Page 2..…………………...…..………Spotlight on Youth
Page 3…………….………………...BCS Honor Students
Page 6……..……....……2015 Summer Movie Series
JUNE / 2015
William A. Bell, Sr., Mayor
Cedric D. Sparks, Sr., Executive Director
1608 7TH AVENUE N | BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203 | PH: (205) 320-0879 | FAX: (205) 297-8139 | www.bhamyouthfirst.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 2, 2015
10,000 SCOOP
CHALLENGE
10:00am
Linn Park
For more info:
(616) 233-0500
June 11-15, 2015
June 13, 2015
June 20, 2015
BIRMINGHAM BARONS KIDS ULTIMATE FITNESS 3RD ANNUAL FATHER/
VS. CHATTANOOGA
CHALLENGE
DAUGHTER DANCE
10:00am—6:00pm
5:00pm
LOOKOUTS
June 26, 2015
NEXT LEVEL FOOTBALL
CAMP
Regions Field
UAB Campus Green
The Parthenon Building
8:00am
Legion Field
For more info:
(205) 988-3200
For more info:
www.allstaractive.com
For more info:
www.Hot1077radio.com
For more info:
(205) 320-0879
2015 SMART ART Logo Contest Winner, Emerald Phillips (left), her
parents, DYS Executive Director Cedric D. Sparks, Sr., and DYS PIO
Toni Smoke
The City of Birmingham Mayor's
Office Division of Youth Services
hosted the 2nd Annual SMART
ARTS FESTIVAL at the Bill Harris
Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex
on Saturday, May 30th. The FREE
event was held from 11am until 3pm.
The cultural event was overflowing
with arts enthusiasts, intrigued parents,
and hundreds of Birmingham’s youth.
The artistic event exposed young
people to the many cultural arts
opportunities available in the city of
Birmingham.
This was not your
ordinary cultural arts
fair. Young people and
their families enjoyed
hands-on art activities,
games, prizes and an
introduction to the
many avenues of the
arts. Attendees also
were able to take free
guitar lessons lead by
Guitar Center
DYS was proud to
honor Emerald Phillips, the 2015
winner of the Smart Art Logo
Contest. Her beautiful design were
featured on all promotional items and
displayed during the arts festival.
Emerald will further hone her talent
during a one-week art camp
sponsored by ArtPlay. She was on
hand with her parents, who shared in
the celebration.
Music has always been a major
part of the daily curriculum at
Ramsay High School. Now the
daily lessons and practices are
catapulting one student into a
distinguished position.
Cathedral, Luxembourg Gardens, St.
Mark's Cathedral, and more.
This is an incredible musical and cultural
experience for MaKaelah! It is also proof
-positive that "Music can make the world
of difference".
MaKaelah Freeman, a clarinet
player, has been selected to
perform with the "Alabama
Ambassadors of Music. She will
enjoy a 16-day, seven country,
European concert tour
June 6th—21st.
MaKaelah
will
perform
in
spectacular, historic, European
venues and landmarks. Some of
the landmarks include the Eiffel
Tower, St James Cathedral,
Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame
Fundraiser for The Salvation Army
Enjoy FREE Ice Cream to Help Generate
$10,000 for The Salvation Army of
Birmingham. Denali Flavors, developers of
the legendary Moose Tracks flavor of ice
cream, has partnered with Mayfield Ice
Cream to host a FREE ice cream give-away.
For more info: (616) 233-0500
Congratulations
Ramsay
Scholar,
Symphonic Band Member, All City Band
Member,
Multiple
Honor
Band
Participant, and District Honor Band
Member. Our hats are off to you! Mrs.
Anita Dye, Director of Bands and the
Ramsay High School Band applauds
your success.
MaKaelah Freeman, Ramsay High School
Alabama Ambassador of Music Recipient
FREE and Open to the Public
For more information on MaKaelah and
other Birmingham City School highlights,
visit www.bhamcityschools.org.
FREE and Open to the Public
Celebrate the Caribbean with music, food,
and prizes in a family friendly setting. Enjoy
line dancing, jerk chicken, face painting for
the little ones and music everywhere. It's all
free so bring your lawn chair and enjoy a fun
day in the tropics right downtown
Birmingham.
Birmingham Science Cafe brings the general
public face-to-face with scientists in a laidback atmosphere. Come to John’s City
Diner the third Tuesday of every month
for Science Cafe. The evening begins at
6:00 pm with science trivia,
followed by the guest speaker at 6:30pm.
For more info: (205) 383-1726
For more info: (205) 714-8300
2015 Valedictorians and Salutatorians Named!
Birmingham City Schools is celebrating its top students. During graduation
ceremonies for each of the seven high schools in May, Birmingham City Schools
Interim Superintendent Dr. Spencer Horn along the faculty, staff, and families
recognized the Valedictorians and Salutatorians leading each graduating class.
