UAFA Charter School Network Fall 2021 Newsletter

Fall Issue

November 2021

We are UNIQUE. We are UTOPIAN.

IN THIS ISSUE UAFA MAKES HISTORY

UAFA: AN ARTIST'S PARADISE

ALUMS EARN $18,000 FOR COLLEGE

EAGLES OF THE MONTH

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NEW FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM

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SCHOLARS LEARN ANIMATION

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STUDENT DISPLAY AT WOODRUFF

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DANCE PROGRAM EXPANDS

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TOP-RANKED UAFA TO OPEN HIGH SCHOOL Utopian Academy for the Arts Charter School Network welcomed more than 600 scholars to campus this fall after achieving two major milestones while elementary and middle school students learned online last school year. Its flagship campus, UAFA Middle School, was ranked among the state's top charter schools for meeting student performance on the Georgia Milestones Exams in 2021. The network's success at integrating arts into its academic curriculum and producing scholar artists, has paved the way for another expansion. UAFA will open a high school in August 2022.

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MEET ALBERT THOMAS

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FALL 2021

"Since the inception of Utopian Academy, we have always had overwhelming interest from our parents and students to continue our model from elementary to high school so that our scholars could continually be exposed to academic rigor, art education,

and nontraditional careers,” said UAFA founder and network superintendent, Dr. Artesius Miller.

UAFA opened its elementary school in August 2020 and successfully petitioned Clayton school board to approve its

high school proposal last spring.

The state will take action on the petition in December. The expansion will enable UAFA, the state's first performing arts charter school, to offer an engaging kindergarten to college education for young creatives.

UAFA High will open with 150 freshmen and sophomores. A new grade level will be added each year through 2024. The high school will eventually enroll up to 515 students. UAFA is partnering with Georgia Film Academy and Trilith Studios on developing a film curriculum for the high school. The trio is also collaborating on a new initiative called the Story Arts Creative, which is aimed at producing homegrown talent to work in the entertainment industry and providing students with handson experience in filmmaking.

Students who advance from elementary to high school at UAFA will have at least seven

2. AnArtist 's's

se i d a r a P

As the state's first public charter school network for the performing arts, Utopian Academy is a trailblazer in arts education. And now, the school itself has become a "work of art."

While scholars were learning online last year during the pandemic, artists, photographers, painters, and designers worked overtime to transform common areas at the school into works of art that inspire the creative talents of students. A brown wall that was once on the facade of the building has been replaced with a festive 20-foot mural celebrating art and music education.

The wall bears the Utopian name and

features sheet music from the R&B hit "Respect," a song popularized by Aretha Franklin. Inside the building, a new photo display tells the UAFA story. It features 80 images of school musicals, graduations, class lessons, and visits by Hollywood celebs partnering with UAFA. The photo exhibit was designed

by D. Aileen Dodd & Assoc., Media Services and was printed and installed in collaboration with Brian McDaniel's team at Alpha Graphics, both of Atlanta.

In addition, UAFA Visual Arts teacher Shiterria Harris and her students painted vibrant murals with inspirational messages on interior walls to set the scene for excellence.

years of experience in acting, coding, filmmaking, film-scoring, screenwriting, and animation.

Students will also be able to take college classes for credits at the the Technical College System of Georgia. None of this would have been possible without UAFA's laser focus on academic rigor and support, which has helped the network to expand rapidly, said Dr. Ron Boykins, UAFA's Middle School principal.

According to metrics developed by the State Charter Schools Commission, UAFA is one of its top 17 highest performers. "Our goal is always 1.5 years of academic growth per student each school year," Boykins said.

"Our methods of pre-assessment and academic knowledge and skills testing, as well as enrichment and advance classes, fosters that growth. Adding a high school was a natural expansion for us."

FALL 2021

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UAFA SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARDS $18,000 TO OUSTANDING ALUMS

Rising Stars UAFA ALUMS

IN CLASS OF 2021 . ENTER COLLEGE UAFA Charter School Network Foundation has contributed $18,000 in scholarships to help make college more affordable for alumni graduating in the Class of 2021.

The scholarship recipients are: $5,00 Scholarship: Jordan Green, Alabama State University. $3,000 Scholarship: Alexys Lyons, Penn State University. $2,000 Scholarship: Kyrstine Glover, Spelman College $1,000 Scholarships: Aleya Lyons, Ogelthorpe University; Jordan Tanks, Miles College, Jordan Sims, Kennesaw State University; Kayla Stokes, Kennesaw State University;

4. Soaring High as Eagles of the Month

Three outstanding UAFA Middle School scholars are being celebrated for their leadership skills, academic achievements, and positive attitudes. They have been named as "Eagles of the Month." The honorees are: sixth grader Zaire Buchanan, seventh grader José Juarez, and eighth grader Jordyn Carter .

