AT LFLA - Lift For Life Academy

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ACADEMYNEWS
L F L A
S E M E S T E R
M A G A Z I N E
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis’
Community Footprints Program
at LFLA
OUR MISSION In This Issue
Lift For Life Academy is a challenging
learning community where all students are
empowered to maximize their full potential as
students and citizens.
ALUMNA PROFILE: Ciara Byrd
SOMALI SOCCER STAR: Saadiq Mohammed
INSPIRING INTELLECTUALS: NHS Induction
CULTIVATING CULTURE: Chinese Program
ROAD TO SUCCESS: Diver’s Ed
KIDS HELPING KIDS
and much more...
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™
the value of recycling and helped create a sturdy bench for the whole
LFLA community to enjoy!
Lift For Life Academy
is Putting on the Ritz
On May 1, 2016, the students of Lift For Life Academy will
make their return to the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis for the 6th Annual
Celebrating Success Fashion Show with co-chairs Dorte Probstein
& Mary Ann Srenco. Last year, 500 guests attended the show to
support the students in LFLA’s fashion design program as they
showed off their designs on the runway. This year will feature even
more exquisite designs created by the minds and hands of our
innovative students.
the fashion world. One such student is LFLA senior, Katie Pichon.
While Katie has been able to kick-start her budding fashion career
by showing her designs at LFLA’s Celebrating Success Fashion
Show for the past two years, she has also taken her own strides
to leave an impact in the St. Louis fashion community. She has
modeled with the local organization, Sisters of Hope, and had her
design selected to be shown in the Lindenwood University Spring
Fashion Show.
While some young designers will be making their debut on the
runway, other students are becoming seasoned professionals in
“I’m also working on a design for a woman I met through the Sisters
of Hope program,” said Katie. “She’s going to a relative’s wedding
and wants me to design her dress for the event.
I’m lucky to have Ms. Alexis’ insight and input
while I’m getting started with these projects.
Hearing about her success in the community,
it really encourages me to do what she’s doing.”
Katie is referring to one of Lift For Life
Academy’s fashion design teachers, Ms. Alexis
Cook. Ms. Cook’s designs have been featured
in Gazelle STL and St. Louis Fashion Week,
and she has had winning designs in local
competitive fashion shows like the Garbage
Bag Gala and Pins And Needles Fashion
Show. Despite her individual success,
Ms. Cook believes that it is important to
continue passing her knowledge and love of
fashion on to a younger generation of students.
“I don’t think a lot of students know how
to pursue fashion design,” said Ms. Cook,
“because they don’t have the classes and
resources to learn about it at an early age.
But here at LFLA, they have those resources.
It helps the students get ahead of the game
if they really want to pursue design.”
However, Ms. Cook thinks that Katie has much
more than just good resources and strong
support. She also has a lot of talent.
Ms. Alexis Cook shows off her collection at the 2015 Pins and Needles Fashion Show
2 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
LFLA students will also be visiting the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis on March
31, 2016. On this trip, they will not only get a tour of the luxury hotel
and have a gourmet lunch, but they will also sit in on seminars and
shadow professionals working at the Ritz to learn more about different
career opportunities in the hospitality industry.
Lift For Life Acadcemy is
extremely grateful to the RitzCarlton, St. Louis for helping
provide amazing opportunities
for our students to get excited
about pursuing new careers
and helping their community.
“She’s definitely strong in sewing and construction,
” said Ms. Cook, “and she’s also very good at drawing.
A lot of designers might be very good at one element of design
work and then need a lot of help with another facet, but Katie
is very competent all across the board. She’s very motivated
and focused. She’s humble and enjoys the work.”
Sunday,
May 1, 2016
Noon
Fashion Designer
Katie Pichon
The Ritz-Carlton
100 Carondelet Plaza,
Clayton, MO
While Katie is enjoying the recognition she’s already gaining for her
work, she has plans to continue sharpening her skills by studying
fashion design at either Lindenwood University or Clark Atlanta
University after graduating this coming May. She hopes to become
even more proficient in design management so that she can open her
own store one day. By sharing her clothing with the community around
her, Katie hopes to share a message that has been important during
her journey at Lift For Life Academy.
“I like my clothes to help people realize that they should be confident
in their own skin and to love what they do,” said Katie. “When I started
at Lift For Life, my personality could be described as a gray color,
because I was shy and just wanted to blend in. But now, six years
later, I see myself as having a neon blue personality. I’m still calm
and laid-back, but I’m also more comfortable in my skin and confident
in who I am. I like that better because I love bright, bold colors.”
Community Footprints Program
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis has chosen to support Lift For Life
Academy as their charity because they strongly believe in our mission
to educate students. In the fall semester of 2015, LFLA students did
a recycling service project in collaboration with the Ritz-Carlton. LFLA
students and staff collected plastic lids for several months along with
the Ritz-Carlton staff, and then, the Ritz sent the lids to Indiana to
have a beautiful bench constructed for the LFLA campus. (shown on
front cover) Thanks to our combined efforts, our students learned
For tickets to this year’s fashion show,
contact Amber Johansen at
[email protected] or 314-504-2337
Sponsors Include: Edgewell Personal Care, Mary Strauss,
Mary Ann Srenco, American Eagle Credit Union,
Dorte Probstein, Moxi Enterprises, St. Louis Fashion Fund,
Webster University, BMO Harris Bank, Susie Philpot, Glik’s,
Soft Surroundings, Cheree Berry Paper, Alive Magazine,
Marvel Printing, and Evntiv
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 3
FROM SOMALIA
TO ST. LOUIS – LFLA
SOCCER PLAYING
STUDENT IS SET FOR
A BRIGHT FUTURE
In December 2015, at the age of 19,
Saadiq Mohammed graduated from
Lift For Life Academy High School,
but to get to that point he has
navigated challenges most will
never see in a lifetime.
Saadiq’s story is one of conflict and triumph, challenge and opportunity, struggle and hard work. While reading the following words that
Saadiq has shared here, it is easy to see that the characteristic which carries the most weight throughout is perseverance.
