UPCOMING EVENTS MAY / 2015

Page 3..…………………...…..………Spotlight on Youth
Page 4…………….…………..Take Our Youth to Work
Page 8…………………………….…..……Tech Education
MAY / 2015
William A. Bell, Sr., Mayor
Cedric D. Sparks, Sr., Executive Director
1608 7TH AVENUE N | BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203 | PH: (205) 320-0879 | FAX: (205) 297-8139 | www.bhamyouthfirst.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 16, 2015
May 16, 2015
COLLEGE FAIR
SMART ART YOUTH
ARTS FESTIVAL
10:00am 2:00pm
Willow Wood Recreation
Center
For more info:
(205) 591-1798
11:00am—3:00pm
May 16, 2015
May 15-31, 2015
May 20—24, 2015
DO DAH DAY
Red Mountain Theatre
Company presents
THE WIZ
DISNEY’S FROZEN ON
ICE
11:00am—5:00pm
Caldwell Park
Boutwell Auditorium
For more info:
(205) 320-0879
For more info:
www.dodahday.org
RMTC
7:00pm—9:00pm
BJCC
For more info:
(205) 324-2424
For more info:
(800) 745-3000
Srihari
Prahadeeswaran
Hoover High School
D1 Sports Training
Kendrick McKinney
Birmingham tuned in on
April 16th to watch the
2015 Kids & Jobs
Draft. With the help of
the City of Birmingham
Mayor’s Office Division of Youth
Services’ (DYS) staff and FOX6 six
participants competed to win paid
internships with companies looking
to hire Birmingham’s best and
brightest young people.
Selected from the top students
across the Birmingham Metropolitan
area, participants went through a
rigorous process to test their
A.H. Parker High School
Alabama Adventure
2015 Draft Participants
teamwork and professional skills.
After a series of interviews and
teamwork challenges, the top six
students were selected by area
companies:
Miaya Webster
Alabama School of Fine Arts
Dr. Tomeka Roberts, M.D.
Craig Taylor
Ramsay High School
ReVamp, LLC
Hannah Woods
Oak Grove High School
Smoke Law, LLC
Josselyn Cruz
G.W. Carver High School
Birmingham Athletic Partnership
(Continued on page 4)
charities.
01
American Youth
Literacy Foundation
Ongoing @ BPL Central
Library
After-school tutoring
Minimum Age: 14 yrs
Contact: http://youthlit.org
Do Dah Day grew out of
an idea in 1979 and has
raised
almost
$1.5
million since! The South’s craziest parade
kicks off at 11:01 a.m. on the streets of
Highland Avenue in Birmingham’s
Southside. Then, spend the day in
Caldwell and Rhodes Parks with friends,
pets, arts & crafts, kid’s activities, and a
lineup of great bands. Oh yes, we have
plenty of food and beverages, and
collectible Do Dah Day t-shirts.
All
proceeds
benefit
local

If you want a chance to
win a fabulous prize,
sign up to compete in
one of our PARADE
CATEGORIES:
 Best Float
 Best Team
 Largest Pet
 Best Movie-Themed
Pet or Pet/Human Group
 Best Dressed Pet
Best Pet/Owner Look-Alike
Parade at 11:01 a.m. The parade route
follows Highland Ave. westbound, past
Rushton & Rhodes parks and ends at
Caldwell Park. Festival in the Caldwell
and Rhodes Parks after the parade.
For more info: www.dodahday.org
animal
02
The United Community
Center
On-going
Volunteers are needed every
third Saturday to bag foods and
load packages in cars.
Contact: (205) 925-2944 or
www.uwca.org
03
YWCA of Central
Alabama
Monday—Friday (3:45pm—
5:45pm)
After-school enrichment program
to work with elementary &
middle school children on
homework, reading skills,
classroom projects and special
events.
Minimum Age: 19 yrs
Contact: (205) 322-9922 or
[email protected]
How can you expand your professional
network, enjoy special social events, and
support a worthy organization at the
same time? Join the Birmingham Public
Library's Young Professionals group!
The BPL YPs support the literary culture
of the Birmingham region and are
committed to making the library the
center of lifelong learning for the city. The
group hosts lectures, special collection
tours, and other social events; volunteer
time and skills; and work to increase
public awareness and access to the
Library’s resources.
