Aug 17th, 2010 by Administrator
Please join the staff of Knowledge Quest
in offering our prayers and condolences to
Marlon and Sheila Foster and their entire family
on the loss of
Ladric Bronner, Mr. Foster’s brother.
For those interested:
The wake will be held on Friday, August 20th
from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at M. J. Edwards Funeral on Airways
The funeral will be on Saturday, August 21st
at Noon at Greater New Liberty Church
1633 Webb Street
Aug 10th, 2010 by Administrator
On a recent Saturday afternoon, I joined a jam-packed room full of neighbors, parents and family friends – all in support of forty teenage boys and girls who were celebrating Rites of Passage and a Purity Ceremony respectively.
These young people sang songs, recited scriptures, pledges and affirmation; and exhibited their creative writing and dance expression skills, but I was most impressed by their commitments.
I’ve officiated a lot of weddings, but to put on my white robe and watch parents stand in support of their daughters promising to guide them through their pledges of abstinence and witness parents placing a “friendly reminder” ring on their finger was the most moving ceremony ever I’ve ever performed. Or to witness twenty teenage boys, well-dressed in shirt and tie, stand and boldly pronounce their transition from boy-hood to manhood…WOW!
As pastor of Christ Quest Community Church, I recently dedicated three babies to Christ…all of the mothers were 16 years of age. As a middle schooler at Bellevue Jr. High in the mid-eighties, I recalled those days in which I first began to drift into juvenile delinquency. I remembered the untimely death of my childhood best friend, but not so for these young people. Imagine if those teenage girls and boys had a chance to develop a more positive understanding of sexuality. Imagine if my friends and I were enlightened to real manhood. Saturday, July 31st was a bright day here at Knowledge Quest; for the forty middle school participants, their future is even brighter.
Aug 3rd, 2010 by Administrator
We are having a training week at Knowledge Quest.
Summer camp ended last week and school doesn’t start until next week, which means that there aren’t any kids in the building this week. We are taking the time to get our rooms organized, our lesson plans made, and our work areas clean.
I can tell you it is much quieter here than it normally is, but I do miss the kids. They add a sparkle and vibrancy to the place.
When I was growing up, back to school was always a fun time. I liked getting the new supplies and book lists, seeing some of my favorite teachers from the previous year and meeting new teachers. I liked the possibilities of the school year ahead. I always thought it would be better than the previous year.
I haven’t had this feeling in awhile, but the potential for the new year is in the air. I am excited about school starting. Seeing what kids come back. Seeing familiar and new faces both in the students and in coworkers.
I may have to go buy some new pens.
Jul 27th, 2010 by Administrator
Yesterday was the first day of the last week of the 2010 Summer Camp session. Can you believe summer has just flown by?
On Friday, both the School Age Academy and the Teenage Academy will be holding closing ceremonies. The kids will sing, recite poetry, dance, and discuss what they enjoyed most about camp. Afterwards, there will be a carnival in the parking lot with a water slide and dunk tank, plus hot dogs and all of the trimmings.
Next week, I will add some pictures so that you can see the fun that our kids had this summer.
We are working now on applications for the school year. Please stop by on Friday to pick one up. You can always call the office for more information, too.
I hope everyone had a great summer!
Jul 20th, 2010 by Administrator
Every month, we are going to ask a staff member / parent / community partner the same 5 questions.
Dabney Ring joined the staff of Knowledge Quest in April as the Executive Assistant. She is a native Memphian and newlywed, who lives in Midtown with her husband and two cats. At Knowledge Quest, she does a little bit of everything, and, today she will answer Knowledge Quest’s 5 questions.
1. How did you get involved with Knowledge Quest? I received an email that Knowledge Quest was hiring and sent in my resume. After extensive internet research, I knew Knowledge Quest was an organization I wanted to be involved with. I met Mr. Foster and Ms. Scruggs during the interview process, and that confirmed all of the positive information I read about the organization. I was offered the job two days after my wedding, officially making it the best 48 hours of my life.
2. What is your favorite thing about Knowledge Quest? The kids and the people I work with. Knowledge Quest is made up of some great people. The kids are so eager to learn and it is just nice to know I am a small piece of something that can change their lives.
3. Why should other people become involved with Knowledge Quest? It seems to me that Knowledge Quest is on the verge of greatness. They have been around long enough to have a great reputation and track record, but it is still an organization that is growing and reaching new levels of potential. It is an exciting place to be right now.
