the sankofa bird newsletter -...

years, we have laid a strong foundation

upon which to build a loving, caring

community that seeks to be agents of

change in the world. With the addi-

tion of our wonderful new students,

great teachers, and new administration

(all of whom will be featured in this

edition of the Sankofa Bird), we know

that a bright future awaits. Let’s em-

brace that future, and claim the suc-cess of our children and our school—

Well family, we did it! In

June we graduated the first

group of seniors from Sankofa

Freedom Academy Charter

School. It represented the com-

pletion of our first 9th-12th

grade cycle. It means that we

have laid a foundation as a

school, that we can build upon.

So far this year, we are hear-ing wonderful stories about how

our Nubians are doing in col-

lege. We are proud that all of

them were accepted in post two

or four year colleges, and over

100% of them are pursuing post

secondary education. We have

at least three Nubians who are

working here at Sankofa, part-

time, as they pursue their post

secondary educational goals.

Now that we have graduated

our first class, we must turn our

attention to building an institu-

tion that will be around to

graduate their children. We

must build on our successes and

strengthen the areas that need

further development.

My hope is that when Nubia

2 graduates four years from

now, they will graduate from a

school that is known for its

service to the community, its

activism in issues of human

rights and environmentalism, its

commitment to cultural con-

tinuance, and, of course, its

excellence in scholarship.

This year we look forward

to another first graduation. We

will graduate our first cohort of

students from our middle

school. The Nation of Ashanti

came to us in our first year as

the first Zulu. We hope that

many of them will choose to

stay and enter our school as

Kemet 2. We are already so

proud of them! They are a

proud nation of orators, musi-

cians, keepers of the culture,

activists, and scholars. When I

think of Nubia, Ashanti, and all

of the nations of Sankofa, I am

optimistic about our future. I

am excited that, in these four

Message from Dr. Mama:: “ Building from Our Core”

Welcome Our New Principal, Baba Waset

We are so happy to welcome

to Sankofa, the new principal of

our high school, Baba Mwlimu

Waset. Baba Waset has

brought a wonderful new energy

to the Sankofa Upper School

family. Each day in morning

circle, you can find Baba Waset

playing the drums, calling us into

a new opportunity to learn and grow as intellectual warriors and

servant leaders. Baba Waset and Sankofa

seem made for one another.

Baba is known throughout Phila-

delphia’s cultural community as a

social activist, organizer, and cultural

worker. Among other organizations,

he is a member of ATAC (Avenging

the Ancestors Coalition). After serving as a principal and a

vice-principal in the Camden School

District, as well as the CEO of a char-

ter school in Philadelphia, Baba Waset

has come home to Sankofa. His mis-

sion is to lead our high school into

greater excellence in culture, scholar-

ship, and community. Welcome

home, Baba Waset!

September/October, 2013 Volume5/Issue 1

The Sankofa Bird Newsletter of

Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School

4256 Paul Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19124 Telephone #-215-288-2001

Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter

School

Leadership Team

Dr. Ayesha Imani, CEO

Bro. Isa Clark, COO

Baba Mwlimu Waset,

Principal

Mama Geraldine Newton,

Business Manager

Bro. Elisha Tigah,

Technology Coordinator

Sis. Nieka Brown,

Middle School Coordinator

Baba Norman Bayard,

Upper School Dean

Bro. Darrius Rowser

Middle School Dean

Bro. Maurice Patterson,

Lower School Dean

Dr. Kelli Sparrow Mickens, Servant Leadership Coodi-

nator

Tameka Thomas

Transition Coordinator

Dione Pride,

Executive Administrator

Transformation

Dr. Mama with Nubia’s 2013

Valedictorian, Sis. Emma Blackson

On June 12, 2013, the Mighty Nation of Nubia finished their

high school journey at Sankofa in fine style, with a Graduation at

the Seaport Museum. The parents, community members, political

officials, board members, and friends of Sankofa Freedom Acad-

emy came together for a glorious night, to pay tribute to our 39

seniors. Speeches were delivered by our valedictorian, Emma

Blackson, our Salutatorian, Erina White, and founder of the Qual-

ity Youth Education Collective, Antonio Dill Word. Our students

received over 2 million dollars in scholarship assistance. A beauti-

ful dance was done by Erina and Briana Robinson-Wallace, and a

cadre of Nubian musicians, led by Bro. Dane, performed an origi-

nal song, by Bro. Antonio and Sis. Erina, called, “Same You”. The

most touching part of graduation was to hear the messages that

were spoken about each individual Nubian. There were many

tears and laughs, but most of all there was pride.

