading in our scholars!
Link alumna starts college scholarship organization
In the Link tradition of “giving back to the community”, Alecia Barnett’ 06, launched her non-profit organization, Seymour Be More! to provide support to youth in underserved communities, helping them “cultivate upward mobility in social and professional development.” In partnership with her cousin Malikah Morris, she named the nonprofit after the street they grew up on in Newark, NJ to honor their late grandparents. Currently, they are serving their hometown of Newark, NJ with plans to expand to other cities throughout the country in the future.
Right now, Seymour Be More is offering five $1,000 scholarships to residents of Newark or graduates of a high school in Newark, NJ who are pursuing an undergraduate degree or enrolled in trade school. To apply for a scholarship and for additional eligibility requirements, click here. The deadline for this year’s scholarships is September 12, 2020.
When Alecia reached out to Link to share the scholarship opportunity, she also brought us up-to-date on her life. After graduating from Link, Alecia attended Science Park High School and then Penn State University, where she earned a B.S. in Labor Studies and Labor Relations. She is thriving in her career in Human Resources, having worked for Amazon and now working in Human Resources Operations as a People Operations Partner at Facebook. Alecia stated that she is grateful for having had Link’s Core Values instilled in her throughout her tenure at the school. She states “ I am who I am today because of Link and grateful to be able to give back to my community! “ She remembers fondly her first international experience, through Link, to The Island School in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, and credits it for inspiring her passion for travel, culture, and water sports.
For giving back to the community and the Core Values of respect, responsibility, caring, and doing one’s best. As well as for “giving back”: two claps and a stomp for Alecia!!!
Link staff gears up for start of school
Link’s teachers and staff have been working hard for the past two+ weeks to get ready for the start of the new school year. They have been busy refreshing themselves on the platforms and practices they used successfully in the spring and summer for remote learning – improving upon them and discovering even more ways to deliver engaging content remotely. ELA and math teachers attended “boot camp” with the respective area coaches to strengthen their teaching. Everyone participated in professional development around student discipline strategy, cultural awareness/diversity, and much more. All of this was done virtually! A huge amount of time and effort spent by Link’s amazing and dedicated teachers and staff to make this the best year possible for our scholars…they deserve it. #linkteacherscare #linkstaffrocks #linkteachersrock #linkstrong
Link’s opening for the 2020-2021 school year announced
Link will open the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, September 8. The LCCS Board of Trustees voted in August to make the change from the original date of September 2 to give staff additional time to plan for the opening. The plan currently is to open both virtual/remote learning and in-school hybrid learning (2 days in school/ 3 days virtual from home). This could change based on several circumstances, including a change in the state directive on school re-opening, lack of required PPE, shortage of staff for in-person learning, etc. Click here to read the school’s reopening plan.
Linkers create music in summer program
During Link’s Summer Academy, students created music in a virtual format known as DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).They produced audio tracks using digital content and virtual instruments. Soundscapes and digital compositions reflected on personal themes and current social events. Students showed tremendous development over the course of just four weeks. Listen to examples of our talented students’ work during Summer Academy:
Link’s 2020 Summer Performing Arts Class produces video
Congratulations to Mrs. Johnson’s 2020 Summer Performing Arts Class on the video they produced during the month of July – “It’s Not OK to Cyberbully.” Students created their own scenes and monologues, collaborated on scenes, and learned the art of self-taping, under Mrs. Johnson’s guidance. This video is the culimnating product of their four week summer program. View the video below and the foillowing video of Mrs. Johnson speaking about the summer program.
Mrs. Johnson speaks about the summer program and the arts.
