Academy Highlights

A Message from our Deputy Director, Dr. Katrice Noble

This year is an exciting one at Lift for Life Academy as it is the first year that we are a complete K-12 school, a dream come true and one that will allow us to teach, encourage and inspire children from a young age through their high school years.

Lift for Life Academy is a unique school where we truly work with students to better prepare them for life and help them determine a direction they want to take following graduation. Two years ago we established the SOAR program, where students have the opportunity to select career pathways of their choice, intern with organizations and businesses, work under a mentor and explore their passions before post-secondary education. Many of our students are thinking about careers in nursing. That is a direct result of a partnership with Mercy where kids got to visit the hospital and shadow nurses, doctors, and technicians. They received hands-on experiences and many of the students are now considering careers in the medical field. This is just one of our partnerships and one way that we are preparing our oldest students for the next steps in their journeys.

We are also committed to Project-Based Learning where students experience hands-on learning, research, and exercise voice and choice. After Covid, we created instructional model centers built around Competency-Based Learning to truly meet the needs of our students. We also recognize the importance of the arts - music, art, fashion, construction, culinary and anything else that’s going to create that spark in the eyes of our students.

In closing, here are some highlights about our Academy:
• We consistently graduate 90-95% of our students
• Approximately 90% of our students return annually
• Our largest percentage of graduates matriculate into a four-year university, two-year college, trade school or the military. A smaller percentage enters the workforce immediately after graduation. For them, our goal is to make sure that they receive some form of prior experience so that their first job becomes part of a career journey.
• Our graduates are succeeding – like Jazmyne Coleman, who has come full circle and is now teaching at Lift for Life, Paul Williams, a police officer in north St. Louis and Imani Penny, a classmate of Jazmyne’s who recently graduated from the University of Missouri with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and is headed to Washington DC to work for Ernst and Young.

There have been countless people who have created our unique and compassionate culture – the dedicated teachers and staff, our dedicated co-founder, Marshall Cohen, and our large family of supporters. To all of you, thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Katrice Noble
Deputy Director
Lift For Life Academy