The first three months of the year were filled with excitement and plans for an ambitious 2018! In January, SYF announced a record-breaking donation from our generous partners at AmeriPark and welcomed three new Board members. Their support couldn’t have come at a better time, as we formalized plans to nearly double the number of Simon Youth Academies by 2023, starting with a new Academy at Sugarloaf Mills (located outside of Atlanta) this fall!
In the midst of celebrating Simon Youth Academy mid-year graduations, we received exciting news that Darla Merrill, Science and STEAM teacher at Simon Youth Coast High School Academy (California), was named teacher of the year by Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD)! We’ve known what an incredible educator Darla is for years now – she was SYF’s Teacher of the Year in 2010! – but we were thrilled to see her recognized by her district, too. (Read more about Darla’s journey here!)
Meanwhile, students at Simon Youth Clark-Pleasant Academy (Indiana) recently started a food pantry to serve their community, garnering the attention of several local media outlets. The students were able to turn their vision for the food pantry into a reality, thanks to the Greenwood Park Mall team and community leaders who make up their local Community Advocacy Council (CAC).
In the coming months, we look forward to awarding more than $1 million in Simon Youth Scholarships to help students pursue their dreams through education. The scholarship recipients will be announced at Simon malls and at Simon Youth Academy graduations across the country this spring. We invite you to show your support for these students by celebrating graduation at your local Simon Youth Academy!
If you can’t make it to a Simon Youth Academy graduation, we hope you’ll consider making a gift in honor of one of your graduates or a Simon Youth Academy graduate. We know that when students turns their tassels at graduation, they unlock doors that would have otherwise remained closed, uplifting families and communities for generations to come.
With your support, SYF can help more students pursue their dreams through education.
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