“I am from Somalia, but lived in Kenya for most of my life. My family fled Somalia in the early 90’s when the war broke out, so I grew up in
Kenya. My brothers and sisters are all over the world, and my mother moved back to Somalia in 2013. I’m the youngest in my family. My
brother is in London, my sister is back in Somalia with my mother, and my other brother had a big challenge for a year to move to Europe,
but has finally settled in Malta.”
One might see this familial separation as enough to stop a young man in his tracks, but not Saadiq. “Being away from family isn’t really
easy, but I try to focus on other things, like studying and working out. Mentally, I definitely get homesick, but I just know deep down that I
can’t go back without being in danger. I just can’t.”
The threat of danger has been very real in Saadiq’s life. He had the added uniqueness of being a soccer player, and not just an average
one at that. “I was 15 and playing for the Somalian national team. I was famous. Somalia is a Muslim country with an extremist group, and
they would target big names like me. They didn’t want to give a good name to the country, so I was a threat to them. Young people, people
my age, are typically the ones who are targeted by these terrorist groups. I’ve had a lot of friends who died at the hands of these groups. It’s
really tough. It’s really hard.”
It is hard to imagine a life where one’s very existence hangs in the balance of finding safety while trying
to accomplish things that many people take for granted. Saadiq didn’t have to imagine this. He lived it.
Although Islam is a religion of peace and acceptance, hatred followed Saadiq. “My last name is
Mohammed. I can’t hide the fact that I’m Muslim. It really hurts when people associate me with these
extremist groups because they have already caused so much trouble in my life.”
Through all of this, Saadiq has been focused on two things: soccer, and even more so, his education.
Saadiq came to America and spent a year travelling the US with FC Dallas Development Academy
Soccer Team. He was able to try out at a university in Miami, Florida. But first, he wanted to finish a
high school education. This is where a big part of his story changed, when he found LFLA.
“It was hard finding a school when I first got here, but Life For Life Academy welcomed me and made
it easy to continue my education and get the credits I needed. I really love this school. It is the best
school I’ve ever been in. The teachers, students, and everyone else- everyone has been so nice and
welcoming. After the weekend, I’m so ready to get back into class. I’m not really that person who talks
to everyone. I just kind of come to school, do my work, ask questions, and communicate with the
teachers and administrators. And I’m allowed to be myself.”
Lift For Life Academy was not only a welcoming environment for Saadiq, but his education was made
a priority— just like it is for every other student. “When I came to LFLA, my writing was awful. I could
barely write at all. After the first week, I was considering giving up because it seemed impossible.
English isn’t my first language it’s not even my second or third language. That makes writing very
difficult. But LFLA has helped me so much. I had never written more than a paragraph before coming
here, and now I’ve written a paper that was over six pages long. I’ve been working nonstop. I can’t even
believe what LFLA has helped me achieve.”
Life has changed a lot for Saadiq since he has been at Lift For Life Academy, but his struggles are not
over. “I haven’t seen my family in years and it’s very difficult to stay in touch because of our schedules
and the time difference. It’s hard, but I’m staying focused and making school my first priority.”
Still, Saadiq’s outlook on life and his openness to the new things around him are overwhelmingly
admirable. “I see the world differently than any of the students here. We’ve all been through a lot of
different experiences. I’ve been teaching them about my perspective and learning about theirs.”
Saadiq came to Lift For Life Academy to gain knowledge, but it is clear that he has so much to teach us
all. “I’m a person who likes to help people, and I want to make sure that other people don’t have to go
through the experiences that I had. I want to get an education and help other people around me. I don’t
know how I will do that yet, but whatever I do, it needs to involve helping others and being kind. I want
to make sure other kids don’t have to face some of the issues that I had alone.”
As for the other passion in Saadiq’s life? It is still going strong. He has tried out for colleges who want
him to play soccer on their teams. He will continue to maintain balance in two areas of life that mean so
much to him. “I definitely want to keep playing soccer, but my main goal when I came over here was to
change myself by getting an education.”
Lift For Life Academy is proud to have contributed to Saadiq’s ongoing education. He has left a mark
on this school that will not soon be erased. It’s safe to say that Saadiq feels the same way about LFLA.
“I will miss this school for the rest of my life. I’ve only been here for a couple of months, but with the
relationships that I’ve formed, it seems like I’ve known the people here for years. It feels like home.”
Moving away from Somalia and going back to Kenya did not put an end to the threat of violence from these terrorists. “Even when I went
back to Kenya I wasn’t safe, because they were sending people into the country to assassinate people like me. They didn’t want positive
examples coming out of Somalia and they wanted to get rid of our positive reputation, since we were in school and playing sports.”
4 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 5
Lift For Life Academy
1731 S. Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63104-4050
(314) 231-2337
[email protected]
liftforlifeacademy.org
LIFT FOR LIFE ACADEMY
2015 BOARD of DIRECTORS
Scott R. Dolan, President
Senior Vice President
U.S. Bank
Tami Fernandez, Vice President
Community Volunteer
Gina Wischmeyer, Secretary
Community Volunteer
Timothy R. Conway, Treasurer
Senior Vice President
Commerce Bank
John P. Burke, Ph.D., Immediate Past President
Sociologist
Laura Kathleen Baker
Fashion Designer
Jeff Bensky, Ph. D.,
President
JMB Associates
Sanford J. Boxerman
Shareholder
Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, P.C.
David J. Carroll
Chief Program Officer
Neighborhood Houses
Kate Hatfield
Principal
Hatfield Consulting, LLC
Brian Liberman
Vice President, Commercial Lending
Central Bank
Mary Jo Liberstein, Ph. D.
