By Stephanie Claytor

April, 30, 2010

Syracuse, NY—Canadian rapper Drake, from Young Money entertainment, performed all of his latest hits including “Successful”, “Say Something”, and “Bed Rock” to a sold out crowd of 10,000 people at the Carrier Dome on Friday, April 30th, as part of Syracuse University’s MayFest celebration. The concert was a part of Drake’s college tour across the country to promote his new album, Thank Me Later, which is being released on June 15th. While the majority of the crowd was Syracuse University students, numerous people living in the city as well as some SU alums from as far as New York City and Washington DC came out to see the concert.

“I’m a fan of his music, not just his present hitmakers but his mixtape career as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to see him live yet so I embraced this opportunity,” Henri Smith, of Queens, New York.

“His music is fresh and on the cutting edge with others in the industry, like Nicki Minaj and Lil Boosie,” said Rachel Grant, an SU alum from Washington DC.

Before the concert, people speculated on whether Drake would perform. Just the day before, he postponed his show at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell because of a doctor-mandated vocal rest. Shortly after he arrived on stage in Syracuse, he told the crowd his doctor ordered him to refrain from performing for three days, but he said he was going against his doctor’s order, because he “loves Syracuse”.

Drake’s voice sounded froggy during his first couple of songs, but after a surprise appearance from the Birdman A.K.A. Baby from Cash Money Records, who ran onto stage to sing “Money to Blow”, Drake’s voice started to blossom.

One of the themes for the night was “Free Weezy,” referring to the southern rapper and founder of Young Money Entertainment, Lil Wayne. The Grammy-award winning artist has been serving a one-year jail sentence since March 8th in Rikers Island, for having a loaded gun on his tour bus back in 2007. As a tribute to Lil Wayne, Drake sang a couple of his songs including “Every Girl” and “Going In” and told the crowd “it’s been a crazy year since they locked his big brother up.”

Midway through the concert, Drake surprised the crowd with a few verses from songs off his new album that haven’t been made played on the radio such as “Fear”, and “Fireworks”. Fear and Fireworks are both rap songs which discuss how money and success change relationships. “Fireworks” is the first song on the new album. The 23-old-rapper told his fans he learned a lot about his self while making it.

“This album is the most honest I’ve ever been with myself. I showed up here to have fun, talk trash, and I appreciate you all coming out to hear me,” said Drake.

One fan shocked Drake with the traditional Syracuse love, handing him a life-size cardboard poster of his head, similar to the signs with the faces of Wes Johnson and Coach Boeheim that were held up during the men’s basketball games this season. Also in the crowd were some of Syracuse’s latest athletic stars, including Johnny Flynn, Wes Johnson, and Art Jones.

Before Drake performed, Canadian rapper k-os took the stage followed by N.E.R.D., a band featuring lead rapper Pharrell. K-os performed a handful of songs , threw sample CDs into the crowd, and told the crowd about his fourth album, Yes!, which was released a year ago. K-os describes himself as a rap n’roller. His music combines rap, rock, reggae, and funk music to create a unique sound, inspired by Toronto roots. In his rhymes , he is critical of mainstream hip hop culture’s obsession with fame, money, and violence. Throughout his performance, there was not a lot of singing along in the audience; it appeared his music was unknown to most of the crowd.

N.E.R.D., followed k-os, and amplified the crowd for Drake, singing about 10 of their latest hits. Lead rapper Pharrell showed a lot of energy in every song, jumping up and down as he spit rhymes to the rock band playing underneath his lyrics. The groups’ music encompasses a mix of rock, hip hop, rap, and funk music.

“I’m a big fan of N.E.R.D. and Drake. It’s exciting that Syracuse got such big artists,” said Anna Briccetti, a Syracuse University student from Louisville, Kentucky.

The group showcased their new single, “Hot and Fun,” which will be featured on their 4th album, Nothing, slated to be released on June 15th . This hip hop song with disco undertones, features the chorus, “all the girls want hot and fun” talking about woman’s desires to have sex, and money, while having fun. Some of the other songs they performed were “Spaz”, “Everyone Nose” (All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom), and “Sooner or Later”, which starts off slow with Pharrell singing a melody in the beginning and then transitions to rock for the chorus.

This summer, N.E.R.D. heads overseas to tour in Europe. After Syracuse, Drake takes his tour to New Hampshire on May 8th, and then out west to California on May 12th.