Young Professional groups are a popular
way to broaden your skill and experience
in the business world while supporting a
worthy organization.
The BPL invites you to become member
of its YP team. Take advantage of its
leadership, volunteer, and networking
opportunities while helping to sustain the
largest
cultural
organization
in
Birmingham and Jefferson County.
The BPL YP's are a vital part of this
support organization, and the funds
raised by them will provide direct aid to
essential programs and materials.
For information on how to nominate
someone or apply, visit
www.bplonline.org/yp or call Brandon
Smith at 205-591-4944.
2015 WORD UP Poetry Winners
(from l to r): Miaya Webster, 1st Place; Whitney McWilliams, 2nd Place; and
Trinity Packer, 3rd Place
Sixteen young poets, representing high schools from
throughout Jefferson County, gave heartfelt performances
during the 2015 WORD UP!
WORD UP! is a poetry slam for high school students
enrolled in schools—or home schooled—in Jefferson
County. Sponsored by the Birmingham Public Library
(BPL) System and Real Life Poets (RLP), the event was
held on Saturday, April 11th at 3:00pm at the Birmingham
Public Library.
FREE and Open to the Public
DYS will host its 2nd Annual SMART
ARTS FESTIVAL, designed to expose
Birmingham youth to the many cultural
arts opportunities available in the city.
This FREE youth cultural arts event
will be held from 11 AM until 3 PM.
For more info: (205) 320-0879
Miaya Webster, a senior
at the Alabama School
of Fine Arts (ASFA), took
the first place trophy and
a $300 cash prize;
second place winner
Whitney
McWilliams,
also of ASFA, received
$200; and third place
winner, Trinity Packer
of Shades Valley High
School, received $150.
Miaya was the second
place winner at last
year’s WORD UP! and
took third place in 2013.
Jim Reed served as the emcee of WORD UP!. The
judges were Will Gillette (first place winner of 2010
WORD UP!); Tomika Glenn (performance poet who has
been the top winner at the BPL’s Bards and Brews
slams); and Sharrif Simmons (local performance artist,
songwriter and activist who has appeared on HBO’s Def
Poetry Jam and has toured extensively in Europe).
To learn more about WORD UP! and the 2015 winners,
www.bplonline.org
Presented by McWane Science
Center
Stage Nine Exhibit Design presents its highly
acclaimed TOYTOPIA exhibition. TOYTOPIA is an immersive and interactive exhibition focusing on the various histories and
legacies of toy makers throughout the past
century of toy making. Visitors learn about
the origins of toys, who made them, and why
they are fun and dear to us.
For more info: (205) 714-8300
Presented by Red Mountain Theater
The New Musical Version of "The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Move on down
the Road! Winner of 7 Tony awards, this
beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy's
adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a
dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel, and
soul!
For more info: (205) 324-2424
(Continued from page 1)
Those lucky students aren’t the only ones who will
head to work this summer. Hundreds of 16-to-21
year-olds also applied to participate in the Summer
Executive Internship (SEI) program. Participants will
get an opportunity to gain experience in their
chosen career paths.
Hundreds of Birmingham’s 14 and 15-year-olds
also came out at the Bill Harris Arena at the
Birmingham
Crossplex
in
anticipation
of
participating in the Kids & Jobs Program. This
summer, DYS and FOX 6 will put hundreds of youth
On Thursday, April 23, 2015, the City of Birmingham participated in the National
Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day. In partnership with Birmingham City
Schools, State Representative Merika Coleman-Evans and State Representative
Juandalyn Givan, nearly 250 Birmingham City Schools sixth, seventh and eight
graders got a close-up view of what it takes to run the City of Birmingham.
Employees were paired with students to discuss the different job opportunities within
city government and which careers require college or vocational technical school.
A special thanks to Representatives Merika Coleman-Evans and Juandalyn Givan,
Birmingham City Schools, Baptist Health Systems—Princeton and the City of
Birmingham Departments for making the event such a success.
See photos from the April 23rd event below.
BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOL
2015 GRADUATION DATES
All seven high schools in the Birmingham City School System will hold their
graduation ceremonies at the Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham Crossplex.