Farewell Nubia, Class of 2013

The ceremonies and celebrations that preceded

graduation, were many. After getting through

Senior Exhibition, the seniors celebrated at the

prom, had a Rites of Passage overnight gathering

and, two nights before graduation, participated in

the Rites of Passage transition ceremony, which is

called the Conferring of the Kente. It was at the

conferring, that each Nubian received the Kente

that was to be worn at graduation. They also re-

ceived the numerous awards they had won, and

the medals earned for being ambassadors. During

the evening, each senior pledged to go out into

the world, taking some value, wisdom, or skill

they had learned at Sankofa. With the prom, the

conferring, graduation, and everything in between,

the Nubia finale will never be forgotten!

End of the Year Senior Ceremonies and Celebrations

Thank you ,Sis. Dr. Kelli and Baba

Bayard, for all of your hard work in preparing Nubia I, Kemet, Axum, Da-gara, and now Nubia II. I would also like to say Asante Sana to the Fresh-

man team, for assisting Nubia II with taking their first step in becoming

true Sankofa Freedom Academy ser-vant leaders, and Intellectual Warri-

ors!

Welcome to the Freshman Class of 2017—Nubia II

Nubia II: Building for a Strong Future

Nubia started their Sankofa journey, like all high school classes do, with the Rites of Separation.

During the Rites of Separation, Nubia II reflected on their lives, and made decisions about what

they would leave in their childhood, and what they would bring forth into scholarship, leadership

and adulthood. One by one, they declared their intentions, and asked the permission of their facili-

tators and parents to go forth. On August 29, 2013, after successful completion of Rites of Separa-

tion activities, the Nubia II initiates proved themselves to be quite resourceful. Teambuilding ex-

ercises happened, rain or shine. No one in Nubia II complained, and when they did not have pon-

chos, they improvised with garbage bags. Nubia II has already shown itself to be a nation of

bright and beautiful servant leaders, who will, no doubt, leave their mark on Sankofa Freedom

Academy during the next four years.

(Photo and text by Sis. Dr. Kelli)

Volume5/Issue 1

There are new student elders at

Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter

School: The bold, brilliant, beautiful,

intellectual warriors of Kemet are now

the leaders of the High School. Finally,

Nubia has graduated, and it’s now

Kemet’s chance to shine. Kemet is

known for setting its own traditions in

scholarship. You may remember the

first place victory that the brothers of Kemet had in the Regional Black His-

tory Bowl at Lincoln University. Re-

member how Khaleef Alexander, Jalen

Price, Aboubacar Doukoure, and

Simeon Brown beat Masterman and

Mastery, as well as other schools from

all over the Delaware Valley. The

Nation of Kemet has also distinguished

itself by its athletes. Scholar athletes,

such as Jazzmaine Lancit, Drew Jones,

Rasheen Ladson, Anthony Dowling, just

to name a few, all belong to the Nation

of Kemet. The class also comprises

musicians and spoken word artists, such

as Taje Oliver and Michael Locket. It

really is an amazing class! Right now,

what is keeping Kemet most busy is the arduous task of completing the require-

ments for Senior Exhibition. The begin-

ning of Senior Exhibition is a time of

great introspection. On page 5, are two

samples of introspective writing from our

new seniors. In each essay, the student

is reflecting and sharing on topics about

which they are passionate. We know that

this year represents a long journey for our

seniors. We send them light and love on

their journey and expect that they will make

this a fabulous year.

Aboubacar Doukoure 1181

Nyeerah Long 979

Khaleef Alexander 898

Jazmear Ross 752

Aja Long 740

Check Out Kemet, Sankofa’s New Seniors: Class of 2014

Congratulations to the Senior

Exhibition Live Five!

Kemet listens to a college recruiter

from Central Penn University. During

the months of October and

November, Kemet scholars will

complete the college application

process.

Go Seniors!

The Sankofa Bird Newsletter

Back row:(Left to Right) Bro. Kahleef, Sis. Aja, Bro. Aboubacar,

Front Row (Left to Right) Sis. Jazzmear, Sis. Nyeerah

One day, while I was researching the requirements to get a high school diploma, I learned

that each student must have a certain amount of community service hours before they are allowed to

graduate. I was not particularly happy about the fact that I had to do community service. I had no

interest in doing any type of service. I said to myself “What has the community done for me?”, as I

tried to think of a way to get out of it. I thought of different excuses, and when I thought of a good

one, I took it to my principal. He wasn’t buying my excuses or explanations about why I couldn’t do

community service, so I gave up. I tried to talk to my mother, and she gave me less time than my prin-

cipal did. When it was time to look for a place to do community service, my mom found a Christian

organization that was assembling Thanksgiving meals for low-income families. I was not thrilled, but I

had no choice in the matter.