Community Volunteer
Retired Clayton School District
Assistant Superintendent
Debbie Champion Snyder
Founding Partner
Rynearson Suess Schnurbusch & Champion
Marshall Cohen
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Dr. Katrice Noble
Deputy Director
Honorary Board Members
Carla Scissors-Cohen
Marshall Faulk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Academy News Magazine, 2016 - No. 1
is produced by the Development Department
of Lift For Life Academy. Contributors:
Jennifer Bush, Marshall Cohen, Amber Johansen,
Susan Kelter, Kevin Kickham, Sara Levin
AlumniProfile
Ciara currently spends her days as a student at
Maryville University, pursuing a career in Sports
Management. She also works at The William L.
Clay Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting
Education Center (ECC) at Harris Stowe University.
She credits her roots at LFLA for giving her the
desire to study hard.
“As a former basketball player for Lift For Life,
I feel like I had a great experience being part of
the team and looking up to Coach Palmer. She is
the person who made me want to be a basketball
coach in the future,” said Ciara. Chandra Palmer
is not only the Dean of Students at Lift For Life high
school, she also puts an incredible amount of effort
and heart into coaching the girls basketball team.
She understands the importance of instilling
the values of teamwork and commitment both
on and off the court.
Ciara Byrd – Class of ‘14
Ask anyone who has walked through the doors of
Lift For Life Academy more than once, and they say
that it feels like a “family.” Students and staff remark
that the Academy’s culture is one of support,
warmth, and a call to succeed.
And what is one of the greatest parts about a
tightly-knit family? Knowing that someone will
always be there for you throughout your life.
Lift For Life Academy 2014 graduate Ciara Byrd
has experienced this firsthand. Her connection to
the Academy did change the day that she walked
across the stage to receive her diploma.
She is still a part of the family.
Ciara sees this example of commitment. She is
a volunteer assistant for the girls’ basketball team.
She not only comes back to LFLA to help the team
grow and develop their skills, she gets the chance
to grow. “Even now that I’m no longer a student
here, Coach Palmer is still my mentor. She is
teaching me how to be a leader.”
Ciara is a successful LFLA graduate who is moving
forward with her goals and aspirations and she
knows she always has a home at Lift For Life
Academy. Once you become part of the LFLA
family, you are family forever.
6 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
New Inductees into the National Honor Society
During the induction ceremony on February 23, 2016, in the company of family, friends and Academy staff, Lift For Life
Academy proudly inducted new members into the National Honor Society. More than just an honor roll, the National
Honor Society serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership,
service, and character.
In order to be inducted into the National Honor Society for High School, a student must have a 3.5 cumulative grade
point average, and have been selected by a committee of faculty based on leadership, scholarship, character and service
to others.
The new National Honor Society High School inductees for 12th grade are Evan Collier, Davaughn Grandberry,
Kimmarrah Phillips, Ayanna Scales and Nikkole Sykes. The 11th Grade Inductees are Felesha Clarke, Karlos
Coleman, Mya Harris-Neal, Markell Lomax and Iyzebel Yisrael. Our High School current National Honor Society
members are Terriana Glass, LeAsia Harrington and Genesis Tafari.
That same evening Lift For Life Academy’s Middle School National Junior Honor Society inducted five new members.
The new National Junior Honor Society inductees for 8th grade are Renee Hall, Kaitlyn Lane and Jordan Noble.
The 7th Grade Inductees are Shamia Banks and Kameron Harris.
In order to be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, a student must have a 3.2 cumulative grade point average,
and have been selected by a committee of faculty based on leadership, scholarship, character and service to others.
We are extraordinarily proud of these exceptional students and congratulate them on achieving this national recognition.
Fall Blessings
This fall our neighbors from
St. Vincent DePaul Church held
a collection drive of school supplies
for our teachers and students.
The teachers were elated as
they worked their way down buffet
tables of binders, pencils, pens,
crayons, glue sticks, scissors
and much more. Our students
had the supplies they needed
because of this thoughtful gesture!
Again the Parishioners’ from
St. Vincent DePaul Church reached
out to 77 of our families so that
they could enjoy their Christmas
holidays. The church served our families by providing presents for each
child in every household, eight to ten bags of groceries and one gift that
was for the household. We are so thankful for St. Vincent DePauls’
generous contributions and friendship. We are so fortunate that they
are invested in helping our students and their families!
Lenscrafters donates
to LFLA students
In December, 56 Lift For Life Academy students were invited to the
LensCrafters facility in Chesterfield, Missouri, to participate in their OneSight
program. These students were chosen based on their possible need for eye
care. All the students received a complete eye exam, led by Dr. Thomas
Cunningham, and everyone who needed prescription glasses received
them at absolutely no cost. Not only did the children receive a much-needed
service, they were able to chose their own frames. Students said they were
made to feel comfortable through every step of the process.
All of the professional eye technicians volunteered their personal time to
improve the lives and vision of our students. The volunteers from OneSight
and Cunningham Vision Care at LensCrafters also visited LFLA later on two
separate occasions to check that all glasses were functioning correctly, and to
make necessary adjustments.
This was such an amazing gift for our students who were in need
of eye care. When children can see clearly in the classroom,
they perform better academically. Not only were these students
given an enormous boost in their ability to learn, their overall quality of life has
improved. We are so thankful to all involved for this amazing contribution.
TRENDING NOW: Don’t miss LFLA’s future plans and events! We invite you to “Like” us on Facebook and share us
with your friends at Facebook.com/liftforlifeacademy.