In all of 40-45 seconds, a 7.0 earthquake destroyed everything in Port-Au-Prince. It took away lives and destroyed the land, buildings and homes.  The Blacktino Connection talks to Nicolas Gaspard about what happened that Tuesday evening.  Gaspard is a man who decided after living in the United States and studying in the Dominican Republic, that he wanted to return to his homeland to help make it a better place. He’s a DJ and just opened his first club.  Now that too is in ruins. Here, he gives us his eyewitness account of what happened in those frightening 45 seconds.

Blacktino Connection: Were you in Port Au Prince when the earthquake took place?

Gaspard: Yeah, I was right in the middle of it on my way home.

Blacktino Connection: What do you remember?

Gaspard: One piece of the mountains fell on the cars in front of me. Rocks were falling on the road just like in that superman movie

Blacktino Connection: OMG, how’d u avoid the rocks?

Gaspard: To tell you the truth, I have no idea how. I think that I was at the right place at the right time.

Blacktino Connection: What’d did you do?

Gaspard: I parked the car as far away from the mountain as possible. A lot of people were panicking.

Blacktino Connection: When you say panicking, what do you mean –people were running into the open road or?

Gaspard: Yeah, jumping out of the vehicle.

Blacktino Connection: How did you know what to do?

Gaspard: I have no idea. I just kept my calm and watched where the rocks were coming from. It happened so fast. And I didn’t panic. A lot of people got killed and injured by panicking.

Blacktino Connection: How long do you think it lasted?

Gaspard: It lasted like 40 seconds. I’m not really sure.

Blacktino Connection: So were you driving when this happened?

Gaspard: No I slowed down and stopped. I couldn’t control the car.

Blacktino Connection: This is all so unbelievable—the fact that in 40 seconds, everything could be ruined.  What do you think should be done now?

Gaspard: There are still people alive under the buildings. The whole city smells like death.  Right now there’s no communications. All of the phones are down. We have to deal with this before anything else can happen.

Gaspard leaves us with the affirmation that Haiti will overcome this tragedy, just like they have so many times before. We will be giving you more information as we gather it. If you would like to help out, go to CNN’s Impact your World website, where various organizations are listed that have relief programs in effect.

There is a lot of talk about concussion injuries in football lately. Since I did my story, the NFL has made some new rules. According to the NFL website, Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to 32 teams, barring players who sustain a concussion from returning to play the same day if they display symptoms.  These include dizziness, headaches and the inability to remember plays. 

Before, a player could not return to the game if they lost consciousness.

The policy has new guidelines for once the player is removed from the field. New procedures state the player can not return to football activities until they do not exmplify any of the symptoms, both during rest and after exercise. They must have a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and have been cleared to return by both a team physician and anindependent neurological consultant.

Over this past month, the teams have been required to find outside neurologists that can consult the teams on concussion injuries.

Here is a hearing on Capitol Hill that spurred the controversy. 

Look out for our story coming soon, which discusses whether these measure are necessary at the high school and collegiate level.

Although we are 21 years apart, and literally worlds apart, Kesha Weedon and I are spiritually connected. Both slave descendants, we leaned on our religion and faith to succeed beyond what our parents and grandparents ever imagined. Kesha and I both got to study abroad, and live an experience that is quite unheard of in our communities. The sad part is that Kesha didn’t survive to tell her family about this life-changing experience.

During the fall of 1988, Kesha Weedon traveled to London as part of Syracuse University’s study abroad program. She was one of the 35 Syracuse University students who were killed as a result of the Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist attack. On December 21, 1988, the students boarded the plane in London and were about to cross the Atlantic ocean when a bomb detontated and the plane exploded in mid-air. News reports state the plane came crashing down in pieces within a matter of seconds over Lockerbie, Scotland. All 259 people on the plane were killed as well as 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie. Pan Am Flight 103 was the largest terrorist attack against the United States before 9/11.

After an intense international investigation, Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence agent, was accused of putting the bomb on the plane. In 2001, he was convicted of the heinous crime, thirteen years after the initial attack. In October of 2008, the Libyan government paid $1.5 billion to compensate the families of American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks. In the meantime, al-Megrahi appealed his case once and dropped the second appeal after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. On August 20, 2009, the Scottish government decided to release him on “compassionate grounds.” He served eight years of his life sentence, even though he was convicted of killing 270 people.