In recognition of Father’s
Day, all fathers get in FREE
to the Birmingham Zoo with
the purchase of a full-price
child’s admission ticket.
Throughout the day, guests
can feed the lorikeets, ride
the new Wild Slide, Wildlife
Show, and much more! In
honor of the Zoo’s 60th
Anniversary, the first 60
fathers to enter the Zoo will
receive a FREE koozie!
For more info, visit
www.birminghamzoo.com
Carver High School
Parker High School
MAKAEL HARRIS—Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $236,200
JUAN WATERS —Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $354,000
LUU HANG HOPKINS—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $304,144
DEONDRES LOUIS—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $116,000
Huffman High School
Ramsay High School
TIANA MOORER—Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $287,600
DARNISHA CRANE —Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $336,132
CHARITY RUSSELL—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $103,000
TIANNA TERRELL—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $22,500
Jackson-Olin High School
Wenonah High School
TA’KIA SMITH—Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $33,550
NAUTISHAY CAIN —Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $176,000
IMARI NALLS—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $614,246
ERRIEOL MILLINER—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $248,000
Woodlawn High School
TREY HAWKINS —Valedictorian
Scholarship Total: $1,881,340.88
KORDELL DIXON—Salutatorian
Scholarship Total: $575,000
/DYSBHM
/DYS_BHM
/DYSBHM
“I was so excited to find out I won,” said Emerald. I love art!”
DYS would like to thank all of our partners and participating organizations who helped make this year a huge success!
The most anticipated birthday celebration
in Birmingham is just around the corner!
01
Birmingham VA Medical
Center
Voluntary Service
Contact: 205-933-8101 Ext.
4396
www.birmingham.va.gov/giving/
assignments.asp
02
Hands On Birmingham
Assist with data entry
Monday - Friday 8:30am to
4:30pm.
Contact: Tawanna Willoughby at
205.251.5849 or email
twilloughby@handsonbirmingha
m.org
When your city is home to a 56-ft tall iron
statue of a burly, bearded, bare-bottomed
man, you celebrate him in style. Vulcan,
the world’s largest cast iron statue and one
of the most memorable pieces of civic art
in the United States, turns 111 this year,
and we’re celebrating with his annual
Birthday Bash on Sunday, June 7th, from
12:00pm – 4:00pm.
Sing “Happy Birthday” alongside Mayor
William Bell and other partiers during a fun
-filled, family celebration held at Vulcan
Park and Museum. Admission to the party
is $5 and includes birthday refreshments
as well as a wide variety of exciting
activities for guests of all ages including:
 GameStop
next-generation game
Station
· Face painting and Balloon Art
· City of Birmingham Fire
Department
· Birmingham Zoo
· Birthday Cake Bounce House
For more information, visit
Vulcan Museum and Park.
03
NEIGHBORHOOD
HOUSING SERVICES OF
BIRMINGHAM Volunteer
Day
06/06/2015 @ 9:00am –
1:00pm -Join in to paint the exterior of
two homes for seniors in our
community!
Contact: 205-328-4292 or email
sherita@nhsbham.org
601 19th Street North Birmingham,
AL 35203
04
United Way of Central
Alabama (Day of Action)
06/19/2015
Participate in several projects
at local agencies and partners
throughout the day.
Contact: Ashley Goodwin
agoodwin@handsonbirmingham.
org
www.handsonbirmingham.org/
The City of Birmingham is excited once again
to host the annual CrossPlex volleyball camp.
The dates of this year’s camp are June 29July 2, 2015. There will also be a coaches
clinic on Saturday, June 27 for all coaches to
learn valuable teaching techniques from
veteran college coaches.
Featuring Alabama State University’s Head
Volleyball Coach, Penny Lucas-White, the
2015 camp schedule includes, two days
dedicated to high school athletes, two days to
middle school athletes. Camp hours are from
9:00am-5:00pm each day. The camp is
designed to improve the fundamental skills of
volleyball: passing, serving, setting, attacking,
blocking
and
individual
defense.
Participants are placed in groups of similar
ability. Individual attention and instruction are
stressed to raise the level of performance for
each player. There is also a daily seminar that
stresses a healthy lifestyle, with in-depth
discussions
about
nutrition,
stretching and conditioning.
exercise,
Danielle Scott-Arruda, the only female
volleyball athlete to play in five Olympic
Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012)
will join us Tuesday and Wednesday to coach
both the high school and middle school
athletes. We will also have coaches from
Alabama
A&M,
Southern
University,
Tennessee State and Hampton University.
Each athlete will receive a camp T-shirt,
volleyball and lunch.