Parker High School
Thursday, May 21, 2015
10:00 AM
Jackson-Olin High School
Thursday, May 21, 2015
1:00 PM
Huffman High School
Thursday, May 21, 2015
4:00 PM
Birmingham City
Schools’ Summer
Extended Learning
Opportunities
June 9th - July 10th
(Monday - Thursday)
Woodlawn High School
Friday, May 22, 2015
10:00 AM
Wenonah High School
Thursday, May 21, 2015
7:00 PM
Ramsay High School
Friday, May 22, 2015
1:00 PM
Carver High School
Friday, May 22, 2015
4:00 PM
Don’t forget to remember that
special MOM in your life!
Mother’s Day is Sunday,
May 10, 2015.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the
Moms!
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
(Elem, K-8 & Middle)
7:30 am - 3:00 pm
(High Schools)
Algebra I Extended Year
For 8th Graders enrolled
in Pre-AP Algebra I
Parker, Wenonah & Huffman
_______________________
ACT Writing Camp 2015
For rising 11th & 12th
graders
Jackson-Olin, Parker &
Wenonah
_______________________
Fine Arts Summer
Enrichment
For 6th - 8th graders
Bush Hills Academy,
Huffman Middle, Jones
Valley, Ossie Ware,
Washington K-8 & Wilkerson
For more info:
bhamcityschools.org
can apply to University
of Alabama
Early
College anytime during
their sophomore, junior
or senior year of high
school if they have a
3.0 or
higher GPA,
cumulative from the 9th
grade.
"All of my successes
At
only
15-years-old,
were made possible
Nakayla Bruno's already
due to God, my loving
gleaming future is getting
family,
and
the
a head start. Nakayla has
wonderful teachers in
completed the extensive
the Birmingham City
Nakayla Bruno
application process and
Schools district that
was accepted in the
have
helped
me
University of Alabama Early College harvest my knowledge." said Nakayla.
Program, which allows students to earn
college credit while still in high school.
The high school sophomore began taking
college freshman courses at The
The process included the University of University of Alabama on February 12th.
Alabama Early College online application,
Counselor
verification
memo
and Congratulations from Ramsay High,
transcript, and a student essay. Students Birmingham City Schools and DYS.
May 30th
8:00am
Uptown Entertainment District
01
Celebrating Spring with
Dance
May 1st—3rd @ Alabama
School of Arts
Welcome Spring with a blend of
choreographic dance styles
performed by ASFA's talented
dancers in the Dorothy Jemison
Day Theater.
The Happiest 5k on the Planet is shining
brighter in 2015 with a totally new tour!
We've got some surprises coming that
will blow your mind! The 2015 Shine Tour
is designed to uplift and inspire runners
to stand out from the crowd, sweat glitter,
and continue to live their lives in a happy
and healthy way.
Get ready for special sparkle attractions
on the course, glamorous photo ops, and
new shine elements at the Finish
Festival! This is the year to unleash your
inner sparkle!
Participants will receive a limited edition
Shine Tour Participant Kit including a
custom Race tee, gold finishers medal,
tricolor headband with blingin’ silver
stitching, special edition GLITTER pack,
classic color pack, new gold tattoos and
more!
For more info:
http://thecolorrun.com/birmingham/
02
Birmingham Funk Fest
2015
May 2nd @ Legion Field
Stadium
With classic hits by legendary
artists like Frankie Beverly and
Maze and the Ohio Players, to
the sounds of contemporary
music’s heavy hitters like Jill Scott
and Outkast, Funk Fest delivers
an all-star line up that has the
“old school,” “new school” and
everyone in between jamming all
night long.
Academies like the ones we now have in
Birmingham are already proven to help
people like you find a career path that
fits and successfully pursue it. There are
almost 200 academies in 40 states and
the District of Columbia.
03
Red Mountain Theatre
Company presents THE
WIZ
May 15th—31st @ RMTC
"The
Wiz"
features
a
spectacularly talented all-star, all
-Birmingham cast. And in the
tradition of the show's first
groundbreaking performance in
1975, the cast of this funkinfused folk-tale, this soulful rock
-gospel, is all-African American
For tickets to RTMC's production
of "The Wiz," visit the Box Office
at redmountaintheatre.org or
call (205) 324-2424
Here in Birmingham, we are fortunate to
be able to offer the newest educational
approach to preparing you for careers in
growth industries – the Academies of
Birmingham. These small learning
communities help focus you on the areas
you’re most interested in and give you
the tools you need either to go straight to
work right out of your senior year, or
further pursue your options in college.