This is the aftermath of the terrorist attack that took the life of Kesha Weedon. Yet none of the money, or the sanctions, or the short prison sentence will bring her back. That’s why I am a Remembrance Scholar- to revive her beautiful life story. I encourage others to celebrate the lives of the 35 students who passed away because the reality is it could’ve been any one of us.

If you took the time to get to know these students, you’d realize they were just like you. When I read about Kesha in the Syracuse University archives, chills went through my body as I realized the countless similarities we shared. We both volunteered while abroad with children who spoke different languages and we both had this burning desire to service our marginalized communities- she through social work, and I through the medium of journalism. But what surprised me was that Kesha was a part of me that I forgot in college. She didn’t leave behind her religious roots or her musical talents when she came here. Instead, she sang in the Black Celestrial Choral Ensemble and played in the Syracuse University Orchestra- both talents I left behind a long time ago. And she was in love. Not only did she have a boyfriend, but she convinced him to visit her in London and they attempted to return to the United States together. I admired all of these things about Kesha, and it’s the reason why her memory is alive in me. Her memory forces us to never take life for granted because we are blessed to be alive and we can make a difference and try to continue what she was not able to finish. We must realize that smart, young, good-spirited people die too- for reasons we will never understand.

Our time to make a change is now, not tomorrow. I challenge you to attend the Rose Laying Ceremony at 2:03 pm on Friday and visit the Syracuse University Archives, to learn more about the lives of these 35 students, all young intellectuals who wanted to make a difference. I guarantee they will inspire you to be your best.

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Traducido en Espanol por Stephanie Claytor

Por Stephanie Claytor

Aunque nos separan 21 años y literalmente dos mundos, Kesha Weedon y yo estamos conectadas espiritualmente. Ambas descendientes de esclavos, nos hemos apoyado en nuestra fe y religión para lograr éxitos mucho más allá de lo que nuestros padres y abuelos jamás se imaginaron. Kesha y yo tuvimos la experiencia de estudiar en el extranjero, una oportunidad que no es común en nuestra comunidad afro-americana. Lo triste es que Kesha no vivió lo suficiente para llegar a contarle a su familia sobre esa experiencia.

Durante el otoño de 1988, Kesha Weedon viajó a Londres como parte del programa de estudios de Syracuse University. Ella era una de 35 estudiantes que murieron en el ataque terrorista al vuelo de Pan Am 103.

El 21 de Diciembre de 1988, los estudiantes subieron el avión en Londres, en ruta a cruzar el Atlántico de vuelta a su país, cuando una bomba detonó y el avión estalló en el aire. El avión se estrelló en pedazos en cuestión de segundos sobre Lockerbie, Escocia y 259 pasajeros murieron, además de once residentes de Lockerbie. El vuelo 103 de Pan Am constituyó el ataque terrorista más grande contra los Estados Unidos previo al ataque de 9/11.

Después de una intensa investigación a nivel internacional, Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, un agente inteligencia libio, fue acusado de poner la bomba en el avión. En 2001 fue condenado por el crimen atroz, trece años después del ataque inicial.

En Octubre de 2008, el gobierno libio pagó $1.5 billones de dólares a las familias de las víctimas del ataque. Mientras, Megrahi apeló su caso y el pasado 20 de agosto, en su segunda apelación, debido a un diagnóstico de cáncer terminal de próstata, el gobierno escocés decidió liberarlo por motivo de compasión. Megrahi sirvió sólo ocho años de su cadena perpetua, aunque fue condenado por la matanza de 270 personas. Cuando escuché esta noticia, me pregunté si Kesha me estaba dando una lección, como buena cristiana, de lo que es el perdón, aún en un caso imperdonable.

Este fue los resultados del ataque terrorista que tomó la vida de Kesha Weedon. Pero, ni todos los dólares, ni sanciones, ni el perdón ni la corta condena del asesino nos devolverían a Kesha Weedon. Por esta razón soy parte del grupo de Remembrance Scholars, para recordar su vida corta y brillante. Exhorto a otras personas a celebrar las vidas de los 35 estudiantes que fallecieron.