When the day came, I got an attitude, and I decided that I wasn’t going to help. When I got

to the church where they were making the meals, I barely spoke to the pastor when he greeted me.

He could see that I was not a willing spirit, and he took me to the side to talk to me. He told a story

about a young boy who wore shoes with cardboard in the bottom, and barely had enough food to

eat. The boy’s mother had to work three jobs to provide for her three children. When Thanksgiving

Day came around, she couldn’t afford a big meal, so he had to go to his church for help. That young

boy was him. He then told me that when we put together meals, we are helping people feel normal.

He said, “We aren’t just handing out meals, we are handing out memories; we’re handing out a day

that children won’t forget.” After our talk I started to look at the work differently. In fact, commu-

nity service did not even feel like work at all. I was simply doing my part to help those in need. It felt

good to know that I was making someone’s day. I was helping to make a memory; to change some-

one’s life for the better.

This really hit home. I started to think about what it would be like to not have any food for

Thanksgiving, or no toys for Christmas as a child. Those circumstances can be very detrimental to a

child’s happiness. There’s nothing sadder than a child that can’t smile. For a long time, I was selfish

and I was ignorant to the plight of those in poverty. I had not considered that maybe some people

need help, and I sure didn’t think to help them. Since experiencing the joy of helping others, I have

volunteered in the same program for the past three years, and I plan to do so this year as well.

Last year, I took a class named Global Interdependence. In this class, I learned about how humans are treated nationally and

globally, I learned how our actions affect third world countries. I also learned how we, in the United States, contribute to the lack of

balance in our resources. In addition to that, I learned that the UN has developed a human rights declaration which includes 30 arti-

cles, and America, along with many other countries, has agreed to this international bill. This declaration argues that things like hous-

ing, food, clean water, education and other things are actually human rights that everyone should have. What is ironic is that even

America does not implement these articles in their nation, especially not for people of color.

For my Senior Exhibition project and internship, it is my intention to work with organizations that focus on human rights,

and the exploitation perpetrated by first world countries. In exploring the plight of human rights in America, I hope to narrow down

my research question to a matter that will make a difference in the lives of African people on a global scale. This may tackle the issue

of why the UN’s bill of human rights is not being implemented. It may focus on the issue of human rights in America. I have not yet

decided, but no matter what, I am strongly committed to my topic and question.

Through a process of examination and strong research, I intend to craft a strong, and well developed, research question. As

a black man in America, I witness many of my brothers’ and sisters’ rights get violated. As a continental African, while I was in Senegal,

I witnessed children in hunger and children who did not have access to clean water. This is all in violation of their basic human rights.

These conditions have inspired me to become a human rights lawyer. Ultimately, my goal is to take the United States of America to

the UN for multiple violations of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Helping by Selwyn A. Gabriel II

Human Rights by Aboubacar Doukoure

Volume5/Issue 1

BOA ME NA

ME MMOA WO

(Help me and let

me help you !)

(Universal Logo for Human Rights Campaign)

My name is Baba Mwlimu Waset, and I am the new Upper

School principal at Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. I am

extremely excited to be a part of the Sankofa family, and I am enthusi-

astic about working with the children here. My goal is to ensure that

they are the best and the brightest that Sankofa Freedom Academy

Charter School has to offer. You should know that I am committed

to ensuring academic excellence in each and every student, so that

they ultimately become the intellectual warriors that we all know that

they are capable of becoming.

I hope that you will join me in working along side all of our staff,

so that we may begin to stave off the stereotypes that are so fre-

quently labeled upon our children. Our children have greatness

within them, and thus it is our job to push them and discover that

greatness from within.

On Saturday, October 19,

servant leaders in the Upper School

joined thousands of families across

the Delaware Valley to lend a hand

in making strides against Breast

Cancer. Sankofa Freedom Acad-

emy, once again, happily joined

forces with others who walked in

the spirit of Umoja to advance

more and better research, so that one day breast cancer will be a

distant memory.

This year’s effort ,especially, was

led by the nation of Dagara, whose

essential question of freedom

involves exploring ways to help

our communities be healthier.

We hope that this month,

Breast Cancer Awareness

Month, you will make a contribu-

tion in the name of Sankofa

Freedom Academy. Although

the march is over on Saturday,

you can still donate all year long. Please visit the Breast Cancer

website at:

http://komenphiladelphia.org/the-

race/

Winning Words from Baba Waset

Join Upper School Fight Against Breast

Cancer

Kemet Seniors Show Sankofa Leadership and Love

Simeon Brown and Bro. Abou-

bacar Doukoure took action.

