Christian & Small is proud to partner with the Higher Achievement Summer School for the second year. The Higher Achievement Summer School was founded in 2011 by Justin Younker and Laurie Brown, two Teach for America – Alabama teachers, who recognized a need to address the achievement gap made worse by the summer break. Higher Achievement Summer School (HASS) is an intensive four-week boarding school that takes place in the month of June for students of Alabama’s Black Belt region.
This year’s session included 12 students from four Alabama counties: Perry, Marengo, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa. Students participated in a mock trial with Charlie Shah, Jay Holloway, Jeremy Carlson and Oscar Price serving as coaches. The Honorable Judge Teresa Pulliam served as judge of the mock court trial. While one team won the mock trial competition, the other team won the verdict. We think they are all winners.
In addition to the mock trial, Christian & Small hosted students in the office to discuss the path to law school and optional careers with a law degree. Christian & Small attorneys and staff spent three Friday evenings with the students playing kickball, basketball, dancing, and playing games from Spades to Monopoly to Life. This allowed the teachers a much needed break and all of us to spend a few hours pretending we are as young as the students!
HASS offers students a chance to grow academically and places its students in an environment focused entirely on college. Outside of the HASS academic curriculum, the school exposes its students to many post-secondary opportunities. This exposure comes in the form of visits to local museums and attractions, guest speakers, and college tours. This college-preparatory environment remains essential as many HASS students will be first generation college students; accordingly, the students require extra guidance in their post-secondary options.