Si uno toma el tiempo para conocer a estos estudiantes, uno se da cuenta que ellos vivieron la misma vida nuestra. Cuando leí sobre la vida de Kesha en los archivos de Syracuse University, sentí escalofríos al notar las similitudes innumerables que compartimos. Ambas fuimos voluntarias en el extranjero y trabajamos con niños. También compartimos un deseo ardiente de servir nuestras comunidades marginadas- ella con trabajo social y yo a través del periodismo. Pero lo que me sorprende es que Kesha me trae una parte de mí que me olvidé en colegio. Ella no dejó sus raíces religiosas ni sus talentos musicales cuando vino a la universidad. En lugar de eso, ella cantó en el Black Celestrial Choral Ensemble y tocó el violín en la orquesta de Syracuse University – ambos talentos que yo dejé atrás hace años. Y ella tenía amor. Ella tenía un novio que viajó a Londres para visitarla. Luego trataron de regresar a los Estados Unidos juntos. Admiré todas de estas cosas sobre Kesha, y por eso su memoria está viva en mí. Su memoria me fuerza a nunca tomar la vida a la ligera. Tenemos la bendición de Dios de estar vivos y podemos hacer una diferencia y tratar de continuar lo que ella no pudo terminar.

Nuestro tiempo de comenzar ese cambio es ahora, no mañana. Le reto a asistir a la ceremonia del Descanso de las Rosas a las 2:03 por la tarde el viernes y visitar los archivos de Syracuse University, para aprender más sobre las vidas del esos 35 estudiantes que querían hacer una diferencia en el mundo.

Carmelo Anthony waves to fans at Wilson Park in Syracuse

By Stephanie Claytor

Syracuse, New York—Denver Nuggets basketball player and former Syracuse University star Carmelo Anthony visited Syracuse’s southside on Monday to show off a new basketball court in Wilson Park. Anthony

Anthony was supposed to watch young players compete in a basketball tournament on the new court. But, due to an  extreme lack of planning and security, that was quite impossible.

Carmelo Anthony's vehicle trying to get to basketball court

Anthony’s vehicle couldn’t even get in the parking lot before the fans mobbed him. They screamed at him, shouting demands for him to roll down the Escalade window. 

Once Anthony exited the vehicle, the fans ran towards him and followed him onto the court. The kids were jumping up and down, cameras in hand, some shouting out ob centities,  demanding an autograph. The four police officers tried but they couldn’t hold off the crowd as the mob pushed towards him. Even his bodyguard was helpless.   

Carmelo was able to say a few words, mainly that he was happy to be able to re-do the basketball court and he thanked his fans and former teammates. It was also mentioned that Anthony will continue the Courts for Kids program in Puerto Rico, where Anthony says his family is from. 

On that note, while Carmelo Anthony was signing autographs in the crowd, we asked him to speak in Spanish. He smiled and didn’t say a word. Hmmm sounds like he needs to go back to Puerto Rico, show off the new court and get a Spanish lesson while he is there. 

After saying a few words, Carmelo pushed his way through the crowd and got back in his Escalade. He signed a few autographs through the window, and left. 

Also in attendance were Coach Jim Boeheim, and former NFL star Dorsey Levens. Levens says he will be back in Syracuse in the spring, around May or June, to dedicate another basketball court in Thornden Park in Syracuse. 

It’s a shame. There was such chaos that Carmelo Anthony didn’t get to see the youngsters play. And the kids didn’t get to show off their skills. Maybe next time.

 First Lady Michelle Obama has been ranked at 40 on Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. Forbes magazine says this list isn’t about being a celebrity. The number one slot went to Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany.  Forbes says the list is consumed of women who are in charge, and can easily capture the media’s attention.

Forbes magazine says Obama ranks 40 because of her involvement with military families and her accomplishments dealing with working families. But, also because she is the first African American First Lady of the United States of America.

Let’s think about that.

If she really wants to make a statement, I would like for her to let her hair go natural. I appreciate the fact that she allows her girls to wear their hair as they please.

But let’s think about the statement it would make to all the other black women out there who feel they have to get weaves, or painful relaxers just so they can be accepted in the workplace or live up to someone else’s ideals of beauty.

In every corner of this Earth, whether in the U.S., Africa, Latin America, etc., black women (if they have the money…or not) attempt to straighten their hair, wear weaves, etc., just to fit in.

The media and fashion critics have already said Michelle Obama is beautiful. So, I think she should take on the challenge for us and go natural. For all we know, she may not get a relaxer. But I’m talking real change. We want to see the hair in its natural state, not straightened with the hottest Chi iron available. 