- At SFACS we take pride in

teaching our students to be

servant leaders to each other,

and also to members of the

surrounding community. We

believe that it is important for

our children to understand that,

given certain conditions of our society, there are things that

each individual can do to make

it better, and as a collective,

even greater things can be done.

The staff is extremely proud of

the seniors of Kemet, who lead

the drive through which we

raised over $1000, which was

presented to Isaiah’s family.

This act demonstrated love,

kindness and servitude. We

give thanks to the spirit of

Sankofa.

Our entire community has

been mourning the lost of one

of our former students, Isaiah

Torian-Ford, who passed away

on Saturday, October 5.

The sudden death of Bro. Isaiah

especially impacted the nation

of Kemet. Bro. Isaiah started

his high school years with us at

Sankofa, as a member of Ke-met. His sister, Alisha, was a

member of the Nation of Nu-

bia. Thankfully, two seniors of

Kemet decided to do more

than mourn. Instead, Bro.

Many thanks to

all of the

parents,

students, and

staff who

contributed to

the family of

Isaiah Torian

Ford in their

time of need.


This year, for the first time, we are organizing an upper school parent group, to work on issues that relate specifically to the upper

school servant leaders. We want to be able to explore together the college consideration and selection process, as well as ways of

handling some of the social concerns that arise for our teenagers, such as relationship issues, substance abuse, depression, and ca-

reer exploration. We know that being the parent of a teenager brings its own kind of stress and struggle. We invite you to join the

upper school Parent Support Circle. Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month, during the time that we usually

hold our parent meetings. Parents will meet with our new principal, Baba Waset, and have the opportunity to take part in a wide

range of guest discussions and activities. If you are interested in providing leadership for the circle, please contact our new Execu-tive Assistant, and Parent Involvement Coordinator, Sis. Dione Pride at 215-288-2001. Meetings of the Upper School Parent Circle

will be held at the Penn Street Campus. The next meeting will be on November 12th at 6:00. JOIN US!

Upper School Celebrates Students of the Month

Calling All Upper School Parents: We Need One Another!

Breast Cancer Walk

Dagara

Darrien Johnson

Sahir Chambers

Cassandra Boyd

Rasheeda Boelter

Jasmine Thomas

Jewel Allen-Washington

Jamil Williams

Damon Carr

Taleia Prince-Forrest

Axum

Carolyn Coleman

Justin Anson

Talia Nelson

Aminah Wilkinson

Tylia Ross

Rashid Young

Chai Holiday-Lawson

Malik Chambers

Nubia II

Davon Ward

Taliyah Barnes

Nijah Lewis

Mia Heredia

Yacob Hart

Bahsir Matthews

Krissy Devine

Amar Harris

Rasheed Ross

Marquis Lawrence-Madison

Volume5/Issue 1

Here are the list of scholars:

Nubia II

Devohn Ward Taliyah Barnes Nijah Lewis

Mia Heredia Yacob Hart Bashir Matthews

Krissy Devine Amar Harris Rasheed Ross

Marquis Lawerance

Dagara Darrien Johnson Sahir Chambers

Cassandra Boyd Rasheeda Boelter Jasmine Thomas

Jewel Allen-Washington

Kemet

Zainabou Dabo

Jaylen Price

Egypt Shabazz

Siani Rojas

Shakiara Boston

Aboubacar Doukoure

Sakwon-Ali Epps

Simeon Browne

NEA ONNIM

NO SUA A,

OHU

"He who does not

know can know from

learning"

K1- Taylor Williams

K2- Aszouri Chestnut

1A- Delaney Raines

1B- Harmonie Moreno

2A- Zaire White

2B- Reginald Joseph

3A- Bobby Hoyle

3B- Subour Nurrudin

4A- Alissa Johnson/ Jaoni Vaughn

4B- Kayla Harris

Reading Room- Derrick Precha

Art- Rakim Precha

Martial Arts- Kiara Harris

Music- Aaliyah Seriki

Resource Room- Selena Rogers

Submitted by Mama Renee Butler

Yoruba Gardens, under the nurture of

Mama Renee and Sis. Lisa, is off to a great

start. They have already had a visiting

professor, made Yoruba clay pots, and

worked together to demonstrate the

principle of Umoja. You Go Yoruba!