4. What was the last book you read? For work: Running QuickBooks in Non-Profits. For pleasure: Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
5. If you could do one thing to change Memphis, what would you do? Get more people involved both politically and civically. There are so many issues and decisions that are made by a small minority of people. It is so important that people stay involved and informed so that we can all make Memphis a better to place.
Jul 13th, 2010 by Administrator
I experienced a pleasant and affirming reading this morning. It was pleasant because Bill Maxwell, columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, sought to invest time informing readers of the challenges of “learning loss” particularly for lower-income children during summer breaks from school.
I was affirmed because Knowledge Quest has made valiant efforts in this regard for over a decade during summer breaks from school. Our Ben Carson’s Book Club has partnered with the Memphis and Shelby County Library System, particularly the Gaston Branch, in honoring our students’ reading strides with weekly incentives and special gifts inclusive of—you guessed it—more books! During this past week our K-1st graders read an average of 10 books per student. Our 2nd-3rd grade class read an average of 15 books per student and our 4th-5th graders are setting a leadership standard with a whopping 17 books per student average! Be mindful that these are Knowledge Quest proper averages and that our students’ efforts multiply when coupled with reading goals they are challenged to perform at home.
Please take the time to click on the links below, one of which shares Bill Maxwell’s full article, and a most important one in which John Jordan, rising second grader at Knowledge Quest reads his 90th book overall for our summer reading initiative. St. Petersburg’s public libraries and school districts are providing a great out-of-school-time service, but so are our counties’ library system and awesome efforts like Knowledge Quest across our great City.
Bill Maxwell’s article from the St. Petersburg Times
John Jordan reads his 90th book:
Jul 6th, 2010 by Administrator
Today, we are beginning the second half of summer camp. I can’t believe time has just flown by so fast. Next thing you know, it will be time to pack up those book bags and head back to school.
The good news is that we have plenty of fun packed into the next few weeks.
The School Age Academy has been taking advantage of Malco’s Kids Summer Film Fest. They have seen Night at the Museum 2 and Aliens in the Attic. Next week: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The kids are enjoying art projects, learning Spanish, and some extra time outside, when it is not too hot, of course. The Kindergartners and 1st graders even painted using their hands and feet!
The Teenage Academy is blossoming this summer under the direction of new program coordinator, Keva Irvin. The kids are taking on Community Service projects to see what even the smallest act of kindness can do. They are also learning important lessons about self esteem and peer pressure, in addition to their normal summer activities.
Did you know that Knowledge Quest had a baseball team? Coach Downey is teaching our boys the fundamentals of the sport, and they are getting better and better. If you are interested in catching a game, let us know and we can post the schedule.
We want to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, ask a question, or suggest a topic for the blog. Let us know and we will do our best to get you the information you need.
See you next week!
May 19th, 2010 by Administrator
We are testing our new Blog – Facebook Feed
Jan 27th, 2010 by Administrator
A group of children play outside at Knowlege Quest.
Jan 27th, 2010 by Administrator
How has Knowledge Quest benefited you and your children?
Knowledge Quest has benefited my children and me in so many ways. First, my son who is in the 5th grade was getting mostly D’s and F’s and N’s and U’s in conduct. Shortly after attending Knowledge Quest, his attitude changed and both his grades and conduct improved. In fact, the next six-week grading period after starting Knowledge Quest, Marquan made the honor roll for the first time. Marquianna, my 4th grade daughter was also making poor grades in academics and conduct and has now improved. I take absolutely no credit for what Knowledge Quest has done for my children because I must be honest; I really didn’t work with them much at all. This is why I am so grateful for what Knowledge Quest has done. They provide help with their homework, schoolwork materials and even special projects.
Another thing that I like is the extracurricular activities that children can participate in like majorettes/dance, cheerleading, basketball, piano and several clubs, like chess, math, science and book club to name a few. They have a lot of fun and I appreciate the cultural field trips that my children are now exposed to. I love the fact that they are being groomed in a positive environment.
Would you recommend this program to anyone else?
Yes, I would because I believe that Knowledge Quest is the best after school program in Memphis.
How would you rate parental involvement?
Parents are encouraged to volunteer and participate with the program all the time. I attend the monthly parent meetings and always feel welcome.
