A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
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Hello FLA Family,
Happy New Year! 2020 was very challenging for all of us and it is so important to reflect on what we learned as a family and community. Regardless of what we face I am very confident that we can and will rise above all of our challenges. Strong leadership and battle-tested teams are not developed during the easy times. We will find out who we are and what we are made of during times like these.
As we continue to navigate our new norms during this new year, 2021, our FLA team is centered and focused on moving FLA FORWARD and working through any challenge that may come our way. Our board members, leadership team, teachers, and staff remain committed to the mission and vision of Fulton Leadership Academy and constant in our resolve to ensure that our Scholars continue to “soar to greater heights”. To stay abreast of all the exciting things happening at FLA, be sure to follow, like, and share us on our social media platforms. FLA FORWARD!
Building Leaders with Integrity,
Where Young Men Soar to Greater Heights
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The Principal of Fulton Leadership Academy (FLA), Mr. Nash Alexander III, constructs an invaluable leadership foundation for his scholars. Principal Alexander credits his staff, scholars, and parents for the collective work and commitment to guiding the young men to embrace leadership in all aspects of life.
Principal Alexander has been an educator for nearly three decades, with almost two decades of experience serving as a principal in schools within the metro-Atlanta area. He joined FLA's staff as the head principal in the academic school year of 2018-2019. Through his leadership, Principal Alexander strives to inspire the scholars and staff to perform at a level of great expectations.
"Mr. Alexander III, our Principal, believes in a team leadership approach. Everyone has a voice, and he wants to hear it. He believes decisions are better made in a group setting where there are differences in opinions and perspectives," said Mrs. Schyuler Bates, FLA's registrar, and state data reporter. "That's one of the beautiful things that I believe about how Principal Alexander chooses to lead our team."
His leadership abilities have greatly influenced scholars to act with integrity, confidence, and a keen sense of self-awareness. Likewise, those same scholars hold their peers accountable for their performance and behavior, upholding the final statement of the FLA creed, "I am my brother's keeper." The FLA creed expresses the fundamental beliefs of the FLA brotherhood and continues to have a long-lasting impression on the minds and hearts of each scholar that enter the doors of Fulton Leadership Academy.
"Our scholars are operating from this knowledge of expecting excellence from themselves and holding one another accountable," said Principal Alexander. "We consistently graduate scholars who are achieving their goals."
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Principal Alexander takes pride in organizing structures and procedures to educate and develop young men. In his years of experience, Principal Alexander has often seen too many young men drive down the road of self-destruction. He intends to be a vessel of hope to guide the next generation to their chosen path of success. His mission is to lead the young men of FLA toward a path of true fulfillment, internal happiness, and a life where they can be proud of who and what they are.
"I believe the work that I am doing is beyond the face value of being a principal. I believe that I am doing spiritual work," said Principal Alexander. "It is my responsibility to ensure that we develop systems to give the next generation of scholars and educators a solid platform to continue to build upon."
FLA's middle and high school college-preparatory curriculum focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Principal Alexander has been instrumental in implementing additional courses that teach aviation, aeronautics, and computer science. As an effective leader, he aims to direct scholars to find their purpose within the school and lead without hesitation or limitation on their unique talents and abilities. Principal Alexander encourages community and parental involvement as FLA endeavors to become a rising pillar in Fulton County.
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Fulton Leadership Academy registrar invites families and community partners to engage in the overall enrichment of the scholars.
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Fulton Leadership Academy (FLA) registrar and state data reporter, Mrs. Schyuler Broughton Bates, helps bring together families of FLA scholars and community partners to propel the scholars to thrive in any environment.
Along with the official title of registrar and state data reporter, Mrs. Bates manages numerous school projects. Many of those projects include coordinating activities and events that provide personal and academic fulfillment to all the scholars. Her goal is to ultimately 'leave a lasting impact on the scholar's and parents' lives.' Her role isn't easy; she often wears multiple hats; however, she takes on the challenge with grace, vigor, and courage. The scholar's and school's overall success is accomplished through teamwork, and Mrs. Bates is a key player.
"I establish excellent processes and procedures that align with the efficiency and full circle connections with all aspects of the FLA environment," said Mrs. Bates. "Specifically, regarding enrollment and initiation into the FLA family, by bringing a sense of confidence, trust, and peace to current and new families who join us, scholars are set up for success.
Although FLA seeks to expand within the forthcoming years, their small size of 288 scholars gives them a huge advantage. Mrs. Bates ensures that whoever walks through the FLA hallways; will receive a high level of respect, care, and attention, which traditional school systems can frequently overlook. Parents often acknowledge the monumental impact that FLA has had on their scholars and have identified FLA as a place where their scholars can flourish without academic or social limitations.
