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In 2004, Link launched the PlaySmart Boys' Summer Academy to help boys between their 5th and 6th grade years reach their academic and personal potential. By using athletics/sports and the values/lessons learned therein, this program fosters academic readiness, skills, motivation and leadership. With funding from and in partnership with PlaySmart, Athletes in Action, and Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex, Link's PlaySmart Boys Summer Academy benefits boys from economically disadvantaged families in Newark and surrounding urban communities.
In 2005, PlaySmart Boys' Summer Academy was expanded to a four-week program, beginning July 5th and continuing until July 29th from 8 am until 12:30 pm (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) and from 8 am until 2 pm (Wednesdays). Participants began each day with a Winner's Circle, a daily morning meeting during which teachers shared inspirational messages, celebrated students and made announcements, and then attended math and language arts classes. Three days per week, they attended a Portfolio Session during which they reflected on their lives and their experiences at the Academy.
 Click here to view a slideshow of photos from the 2005 PlaySmart Boys Summer Academy.
Participants also took part in a weekly Success Skills class where they explored the guiding principals of the program -- excellent work habits, perseverance, emotional courage and a team-first attitude; a weekly visit from a guest speaker who inspired the students to achieve by sharing their own experiences; and a weekly Core Value Reading Circle where they met in a small group with a teacher to read a short piece as a jumping board for discussions on life issues. Finally, once per week they went on a field trip, including a visit to the Yogi Berra Museum for a tour and talk with a professional scout, Chelsea Piers for ice skating, Central Park for a field day, and Barringer High School for outdoor education with Project U.S.E.
Link Community School is especially grateful to those partners who made the 2005 Academy possible: PlaySmart, Athletes in Action, Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex, and the Junior League of Essex-Newark.
For more information or to obtain an application for our 2006 program, please contact Ms. Keisha Cleveland, Vice Principal, at 973-642-0529.
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