Visit on the link below to register and pay:
www.govpaynow.com/gps/user/plc/4729
Contact Jennifer Samuelson at 205-279-8943
or jennifer.samuelson@birminghamal.gov if
you have any questions.
municipalities,
state
governments,
federal
government, national and
state parks, Indian tribes,
and schools, members
complete service projects
throughout the region
where they are assigned.
Each year countless numbers of
students leave high school
without a plan in place for the
future. The Corporation for
National and Community Service
which is the parent organization
of AmeriCorps has two programs that are designed
specifically for young people 18 – 24 years old.
AmeriCorps NCCC
AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps)
strengthens communities and develops leaders through
direct, team-based national and community service. In
partnership with non-profits—secular and faith based—local
FEMA Corps
To strengthen the nation’s
disaster
response
capacity,
the
Federal
Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the
Corporation for National and Community Service have
established FEMA Corps, a unit of 1,600 service corps
members within AmeriCorps NCCC solely devoted to
disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
For additional information, visit
http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/
americorps-nccc.
Our city is filled with youth who are
doing good deeds and making the right
choices. DYS and the Birmingham
Police Department deputized “spies”
from the community looking to catch
those 9th – 12th grade students who
demonstrated outstanding character in
their homes, schools and community.
The top ten (10) winners, chosen by
the selection committee, will:
 Attend an exclusive Meet & Greet
session with Chris “Ludacris”
Bridges

Free entry to the Magic City Car &
Bike Show on Sunday, May 31st at the
Birmingham Race Course

Attend a Luncheon Hosted by Dwight
Stone & Funny Maine at Regions
Bank on Wednesday, June 3rd

$100 Free Checking Account awarded
by Regions Bank
Congratulations to these dynamic young
people who are impacting their community
while being an example for their peers!
KAILYN ANDERSON
Ramsay High School
ALEXANDRIA MITCHELL
Huffman High School
TAVARIUS HUTCHINSON
McAdory High School
JUTERRIUS SMITH
Midfield High School
SHANESIA ABRAMS
Minor High School
TERRELL HAMILTON
Woodlawn High School
(Continued on page 8)
Audiostate 55 Recording Studios T-shirt.
Parents are invited to attend last-day
certificate ceremony and showcase. Total
cost is $125.00. Scholarships are available
for qualified applicants.
Presented by Audiostate 55
01
Kids Ultimate Fitness
Challenge
June 13th @ UAB Campus
Green
Kids of all ages get the
opportunity to flex their physical
fitness by participating in a timebased obstacle course. The event
features loads of activities for the
whole family to enjoy.
02
The Woodlawn Music Tech Summer Camp is
for middle through high school age students
and is designed to build awareness of the
technology used in music production and
recording engineering. Campers are exposed
to the latest music and video production tools,
such as Garage Band, Pro Tools, Reason,
and iMovie. They learn how to compose and
record their own songs and will gain realworld experience in the state-of-the-art
recording studios and music tech labs at
Audiostate 55.
Camp sessions are for one week and meet
daily from 9:00 - 4:00 PM. Daily lunches from
establishments such as Jason's Deli, Roly
Poly, and Pizza Hut are included as well
as morning and afternoon snacks. Campers
receive a CD/DVD containing all the work
produced during the week as well as an
Audiostate 55 is part of the Berklee City
Music Network, a consortium of community
organizations with a similar mission for
contemporary music training. Network sites
have access to Berklee PULSE® Music
Method online music education platform,
expert faculty, individualized mentoring,
music study scholarships and the opportunity
to apply to attend Berklee College of Music
on a full tuition scholarship. As a part of the
Woodlawn Music Tech Summer Camp,
students will have access to all Berklee City
Music Network benefits.
Dates:
Session A: June 15 - 19
Session B: June 22 - 26
Session C: July 13 - 17
Session D: July 20 - 24
Session E: July 27 - 31
For more information, call (205) 592-2222
Jazz in the Park
June 28th @ East Lake Park
Free performance sponsored by
Magic City Smooth Jazz!
Featuring Daniel "Jose" Carr, On
Purpose, and Dwight Houston.
Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy
an evening of music. The event is
held from 6pm - 9 pm.
Get email updates
from www.magiccitysmoothjazz.
com/
03
Alabama Symphony in
the Summer
June 5th—7th @ Railroad
Park
Kick off the summer in musical
style with three days of FREE
concerts. Bring out your lawn
chairs and blankets to be
serenaded under the stars with
the beautiful music of your
Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
Birmingham City Schools offers its
students and staff many opportunities for
enrichment, training and acceleration
during the summer months.
Offerings for students include promotional
programs,
advanced
placement
preparatory programs, laboratory based
science programs, recreational programs,
special needs programs, grade level and
home-to-school bridge programs and
many,
many more. Please contact the various
departments for additional information.