"It's amazing to hear the comments from parents on how FLA has impacted their child. We don't profess to be perfect. However, we do profess to have a laser focus on our scholars," said Mrs. Bates. "FLA is needed to serve the young men in our community and to help pour a firm foundation for them to build upon and thrive."
In addition to parents holding a vital role in FLA's success, so do community partners and organizations. FLA hand-selects community partners that align with their overall mission to provide a support system to uplift the scholars and school collectively. Those who partner with FLA witness first-hand the many young men of color who lead with confidence and shine with an intense level of greatness.
The FLA partners include 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity's Alpha Academy, Amazon Future Engineers Program, College Park Skyhawks, Federal Aviation Administration, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Morehouse College, Sports Analytics Program with the Los Angeles Rams and Georgia Tech, Young Black Entrepreneur Magazine, among several others.
In her third year as FLA's registrar, Mrs. Bates is dedicating every minute to uplifting the scholars and families. As FLA continues to flourish to new heights, Mrs. Bates has a primary goal for "everyone to see that FLA is producing leaders and changing lives."
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FLA FORWARD MERCH COMING SOON! |
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Our community is
"our" community.
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& COO, Joseph McNeal
Tackles Food Insecurity and Hunger
By Nailah Herbert
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More than 49 million Americans suffer from food insecurity across the United States. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Core2Globe, Shadeed Abdul-Salaam, aims to combat this long-standing issue by serving food boxes to underserved communities throughout the state of
Georgia.
A public, non-profit, Core2Globe addresses public health and environmental concerns that plague underserved communities. Their successful food distribution program is a part of their initiative to tackle food insecurity and combat hunger.
"Our position is being able to play a role in providing fresh fruits and vegetables to people," said Abdul-Salaam. "Our goal is to make sure that we can feed the people good food and help them to fight off the challenges from food desert deprivation to improve their health to fight diseases especially during the pandemic."
Public health advocate and scientist, Abdul-Salaam is an alumnus of both Morehouse College and Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. His biology and chemistry educational background led him to pursue a career with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he studied tobacco's harmful effects.
He is a current faculty member at Morehouse College, researching ethnobotany and medicinal properties of the plant and guiding aspiring scientists along with their studies. Abdul-Salaam's knowledge base is extensive, and he is sharing it to help others learn about healthy edible plants and teaching others how to grow their food through agricultural work.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive the unemployment rate, the need for food is steadily growing, leaving many families without adequate resources. Core2Globe has partnered with USDA and several local farmers to give fresh produce to several local communities in South Fulton County. For more than 11 months, Abdul-Salaam has helped feed thousands of individuals and given away more than one million and a half pounds worth of food.
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"Farming, agriculture, and food security are associated with our liberation and our freedom," said
Abdul-Salaam. "We have opportunities to utilize technology, indoor growing methods, and other strategies to make sure we can teach the people about agriculture. We want to feed you, but we
also want you to learn how to feed yourself."
Abdul-Salaam is changing the narrative of how people view and consume food. One key initiative is his zero-waste prevention program, which helps prevent food waste and recycle unused food to feed farm animals. Core2Globe's zero-waste initiative program aims to recycle food so that it does not enter landfills, incinerators, or the ocean, which causes extreme harm to the environment.
"If schools throw away food, instead we can give it to farm animals versus the food going into a landfill," said Abdul-Salaam. "Our goal is to have a strong food ecosystem." Several organizations have requested Core2Globe's food distribution services along with numerous schools, including Benjamin Banneker High School, Brookview Elementary School, Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, Fulton Leadership Academy, Westlake High School, and more. Core2Globe aims to partner with schools across the state of Georgia to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families and individuals in need.
"We provide a farmers market at our farm, but we aim to establish farmer's markets for various
school systems. We want teachers to go outside of their school building and make their food purchase before they go home with our Core2Globe farmers market," said Abdul-Salaam. "In the future, we want to offer an on-site farmer's market for schools, cities, and underserved areas around the state of Georgia and beyond."
In addition to teaching people about health and agriculture, Abdul-Salaam offers traveling excursions for students, individuals, and families. The travel experience provides a new perspective on farming and exposes how other countries use their land to produce food. "We want to see cohorts of students that can learn different aspects of health, innovation, and agriculture," said Abdul-Salaam. "While also giving them opportunities to travel and see what they can do to help advance society and what they can learn from the societies and communities that they visit."
Core2Globe continues on a successful path due to its staff's outstanding leadership, including the administration of Chief Operating Officer Joseph McNeal, who plays a vital role in its success.
The innovation-based organization is looking forward to offering additional programming to uplift underserved communities throughout Georgia and beyond.
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"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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