(On the right: Jayde Blackman serves as

Yourba visiting professor. On the left: Jeremiah Fetus, Lamar Guerra, Zahmir

Whiten, Sydney Campbell, and Jayde)

Celebrate Learning in the Lovely Lower School: Students of the Month

Yourba Garden Off to a Fantastic, Terrific, Great Start!!!

Spotlight on: Brother Moe's Lower School Leader- Jaden Gillis


Shout Out from Bro. Maurice Patterson,

Dean of the Lovely Lower School

I have a recognition!! For the month of September, I would like to

spotlight Brother Jaden Gillis. Jaden is a scholar that models appro-

priate Sankofa behavior, in and out of class. He is a scholar that I can

count on to assist with helping to beautify Harambee Hall, or even

show other scholars how they should be walking in line. This won-

derful scholar does anything that is asked of him. He is also an

excellent classmate and friend, and he will help those around him stay

focused on the tasks they are performing. In addition to these great

things, Jaden has passed all of his Math and Literacy anchors so far

this school year. He is a model for what we expect from students at

Sankofa Freedom Academy.

Submitted by Sis. Loretta Robinson

This year, Songhai Washington (3A) will

explore Philadelphia, as they seek to an-

swer their essential question of freedom

“How can I contribute to the Philadelphia

Narrative?”. Their journey began with a

study of the rich history of Philadelphia,

and an exploration of those great things

that their city is known for. As an as-

signment, scholars were asked to write a letter to an imaginary person who would

like to move to Philadelphia from another

country. Scholars had to write a letter to

that person, persuading them to move

here, by informing them of all of the mag-

nificent things about Philadelphia.

Rasheen Washington wrote the following:

Songhai Washington (3-A): Getting the Philly Feeling!

Introducing “The Truth”: No One Has Swagger Like the New Staff of Sankofa

Sankofa is truly blessed with a dynamic new cadre of teachers, art-

ists, scholars, activists, musicians, and awesome servant leaders.

The members of this year’s new staff cohort named themselves

The Truth. Their motto is, “Revealing Truth for the Transforma-

tion of Youth.” In their short time at Sankofa, they are already

transforming our institution, and making it a better place! Meet our

new staff members for school year 2013-2014!

Pictured on the Right: Bro. Goodman, Sis. Garner, Mama

Taliba, Sis. Fatima, Bro. Marvin

Pictured below:Left: Sis. Justin, Bro. Andre, Bro. Kashief, Bro.Greg, Sis. Sonya, Sis. Yasmeen, Sis. Tawana

Picture below, right: Sis. Jen, Bro. Wells, Bro. Muhammad,

Bro. Ambikisye

Not pictured: Sis. Badger, Bro. Ngozi, Sis. Njemele,

Mama Nanyamka

Volume5/Issue 1

Dear Amy, There are many great things

in my city. We have a lot of places

to visit, such as the Liberty Bell, the

Philadelphia Art Museum, and the

Please Touch Museum. We are also

known for a lot of great foods, but

our most famous foods are our Philly

Cheesesteaks, Tastycakes, and soft

pretzels. Philadelphia has a rich his-

tory. Did you know that Philadelphia

was once the nations capital? Phila-

delphia is a great place to live!

Your Friend,

Rasheen Washington

Our Trip to Briar Bush

By Jasmine Hunt from Dogon Colvin- Height

On September the 24th, the entire Dogon Nation

(5th Grade) went on a trip to Briar Bush Nation Center in

Abington, Pa. We went to Briar Bush for team building activi-

ties, problem solving and games. During our time at Briar

Bush, we had to work together with our fellow classmates.

One of the activities that we completed, was trying to move

two long green sticks that were held by two strings attached

to them. We had to find a way to walk all the way past a giant

tree together. My group solved this problem by yelling “Right,

left”. There was lots of Ujima (collective work and responsi-

bility) on this trip. In addition to the stick walk, we did the

human knot and a blind fold game, where we had to find an

egg by listening to our classmate’s direction. We used Ku-

jichagulia to get the job done. After all of the challenges were

done, we had lunch in the woods. We had a great time at

Briar Bush Nature Center.