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 7
Lift For Life Academy Donors | Volunteers |
Individual Donors
$10,000+
Anonymous, a fund of the Greater
St. Louis Community Foundation
Scott and Carolyn Dolan
Milfrod and Nancy Peabody
Gloria and Sanford Spitzer
$5,000-9,999
Henry Bangert and Joan Lovelace
Frank and Kathleen Danzo
Paul and Carol Hatfield
Kenneth and Pam Lester
$1,000-4,999
Bart and Meghan Baumstark
Robert and Denise Bogard
Dennis Cope
Alyn and Marilyn* Essman
Bonnie Filandrinos
Steve and Kimberly Goldenberg
Richard and Lynn Hill
Nancy Kalishman
Frank Jacobs and Marylen Mann
Donald D. Roberts
John and Elizabeth Samet
Bruce and Pamela Schneider
David and Sharon Shearman
Diane Seeger-Simpson
Scott Sinclair
Steve and Joanna Tschudy
Sam Weil
Gary and Diane Zenk
$500-999
Rob and Cathy Altholz
John Joseph Anthon
Maris Berg
Sandy and Cynthia Boxerman
Ellene Breinin
Helen O. Costello
Kellie Donahoe
Dennis and Patricia Dunphy
Dexter and Janel Evans
Christopher and Deborah Gaal
Karen and Craig Lundgren
Bonnie Mann
Dick Miles and Patricia Whitaker
Amanda L. Schoonmaker
Rich and Barbara Scissors
Marian Willoughby*
$100-499
Anonymous (2)
Susan and Korey Barnett
Cathy Beck
Leon* and Katie Felman
Renee and Andrew Bell
John and Glenna Breen
Richard and Peggy Burton
Jennifer Bush
Debbie Champion Snyder and Jeff Snyder
Harvey and Barb Citerman
Brian and Elissa Clair
June Cohen
Randall and Linda Comfort
David and Jean Cowell
Harold and Renee Denlow
Kathleen and Tom Dewoskin
Bob and Louise Dubinsky
Jill and Matthew Edwards
Jim and Tami Fernandez
Lois Frank
Don and Ann Franke
Bobby and Becky Goldberg
Lester Goldman
Karen Goodman
S. Michal Grace and Walter Carr
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Guller
Judith Harmon
Debra M Burtis Harris
Jacques Herzog
Judith Hodge and Henery Frechette
Butch and Vicky Hofstein
Rick and Lotsie Holton
Charley and Karen Hurst
Ted and Judith Isaacs
Amber and Keith Johansen
Robert and Marianne Karsh
Ira and Barbara Kodner
Stanley and Susan Kottler
Joseph and Lucinda Krutzsch
L.J. Laskey
Sally Klein LeBlanc
Harry and Gail LeMay
David and Janet LeMay
Brian and Annie Liberman
Mary Jo and Jerry Liberstein
Anthony Malench and Steve Wilson
Arthur and Elaine Margulis
Daniel and Christine Mattson
Mary M. McCabe
Charles and Dorene McKenna
Katrice and Sean Noble
Ron and Jerrilee Oldani
Craig and Shelley Parker
Andrew and Miriam Pultman
Chase Pultman
Dianne Rankin
Lisa Ring and Greg Storch
Meg Robertie
Pete and Cecilia Sepp
Eli Shuter
Dorothy Stein
Arnold and Dotty Pressman-Tepper
Chad and Katie Tuttle
Bob and Barb Wanzel
Sanford and Ellen Weiss
Steve and Linda Wielansky
Linda and Donald Yatkeman
Up to $100
Ben and Radine Borowsky
Catherine and Jay T. Boulanger
Denise and Eric Burch
Kit Carter
Delaine Charlton
Allison Beth Cohen
Shirley Cohen
Marshall Cohen and Carla Scissors-Cohen
Adam Dent
Julie Derby
Roberta Feinstein
Kathy J. Fitzgerald
Don and Sally Friedman
Laurie Garland and Michael Weisman
Jennifer and Richard Gemberling
Ron Glazer
Eleanor Glick
Phyllis Goldberg
Lynn Hamilton
Cris and Heidi Hehner
Arnold and Myrna Hershman
Susan Kelter
Jane Krasnoff
Marsha Kunin
Sanford and Hadassah Lebman
(July 1- December 31, 2015)
Elaine Lending
Robert and Christina Mann
Linda and Virgil Mantle
John and Barbara McNamara
Ronald and Paula Meyer
Geoffrey and Marilyn Morrison
Harold and Shirley Mosinger
Anne Nixon
Christy and Bob Pratzel
Beth and Dennis Rath
Jay Reiter
Kathryn and John Roshone
Paul and Suzanne Schoomer
Lisa Schwartz
Frank Snyder
Mark and Nancy Sophir
Evelyn Tischler
Elizabeth and Craig Wagner
Jack and Ellie Waldron
Steve and Nancy Weinreich
Bruce and Ellen White
Alan and Susan Witte
Daniel and Carol Miller Wofsey
Nancy Wunderlich
Holly Yoakum
Ivo and Zitka Zvolanek
Foundation & Corporate
Donors
$25,000+
Lee H. Cruse Trust
The Dana Brown Charitable Trust
$10,000-24,999
Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation
Kuhn Foundation
Edgewell Personal Care
Express Scripts Foundation
Florence Heiman Charitable Foundation
Guth Foundation Charitable Trust
Mildred, Herbert and Julian Simon Foundation
Saigh Foundation
Tromblee Foundation
$5,000-9,999
Anonymous Foundation
Green Family Foundation
Intercon Chemical
John Allan Love Charitable Foundation
Melvin and Adele Roman Foundation
Wischmeyer Family Charitable Trust
$1,000-4,999
Anonymous Charitable Trust
Sigmond and Marie P. Baer Charitable Trust
Clemence S. Lieber Foundation, Inc.
Clifford Willard Gaylord Foundation
Bernstein Family Foundation
Staenberg Family Foundation
Central Bank
Gallop Family Foundation
Gess Donor Fund - Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, Inc.
JMB Associates
Sidener Foundation
U.S. Bank Foundation
Villa Lighting
Wolff & Taylor P.C.
Up tp $1,000
Community School
Gap Foundation
Hochschild, Bloom & Co LLP
Kiwanis Club Hampton-Midtown
Missouri Bar
Optimist Club of Clayton
The Sant Foundation
The Will Flores Fund
U.S. Bank Foundation Employee Matching Gift Program
Waldinger Corporation / St. Louis Air
Webster University
Wells Fargo Matching Gifts Program
In-Kind Donations
Individuals
Henry J. Bangert
Chabi Bayoc
Craig and Jan Boring
Dr. Stefan Bradley
Robert Brown, Jr.
