Febuary 2021 eMAGAZINE
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

Celebratory Black History Month to all of our stakeholders! As we pause as a nation to give focused attention to the contributions of Black Americans and Americans of African decent to our country, I am truly grateful that EVERY DAY, EVERY MONTH, ALL YEAR LONG the FLA Gryphon Family recognizes, celebrates, and are motivated by the contributions of all our ancestors, as well as our current-day contributors, famous and more importantly, those who are lesser-known. I am grateful that the FLA Family is committed to develop individual and collective plans to emulate the commitment to be producers and not only consumers in this country as we continue to soar to greater heights, leaving a foundation upon which the next generation can, and will build. 

Family, let us remember, as we closely examine the lives of these significant contributors, to commit to exhibit our pillars of FORTITUDE, LEADERSHIP, and ACHIEVEMENT as we apply the lessons learned to our work.

Making the FLA Vision Clear and Visible,

Nash Alexander, III, Principal
Fulton Leadership Academy
Where Young Men Soar to Greater Heights
FLA SPOTLIGHT
Mrs. Christi Giddens, Executive Manager for the Office of Superintendent, ensures that Fulton Leadership Academy (FLA) continues to maintain an excellent level of educational standards. 

Giddens serves as a liaison between the school, board members, and the district. She ensures that FLA protocols and regulations comply with the district and state mandates. In 2015, Giddens initially came on board as the project manager for FLA's initial accreditation with AdvancED SACS- CASI (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement), now known as Cognia. Shortly after, Giddens became the superintendent's office executive manager. When she began her FLA position as the project manager, she understood the importance of assisting the school in earning its accreditation.

"It was so important to make sure FLA was accredited by what we call a 'gold standard' in accreditation, and it gave us a level playing field with districts from around the country," Giddens said. "I wanted to make sure when our scholars graduated from FLA, parents and the community could be assured that our institution has a standard of excellence."

Like many other schools that undergo the accreditation process, FLA was evaluated in the areas of governance and leadership, teaching and learning, and resources and support systems. FLA successfully received its institutional accreditation, which ensured that scholars would have the necessary credentials to succeed on their chosen path to college and career. 

While helping the school receive its accreditation, she also aided in other areas that would soon become special moments that she would cherish forever. She reflected on the experience of her early years at FLA and how she led the efforts to prepare FLA for its first graduating class of seniors, the Inaugural Class of 2017.
"I am proud to have been an instrumental part in helping to design and handpick items for FLA's first commencement ceremony, including the diploma, diploma cover, custom stole, cap and gown ensemble, and the FLA legend stole, which is given to scholars who have attended FLA from sixth grade through twelfth grade," Giddens said. "Selecting Morehouse College for the graduation ceremony also symbolized the next step to higher education. All of those things that I felt were symbolic, and that spoke to the culture of FLA, I wanted it reflected within the ceremony."

Giddens's efforts have significantly impacted the scholars and have helped them become the best versions of themselves in every way imaginable. Each year, FLA has maintained stellar graduation rates. Two years in a row, Spring 2018 and Spring 2019, FLA graduated 100 percent of their scholars. Every other year, the graduation rate has ranked over 90 percent. 

When asked about the amazingly successful young men and how they continued to make the staff and their parents proud, she gave credit to the school's motto, "where young men soar to greater heights." As a mother of two young ladies and often seeing the sisterly bond her daughters share, Giddens admires seeing the young men's brotherhood and how they uplift one another daily. Giddens encourages other young men to join the FLA brotherhood and receive an education where scholars feel supported and their talents are nurtured. 

"We are a unique place for young men. When people find out about FLA, they tend to want to be a part of it," Giddens said. "The young men understand the brotherhood, which leads them to encourage and guide one another to strive toward greater goals. When other young men are
looking from the outside in, they want to hop on board."
Honoring the late Dr. George Napper, founding
member of Fulton Leadership Academy
The late Dr. George Napper has left behind a lasting legacy Fulton Leadership Academy (FLA) that will continue to bear the fruit of wisdom and opportunity.

One of FLA’s founding members, Dr. Napper, was a highly accomplished man with extraordinary achievements. Those achievements included being Atlanta’s first African American police chief, one of the founding members of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), becoming the first head of Georgia’s Department of Children and Youth Services, and the list continues. 

Those close to him, such as his daughter, Kenya Napper Bello, admired his ability to lead with conviction, uplift those around him, and ultimately, make a difference in the lives of many. He embarked on the quest of founding a school that would support and nurture the dreams of hundreds of young men more than a decade ago. His idea of building a school in the heart of Fulton County soon came to fruition in the 2010-2011 school year, when they first opened their doors to several sixth graders.

