The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success (SPS) currently offers four programs:
The Academy SPS Summer Program (for High School Students)
The Academy SPS summer program operates for six weeks and is housed at Mount Mercy University.
It is for high school students in grades 9-12 and offers a culturally specific curriculum enriched by seminars, films, and speakers.
This program can be repeated (repetition is encouraged) each summer throughout the student’s high school career.
A highlight of The Academy SPS summer program is traveling to a place where students can see African American culture in positive reflection.
Interested in attending the program or being a speaker/presenter? Click here to complete the application.
- Summer 2019 Trip to Memphis, TN
- Summer 2017 Trip to Baltimore & DC
- 2021 Summer Session Virtual Class
African American Awareness Program – AAAP (for Middle School Students)
This program feeds to The Academy SPS when students get to high school. Middle School students, grades 6-8, are recruited to learn about their culture while improving academics. The students in AAAP read and discuss a common text, and travel to the University of Iowa each Spring to discuss the text with a university professional in the Education Department.
AAAP operates throughout the entire school year (October – May) and meets weekly either after school or during lunch. It can be repeated (repetition is encouraged) through 8th grade. AAAP is housed at each of the Middle Schools.
Interested in attending the program or being a speaker/presenter? Click here to complete the application.
Questions? Contact Dr. Ruth White at theacademysps@gmail.com or Eric M. Thompson at aspsdirector@gmail.com
The Academy Expansion
(for Elementary School Students)
The Academy Expansion program operates during the school year (October-May) and teaches elementary school-aged students in grades 3-5, academic and leadership skills, using cultural awareness and knowledge as a base.
The Academy Expansion program is housed at Johnson STEAM Academy. It meets on Mondays after school and can be repeated (repetition is encouraged) through grade 5. Students in The Expansion Program join AAAP when they move to Middle School.
Interested in attending the program or being a speaker/presenter? Click here to complete the application.
Questions? Contact Charrisse Cox at chcox@crschools.us
We are happy to report that Critical Conversations will return for Season Four!
Our theme, How Did We Get Here? will meet monthly in Beems Auditorium
at the Cedar Rapids Public Library & with a Zoom option.
Join us in reaching beyond and discussing the narratives that have been produced to divide us and discuss their effects on all of us in education, the political landscape, the medical field, and the business world.
We look forward to a robust series and hope you are, too!
Please encourage friends and colleagues to join as well.
We will be peeling back the layers; you may think you know these contributors to our history
–and you may–
but there is always more to know.
Join us to begin or continue learning.
Moderators: Dr. Ruth E. White, Eric McKinley Thompson, and Betty Daniels
(guest speakers during specific topics)
Registration is required.
Register below to reserve your spot and to get updates on future guests and topics.
We look forward to a robust series and hope you are too!
October 20, 2023 – “Why Does History Keep Repeating Itself?”
with panelists Dr. Ruth White, Betty Daniels, Eric McKinley Thompson, and ASPS student, Ahmed Elsheikh
November 20: “What is the ripple effect of banning books and what teachers are allowed to teach?”
Dates for the 2024 Critical Conversation Sessions are still to be determined …
January: “Are our children safer when schools employ a resource officer?”
February: “What is the difference between having the right to vote vs. having the ability to vote?”
March 18, 2024: “How is the health and wellness industry different for Black Americans?”
April 8, 2024: “How do DEI programs benefit us?”
Critical Conversations is a program of The Academy SPS, & in partnership with: Top RANK Consulting Agency, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, Mount Mercy University DEI Group, & Cornell College