Samuel and Flora Brown
Bill and Cyndy Caldwell
Mark Carroll
Julie Derby
Barb Desenberg
Michael and Debra Finkel
Barry and Susan Goldenberg
George Hames
Kate and David Hatfield
Susan Kelter
Gary and Susan Kopp
Lane Lohr
Dave and Lynn Morris
Bill and Ruth Oran
Chase Pultman
Margaret Robertie
Craig Sanvig
David and Randi Schenberg
David and Sharon Shearman
Leslie Sutton
Steve and Linda Wielansky
Gina and Bill Wischmeyer
Gary and Diane Zenk
Armose Zudmmon
Corporations and Community
Organizations
American Lung Association
American Postal Workers Union
Art Mart
BJC School Outreach and Youth Development
Booksource, The
Burton Stroube Studios
Community School
Emmis Radio-St. Louis
KUTO
LensCrafters
Minds Eye Information Service
Patch Neighborhood Center
Places For People
Preferred Family Healthcare
Salvation Army
Sense Corp
Slice Inc.
Soccer Master
St. Vincent dePaul Parish
The Crescent Condominium
The Ritz Carlton St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis Campus
YMCA
You Gotta Eat Here/Andre Williams
* deceased
8 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
Lift For Life Academy Donors | Volunteers |
Honorariums
In Honor of Allison Owens
Chad and Katie Tuttle
In Honor of Bob Goldberg’s speedy recovery
Eleanor Glick
In Honor of Dr. Brenda Melson
Jay and Catherine Boulanger
In Honor of Dr. Richard R. Eaton
Jay and Catherine Boulanger
In Honor of Jim and Alison Owens
Kellie Donahoe and John Owens
In Honor of Jim and Evie Shucart
Marilyn and Geoffrey Morrison
In Honor of Jim and Margie Peniston
Elizabeth and Craig Wagner
In Honor of Jody Sanders
June Cohen
In Honor of Justin Goldenberg’s Bar Mitzvah
Steve and Kim Goldenberg
In Honor of Gina Wischmeyer
L.J. Lasky
In Honor of Ron Goldman’s Birthday
June Cohen
In Honor of Shelley and Ron Goldman’s
Special Wedding Anniversary
June Cohen
In Honor of Shelley Goldman
June Cohen
In Honor of Shirley Cohen
June Cohen
In Honor of Talbot Sant, Jr.
The Sant Foundation/John Sant
In Honor of Tami Fernandez
Beth and Dennis Rath
Jacques and Nancy Herzog
Harvey and Barb Citerman
In Honor of William A Heyde
Jay and Catherine Boulanger
Memorials
In Memory of David and Sandy Becker’s
daughter
Christy and Bob Pratzel
In Honor of Henry “Hank” Kauffman
Jay and Catherine Boulanger
In Memory of Elaine Glassman
Evelyn Tischler
Susan Kelter
In Honor of Laura Lee Scissors
Marsha Kunin
In Memory of Esther Goldstein
June Cohen
In Honor of Laura Stanley Goldstein
June Cohen
In Memory of Jeff Tillman
Julie Derby
In Honor of Mrs. Leni Goldstein
June Cohen
In Honor of Lori Stewart and Britt Sowle’s
Wedding
Jack Waldron and Ellie Wester
In Memory of John Mann
Christopher and Deborah Gaal
Stanley and Susan Kottler
Ellen and Sanford Weiss
Nancy Kalishman
Drs. Lisa Ring and Gregory Stroch
In Honor of Michal Grace’s professionalism
Harvey and Barb Citerman
In Memory of Judy Goldman
Lester Goldman
In Honor of Marylen Mann
Charles and Dorene McKenna
Jane D. Bryan
Lee Glaser
Lynn Hamilton
Mary Lou Hess
Virginia McCann
Carol Spann
Barbara Wells
Joan Wendt
In Memory of Kate Hatfield’s Aunt Marian
Paul and Carol Hatfield
In Honor of Marylen Mann and Frank Jacobs
Robert and Christina Mann
In Honor of Marla Cohen, for good health
June Cohen
In Honor of Marshall Cohen
June Cohen
In Honor of Paula Goodman
June Cohen
In Memory of Leon Felman
Tami and Jim Fernandez
In Memory of Mort Goldman
June Cohen
In Memory of Nancy Kraemer’s Mother
Tami and Jim Fernandez
In Memory of Reni Shuter
Dr. Eli Shuter
In Memory of Robert Nathan Kohn
Laurie Garland and Michael Weisman
Ron Glazer
In Memory of Stanley Hollander
Don and Sally Friedman
Susan Kelter
(July 1- December 31, 2015)
Volunteers
Joseph Agnew
Jane Baker
Henry Bangert
Bill Barenholtz
Barbara Barenholtz
Susan Barrett
Breana Beck
Cathy Beck
Emily Blevins
Denise Bogard
Michelle Brinkman
Mark Carroll
Marina Chavez
Barbara Citerman
Harvey Citerman
Charles Conway
Dennis Cope
Renee Crosswhite
Robert Deppe
Deborah Deppe
Aiden Evans
Laurie Finkenkeller
Rita Freed
Merle Freed
Bianca Gavaller
Stephen Giegerich
Jan Goldstein
Robert Goldwasser
Marilyn Goldwasser
Andie Goodwin
James Hacking
Cissy Hacking
George Hames Jr.
