Guests are in awe of our students

April 25, 2023 View as Webpage

What a year it has been for Aspiration Academy at University Park Elementary School thanks to the wonderful support from Principal Ana Diaz and her remarkable staff.

Our guests for the students were impressed in so many ways.

Shannon Landin, Codecraft Works:

During our time with the Aspiration Academy scholars, Codecraft Instructors taught the basics of coding, including sequential thinking, loops, and conditionals. We also taught them about online safety and how to stay safe while using the internet. The students were eager to learn and they were very creative. They came up with some great ideas for their coding projects. We were impressed by their ability to learn new concepts quickly and their willingness to demonstrate their work. We know that they will use their new skills to create amazing things in the future. We learned a lot from them as well, and we are excited to see what they accomplish in the future.

Kelly Baker,

Sewing Instructor extraordinaire

It was a JOY to work with the Aspiration Academy! The students were eager to learn a new hands-on skill and were so appreciative of the information being shared with them. This was evident from each one of the student participants saying “thank you” as our sessions ended. I was blessed by the opportunity to give back to our local community in this way.

Carol Campion, Master Gardener

I LOVED working with these amazing children! These very bright kids seem to soak up and be eager for knowledge. They contributed their experiences with plants and edible fruits and vegetables. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them and was amazed when they knew the answers to what I thought were difficult questions. I am very glad that I was part of this exciting endeavor, and I firmly believe in the concept of enriching these gifted young minds. Aspiration Academy is a great project. I want to do more projects involving them planting things in pots, which they really seemed to enjoy.

Linda Paige, Master Gardener

What a great experience Aspiration Academy has been for me! The students are delightful and so full of enthusiasm and interesting ideas. I'm truly sorry to see this school year-end. However, it will give me time to explore some new ideas for next year! The thought you have put into the creation of Aspiration Academy is so unique and offers such a variety of learning opportunities for our most valuable resource, our students! I so appreciate being a part of this exciting adventure!

Donn Weaver,

Veterans Memorial Center

I and two other veterans spent a couple of hours at Aspiration Academy. What an experience to be able to explain why veterans are important to our country and get so many perceptive questions from third graders. Our future will be theirs one day and we look forward to being a part of Aspiration Academy next year and beyond.

Pam Rogan, Harmony Farms

My biggest takeaway from the time spent with the students at Aspiration Academy was “Wow”! They were like sponges. They wanted to learn. We discussed horses, disabilities, dreams, therapy, and acceptance. The students all had something to add and so many questions on each topic. Their minds were engaged and working. It was a wonderful experience. Thank you for allowing me to meet these great kids!