Maybe Black History Month is a good time to start.  She can do it for all of us sisters who are still afraid to do it, for the fear  that we may not find a good job, etc.

If the First Lady of the United States of America decides that a short afro, a curly afro, twists, braids, locks, etc is beautiful, then it will become more acceptable in society and will be eventually acknowledged as beautiful.

I challenge Mrs. Michelle Obama to take a stand, and wear her natural hair. This will do wonders for the self image and self esteem for black women worldwide! Yes We Can, si se puede.

What do you think? I want to hear your comments!

LeBron James at NABJ Tampa Convention

—Tampa, Florida

By Stephanie Claytor

Americas finest group of journalists gathered today to listen to the NBA’s MVP LeBron James talk about the documentary, “More Than A Game”.

As James arrived, he greeted the National Association of Black Journalists board members and signed basketballs. They seemed delighted to meet him, and even took pictures. James came with his girlfriend Savannah, his coach, and film writer/producer, Kristopher Belman. And there was even one other NBA star in the group, apparently James’ new mentee.

When there was nothing to do, James started dancing to pass the time.

Then he went on stage, and was stiff as a rock. It wasn’t clear if he didn’t like press conferences, or if he was disappointed that the room was only half full, with a few hundred people at best.  

During the press conference, we learned that the film isn’t just about LeBron. It’s about him and his former teammates- Willie McGee, Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Romeo Travis- and their travel to fame.

Willie McGee wanted to get a college scholarship, playing basketball. He now is getting his master’s. The other two players are playing in Germany, and Cotton is still playing football, hoping to be an NFL player.

The only way to get through the adversity was to focus on basketball, and pray, which they did together before and after every game. But sometimes, they fell into teenage temptations. 

During our sit down interview with LeBron James, we asked him about the pressures he faced in high school, that caused him to try marijuana in high school. He said  yes, everyone expected them to win, but wanted them to lose. He said he didn’t use the marijuana to cope with the pressure. It was just “something they did as kids,” that didn’t know any better.

The film premieres October 2nd in select theatres. We will have a review for you shortly.

What do you think? Are having good frienships the key to success? How do we teach our children to stay away from drugs, even when things get tough?

President Clinton has been focusing on the activities of the William J. Clinton Foundation since he left the White House. He wanted the Clinton Foundation to address the areas where he could make the most difference as a private citizen. The Foundation has grown into a global non-governmental organization with more than 1,400 staff and volunteers in more than 40 countries and with offices in New York City, Little Rock, Ark., Boston, Mass., and other cities around the world. The Foundation, working in collaboration with governments and other partners, makes a significant impact in the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Phi Beta Sigma’s programs, including Bigger and Better Business, Social Action and Education are compatible with the mission of the Clinton Foundation. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to help combat childhood obesity, is in alignment with Phi Beta Sigma’s partnerships with the March of Dimes, and the American Cancer Society. The Clinton HIV/Aids initiative is right on target with Phi Beta Sigma’s partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which provides awareness and prevention strategies through its Conversation Among Brothers Series (CABS). Clinton’s Economic Opportunity Initiative embraces the same values that have been core to Phi Beta Sigma’s Bigger and Better Business program since its inception in 1925.

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a long-time member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. responded “I am so pleased and delighted that President Bill Clinton has accepted membership in my fraternity. As a true servant-leader it is fitting for him to join the ranks of civil rights activist and labor leader A. Philip Randolph, Atlanta businessman Herman Russell, former U. S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, former NAACP Leader James Weldon Johnson and renowned scientist George Washington Carver. My heart is warmed today.”

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is an international organization dedicated to the principles of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service, founded in 1914 at Howard University in Washington, DC, comprised of college and professional men, predominantly of African American origin, open from its inception to men of all race, religion, class and national origin. The Fraternity holds as its motto, “Culture for Service and Service for Humanity.” With over 150,000 alumni and collegiate members, located in over 500 chapters throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, the organization has its international headquarters in Washington, DC. It conducts national programs in the areas of Education, Social Action and Bigger & Better Business, a youth mentorship program of Sigma Beta Clubs for young men from 8 to 18, and a Sigma Wellness program in partnership with the American Cancer Society and the March of Dimes. Notable members include James Weldon Johnson, George Washington Carver, Congressman John Lewis (GA), Congressman Edolphus Towns (NY), Former Mayor Harold Washington (Chicago), and African Presidents: Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (Nigeria) and William Tolbert (Liberia). For more information, visit www.pbs1914.org.