Stephanie Hollis
DeQuincy Howard
Ryan Hurston
Earl Jackson
Spencer Jones
Maggie Kickham
Elizabeth Kiddoo
Barbara Kohm
Marilyn Lipman
Kerry Lyman
Bonnie Mann
Marylen Mann
Phyllis Markus
Misha Marshall
Ellie Martin
Brittanie McMullen
Dalton Nonweiler
Jeanette Oesterly
Eric Ottenlips
Roxann Parker
Kelly Peck
Diane Perry
Carolyn Petite
Kathryn Pierce
Dorte Probstein
Dorte Probstein
Jeannine Roberts
Beth Roberts
John Samet
Craig Sandvig
TalSant
Joseph Scherer
Katie Schlafly
Lisa Schlesinger
Kathy Sehnert
Jeannine Seitz
Angela Serwin
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 9
Susan Sherman
Ellen Soule
Mary Ann Srenco
Kyle Strobel
Peter Switzer
Jeremias Szust
Carl Toler
Roderick Vaughn
Scott Vogel
Jack Waldron
Steve Wang
Alex Wang
David Welkener
Wayne Winters I
Wayne Winters II
Ross Wolff
John Zimmerman
Armose Zudmmon
Please forgive us for any misspellings
or omissions.
Contact LFLA Development Department
314.588.0007 so we may correct the
error.
* deceased
Bringing Music to Life
Thanks to the tremendous generosity of the Arthur and Helen Baer Foundation and the support of Sally and Ken Goldman, Lift For Life Academy
is able to commence the BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE program, based on the successful, well-received, pilot program conducted during the summer
of 2015. The program offers Academy Middle Schoolers the opportunity to experience and learn music.
BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE will help broaden the spectrum of opportunities that we offer to our students, increasing the likelihood that students will find
a niche for their interests in an educational setting. Music provides a powerful means of engaging students in learning and improving their achievement.
Music enables students to learn about themselves, other people, and humanity in general.
Educator Ms. Eboni Wilson has joined the LFLA staff as our new music teacher. Although each class needs to be started with a foundation of new
musical knowledge, Ms. Wilson looks to expand the music program by developing a concert band, a marching band, a concert choir, and a show choir.
Sixth grade student Keaun Lewis already knows what his passion is. He is one of the few students who has experience playing a musical instrument,
and he is not shy about his love for the trumpet. “Not many people play the trumpet any more, but it is a fantastic instrument and has a huge history
of people playing it,” said Keaun.
It is easy to see the thrill in Keaun’s face as he talks about music. Ms. Wilson knows this is something that will positively affect his overall education.
“Learning music helps students do well in other classes. Music uses all portions of our brains and helps us with communication. It teaches discipline,
dedication, commitment and organizational skills. Music also increases self-esteem and helps motivate students in all areas of their academics,”
said Ms. Wilson.
The new music program is a big step in the ability to add to the development of LFLA students, and its importance is not lost on those now getting
the opportunity to learn. Keaun already sees the bigger picture. “Growing up, being able to play music helps me connect with other people, and it
really helps me express myself. Music will always be a big part of my life.”
By developing an avenue to positive self-expression through music, we can ignite a passion within of our students. The Arthur & Helen Baer
Charitable Foundation’s support will end the sounds of silence at Lift For Life Academy and bring music back to our students.
Other generous sponsors to the BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE program include Helen Costello, Crown Packaging Corp., Craig & Shelley Parker,
US Band & Orchestra Supplies, and Hurley & Hurley Inc.
Lift For Life Academy
welcomes donations of gently
used, functional musical
instruments. Please contact
Marshall Cohen, mcohen@
liftforlifeacademy.org.
Cultivating Cultural Curiosity:
Chinese Classes at LFLA
Lift For Life Academy is unique in that it offers the only Chinese program
at a St. Louis city charter school. While our Chinese teacher, Mr. Yang
Ai, sees his class as a way to expose LFLA students to a language and
culture that can open career opportunities in international business, he
also sees a more immediate benefit as they are graduating high school.
“[This class] opens up more educational opportunities for the students,
like going to study in China,” said Mr. Ai. “Even the best colleges in China
are much more affordable than schools here, and they would offer many
scholarships to American students. Studying Chinese can really change
a student’s life.”
Mr. Ai has gained this perspective on global education from his
background growing up and starting his career in Wuhan, a city in
central China. After receiving his bachelor’s degree and master’s
degree in education, Mr. Ai taught high school in China for four years
before he was compelled to take the next step in his career. Two years
ago, he began pursuing his doctorate in counseling at the University
of Missouri, St. Louis. Mr. Ai thinks that this program pairs well with his
teaching position at LFLA, as he is able to understand and overcome
some of the factors that impair our students’ education.
“My teaching philosophy is that interest in the subject is the most important
thing,” said Mr. Ai. “Once you are interested, you are continually pushed to
learn more. Also, I remind students that failure is the mother of success.
When I first came to America, I was very nervous to speak English
because I was afraid I would mess up and embarrass myself. Speaking
Chinese takes students out of their comfort zone and helps them find
confidence in situations that they are not used to. Not only does this teach
adaptability, but also respect for different cultures and lifestyles.”
With many of our students graduating and going off to college,
Mr. Ai thinks that the ability to understand how to interact with and respect
other cultures will come in handy when LFLA students become part of
diverse student populations on a college campus. For this reason,
Mr. Ai fills his class with cultural experiences, like learning the tradition
of origami and going off-campus to eat Chinese food and giving students
the chance to speak Chinese with other people in public.
Lift For Life Academy is certainly seeing successful results from
the Chinese program. Not only do students exhibit improved memory
capabilities and literacy scores, but our young scholars have really
become excited about the language and culture.
it became
a lot easier. When I’m eating
dinner with my mom, we’ll ask each other little
questions in Chinese like how our day was or what our favorite color is.
She’s learning, too, and every day, she’s excited to learn new words
that we talked about in class. I’m her teacher, and that helps me
understand the language even better.”
Not only are students becoming engaged in class, but they’re also
discovering positive social results from their engagement in the class.
“We’re not just learning the words in Chinese class,” said LFLA
sophomore, Victoria Moore. “We’re also learning the culture and the
story behind the characters. Like, the word for ‘river’ just started as a
picture of a river, but over time, it evolved and changed, and now it’s
something completely different. It reminds me of how I transformed.
