Stay Connected KA Mock

WELCOME
TO THE KA WAY!
Introduction from
ART FULLER
This week a couple of KA’s founding students asked why I always
wear a smile and optimistic outlook. Quickly, I shared the story of
how my personality stems directly from my grandmother. She was
raised in a small community, Hayneville, Alabama, dating back to the
1920s and important flashpoint of the Civil Rights era.
I was lucky to spend a great deal of time learning from her and
all my relatives in and around Montgomery, Alabama. No matter the
circumstance, her energy and light always shined through. She was the
true embodiment of the power of knowledge. Not just knowing about
something, but to truly know the deep experiences of life through
service, humility, and the relationships of her community.
The premise of Knowledge Academies is centered on the quality of
knowing, far below the surface.
Our mission is to prepare students to make the best academic
and social choices leading to a successful life connected to college,
community, creativity, and culture. Our core values are simple, yet
powerful, focused on positive words, helpful action, and best effort.
We are proud to share the stories of our students, our Tigers,
through this first historic publication.
We are also honored to work in partnership with a network
of Nashville’s leading organizations, along with national partners.
Our goal is to share how the KA way can be applied to build long
lasting change in communities. Our students and families are the key
ingredient in our journey and story.
We are invested, for the long term, and beyond in one of
Nashville’s most diverse communities, Antioch.
Within the last year, we have been humbled with recognition as
the first public school to receive the Next Awards in Social Enterprise
and Sustainability (2016), from the Nashville Area Chamber of
Commerce; and one of ten national recipients of the LRNG Educator
Innovators Challenge (2017), focused on reimagining education in
partnership with the National Writing Project.
Our community is also recognized as a Pioneer for Children’s
Wellbeing by Ashoka and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The pages that follow are from our students, and provide a preview
of the exciting opportunities focused on so many of the valuable
lessons of life, as our community leaps forward, by sharing the power
and diversity of our stories.
ART FULLER (EX-OFFICIO)
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Knowledge Academies, Inc.
The Open Source Teaching Project
art.fuller@knowledgeacademies.org
ARIEL MCCALLUM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
amccallum@kayouth.org
JENNIFER LASSEN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR (ACADEMICS)
jlassen@kayouth.org
JAMES B. BRISTOL, J.D., CHAIR
PARTNER
Waller
Executive Compensation & Benefits
JEFF BRADFORD, SECRETARY
PRESIDENT & CEO
The Bradford Group
JASON REIERSON, TREASURER
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Pinnacle Financial Partners
SCOTT SCHUMPERT, CPA, CVA, ABV
ASSISTANT TREASURER
Partner, Carr, Riggs, & Ingram (Nashville)
COLIN CANNONIER, PH.D.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS
College of Business Administration
Belmont University
STEPHEN F. GRAW
Urban Grout (Commercial Real Estate)
GLENN HUNTER, MBA
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT
EVANGELINE MOTLEY-JOHNSON, PH.D.
ASSOCIATE DEAN
School of Graduate Studies and Research
Meharry Medical College
TANAKA VERCHER
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Office of Financial Aid
Tennessee State University
SAM JACKSON
ANNUAL FUND DIRECTOR
University School of Nashville
Knowledge Academes is a network of public schools for families, and
a teacher leader professional development center that offers year-round
programming for education professionals, families, and students.
Our core values are positive words, helpful action, and best effort.
4 KNOWLEDGE ACADEMIES KNOWLEDGEACADEMIES.ORG