Big news on 29th Street! There’s been a buzz of activity at the site of our new Lower School—gym walls are going up, and interior selections are underway. It’s exciting to imagine the spaces where future AJC students will learn, play, and grow -- and to see that vision coming to life.

August 1st marked the end of our four-week mandatory summer session, a favorite time of year for many students. It helps keep routines steady and lays the foundation for a strong school year ahead. This summer, we’ve welcomed lots of new faces, including the addition of a second section of 1st grade as part of our ongoing Lower School expansion. Between new kindergartners, 6th graders, and first graders, nearly fifty new Lions joined the pride.

As we reflect on the past year and look toward the year ahead, we’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to do this important work -- and for the community of support that makes it all possible.

If you've ever walked the sparkling floors of AJC after a break, you’ve seen the results of Mr. Robinson’s skill and hard work. An Ashland native, Mr. Robinson worked over 27 years for Hanover County Public Schools, rising to Head Custodian at Hanover High. After retiring, he launched Robinson Cleaning Company—and has brought his trademark shine (and smile) to AJC for the past 15 years. Every winter and summer break, he polishes our floors, quietly making the school beautiful for students and staff to return to.

“I like to have the school nice and clean for when the kids and teachers come back,” he says. “If they are satisfied, that makes me happy.” Mr. Robinson says his job is “nothing but a piece of cake”—but we know it’s his pride, precision, and heart that make him the best around. 

 Summer Adventures:

Over 30 Students Embrace Camp Life

Seventeen students and graduates - pictured here at BWI Airport- spent over three weeks at Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya—all returned from last year, and all hope to go back again. 

“I come to stay out of trouble and meet people. It's nice to connect

with people who are trying to do right.”

"Most of us come here so that we are not getting ourselves involved with what's going on in the streets. This is a place where I meet people, build friendships and have fun." 

The mission of NextUp RVA is to provide Richmond youth with a strong system of accessible and equitable out-of-school time and expanded-learning resources.

With dinner provided by Jfive Catering Company (an AJC family), caregivers recently had the chance to attend one of five short workshops on topics like screen time, reading at home, mental health, sleep, and managing stress. Sessions were led by AJC staff and community partners, and focused on sharing simple, useful tools that families can apply at home.

Led by our Director of Mental Health Services, LaDesha Powell, LCSW, we are planning to offer events like this once each quarter throughout the year. Our goal is to keep building strong school-family connections while sharing helpful resources in a low-key, supportive setting. We’re excited to keep the momentum going!

Lucy Remington joined us from Greater Richmond SCAN to talk about managing stress in parenting.

Summer session at Anna Julia Cooper School means seeing familiar faces walk back through our doors—not just the students arriving for class each morning, but nearly twenty grads who returned for our Summer Work Program. They worked the front desk answering the phone, served meals in the kitchen, supported teachers in classrooms, led small-group reading sessions, and mentored students.

This summer work program is a key piece of our Graduate Support Program, which is grounded in one of our core mission promises: to walk alongside our graduates long after 8th grade. We know that real-world work experience is invaluable—and not always easy to come by as a high school or college student. Offering paid summer roles at school gives our grads the chance to build professional skills, explore interests, earn a paycheck, and stay connected.

Several students recently dove into a one-of-a-kind experience with our friends at Culture Encounters through their cultural exploration program, Eat, Talk, Write. Designed to broaden perspectives through food, music, and dance, students visited cultural museums and international restaurants throughout RVA where they were encouraged to take notes of their observations through all five senses and create reviews each day as part of a writing competition. (What a fun way to encourage descriptive writing!) Check out Culture Encounters' Facebook Page to see more of this engaging program in action.

Irie Ting, a Jamaican restaurant on Cary St. was a favorite stop along the restaurant tour.

Ever wonder what experiences shape our Lions most as they move on to high school? Below is a selection from the Class of 2025 8th grade speeches. These short anecdotes speak to the AJC experience and shed light on what our grads will remember most from our community of affection.

Send classroom supplies for the upcoming school year

through our Amazon Wishlist.

Contact Ashley Raggi at raggia@ajcschool.org to learn how you

can make a difference by volunteering.

Thanks for all the love!