Letter from the MC Principal
Hello MC families,
This past weekend was full of events that are illustrative of who we are as a school, as well as the importance that we place on school family. This year the element of focus from our mission is to “HELP all students to know themselves and to be known well by their community,” and community events and celebrations are a part of the way that we do this. On Saturday we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first day of school at ANCS over at the Elementary Campus just before Fall Fest. Chuck Meadows, our Executive Director, shared some remarks and two EC employees who have been here from the beginning, Kelly Dennis and Heidi Lance, were celebrated. I saw several middle campus students and parents at Fall Fest as families enjoyed food, fun, and games. The PTCA did a great job putting together this event as well as blending it with activities for our Grandparents and Special Friends.
Later that afternoon The Brotherhood went on a trip to the Morehouse/Clark Atlanta football game. The Brotherhood is a mentoring/affinity group (an affinity group is a group of people linked by a common interest or purpose) for Black and Hispanic young men here at ANCS. I started the group 11 years ago and we are still going strong. We get together during lunch time and talk about everything from issues going on in the world affecting people of color to life at ANCS. We come together to share information, learn from each other, support each other, and generally build camaraderie amongst the group. The boys enjoyed watching the game, the band, and the dance teams, and before we left Chuck (a Morehouse alum) took us on a short walking tour of the AUC while sharing some Morehouse history with us.
Finally, on Sunday Mr. Rios’ Heritage Speakers Spanish class presented their altar during the Dia de los Muertos celebration at Oakland Cemetery and I was blown away. The altar included photos of loved ones and public figures, food in the tradition of altars providing tributes to loved ones who passed away, and flowers leading the way for the dead to connect to the altar. This celebration was an outstanding cultural experience and I’m glad that these students shared a bit of their culture, and some of their learning with our broader community. Continuing with the theme of the ANCS mission, respect for, and highlighting of, other cultures is a part of the way that we “BUILD an empowered and inclusive community of students, parents, and educators.”
As always feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Mark
Mark Sanders
Mark Sanders began teaching at ANCS in 2011. Before coming to the school, Mr. Sanders worked in New York City. He spent three years teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Middle School 50 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and two years at Harlem Village Academies teaching Geometry and Algebra 2/Trigonometry. He taught 8th grade Math/Science/Technology at ANCS for five years.