It’s 6:15 pm and news has spread that Michael Jackson has passed away. I’m still in the newsroom, getting ready to leave. Everyone is running around frantic, debating if they should broadcast the news because TMZ..a celebrity gossip blog..seems to be the only one confirming it.

So it didn’t hit me because who believes them.

Then I drive home, and his music is all over the radio…even the Caucasian stations. And they call him a “pop icon”. That’s when I realized the impact his music had..on the entire world.

I listen as everyone chimes in on how he made such an impact on their lives. And I remember his impact on mine.

Back when our family was together, we used to dance to him all night long. I used to play with my neighbor and my little sister, and we would have karaoke contests…to the Jackson 5. And I swore I could sing. And what about the dance contests…where I had the moondance down pat. As a family, we watched the Jackson 5 movie at least one hundred times…together!

I remember the family reunions and the soul train lines…even marching band..where I jammed on my saxophone to Thriller and created the dance. Yes I remember…

Driving to work..I listen to all of his music “You are not alone” , “ABC”, “Rock my World”…it goes on. And I just want to get out of my car in the middle of the highway and dance. I don’t even want to go to work…I just want to be around other people to celebrate his life and music…

Yes he had problems, serious problems. But he is dead. So for now, can we just remember his impact on music?

Listen to his songs! The rhymic compilation of various instruments and synthesizers, attached to his voice…and then he could dance, popping to every beat. And the variety of his lyrics..from love to saving and healing the world..his videos..done worldwide.. Who can top that? No one! His music didnt even need “ningun” (no) translation! Everyone worldwide understood it..(partially because almost everyone knows a little bit of English)

Let that be a lesson to everyone worldwide! Do you want to be remembered worldwide? He was a genus at his craft.

And we as people should work hard to be genus at ours! Whatever we do!

-Stephanie Claytor

Cleveland Heights——Most 14 -year- olds are just happy to be entering high school, a stepping stone in life that involves more freedom, new friends and Friday night football games. But, Alexis Crayton, of Cleveland Heights, chose a different route.

Crayton is headed to Dana Hall, a boarding school in Wellsley, Massachusetts. And she is leaving behind not only her mother, and brother, but her twin sister.

“It might be harder, the separation as the months go by, but I think at first, I won’t miss her at all,” said Alexis Crayton.

Shockingly, her twin sister, Aleigha, doesn’t seem too teary eyed either.

“I hope she has a good time in boarding school. I’ll see her on Thanksgiving,” said Aleigha Crayton.

But, it is nothing new for Alexis and Aleigha to go their separate ways.

“We’re just two people that were born on the same day and we’re sisters,” said Aleigha Crayton.

The two say teachers tell them they are like night and day. They stress that one likes the indoors while the other loves to play outside. And that divide is the reason why one twin is moving away from the other for the first time.

Three years ago, Alexis and Aleigha had the option to attend Aspire, an academic and leadership summer program for middle- school- aged girls from low income families. Aleigha thought it was nothing more than summer school, but Alexis saw it as a great opportunity.

So, Alexis sticked with the program, heading to Hathaway Brown every summer. She took pre-algebra and algebra classes before she even learned the material in school.  By the time she left Monticello Middle School, she was in all of the gifted classes.

It was the Aspire program that persuaded Alexis to apply not only to private schools in the area, but also boarding schools hundreds of miles away. After she applied, she received her acceptance letter in the mail, wrapped in confetti.

“All I saw was congratulations. I just called my mom,” said Alexis Crayton . “I didn’t even read the letter.”

Alexis’ mother, Tera Crayton, and her got together that evening, read the letter and realized that not only was Alexis accepted to the ninth grade class at Dana Hall boarding school but also that the school gave her a $49, 000 grant to cover the majority of the expenses.

 
The two visited the school and decided it was a done deal. Alexis has only one slight fear.

“I’m not sure how hard it will be coming from eighth grade at Monticello going all the way to Dana Hall in a different environment,” said Crayton.

But her mother has confidence that she will succeed.
“I know she is capable of doing the work because she applies herself,” said Tera Crayton.

For now, Alexis is looking forward to her boarding school shower later this month to collect items she needs for school. If you would like to help her, send her an email at teracrayton@yahoo.com.