Dogon 5B

Nadira Abdullah

Tiana Bing

Ibn-Mikale Danies Tayonah Dawson-

Trenyce Harris

Mzyah Heck Dennise Kemmer-

erJoshua Lubin

Daneisi Mejia

Nadira Moore

Alleya’h Murphy

Michael Price

Yazmeen Reynolds

Rodney Simms

Zyair Taylor Devon Thomas-

Makayla Towns

Dogon (5A)

C'naa Battle

Nina Dailey

Zayda Flanagan

Martin Gillis

Jazmine Hunt

Alexus Jackson

Makhia Kenner

Tajmir McNear

Elijah Mitchell

Khadijah Nuruddin Joseph Schoen-

Mcculloug

Khalil Scott

Zyhnira Taylor

Ahmir Travers Cheyenne Washing-

ton-Holiday

Isaiah Webb

Dwayne Wells

Shaniyah Whiten

Myya Ziegler

Bambara (6A) Tahirah Arter

Azirah Bowman

Kymirah Brown

Allen Daughtry

Eva Davis

Issa Fofana

Jayda Gill

Qyadir Hines

Damier Johnson

Devin Jones

David Lavine

Emanuel Lee

Keyvon Montague

Aarion Mouzon

Luis Padilla

Jaidah Peterson-

Miller

Nyree Shelton

Taijuan Smith

Michael Torrain

Khadijah Turner

Making It Happen In the Mighty Middle School

Congratulations to the Mighty Middle School Perfect Attenders


Bambara 6B Maryam Bint-

Shafeeq

Nasim Brown

Emani Gentry

Rashede Goosby

William Hedgebeth III

Jamal Hunt

Shymir Ladson

Evelyn Luciano

Jadon Norris

Jesse Ramos

Michai Smith

Jayda Snyder

Danya Thomas

Marquan Thomas

Sean Thomas

Iyana Whiten

Jasmine Winchester

Kumasi Young

Fulani (7A) Chamera Abdullah

Jeremy Braithwaite

Ian Chapelle

Ousamane Fofana

Savannah Gaffney-

Glenn Jhanae Gieger

Amya Lewis

Unique Lowe

Alexandrea Montilus

Keolebogile More

Quadirah Morrison-

Thomas

Cion Rawls

Aniyah Shelton

Zakariyya Toomer

Anaya Whiten

Jonathan Word

Fulani (7B) Rajaa Bint-Idris

Nadira Brown

Alexandria Coates

Nigera Davis

Destiny Gregg

Nyzah Hayes Fateen McFadden

Steven Mejia

Jada Patterson

Heaven Pickett

Alicia Purdy

Quintin Ross

Jaymes Savage

Donte Thomas

Khalil Turner

Tia Williams

Ashanti (8A) Lariq Byrd

Daameira Carr

Christian Colon

Nakera Daughtry

Martiyana Gillis

Muhammed Goode

Lei-Simone Johnson

Nyam Long

Nafeei Minor

Viviana Padilla

Cheyanna Peterson

Hruti Ra

Marayah Roher

Ashanti (8B) Ruqiyyah Bint-Idris

Brianni Blume

Tyeana Cebollero

Tanylr Clark

Miya Ingram

Tamir Jackson

Wharriniah Lee

Omar Long

Sierra Lumsden

Jada Mcleod

Tariq Mines

Tionna Redding

Congratulations to the Mighty Middle School Students of the Month

Volume5/Issue 1

5th Grade SOM:(Front Row) Maeva Brea, Zhynira Taylor,

Khadijah Nuruddin, Fatoumata Sillah, Shaun Snyder (BackRow) Dennise Kemmerer, Naja Lumsden, Jasmine Hunt,

Michael Hargrove, Joseph Schoen-McCullough

6th Grade SOM: (Front Row) Jayda Gill, Rasa Watson,

Tahirah Arter, Issa Fofana (Back Row) Devin Jones, Aaron Patterson, Jasmine Win-

chester, Maryam Bint-Shafeeq, Kumasi Young

7th Grade SOM: (Front Row) Ousamane Fofana, Ian Chapelle,

Cion Rawls, Anaya Whiten (Back Row) Unique Lowe, Aniyah Shelton, Jaymes Savage, Destiny

Gregg, Yusef Smith, Khalil Turner

8th grade SOM: (Front Row)Shy’erra Ladson, Gabriela

Morales, Carmen Williams, Mattieu Reina, (Back Row) Andyanna

Smith, Lariq Byrd, James Turnage, Tariq Mines, Randy Lowe,

Sierra Lumsden, Amir Thomas, Daameira Carr

Submissions by: Sis. Brown, Middle School Coordinator and Bro. Darrius, Middle School Dean

These are responses to a question on a student job application, which I gave to those scholars who wanted to have a classroom job: What is

Umoja? What does Umoja mean to you as a scholar? In what ways ill you demonstrate Umoja as a member of the Maatic Maintenance Staff?