“My father was a visionary, and he believed in people, young people. He was also a leader. He knew how important it was to uphold the value of leadership,” Bello said. “Leadership is a very important quality. Not everyone can be a leader, and not everyone knows how to be a leader. He was one who was clear about what was important to him and was loyal to it.”
A natural leader and influencer, Dr. Napper poured his talents into every task he was charged to complete. Even the smallest details, he never overlooked, such as the process of deciding on the name for FLA. Founding member and FLA’s superintendent, Richardean Golden Anderson, spoke about why Dr. Napper chose to name the school Fulton Leadership Academy.

“The naming of the school, I had a different view of it, and I wanted to know why he felt that it needed to be Fulton Leadership Academy,” Anderson said. “He wanted Fulton included to let people know that the community and the government had an obligation to become involved in making sure that we were changing the lives of young men for the better.”

Dr. Napper was faithful to his role as a community leader. He became a role model for many who wanted to follow in his footsteps and became a renowned legend in law enforcement. His kind and gentle heart allowed him to be generous in giving to his family, friends, job, and the people of his community. Founding member of FLA, Jacquelyn Barrett Washington, reflected on his pure intentions on building the school and how present and future FLA scholars can honor his memory. 

“There was nothing selfish about Dr. Napper’s concern for young Black people. He knew he owed these young men a better chance at life. Something other than to be in the grips of the criminal justice system,” Washington said. “The young men at FLA owe him the intentionality it takes to finish high school. If they take advantage of all that FLA has to offer, they would be better, and Dr. Napper would be honored.”
The Little Lost Penny 
Written by Dr. Claude McGowan
There it lay, all battered and worn,
Damaged by nature and from being trod upon;
Lost or abandoned it mattered not,
It was just lying there on an asphalted parking lot.

Rediscovered and exhumed by a helping hand,
Rescued from exile in a cruel and desolate land,
Scuffed and scratched, scarred and worn,
Its luster was spent, its shine was gone.

Ravaged by rain, and baked by the sun,
And neither loved, lamented or missed by anyone;
Considered valueless by some and a nuisance by many,
There seemed no hope for this solitary penny.

So battered was it from being scuffed and torn,
Its basic markings had all lost their form,
It was clear the coin had been abused for a while,
I barely recognized President Lincoln’s profile!

What came to mind was a painful thought,
About the havoc that the elements had wrought,
About the endless challenges of this single solitary coin,
What about its plight from being overlooked, ignored and forlorn?

Valueless in that isolation, it was never missed by anyone,
Never to be loved, lamented and certainly never mourned;
Such is the fate of too many human souls,
Who are deemed irrelevant and nonessential, with no purpose or goals.

Though scratched and maimed this coin would persevere,
While days turned into months, and months became years;
It endured the shame of abandonment for long days and nights,
Was there no end to its miserable plight?

Then one fortuitous day, an astute eye perceived,
The predicament of this lost coin, thus so aggrieved;
An opportune sighting and a willing hand,
Rescued this desolate coin from the gravel and sand,
Like that coin we all sometime feel forsaken and lost,

Our personal image of self may be much less than most;
Our true qualities are ignored and of hope we’re bereft,
Our pride and dignity drained, until there’s just nothing left.

If the plight of this coin represents even one child,
We have much to do, and we’ll be here for a while,
The scrapes can soon heal, but deep scars may never fully disappear,
But we can help remove the pain, and calm all their fear,

We can build confidence, and instill positive attitudes,
And with loving hands rescue them, from the deep dark moods;
We can reveal their strengths and restore their trust,
Trust in themselves, their community, their families, and us.

A penny is the building block, upon which our currency’s value is based,
Would there be a consequence if that basic coin were erased?
Each of us has a role to play to maintain the strength of our society,
If we get lost or if we are forlorn, what benefit would there be?

So let’s gather all our lost coins, and vow to revitalize and repair,
To ensure that the restored shine and luster, will always, ALWAYS be there;
We must spare no efforts, to completely remove all their blights,
So as to ensure all the children, WILL SOAR TO GREATER HEIGHTS!

------ 
Read Dr. Claude McGowan’s thoughts below as he shares his source of inspiration behind his beautifully written poem, “The Little Lost Penny.”

