The Academy At Old CockrillOld Cockrill NewsStudent

Spotlight

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Melina Custer

Where she wants to goTo visit -Europe and

Jamaica, IrelandTo live - North Carolina

What she wants to beMany things! But

she is considering being a nutritionist or owning

a flower shop andphotography studio.

What she likes to doRide bikes or

skateboard on a sunny day.

And on a cold or rainy day - paint and chill.

January/February 2012

On January 4 around 90 new students arrived at the Academy. The newsletter editors gave a survey to the students who joined us this semester.

We questioned students in multiple categories, ranging from age, to likes and fears, and some personal information such

as how many children they have and what months their birthdays fall on. Although some students skipped over a few questions, we were able to obtain a general idea of what our new students at the Academy at Old Cockrill are like.

- Over 50% of the student population is 18+, and male. - When asked what month their birthday falls on, many students said October, January, March, April, and July. - 60% percent of those surveyed said that they were born in Nashville. - Most students came from these schools: Hillsboro, Pearl Cohn, Hillwood, and Hunters Lane, with the majority coming from Pearl Cohn. - Most students don’t have jobs. - Over 50% don’t have any children, and less than 30% have one child. No one has more than one child. - For music preferences, an overwhelming majority prefer rap, hip hop, or R&B, and the rest prefer country, gospel, and rock. - Over 50% of the students prefer Starlito, Lil Wayne, or Yo Gotti, and the rest had a miscellaneous favorite artist. - For favorite movies, the results varied, but 50% said they had no favorite movie. 30% said that they preferred “Friday”, “Kevin Hart”, or “The Hangover”. - Snakes were the most feared animals, followed by spiders.

As a final question, the newsletter editors asked the students what they like and dislike about the Academy. What they like best is the freedom and college campus feel, but many students said that they don’t enjoy riding the city bus to school.

---Joe Wallace

Welcome to the Academy!

February Brian AndlDevonta BranchDylan CallahanJeri CrawlMegan HillAlexiz McGinnisJoe Wallace

JanuaryHayley BottJames DavidsonSidney DavidsonKimberly HigginsKadijah HamiltonHana KaderTatsana LewisEmmanuel NdayizeyeRobert NeeleySasha RansomCody RayPassion RobertsonDestiny SimmonsKeihlonzo TerrellJohnathan TurnerTruvena TurnerAndrienne WebbWilliam Yarlett

Marqueisha Jordan, who graduated

from the Academy in July of 2011, is studying at Tennessee Technology Center to become a Dental Assistant. She studies six hours a day, Monday through Friday, while taking care of a son, and going to work.

When I asked her if she felt this was the right thing for her life right now, she said, “Yes, it’s really hard, but everything’s going really good.”

She mentioned that she had a harder time finishing high school than she is having completing college.

She said, “It’s more convenient because the schedule is more flexible.” On a scale of one to ten she rated the difficulty of her classes as a seven.

The thing that motivates her the most is her three year old son and the struggle she had finishing high school. She wants to set an example for her son by graduating from college.

When I asked her where she saw herself in five years, she said, “I will be a dental assistant, on my way to becoming wealthy and successful.” Ten years from now, she hopes to own her own dental office. She said the Academy made it simple for her to apply for financial aid through FAFSA.

Marqueisha really misses high school, and she wants to thank the faculty and staff at Old Cockrill for helping helping her and believing in her when she felt that no other school would help her.

---Melina Custer

Postsecondary education post = after secondary = high school

Many people think of a traditional four year college when they hear the words “postsecondary education”, but the phrase just means any education that you gain after graduating from high school. Almost any kind of education you get after high school increases the chances you'll earn more money during your life time. Besides good pay, the more education you get the more likely it is you will always have a job. Education beyond high school has other benefits too, such as giving you the chance to explore new areas and interests and meet new people.

Some things you should know about postsecondary education and the institutions that offer it:

Cost Public institutions are state-supported and tuition is often less expensive than private institutions. Private institutions are businesses. They must make a certain amount of profit to stay in business. Financial aid can be used to pay costs at either type of school, but some types of financial aid may only be available if you attend certain schools.Types of financial aid:

Student loans -- just what it sounds like, you have to pay back the money (and interest) after you graduate. Grants & scholarships - money that you don’t have to pay back. Work-study programs - you work at the school to help pay for your tuition.

Types of Schools Career schools, technical schools, or vocational/trade schools offer training and award certificates of completion. Programs at these schools prepare you for specific careers and may last weeks, months, or years, depending on career requirements. At these schools, you can receive a license, a certificate, or an associate’s de-gree and take courses that are designed to prepare you for specific careers, from welding to cosmetology to medical assistant, etc.