Zaire, 11, enjoys acting, making movies, and says his favorite class is media arts. Earning the honor Eagle of the Month has been a pleasant surprise for the young scholar. "It makes me feel good, like I am leading other students," he said.

Jordyn, 15, is also a student leader. She has been a dancer at Utopian Academy since she was in sixth grade. Now, as an eighth grader, Jordyn is captain of the dance team. She has even performed at an Atlanta Hawks game. "Dancing allows me to express myself," she said. Being named as an Eagle of the Month is also an opportunity for self-expression. "It makes me feel great. I have all A's and only one B. I really have been working hard."

Jamiah Boozer, Benedict College; Eric Mai, Yale College; Xavier Foster, Morehouse College; and Xavier Poindexter, University of N. Georgia Military Academy.

a career as an occupational therapist. "There are not enough words for me to say how grateful I am for this scholarship," she said.

UAFA has invested more than $25,000 to support the college dreams of its alumni. Members of the Class of 2021 were excited to receive the financial support from their middle school. "It is wonderful," said Jordan Green, a biology, prehealth major from Hampton, Georgia. She plans to pursue

Penn State freshman Alexys Lyons agrees. "The scholarship is a blessing; it's helping me to pay for books and unexpected expenses," she said. The political science major plans to become a policy analyst. "The staff at Utopian Academy really cares about you even when you are going to college."

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FIRST FOOTBALL: UAFA ELEMENTARY EXPANDS TEAM SPORTS

UAFA Elementary School started the new academic year with an expanded menu of activities for its scholar athletes. The school now has a flag football team and a cheer squad. It will soon add a basketball team.

UAFA Elementary athletic and special education director, Emery Williams, said the expansion in services is aligned with research showing that kids who get involved in their schools tend to perform better in class. "We know that kids do really well when they are motivated," he said. "We want to motivate them through extra-curricular activity participation, as well as through co-curricular activities, which are the arts we offer at Utopian Academy. If they are wellrounded, they are more productive."

The Eagles flag football team began its first season this fall. The team coach is Anthony Jackson, a first grade teacher at UAFA. It also has two female players, one of whom

scored the season's first touchdown. "I like to run, throw the ball, and score," said Allinah Muhammad, who followed her older brother's path into the sport.

Allinah's teammate Cassidy Conor Hope is the Eagle's quarterback and running back. "It feels good to be a part of the team," she said.

Cassidy's mother Brittany Conor Hope beams when she watches her daughter play football. "A lot of girls don't get this kind of opportunity."

"We are exposing our scholars to the idea that they can be whatever they want to be," said Dr. Selina

Walton, principal of UAFA Elementary. "There are no limits. They can show what they know whether its on a football field or in the classroom."

Flag football games are family events. During the homecoming game, second grader and Eagles center, Kingsley Pendelton, had his own cheering section. His father, mother, and two brothers wore football shirts bearing his name.

"This is great for the kids," said Kingsley's proud dad, Felix Pendelton.

"They get to have fun and learn the sport."

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TECH SAVVY SCHOLARS LEARN ANIMATION, CODING UAFA Middle School launched a 2-D animation class this fall to introduce scholars to the basic skills they need for careers in game design and animated filmmaking.

The class is taught by a new faculty member at UAFA Middle, Dr. Michael Rosemond, who has a bachelor's degree in computer science engineering from the University of St. Louis and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Maryland.

"I have been doing animation and coding since Lotus —I'm old school," Rosemond said. "A lot of my students at Utopian were new to coding when they started my class. Now, they can write code to move cartoon animals across the screen. They are excited about seeing the magic behind the shows they watch on TV." Next, the students will learn how to film animated shorts. "By the end of the year, many of them will be able to move to cartoon networking," Rosemond said.

"I want to spark their interest in new careers. If I can see my kids go from Level 1 to Level 10, that is where my joy comes in."

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More than 100 students in grades 6-8 take the 2-D animation class. On a recent day, Dr. Rosemond gave his students an in-class challenge. He asked them to choose a background from their animation software program, and then fly their cat across the scene.

Eighth grader Diamond Sanders flew her cat across the moon. She also created a Black teenage astronaut who looked like her. "I like to code. I want to make a game for my little sister and other kids her age," she said. "I'm learning a lot about binary code in class. Dr. Rosemond inspires us to try new things."