McGowan: Some time ago, I proposed a Penny Drive to the FLA family to raise funds to buy a trophy case for the FLA lobby. One day we were having a meeting to discuss the progress of the Penny Drive. When I left the meeting, many ideas were running through my head about making the drive more effective. I had parked in our school’s parking. As I was walking along, deep in thought about the drive, I noticed a penny lying on the pavement. Who picks up pennies, right? Yet, this was highly appropriate for the penny drive.

As you can see from the pictures, it was very worn. It got me thinking about our mission at FLA, to lend support to young men, many of whom have been overlooked and discounted even before they’ve had a chance to prove themselves, display their potential, and even learn to believe in themselves. So, on my 35-minute drive home, the thoughts I finally collected for the poem ran through my head. That evening I was able to type out a first draft in which I compared the plight of that penny to what happens to our children if we don’t ensure that they remain relevant. Although FLA is all male and I was inspired by my involvement on behalf of its young men, this poem is interpretatively relevant to both our sons and daughters.
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COMING SOON!
Our community is
"our" community.
KaCey Venning uses her non-profit organization, HEY!, to champion the youth
across the City of Atlanta.
Helping Empower Youth (HEY!), an Atlanta-based non-profit organization, is dedicated to mobilizing the youth to positively engage with their community and the world. Co-founder and executive director of HEY!, KaCey Venning, founded the non-profit organization in April 2011. Since then, she has propelled the organization to empower numerous young people of Atlanta while being a servant leader who gives young people a safe space to be heard, understood, and valued.

Venning has helped connect thousands of youth in the metro-Atlanta area with HEY!, which has proved to be necessary for these communities. HEY! provides programs that include their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) related after school programs and their bicycle programs.

Another central part of HEY! is their popular semi-annual book fair, which has gathered nearly 2,000 attendees. The fair has helped to provide exposure to authors and illustrators of color by giving away hundreds of books to the youth. Venning noticed that national book organizations commonly went to private schools in metro-Atlanta to distribute books, and the Atlanta Public School students were overlooked.

"We began to host our own book fairs with a spring and fall edition. We featured black and brown authors, illustrators, and publishers who wrote books that primarily featured black and brown children as the main characters," said Venning. "Our book fairs have allowed families of all colors to add to their personal libraries. This helped young children of color see themselves reflected on the pages of numerous books. The fairs have also given black and brown authors, who were underrepresented in publishing deals, an opportunity to get their books in front of more people."

Venning is not only a voice for the people but is taking action to help mentor and provide resources for the underserved youth. For example, HEY! is one of the very few organizations speaking about a trending topic in the City of Atlanta, the 'water boys,' which are groups of black and brown young men selling water on busy intersections throughout Atlanta. Most of these young men come from poverty-stricken backgrounds and have very few resources available to them. However, their entrepreneurial spirit has not gone unnoticed. Venning's significant addition to her company is helping the 'water boys' leave the streets and find adequate jobs.
"I have a couple of young men who ask me daily, 'Ms. KaCey can you help me find a job?' The link on the [HEY!] website, 'Hire the Atlanta Water Boyz!' was a quick solution for us where people of the community had random jobs for the 'water boys' like cutting grass and moving furniture that took them away from the corner and gave them some money," said Venning. "We are trying to eliminate the number of young men who are out on the streets and also show them that there are other ways to earn money that will keep them safe and help them to earn skills."

Jobs are scarce for the youth amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Venning continues to support the youth in every way possible. She even started a print shop to generate funds for the organization and gives the 'water boys' another opportunity to earn a living, keep them off the streets, and give them a community of mentors and adult supervision.

HEY! is creating youth leaders while giving them a space to grow and serve others through their work. Many Atlanteans embrace HEY! while applauding their effort of helping youth across the City. Most recently, HEY! is the first non-profit in more than 25 years where the Atlanta City Council overwhelmingly supported an organization with their contingency funds.

"For [HEY!] it's about giving the youth the tools to make sure that they not only have ways to care for themselves but where they can also generate other employment and business opportunities for the next generation," said Venning. "In five to ten years, we don't want to be an organization that just talks about empowering young people, but also give them the opportunities to do it for themselves from start to finish."
 "As a college student I really struggled with getting a quality internship. It was very frustrating to have a level of talent that could not be developed further with the help of a mentor. I created this program because I knew our students needed it. It is even more important to have our internship program for students in middle school and high school. This will help them to develop at a much faster rate. We are honored to work with the Fulton Leadership Academy to introduce careers within The Arts and Mass Media." 

-- Okeeba Jubalo
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