Community colleges or junior colleges offer two-year programs leading to associate’s degrees and/or certificate programs.

Colleges usually offer four-year programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, although some offer ad-vanced programs leading to master’s degrees or two-year programs leading to associate’s degrees.

Universities award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. They usually include a liberal arts college, some professional schools, and graduate programs such as a law school or medical school. Universities tend to be larger than colleges and focus more on scholarly or scientific research.

There are a lot of things we do not know about Robert Neeley, but here are some things you should know. Robert is 17 years old and was born in Nashville, TN. He has a lot of nicknames, but the main one he likes is “Big Boy” because that’s the nickname his Momma gave to him. Robert has six older sisters and one younger brother.

Before he came to the Academy, Robert attended Hill-wood High School. I asked him, “If you had the chance, would you go back?” He said, “It’s cool where it at.” After graduation, Robert plans to go to Tennessee Tech for train-ing in electrical work or electronics. Robert does not have a job right now, but he is looking for one and wants to get one with a cleaning company. When I asked him why, he said, “You cannot not know how to clean.”

His favorite sports are basketball and football, but he doesn’t really have a favorite team. He does like the Titans because he lives in Nashville. Robert plays basketball at the center or with his church. Last year his church team made it to the finals.

While riding the bus home from school Robert likes to freestyle. “Freestyle you say off your mind and rap you write down.” That is how Robert explains the difference between the two. He doesn’t like rap but likes freestyle. Robert is a very funny person and likes to joke around a lot. If you don’t know him, get to know him -- because you’re missing out!

---Justin Stephens

Even though he prefers free style to rap, we got Robert to write a rap for us:

Finish school rite now cause you cain’t later,

Do all your work in class to be an educator.

Graduate, get a job and be a money maker,

Run more numbers through your fingers like a calculator.

Stacks, on stacks, on stacks, on stacks, that’s a lot of paper,

Keep goin’ high, don’t switch up like an elevator.

You gonna be like me? No, you should be greater.

I’ll snap on any beat, yea!!! But I’m no angry gator.

Just grow up and have some kids to be a motivator,

And give a shout out to all my teachers for being a lifesaver!!

Robert “Big Boy” Neeley

Some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

According to several surveys, as many as nine million people purchase Valentine’s Day presents for their pets each year. Ask Ms. Holton what Mombo and Checker are getting.

It may come as no surprise to learn that florists tend to jack up their prices around February 14 - a dozen roses skyrockets as much as 30 percent and can be as high as $100.

Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine’s Day, including more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate.

A Valentine’s Day song that children in England used to sing:

Good morning to you, valentine; Curl your locks as I do mine ---Two before and three behind. Good morning to you, valentine

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To “wear your heart on your sleeve” now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

---- Justin Stephens

World’s Oldest Valentine, from 1790

What do the colors of roses mean?

Red – True LoveYellow – FriendshipPink – HappinessWhite – Secret love

Valentine’s Day

Artwork by Melina Custer

Artwork byCameronArmstreet

Important Dates

Exams for Spring Session 1.............Feb. 3Spring Session 2 begins...................Feb. 6ACT...................................................Feb. 11Prof. Dev. Day - no students........... .Feb. 20Exams for Spring Session 2..............Mar. 8Planning Day - no students...............Mar.9Spring Session 3 begins...................Mar 12Spring Break for Students.................April 2 - 9 ACT...................................................April 14Exams for Spring Session 3............. April 20Spring Session 4 begins...................April 23Graduation........................................TBAExams for Spring Session 4..............May 24

AdministrationElaine Fahrner, Principal

Dr. Sarah Eldridge, School Counselor

School Information610 49th Avenue North

Nashville, TN 37209(615)-298-2294

http://www.academy.mnps.org/

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The Academy at Old Cockrill

The Academy at Old Cockrill NewsroomThe newsroom is an excellent choice as an elective!

You will be part of producing the school newsletter and videos, as well as creative independent projects using a variety of digital equipment and software like

Photoshop, InDesign, Garageband and iMovie. Melina Custer, Damon Sanderson, Justin Stephens, Joe Wallace and Ms. Holton played key roles

in the production of this newsletter, but we need some help! If you need an elective, or would just like to work with us, please see Ms. Holton in Room 110 in the afternoons.

ACT PrepMonday & Tuesday

2:15 - 4:00 pmRoom 6