NEW VILLAGE ACADEMY BREAKS GROUND AT LAST!
photocredit to the amazing Mary Ella Jourdak
Nearly 200 members of the Annapolis Community came together on November 18 to celebrate the long-awaited launch of New Village Academy’s facility construction at Annapolis Mall. Senator Henson, Superintendent Bedell, and Mayor Littman all expressed their excitement about this new opportunity for young people in our community to “do high school differently.”
We celebrated with delicious pupusas by Fermín Centeno, charcuterie and pretzels by Gina Campion, desserts by Morgan’s Cakes and Sweetie’s Sweets and Eats, photography by Mary Ella Jourdak, and “la colocacion de la primera piedra” (placing of the first stone) led by Pastor Nelson Lemus, See our full program and thank yous here.
A few of our favorite quotes from the event:
Kimberly Gomez Posada, future NVA student:
“One day I hope to be a veterinarian. So the chance to study here at New Village and do an internship at SPCA’s Paws at the Mall is so exciting. It is this out-of-a-classroom experience, this opportunity for me and many other students, that makes me willing to try something different from other schools. I have discovered that I learn better when I have hands-on opportunities like these internships.”
Dr. Joanna Tobin, AACPS School Board Member:
“There is no daylight between your stated beliefs and your actions. I am speaking specifically of one of the core values listed on your website, Kan, which I understand has its origins in Mayan culture and translates to slow harvest, or perseverance. You have persevered through funding struggles, public hearings, complicated construction contracts, and so much more. It has been truly impressive. In doing so, you have demonstrated for your future students what it means to persist against many, many odds. You’ve also shown them that there is no substitute for hard work ever.”
Maryland Senator Shaneka Henson:
“{New Village Academy} is simply the opportunity for your children to be exposed to a different way of learning The opportunity for them to have those wraparound supports that make the difference in their life, the opportunity to come into a place designed exactly for their learning needs, to put them on a pathway to success. Know that you have my support, but more than that, you have an entire community that’s rallied around our students and our families, and now rallied around this cause.”
Mayor Jared Littman (in his first speech since being elected):
“NVA tells students that there are multiple paths to their success. Students will learn through internships, coaching, hands-on projects, and meaningful connections across the Annapolis community. The city of Annapolis is an, is an important partner in this process and is committed to being a genuine partner.”
Romey Pittman, NVA Founder and Principal:
“Our crazy, optimistic New Village Academy vision is to break down the walls that separate young people in school from the real adult world, to engage the talents and commitment and generous spirit of our entire community in service of launching teens into thriving adults. In return, students will bring their energy, fresh perspective, and newly acquired skills to the task of helping solve our community’s greatest challenges.”
Civic Builders CEO, David Umansky (at dinner after the event):
“I’ve been to literally hundreds of school groundbreakings, but I’ve never seen one where district leaders, politicians, and community members not only supported the school, but knew its model and its story so deeply and spoke from the heart about how excited they were to see it come to fruition.”
You can see a slide show of beautiful photos from the event by Mary Ella Jourdak HERE.
BOOK REVIEW! The Disengaged Teen
Anyone who has been to a New Village Academy informatio
n session knows this: the problem that inspired the young people and then-teacher (Ms. Romey) to design New Village Academy was the epidemic of disengagement in high schools. More than ever before, young
people just not buying what we are selling in high school. They want an education that meets their needs in the challenging real world THEY are growing up in. They are bored, stressed out, and checked out. That disengagement is taking a toll on learning and readiness for adult life, on curiosity and initiative, and on mental health.
A recent book collects much of the research NVA’s model is built on to address this problem of disengagement, helping parents and educators support their teens to take charge of their own learning. While it doesn’t directly address how schools, themselves, need to change, The Disengaged Teen, by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, helps all of us understand what’s happening and gives us tools to keep young people’s intiative, agnecy, and curiosity alive.
Our favorite part:
A simple grid that describes 4 ways that people engage (or DON’T engage) in learning: as ACHIEVERS (looking for the gold star, at the cost of their own empowerment), as PASSENGERS (getting by doing the minimum, but quietly checked out), as RESISTERS (unwilling to go along with something that’s not working for them), or as EXPLORERS (interested in learning for their own reasons and in their own way). Our goal at New Village Academy? You guessed it! EXPLORERS!
We have designed our approach based on decades of research about the conditions that cultivate the EXPLORER in every learner so they lead their OWN learning to meet their OWN goals – doing their education instead of having it done TO them. EXPLORERS are the students who will thrive long after the gold stars are gone, in their careers, in their personal lives, and as active contributors to making their world a better place.
GOT INTERNSHIPS?
We are already building our database of Internship opportunities for students to apply for!
If you are interested in mentoring a student intern in your workplace, please reach out at info@newvillageacademy.org
HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
Invite us to your neighborhood!
Ask your school, church, or community to host a New Village Academy info session,
or host one in your backyard! We’ll come to you!
Check out the full newsletter here