Provide specific examples of ways you have exercised Umoja in your life. Students from the nation of Ashanti and Fulani

What Is Umoja by Miya Ingram Ashanti Chaney

Umoja is having unity with ones self, peers, and people around them. Umoja means to me, that you can put aside everything, and get

together and help. For example, every time something tragic happens in America, do you think that PresidentObama just goes to fix

the problem by himself? No! He pulls together a group of his staff, and they ALL figure out the best plan. I plan to do this by pulling

everyone together and incorporating everyone’s ideas.

What Is Umoja by Rashae Rochester-Cottle Ashanti Chaney

What is Umoja? Umoja is the demonstration of Unity. It is also the importance of being with family and community. As for

me being a scholar, Umoja, to me, means the representation of togetherness, which provides positive things and encouragement. I

will demonstrate Umoja as a member of the Maatic Maintenance Staff, by helping students develop educational growth, and being a

scholar, youth practice model, engaging our community, and much more. Alternatively, being a youth practice model with this classroom would help me to gain more leadership of students. For

instance, I will try to motivate scholars who understand how to bring the classroom together to help one another. In other words, a

way I have shown Umoja was by doing my work, instead of fooling around in my class group. In fact, this gave the other students the

power of unity to change, and follow my lead in a good way. The qualitiy I possess that makes me the most qualified applicant for the Executive Maatic Manager position, is leadership. I

make my own decisions, and I am never influenced by the words of others. Besides, I always desire independence and freedom from

others, such as scholars that I will be interfering with. Scholars must now how to be leaders for themselves as well as others. Even

more, since taking part in a serious position and relations with other applications, I’m willing to be rather serious, and not see the

hilarity others see. Heshima is important for various reasons. Mostly, for being a manager, you would need to show Heshima, because you

have to have respect for yourself. Thus, I must respect staff members with careful listening, obedience, and self respect. Generally,

to be a manager, I would have to think like a manager by showing value towards staff members’ opinions without lack of respect. In

all honesty, I must show partnership in showing respect and manners to others, so they can lead off of it. Therefore, it will make us

and our classroom a much more pleasant environment for us all.

We Speak Unity! Submission by Sis. NaaAmerly Badger, Middle School English Facilitator


Write About Math Essay by Gabriela Morales

Fingernails grow at a rate of about 1.23 x 10 ² cm per day. If a person never

clips their fingernails, they would be approximately 58.3625 cm in 13 years.

How I got 58.3635 cm, was first putting 1.23 x 10 ² in simplest form, which

would be 0.0123. Then I would multiply 365 days by 13. I would do this because

it asks how long they would be in 13 years, and there are 365 days in 1 year, so

you want to find out how many days are in 13 years. When I multiplied 365 x

13, I got 4,745. This amount is an estimate, because there are leap years be-

tween the 13 years. After that, I multiplied 4,745 by 0.0123 because you need to

get the length of the fingernail so you multiply the rate of how long (0.0123) by

how much time there was altogether (4,475). When I did this I got 58.3635 cm.

This is how long your fingernails would be if they grew at a constant rate of 1.23

x 10 ² cm for 13 years.

Tickets are $16. Please purchase

your tickets right away. All pay-

ments must be submitted by

Wednesday, October 23rd.

Payments are only accepted in

the Main Office at Paul street,

from 8:00 am-9:00 am and from

3:15—4:00 pm. Receipts will be

given to everyone who makes a

payment. PLEASE SAVE YOUR RECEIPT! Everyone must pro-

vide a receipt on the day of the

trip. Don’t wait, buy your ticket

asap so that we can see you at

the Universoul Circus!

Hotep Family!

It’s that time of year again! We

are inviting the entire school to

the Universoul Circus, on Fri-

day, November 15. Every year,

Sankofa Freedom Academy

Charter School makes its an-

nual pilgrimage to Universoul

Circus. It always feels a little

crazy, a little chaotic, and a bit overwhelming for the teachers.

Yet, we keep doing it because

at the end of the day it is so

much FUN!

The Wazuri Word

The Circus Is Coming! The Circus Is Coming!

Middle School Parents Math Empowerment Session

If you missed our October parents’ meeting here’s what you missed!!!!! A

Workshop for parents hosted by our 8th grade Math Teacher Bro. James, on how

to help your scholars with his/ her Math Homework. During this informative work-

shop, parents were taught strategies to use at home when helping their scholar

with math concepts for grade 5-8. They learned how to access the online text

book, and also visited some user friendly computer tutorial sites. There was a time

for questions and even a step by step demonstration of math skills. Parents and

students enjoyed refreshments and even got to complete a parent survey to help

plan future meetings. An informative time was had by all in attendance . We hope

to see you at our next meeting. Check the school announcements for upcoming

Wazuri/Parent Meetings.

