A Knight's Tale | June Newsletter
Dear North Side Community School Friends,

What a great beginning I have had as North Side Community School's Executive Director! Over the past few weeks I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know so many terrific kids and their families as well as the many wonderful North Side Team Members. This is a very special place for learning and I'm excited about all of the great learning that will take place next year!

We ended the year by celebrating our Kindergarten and Eighth Grade graduating classes. Our kindergarteners will join our elementary school campus in the Fall, and graduating eighth graders will go on to attend excellent high schools across our region.

On June 6th we began our summer school program. This is a full-day program open to students in K-8 and provides the opportunity to prepare for the next school year, limit learning loss, and engage in fun and experiential learning projects. The days have been plenty warm but great learning is still taking place!

Finally, it is my privilege to introduce you to our new Middle School Leadership Team! You will likely recognize these familiar faces. Stephon Greenlee has been promoted to the role of Principal, Cait Zona has been promoted to serve as the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction and Doel Bailey has been promoted to serve as the Dean of Students and Culture. Read more about each of these terrific leaders below.  

I wish each of you an enjoyable summer with family and friends! Thank you for your great support of North Side and our wonderful kids!

Sincerely,
Douglas Thaman
Executive Director
Congratulations 8th Grade Graduates!
Congratulations to our second Eighth Grade Graduating Class!

Eighth grade is the highest grade offered here at North Side. Last year North Side completed its' middle school and celebrated our first graduation class of eighth graders; this year 27 students graduated and are moving on to study at a variety of excellent high schools.

During the graduation ceremony, the students enjoyed a keynote speech from Representative Rasheen Aldridge, who represents the Riverside District of St. Louis City.

Congratulations to this class - we know you will go on to achieve amazing things!
Kindergarten Graduation


During our Kindergarten graduation, we celebrated the class of students who will be moving up from our Early Childhood Center and joining our elementary campus in the upcoming school year!

Students performed the poem "Hey Black Child" and the song "First Grade, First Grade" for their families.

Congratulations, graduating Kindergarteners!
Fun Fresh Market
The Bailey Foundation hosted a Fresh Fun Market on our campus for the entire community. Our students sampled healthy meals and received free produce and household supplies to bring home. Thank you to The Bailey Foundation for making this event possible!
Summer School
Summer school is in full swing serving grades K-8! Students are participating in academic instruction to increase proficiency in math and literacy, physical education, and extracurriculars such as art, music and even gaming!

In addition to academics, students in our summer school program have been able to spend time outdoors exploring nature and different areas of Saint Louis City.
New Middle School Administration Team
Middle School Principal: Stephon Greenlee
We are excited to share that Assistant Principal Stephon Greenlee has been promoted and will assume the position as Principal of North Side Middle School starting July 2022.

Mr. Greenlee brings 15 years of experience in education - teaching, leading, and coaching. He has been part of the North Side team since 2015 and has served as a teacher and administrator. Mr. Greenlee is committed to the success of all students and we look forward to his leadership.
Dean of Curriculum & Instruction: Cait Zona
We're excited to Welcome Cait Zona into her new role! Cait shares:
"I am SO excited to serve as the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at North Side Community School. This will be my 3rd year at North Side. I have served as Social Studies teacher, the 5th Grade Team Lead & Social Studies Instructional Lead. I earned my Master of Social Work and Master of Arts in Education from Washington University. Prior to that I worked at a charter school in Newark, New Jersey after graduating from the University of Central FL.
Fun Fact - My college mascot was the Knights, so I've always been a Knight at heart! My goal as Dean of Curriculum and Instruction is to support each teacher with what they need to make their classrooms more enriching, engaging, and efficient, and thus make each teacher's life easier!"
Dean of Students and Culture: Doel Bailey
Doel Bailey has been teaching since 1995 and coaching since 1994. Prior to his arrival in the US 23 years ago, he served as the Head of the PE department & Head Track and field coach in his native Jamaica. Doel earned his MA in School Administration and his Ed.S in Educational Administration from Lindenwood University. Doel is entering his 12th year at NSCS, and has served in various roles, including Dean of Discipline, Extended Day Director, Activities Director, P.E. Teacher, Teacher Leader, and more.
Dean is passionate about track and field & soccer, and believes that anyone can be whatever they want to be, they have to just trust and believe in themselves.