When I first came here, I couldn’t focus and I didn’t care about doing
well. But now, I always try my best because I’ve learned how to look at
situations from other people’s perspective. Other people care about me
doing well, and other people can benefit from the stuff I learn. So that’s
my drive. I’m still the same reserved person I’ve always been, but now
I care about making a difference.”
With students not only understanding and learning about different cultures,
but also growing into a better understanding of themselves through the
classroom environment, Mr. Ai has been happy to apply lessons learned
from his backgrounds in both education and counseling. Ultimately, he
says that the environment makes these student successes possible.
“Family,” said Mr. Ai, “is where there is love, trust and reliability.
Lift For Life Academy has all three of these and more.”
“At first glance, Chinese seemed like a hard language to learn,” said LFLA
freshman, Steve Hall. “But once I started speaking it at home with my
family,
10 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 11
Kids Helping Kids
Community School in Ladue has a summer program
that teaches a Fundamentals class to 5th & 6th
graders, teaching the students about community
service. The students have an opportunity to learn how
meaningful it is to give back to the community. Teacher
Karen Larson learned about the mission of LFLA
from Eve Lerner Rudoph, Director of After School
& Summer Programs/Admission Associate. Karen
brought the kids to our campus on a bus borrowed
from the John Burroughs School and the students
toured LFLA. Then the students created handmade
note cards that they sold to friends and family
members as a fundraiser. They also had a school
supply collection for our kids. Community School
received an “A+” for their efforts!
Again this year Parkway North Seniors came to LFLA
to volunteer in classrooms for the entire fall semester
of 2015. Our teaching staff and students were so
grateful for their assistance! Parkway student Bianca
Gavaller assisted our high school math students in
Alison Owens math classes. Ellie Martin worked
in the 6th grade mentoring students in Mrs. Wick’s
science classes. Bravo for a job well done!
Bianca Gavaller
Ellie Martin
Dr. Kathryn Mitchell Pierce is a full time professor
at Saint Louis University (SLU) in the Department
of Education. SLU offers two courses titled “World of
Practice,” and Children’s Literature class. Dr. Pierce
asked her students to work in collaboration with
Stephanie Blue, LFLA English Department Chair
and Librarian Shannon Steimel, Library Media
Specialist and Technology Committee Chair to begin
a collaborative program to assist our LFLA students.
LFLA welcomed SLU education students: Libby Kiddoo,
Emily Blevins, Michelle Brinkman and Breana
Chavez to our library and our classrooms to learn from
our students and teachers. Everyone benefited from their
experiences as our Collaboration was a grand success!
Dr. Pierce has promised to
send more college students
to us. Dr. Pierce also has
been giving inservice
trainings to our LFLA
teachers that have been
a wonderful experience
for our educators. Thank
you SLU for all you do
for our kids!
LFLA welcomed our first
Jesuit Volunteer, Angee
Serwin to campus in August
2015. Angee is from Chicago
and a graduate of Loyola
University where she
graduated with honors.
She also spent a year abroad
in Rome, Italy. Angee is the
Social Work assistant to Mrs. Jeanne Kriss our school
social worker. Angee’s office is located in our 6th grade
center where her beloved students have easy access to
her. She helped organize guest speakers for Red Ribbon
week, assisted our families by working with St. Vincent
DePaul to make our students’ Christmases bright. She
supports Mrs. Kriss by filling out mandatory paperwork
for organizations that bring free eye care and hearing
testing to LFLA. You name it, Angee does it and with
a smile on her face at all times. You cannot walk
through the halls without hearing a student calling out,
“Miss Angee, Miss Angee!”
12 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
Saint Louis University High School has done it
again! For two years now SLUH has chosen us as
a service learning project
for their Senior Class.
Every year in January the
gentlemen from SLUH
choose sites in the St. Louis
area to complete service
learning projects. Five
seniors chose LFLA. We
welcomed Aiden Evans,
Alex Wang and Scott
Vogel to our high school
math department where
they worked alongside our
students in various math
classes. They commented that it was cool our classes
were so small and that kids sat at tables getting 1:1
assistance, working at their own pace. Spencer
Johns volunteered in Ms. Kirstin Danzo’s biology
classes and Ms. Erin Downs’ 6th grade math classes.
Spencer enjoyed working with a student helping with
her science lessons. John Zimmerman helped 7th
grade Communication Arts teacher Tommy Devitt
with a special reading group for students that read
at an advanced level. Jack would prepare current
relevant information that tied into the reading for the
day and present information to the kids. Then the
students took turns reading aloud in the class. Jack
and the students would discuss how the reading tied
into our present day social issues. Our teachers
loved having these bright, patient and kind young men
helping them in their classrooms. The students have
returned to SLUH to complete their studies but they
left their hearts at LFLA!
For the past two years,
Chase Pultman has done
a school supply drive for
LFLA and donated his
own money to the school.
We are so grateful for his
thoughtful ongoing support!
Justin Goldenberg learned about Lift For Life Academy
and wanted to do some special things to help our
students. Justin did his Bar
Mitzvah Project for LFLA
and another local
organization. Justin and his
family got up at 6:30 on a
Sunday morning and headed
to our campus in July. Justin
brought his mother Kim,
father Steve, siblings Carlye
and Max as well as Cousin
Allison Worth with paint
brushes in hand and buckets
and buckets of paint. Justin
and his crew went to work
painting high school classrooms so they would look
refreshed for the 2015-2016 school year. The family
spent a better part of a day making our classrooms
look brighter. Then Justin donated his hard earned
bar mitzvah money to our school and we were able
to purchase school supplies, headsets for computers,
incentives to read, uniforms for sports teams, art
supplies for the entire middle school, reading books.
Justin also paid for some of the 7th graders that had
financial challenges to go on a field trip to the science
center to see the movie “Jerusalem”. Justin’s generosity
has touched the lives of our entire middle school and we
are forever grateful to him and the Goldenberg family!