Volume 1, Issue 1

We would like to thank all of the parents who attended the first

parents’ meeting on October 8th. We need to see even more of

your beautiful faces at the next meeting. Please keep in mind that

every great school has a great parent association. Sankofa Freedom

Academy is a wonderful institution ,that will become even better

with your support. If you are interested in becoming a Wazuri Par-

ent Council officer, or classroom representative, you don’t want to

miss the November meeting. At the meeting on November 12th, we

will be holding officer elections. If you would like to run for a Wa-

zuri Parent Council position, please contact Sis. Dione Pride, at

(215) 288-2001 or [email protected]. We are anxious to get the par-

ent group up and running, so that we can work together to make

Sankofa everything we want it to be.

“ It Takes A Village….”

mailto:[email protected]

Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School

4256 Paul Street Philadelphia, Pa. 19124

Phone: 215-288-2001 Fax: 215-288-2099

Upcoming Events: Calendar

Oct 18— 1st grade trip to Snipes Farms

Oct. 21 - Interim Reports and PSSA results mailed to families

Oct 21— Board of Trustees Meeting

Oct. 23 Early Dismissal Wednesday

Oct 23– Final Day for Circus Payment

Oct. 31 After School Tutoring begins for selected students

Nov 5 School Closed for Professional Development / Election Day

Nov. 12—Parent Meeting / Elections for Wazuri Officers

BUSINESS NAME

Ashe’ -Spotlight on Luis Munoz Rivera

Building Intergenerational Communities of Scholarship, Culture, and Activism

We’re on the web:

Www.sfacs.us

“We who believe

in freedom

shall not rest

until it comes!”

….Ella Baker

Sankofa Freedom Academy Board of Trustees Meetings 2013—2014 Board Meetings are held every third Monday at 6:00 p.m. Meeting dates are as follows:

September 16, 2013

October 21, 2013

November 18, 2013

December 16, 2013

January 27, 2014

February 24, 2014

March 17, 2014

April 21, 2014

May 19, 2014

June 16, 2014

This week Philadelphia is morning the death of a

great philanthropist, physician, entrepreneur, and

civic leader, Dr. Walter P. Lomax, Jr. Born in 1932, Dr.

Lomax grew a small medical practice into a multi-site group

practice, consisting of over 20 well-trained physicians. He

opened is practice in the 1950’s, and quickly became one of

the leading African American doctors in the city. He was

even the physician for Dr. Martin Luther King, whenever Dr.

King came to Philadelphia. Eventually, Dr. Walter Lomax

took on the task of providing healthcare in Philadelphia pris-ons. This led Lomax to found Correctional Healthcare Solu-

tions, which provided prison healthcare in many other cities

and states. With the financial success of that venture, Dr.

Lomax’s company branched out into real estate and technol-

ogy firms, and in 2002 he purchased the radio station,

WURD-AM. Throughout his life, Dr. Lomax was known for

the many causes for which he provided financial support. He was especially generous in providing

funding for ventures that effected the lives of youth in the African American community. He was

known for being compassionate and caring. Bro. Isa has especially fond memories of Dr. Lomax, as it

was Dr. Lomax’s project, Say Yes to Health, that provided Bro. Isa with his first opportunity to work

with young people. Dr. Lomax believed in working toward freedom, wellness, and prosperity for his

people. In 1994, Dr. Lomax paid homage to his ancestors by purchasing the plantation where his

great grandmother was enslaved, in King William County, Virginia. Recently, the Lincoln University

(Pennsylvania) honored him with a Ph.D. in science for his various contributions to health facilities.

Lomax is a former Trustee of La Salle University, and The Philadelphia Orchestra (emeritus). A me-

morial service will be held next month for Dr. Lomax, at the Kimmel Center. Dr. Walter Lomax was

truly a “Big Tree”. Through his generosity and his many accomplishments, he provided shade for

many.

(Adapted from an article by Mike Dunn , http://www. Philadephia.cbslocal.com/2013/10/10/)

Ashe’ - Spotlight On: Walter Lomax (1932-2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_William_County,_Virginia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_University_%28Pennsylvania%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_University_%28Pennsylvania%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Orchestra

“Working to Restore Excellence in Scholarship, Culture, and Community”

Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School Board of Trustees

Steve Blackburn, President

Oshunbunmi Samuels, Secretary

Rev. Glen Shepherd, Treasurer

Jennifer Powell-Folks, Member

Nadine McNeil, Parent Representative

Toni Winston, Staff Representative

“One Heart, One Love, One Earth, One People”

Harambee!!

the sankofa bird newsletter -...

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