In Birmingham, we currently have six
different types of academies being
offered in six different schools.
Academies work by teaching you what
you need to know in class, and then
giving you hands-on experience in realworld settings, so that you can see how
what you’re learning in school will
actually get used
in your chosen
career.
The Birmingham Children’s Museum Itty Bitty
Magic City at McWane Science Center is for its smallest
visitors – from newborns to kindergarteners and their
families. The new exhibit space will encourage children’s
love of learning through the four major types of play –
physical, exploratory, constructive and imaginative.
Itty Bitty Magic City features:
• Main Street: Captures the look and feel of
a downtown main street area.
• Tot Spot: Where McWane’s youngest
visitors to explore and play.
• Ball Zone: Takes the ball — one of the
most basic children’s toy — to new heights.
• Water Play: Fascinates children with
water domes, ball vortices, squirters and pumps.
For more information visit www.albabymag.com.
community leaders need to join the
effort. More superintendents, school
administrators and teachers need to
assign greater importance to physical
activity and physical education.
During National Physical Fitness and
Sports Month, First Lady Michelle
Obama and her team are celebrating the
5th Anniversary of the “Let’s Move”
Campaign. As athletes, community
leaders and health enthusiasts, the
President’s Council on Sports, Fitness &
Nutrition is on the Let’s Move! team and
quarterbacking the Let’s Move! Active
Schools sub-initiative. Let’s Move! Active
Schools launched two years ago and is
aimed at bringing physical activity back
to America’s schools.
So far, more than 14,000 schools and
champions have signed up for Let’s
Move! Active Schools – a tremendous
testament to the need for our
kids to be moving more
throughout the school day.
But there is more work to do.
More
parents,
educators,
Here’s something to take to
heart
In hoping to begin again,
If you never decide to start,
How can you reach the end?
– Sankeithia Sellers
San-San Says:
STARTING
OVER
So, while we are racking our brains as to
why America’s students are struggling to
keep up with their global counterparts in
reading, math and science and how to
boost standardized test scores, the
answer may be right in front of us.
For more information, visit
www.letsmove.gov.
1996, and turns back the clock to the 1948 season. The
12:30 p.m. contest features the Birmingham Barons
squaring against the Jacksonville Suns, the Double-A
affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Former Rookie of the Year,
eight-time Major League Baseball
All-Star, and
four-time World
Series champion Darryl Strawberry
headlines the game as the Guest
of Honor and is available for
autographs during the game.
Since 1996 the Birmingham Barons
have traveled back to historic Rickwood
Field once a year to celebrate
Birmingham's rich baseball past. The home of the
Birmingham Barons from 1910-1987, Rickwood Field is
America's oldest in-use ballpark. The Friends of
Rickwood, a non-profit organization, have helped
preserve the timeless relic and part of the proceeds from
each year's Classic goes towards improvements and
upkeep on the stadium.
This year's game celebrates the
1948 season, the theme of the first
classic, and the Barons fourth
Dixie Series title. Birmingham joined the Southern
Association in 1901, and the Dixie Series was played
between the playoff champions of the Southern
Association and the Texas League. The Barons claimed
the series (4-1) over Fort Wayne that year to nail down
one of six Dixie Series championships it won from 19201950, and 1967.
Set for Wednesday, May 27th, the classic celebrates the
20th anniversary of the first throwback game, played in
For more info: (205) 988-3200
Can a lion share a cupcake with an astronaut under the sea?
You have the power to decide -- choosing characters, taking them on
adventures and creating your very own story along the way. my
StoryMaker® lets you control characters and objects -- and it creates
sentences for you! Or, you can enter your own words. Once you are done
with your story, you can print it out.
This free book-creation tool lets kids create partially animated stories that
won't be posted online or otherwise shared with the general public. It's
relatively simple to use; kids will choose the basic components of a story
from a pre-populated menu and then write in the details on each page. You
can save stories and return to them later, but take note: Users automatically
agree to let the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh display any content they
create for promotional use, according to a home page disclaimer.
> Play my StoryMaker®
my Storymaker® was named one of the Best Websites for Teaching and
Learning by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of
the American Library Association.
For more information, visit http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/