The Campus Y has once
again lead the way in teaching
photography skills to our 8th
grade boys. Wash U. students
Andie Goodwin, Dalton
Nonweiler and Program
Leader, Kyle Strobel worked
with our students the entire fall
semester of 2015. Our students
were taken on a field trip to the
Bruton Strobe Studios to see
how professional photographers
photograph food and other items
in marketing magazines. The
students were mesmerized by
the abilities of the artists using
technology to retouch pictures, staging sets, observing
a food stylist make food look delectable as well as a
hand model being used for pictures. The students also
learned about careers in lighting and sales. Thank you to
Bruton Strobe Studios for welcoming our students and
showing them how professionals get the job done!
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 13
ROAD READY
AT LFLA
MENTORS AND MODELS
Lift for Life Academy’s commitment to educate, empower, and uplift its students does not end with graduation. To underscore
the importance of preparing for life after high school, LFLA has kicked off the second year of its Mentors and Models program.
All senior class students are paired with one or more teachers or staff members who will help lead them to graduation and beyond.
One of the most exciting events that can take place in the life of
a teenager is getting a driver’s license. Lift For Life Academy is
the only school in the city of St. Louis that offers a free Driver’s
Education class.
Deputy Director Dr. Katrice Noble is excited about what can be
accomplished. “Last year great things happened while we were
able to assist our senior students in preparation for post-secondary
endeavors. The purpose of being a mentor and model is to form a
relationship with students and to be a part of making sure that they
are ready for graduation both academically and socially,” said Noble.
Becoming a licensed driver and getting out on the road is a serious
and important process. Teacher Dave Shearman knows this well,
and takes each student through several steps to make sure they
are ready.
Lift For Life Academy senior Mark Harris appreciates the opportunity
to bond with and learn from his mentors. “The program can be
beneficial to everyone. My mentors keep me on track and make
sure I’m doing what I need to do. Mentors are people who I can go
to and talk about things that are going on in my life,” said Mark.
Through a generous grant from the Missouri Department
of Transportation, Lift For Life Academy’s Drivers Education
program includes two-phases that prepare new drivers for the
written and driving test in Missouri. Phase 1 includes classroom
instruction using the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education
Association (ADTSEA) online driver education curriculum-MOODLE. The program provides
students with the basic knowledge necessary to operate an automobile. The meanings
of traffics signs, regulations, and laws are covered in a classroom setting so that students
have a foundation of knowledge even before they get into the driver’s seat.
The mentors and models also understand that their role in this
program comes with a responsibility to push students to try new things,
to work to their best ability, and to grow. Challenging students leads
to celebrations of success.
Once students successfully complete this course, Mr. Shearman takes students to the
Department of Motor Vehicles, where they take a written test to obtain their learner’s permit.
After this point, it’s behind the wheel! In Phase 2, under the instruction of Mr. Shearman,
certified Driver Education Instructor and Past President – Missouri Driver Safety Education
Association (MODSEA), students receive a minimum of six hours of actual behind-thewheel driving. Students receive experience in city and highway driving and parking practice.
Senior students need practical guidance as they make their way
towards their post-graduate plans. Mentors assist with big picture
things such as preparing for college entrance exams, completing
college applications, and applying for scholarships. But students’
day-to-day obligations are not overlooked. Mentors check students’
attendance, grades, and progress in class. Mark Harris gets it.
He is grateful to know there are people who have his absolute
best interest at heart.
Once students conclude Mr. Shearman’s thorough on-road instructions, they are free to
complete the rest of the steps necessary for becoming licensed.
Senior Montez Mcmath reflected on how great this opportunity was for him. “Driver’s Ed
really helped me because it made me realize techniques of safe driving. It gave me the
confidence to get my license, because I knew I didn’t have to accomplish it on my own.”
He said, “With a mentor, I know that I’m not on my own.
There’s someone always there who will have my back.”
Montez Mcmath and Dave Shearman
Having a driver’s license opens doors to give students more opportunities. We recognize
that a driver’s license is a crucial element of securing meaningful employment. Equally important, LFLA’s Driver’s Education class teaches students
responsibility. The freedom that comes with having a license cannot happen without ensuring that each student knows that he or she is accountable
for making safe decisions.
Mark Harris with teacher and wrestling coach Robert “Pops” Howell
Dr. Noble sees the seniors’ final stretch of high school as a
way for LFLA staff members to solidify and make clear the hope
and potential that they see in each graduate. Dr. Noble affirmed,
“I see success and a unified coalition destined to make a difference
in the lives of our students.”
Montez is thankful for what this class has allowed him to do. He said, “I’ve not only learned to be a safe driver, but I know that my parents and the parents
of my friends feel much more comfortable knowing that we received our licenses through the help of Lift For Life Academy.”
Matching Gifts Programs Does your company have a matching gift program?
Go Paperless! Here’s another way to help Lift For Life Academy—sign up for the electronic version of our newsletter!
Contact your company’s human resources department and find out how LFLA can benefit from your contributions.
We will deliver the same great news directly to your inbox and the Academy will save on printing and mailing. Send your email address
to [email protected] to get your newsletters electronically.
14 | Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™ | 15
Lift For Life Academy | ACADEMY NEWS | 2016 | NUMBER 1
SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2016
6TH ANNUAL FASHION SHOW
Generously sponsored by
NOON @ THE RITZ-CARLTON, ST. LOUIS
Co-Chairs: Dorte Probstein and Mary Ann Srenco
Emcee: Ms. Ida Woolfolk
$125 ticket | $1,250 table for 10
To register online go to www.LiftForLifeAcademy.org
Complimentary Valet Parking
For more information about sponsorship or to purchase your tickets please contact
[email protected] or 314-504-2337
@liftforlifeacademy
@Lift4LifeAcad
liftforlifeacademy
LiftForLifeAcademy.org | Educate. Empower. Uplift.™
Phone: 314-231-2337
Email: [email protected]
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S Postage
PAID
St. Louis, MO
Permit No. 5700
Lift For Life Academy
1731 South Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri 63104-4050