For a complete list of Birmingham City
School Summer opportunities, or to learn
more, visit BirminghamCitySchools.org.
(Continued from page 6)
ALEXIS NORD
Ramsay High School
A special thanks to 95.7 Jamz / Summit
Media and Regions Bank for making the
initiative a success.
DEVIN CHANDLER
Alabama School of Fine Arts
TAYLOR ALLEN
Huffman High School
At the Kids Ultimate Fitness Challenge, kids
of all ages get the opportunity to flex their
physical fitness by participating in a timebased obstacle course that includes
sprinting, jump roping, wall crawls, hurdles,
jumping jacks, sit ups, and tunnel crawls,
before finishing off the course with a 20 ft.
confidence climb and 60 meter dash to the
finish.
The Kids Ultimate Fitness Challenge—held
at UAB Campus Green on Saturday, June
13th, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.—is the
nations largest mobile fitness event
travelling from coast-to-coast dedicated to
helping keep kids healthy and active.
The Ultimate Fitness Challenge is the
nation’s largest mobile fitness event
traveling from coast-to-coast getting kids
physically fit and stopping in a city near
you. Kids of all ages get the opportunity to
demonstrate their physical fitness by
participating in a time-based obstacle
course designed to test speed, strength,
agility, and overall physical fitness. The
event features lots of activities for the whole
family to enjoy to include sports challenge
events for all ages, rides, games and on-site
programming designed to inspire kids and
families to live a more active and healthy
lifestyle. If you think that you have
what it takes to take on the challenge,
come test your physical fitness and
conquer the challenge!
“Worrying does not empty
tomorrow of its trouble, it
empties today of its strength.”
– Corrie Ten Boom
Stop borrowing
tomorrow’s concern,
San-San Says:
placing it in today’s focus.
Live for today,
Don’t allow it to occupy
Today!
your thoughts. Give it back
and let it go.
– Sankeithia Sellers
The event features loads of activities for the
whole family to enjoy including Xtreme
gaming fun for all ages and on-site
programming designed to inspire kids and
families to live a more active and healthy
lifestyle.
For
more
information,
www.AllStarActive.com.
visit
Kids Bowl Free is a nation-wide program where kids get to bowl
for free every day during the summer at their local bowling alley.
Registering for Kids Bowl Free 2015
Visit Kids Bowl Free and click on your state to see a list of
bowling alleys that are participating in Kids Bowl Free 2015.
Select your local bowling alley to see all the details of their Kids
Bowl Free program. Registered kids receive 2 FREE Games of
bowling daily all summer long!
Free passes are accepted at Vestavia Bowl!
May 1st—August 21st
Monday—Friday | 11am—5pm
The Kids Skate Free program offers free roller skating for kids
around the country this summer. This is a great way for them to
beat the heat but still stay active.
How to Sign Up for the Free Roller Skating Passes
Visit Kids Skate Free and click on your state on the map or
search by zip code to see if a roller rink near you is participating
in the Kids Skate Free program.
Click on the roller rink near you to register to get free skating
passes at that roller rink. You'll need to provide your name,
birthday, phone number, address, email, and some basic
information on the children you'd like to register for the free roller
skating passes.
Free passes are accepted at
Funtime Skate Center!
Tuesdays | 6pm—9pm
Wednesdays | 5pm—8pm,
Sundays | 2pm—6pm
A to Z Kids Stuff
A to Z Kids Stuff has lots of free kindle books for kids. Each book has a description, a
direct link to the download page, and a list of reviews from Amazon customers. These
free Kindle books are categorized for ages 3-5 and 6-8, as well as subcategorized in
sections like Animals, Beginner Readers, Literature & Fiction, Games, and Action &
Adventure, among others.
Visit www.atozkidsstuff.com/kindlebooks.html#! to download books.
Pixel of Ink
Among several other genres, Pixel of Ink has free downloadable ebooks perfect for
children. It's best to stay up to date with Pixel of Ink's Kindle books via their social
media and free email subscription because some books may be free only for a limited
time. One section of Pixel of Ink is for children's books while a similar category has free
Kindle books for young adults.
Visit www.pixelofink.com/category/free-kindle-books/ to download books.
OverDrive Through Your Public Library
Participating libraries let you check out free Kindle kids books through OverDrive,
similar to checking out a physical, paper book. Over 90,000 ebooks for children are
available in the Young Adult and Juvenile sections of the website. Once you've had a
book for a few weeks, it will automatically be taken off your Kindle, which is a bit similar
to a regular book lending program that involves non-digital books.
Visit http://downloadable.jclc.org/C8388BE6-921F-4DBF-92F7-EEC71576056F/10/50/
en/Default.htm to download books from the Birmingham Public Library.