UAFA Visual Artists Join 'Women in Space' Exhibit at Woodruff "I love to create art. It can be so beautiful."

Keisha Bonsu 7th Grader

Visual arts students at Utopian Academy for the Arts Middle School participated in a special exhibit at Woodruff Park that honored the success of veteran astronaut Stephanie Wilson, a scientist who has spent more time in space than any other Black woman.

A local artist created a 4,800 square-foot

landscape portrait of Wilson for the "Women in Space" exhibit. The portrait, made of natural materials, was displayed at Woodruff Park. Students across Georgia created 1,500 colorful tiles of space

art to surround the portrait. The space exhibit is one of several projects that visual arts students at UAFA will participate in to showcase their talents. They are also creating drawings for a

new coloring book.

"I'm happy to have my students on campus," said Visual Art teacher Shiterria Harris. "They are more focused. We have better class interaction and can create art together."

NEW ATLANTA BALLET TEACHING ARTIST JOINS UAFA

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A new instructor from the Atlanta Ballet has joined the dance program at UAFA Elementary to teach movement and hip-hop classes.

The Atlanta Ballet teaching artist Roscoe Sales is a former college athlete with an extensive background in dance. He is helping to choreograph holiday dance performances that will be featured in the upcoming winter program.

UAFA Elementary students take dance classes twice each week to develop their coordination and performance skills. On a recent day, Sales stood before an excited class of second graders to teach them some new moves. He walked the dance room, inspecting the line of students to be sure they were standing straight. Sales helped them to extend their arms in the air and reminded them to bend their knees and count aloud to the beat of the music. "I can't hear you counting," Sales told the class as he watched them dance. "Let's try it again." The students followed his lead, counting from one to eight to stay in unison.

Adding Sales as an instructor has enabled the dance program to introduce new genres.

Ballet classes are still taught by La'Toya Princess Jackson, an Atlanta Ballet ballerina who is in her second year as a teaching artist at UAFA. Last spring, five of her students received one-year dance scholarships to attend free Atlanta Ballet classes as part of an initiative to provide more opportunities for promising young, diverse dancers. The students will perform with the dance company in "The Nutcracker" and other shows.

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MEET OUR STAFF: ALBERT THOMAS SAYS UAFA 'IS THE PLACE TO BE'

Name: Albert Thomas Title: Registrar, UAFA Elementary School and Data Collection Specialist, UAFA Charter School Network Education: Bachelor's degree, Criminal Justice Psychology and Education, Tennessee State University.

Years at UAFA: This is my second year at Utopian Academy. I have enjoyed my time here. The staff is nice and really welcoming.

Why I work at UAFA: Most of my time in education has been at Atlanta Public

Schools at the high school evel. This was an opportunity for me to work in another setting.

Why families choose UAFA: Utopian Elementary lets students explore the arts at an early age. This is the place to be. We have a lot to offer, and we have small classroom settings. You can learn more about enrolling at utopianacademy.com or by calling me at 470-4461070.

Hobbies: Golfing and woodworking. I build decks on the side.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! We are UNIQUE. We are UTOPIAN.

PARTNERSHIPS UAFA Elementary School has added a new drama class to its arts curriculum for the 2021-22 school year. The program was launched in partnership with Alliance Theatre, an Atlanta theatre company based at the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center. An Alliance teaching artist visits weekly to develop the talents of young actors.

PARENTS UAFA parents are partners in the education of their scholars. They volunteer, attend UAFA performances, and support our sports teams. For info on homework help, reading test scores, and supporting your scholar, call parent liaison Ms. Lawrence at (470)446-1070.

LEADERSHIP UAFA Founder and Superintendent Dr. Artesius Miller has been elected as Vice Chair of the Technical College System of Georgia's State Board. He previously served as the Academic Committee Chair. Miller was appointed for a five-year term with the board and is developing partnerships for UAFA Schools.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT UAFA ELEMENTARY'S FIRST HOMECOMING

UAFA Elementary School recently ushered in a new fall tradition— homecoming! The celebration was complete with football and cheerleaders. More than 100 people attended the inaugural game to cheer on the Eagles as they scored their first touchdown at the John D. Milner Sports Complex.

CONTI NUE TO STRI VE FOR EXCELLENCE, UAFA ELEMENTARY AND MI DDLE SCHOOL CLASSES OF 2021

utopianacademyforthearts.com

Release your child's inner lion !

2750 Forest Parkway Ellenwood, GA 30294 (470) 446-1070 utopianacademyforthearts.com

To donate to Utopian Academy Charter School Network, send checks payable to UAFA, attention Superintendent Dr. Artesius Miller. Use the address listed above.