Tara, 8th grade

In the classroom - Leadership Academy - X Days - Affinity Groups

“Classes here are smaller than you’d expect. A lot of the stuff we do is hands-on work. We do a lot of projects to see how the stuff you learn applies to the real world!”

Tara on the CA classroom experience.

I was a member of the 2023-2024 Leadership Academy, an intensive eight-month program designed to prepare students for leadership roles on and off campus. Here I am with my whole class at the SAS Executive Center.

The winning group of Whole Brain Escape! Here, our teamwork was put to the test as we solved a series of puzzles to unlock the escape rooms.

Don’t be fooled by the look on our faces, this activity was all about baking cookies under pressure. Not only were we under a time crunch, we received feedback on our creations that we had just worked so hard to create. It was an excellent chance to put time management, communication, and collaboration skills to the test.

After experimenting with a specific leadership skill in our own lives for a month, we created presentations to share our experiences and takeaways with each other.

Leadership Academy
CJ Bell – CCE Project Coordinator & Program Manager

“Recently I developed an X Day where we dove into the art of stop-motion animation. It was awesome seeing my vision for the day come to life!”

Affinity Groups
Danielle Johnson-Webb – Director of Equity & Community Engagement

MS Hispanic and Latinx Affinity Group hosts a guest speaker to share about Columbian culture.

Students join Islamic Affinity Group to learn about and celebrate Ramadan during X Day.

Middle School Jewish Affinity Group distributes apples and honey in celebration of Rosh Hashanah and a sweet new year.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Affinity Group racing in one of the CA sponsored Dragon Boats during AsiaFest.

"CA is very diverse with many cultures, and Affinity Groups are an amazing way to celebrate them. I'm an Indian American; I love connecting with students who share my identity in SAAG and sharing my culture with those who aren’t during fun campus celebrations like Holi and Diwali."

Tara on her experience with CA's affinity groups.

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