All of the Above
Hip Hop Academy
Monthly Newsletter: December 2023
Measuring the Year in Soup
Through handwritten cards to teachers, hours of combing through data, first-time performances, SEL curriculum, parental feedback of gratitude, a happy cry, cheer, or smile of accomplishment, full weekly classes, a graduation ceremony, a breaking battle or first-ever gala...
...how can we ever fully measure a year?
We'll try with an analogy.
It's like a soup recipe passed down for generations and adapted to the current times - it's aromatic, warm, and delicious when all the ingredients are combined. Complex in flavor, yet uncomplicated in what it provides when it's dished out: belonging - sustenance - community.
The answer is not linear, it is multi-faceted and we thank you for being a part of the recipe!
Whichever role you played this year in supporting AOTA, THANK YOU!
Each person was vital to make the AOTA soup of 2023 complete.
Cheers to cooking up together again in 2024!
News & Updates
Winter 2024 Pre-Registration
AOTA Youth Programs are off for December and will return in January.
If you'd like to register your student for Winter 2024 classes or know someone who would, register here!
To learn more about our programs, click the button below:
BIG NEWS: But not yet...
2024 comes with many changes, updates, and announcements from AOTA!
But not yet...
How could we do this to you, right?!
Just think of it like a holiday gift that you're waiting weeks to open up...it's worth the wait and some of the fun is in the expectation.
We're hype to update you soon!
Speaking of the Holidays
Our AYO Graduation is coming up along with our annual Holiday Party!
If your family has been with us for classes please come out! Hit reply and we'll get you all the details.
We're excited to celebrate you and your family again this year with desserts, awards, program showcases, and more!
TEAM Update
Someone, please cue up “Boys II Men!” Breaking Educator, Young Woong Yi is moving, and "it’s SO hard to say goodbye!"
This week was his last class with us before he takes off to a new city but it’s not the last of our journey with Young! Ozay Moore reminded us that he will be forever with us, woven into the fabric of our breaking program as he and Tabor built and grew this beautiful vibe, culture, and community space that is AOTA BREAKING.
There aren’t enough words to tell you how grateful we are as a community for the care and love you’ve given to us all!
Grateful that hip hop forever unites us…We are honored to call you friend, mentor, and family!
Highlights
Team Highlight
Pivotal, monumental, vital, and foundational...these are all descriptors that come to mind when we think of Jahsh. He has been the All of the Above Youth Organization, aka AYO Coordinator since day one of the pilot. Now, it has grown to be a three-tiered powerhouse of a program!
This year AYO expands from one cohort of students to three-year groups:
AYO Fellows
AYO Craftsman
AYO Griots
The Griots then graduate into our AOTA Creative Crew as teachers and practitioners of their crafts.
It does not go over our heads or escape us that this would not be possible without the insurmountable efforts, care, and expertise of Jahshua! When the whole world shut down during the pandemic, Jahsh said, I'll do this! I'm not sure any of us really knew the magnitude of what he and the students were creating but looking back, DJ 5am referred to it as "magic in a bottle." And yes we agree, but we also know a lot of that magic came from the hands, heart, and mind of Jahshua himself.
This next season, Jashua will transition to a consultant for the onboarding educators in the additions to the AYO Program.
Thank you Jahsh, for all you've done and for staying connected as you pass along the baton while we continue to grow!
#Build517
Thank you so much to our supporters, sponsors, and community partners!
We will never stop saying THANK YOU for your support because our gratitude is ever-present!
Let's continue to #build517 together with three ways to give:
Volunteer: Fill out the volunteer form and get involved with events in the community.
Spread the Word: Hit forward on this email and send to a friend who'd like to know about what we're doing.
Donate: Give a one-time gift or become a monthly donor. From $5 to $100, every monthly donor makes a great impact!
Old school appreciation, new school application.
#EachOneTeachOne
#Build517
