A Letter from the Head of School

By Mike Maruca

Dear Friends of AJC,

 About this time in August of 2009, the full staff of AJC---Mike Schad, Angela Peters and I---met as we prepared to open the doors for year one and 25 students.  We got a couple of things right that year, and the rest was a scramble that I’m glad we only did once.  But then you only start once from scratch.  Fast forward to year ten and we are meeting again.  This time, however, when the staff gets together there are 18 of us, and we’re preparing to greet 108 4th through 8th graders plus the 150 graduates whom we work with and otherwise try to keep in our sights wherever they happen to be.

  Having seen the start of all ten years up close, I’ve also seen all the change, growth, and progress since we began this adventure.  But two things have been constant:  loving the kids and being supported by those who continue to bet on us.

  The door opens August 28th.  I can tell you it’ll be great, but come see for yourself!

Mike

4th graders practice addition and 6th graders play a game of chess during our mandatory, three-week summer school

AJC Grads: What's Next? 

 All summer, AJC graduates have been popping in and out of the building and updating us on what's going on in their lives.  This is quite possibly one of the biggest rewards for the AJC staff.  We embrace the opportunity to stay connected with our students, even after they graduate and leave our halls. 

  Below is a list of places where our graduates will be this upcoming fall: 

Area High Schools

Armstrong High School(14)              John Marshall High School(2)

Benedictine College Prep(2)             J.R. Tucker High School(1)

Brunswick High School(1)                Legacy Academy(1) 

Christchurch School(1)                    Monacan High School(1)

Church Hill Academy(15)                 Saint Gertrude High School(7)

Collegiate School(3)                        St. Catherine's School(4)

Fork Union Military Academy(3)        St. Christopher's School(4)

Franklin Military Academy(1)            Steward School(4) 

George Wythe High School(2)          Thomas Jefferson High School(9)

Godwin High School(1)                    Thomas Jefferson IB Program(6)

Henrico High School(2)                    Trinity Episcopal School(6)

Highland Springs High School(2)      Varina High School(1)

Hugenot High School(1)

Colleges/Universities

James Madison University(1)            J. Sargent Reynolds Community College(4)

Norfolk State University(1)              North Carolina Wesleyan College(1)

Old Dominion University(6)             Radford University(1)

Randolph-Macon University(3)         Richard Bland College(1)

University of Richmond(1)               Virginia State University(1)

Armed Forces

Air Force(1)     Army(3)     Marines(1)

***If you're interested in sending a care package to one of our grads in college, please contact Mary Desch.***

 Workplace Readiness Program Update

 Our summer Workplace Readiness Program was a grand success! Twenty AJC graduates received internships at seven different worksites in and around the city. A couple of interns even remained at their worksites beyond the terms of their internships in order to volunteer their time and further develop their new skills.

Thank you to all of our partners who created this opportunity for our graduates:

Commonwealth’s Attorney, Michael Herring

Defense Attorney Owen Conway, Henrico County Courthouse

Faison School

Refuge4Men

Science Museum of Virginia

SPCA of Richmond - Adoption Center and Vet Clinic

YMCA of Greater Richmond

Alexus, Dai'Quana, Cierra, and DaiMesha at the Downtown YMCA with their site coordinator 

An additional thank you goes out to the Virginia Credit Union's Community Outreach Team. They graciously met with and offered their services to our graduates twice: once to teach the basics of personal finance strategies and again to help the interns open up their own bank accounts. 

We are excited to move forward with this program again next summer.

Volunteer Schedule Changes

  Teachers and staff have been working on a new schedule for the 18-19 school year that will open up more opportunities for students in 6th through 8th grade to have art, audiovisual, and other electives beyond athletics. Additionally, we'll have a dedicated study hall time four days per week.

  The major CHANGE is that we will no longer have the reading buddy hour on Wednesday mornings as we have for several years. 

  We hope to plug volunteers into the following times/places:

-- Tuesday or Thursday from 12:15-12:40 sit with your 6th-8th grade buddy @ lunch
-- Tuesday or Thursday from 12:40-1:30 for Study Hall/Reading
-- M, T, W, Th, F from 9:30-10:30 with 4th grade math

-- M, T, W, Th, F from 12:20-12:55 with 5th grade math
-- Classroom assistance with 5th grade (supervisor for student jobs, inputting grades, copies)
-- M, T, W, Th, F from 8:10-10:30 for help in the office with reception and attendance calls

  Please feel free to check the school calendar for more info, but we start back on August 28th and would love to start seeing volunteers the week of September 4th.

Mentors Polly Spencer and Meg Walker with Manny, Ti'Yae, and Pierre

Meet the New Staff

  The tenth school year at AJC brings with it a few new staff members, as well as the return of a former staff member.  These folks bring a fresh energy to the building and are quickly finding their roles in our "community of affection." Be sure to say "hi" during your next visit to the school!

Micheal Crane - English & Science Teacher

  Micheal is known by kids in the East End as “Mr. Mike.”  Over the past four years, he has worked tirelessly to provide for his students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Armstrong High School, and multiple locations of the Boys and Girls Club.  Micheal serves out of the classroom as a mentor for East End children throughout the year. He is a native of Atlanta, GA, but happy to call Richmond home. He is a graduate of Bethune Cookman University (BS in Educational Studies) and currently finishing up his Master's of Education degree at University of Richmond. He also is a very proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and Drum Major Coach for Virginia Union University.

Christy Gore - 4th Grade Teacher

Christy is returning to AJC after a brief break. She graduated from East Carolina University in 1989 with a B.S. in Elementary Education K-8 and a Reading Certification in K-12. She has 17 years of experience in the classroom teaching in North Carolina and in Virginia, with four of those spent at Anna Julia Cooper as our Reading Specialist.  When she is not in the classroom, Christy enjoys reading, volunteering in the community, eating pasta, and most importantly spending time with her five children and husband.

Abby Illian - Math Teacher

  Abby graduated from Gordon College in 2015 with a degree in Mathematics and Middle School Education. She left the cold state of Massachusetts to teach middle school math for three years in Richmond Public Schools before joining the AJC family. Abby enjoys playing lacrosse, baking yummy treats, and spending time with her family in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Richmond.

Matt Kuhn - Administrative Coordinator

Matt graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 with a B.S. in Sociology.  He worked with the Richmond Cycling Corps for 8 years, helping to found the Legacy Academy in 2017, and he now serves as Vice Board Chair for RCC, since he has started working at AJCES.  In addition to assisting Katye in the office, Matt will also be a part of the Graduate Support Team. When he is not at work, he enjoys cycling, running, and shooting video.