ESA

Welcome to another year of the Emerson Sports Academy! I am excited to be working our sixth, seventh and eighth grade student-athletes to develop the academic and athletic skills to succeed in school, sports, and life. We will continue to hold high expectations. Mr. Hastings, Ms. Nakada, Mr. Tarula, Ms. Dawson, Mr. Rappaport, and Ms. Hernandez will continue to teach in ESA this year.

We are excited about our growing collaboration with the UCLA athletic department. We will continue to participate in UCLA's I'm Going to College program at the Rose Bowl for two Pac 12 games. Our Bruin for a Day program will allow our eighth graders students to spend time on campus with student athletes as well. We will also collaborate with several athletes through the UCLA Adopt-A-Classroom program allowing us to watch volleyball, soccer, and softball/baseball games and meet with athletes after competition. Our Students Run LA team will prepare for the LA Marathon for the third year!

ESA focuses on Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. The concepts of the pyramid will help our students strive for competitive greatness.

ESA meets every morning during AT. On Mondays and Tuesdays students participate in the Accelerated Reader program which helps students read for comprehension. Students are encouraged to read about 20 pages per school day or about 100 pages per week.

On Wednesdays we collect/write Cornell Notes. Cornell Notes are a note-taking strategy designed to help students record important information and design questions to check their own understanding and summarize their learning.

On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays students learn a new sport such as Ultimate Frisbee, Team Handball or other alternative sports. Students will also have the chance to develop their individual sport skills in basketball or baseball/softball or improve strength and conditioning.

All ESA students have Mr. Hastings for PE and individualized goals for running days.

ESA GPA minimum is 2.5. We expect ESA students to be A and B students! Students who meet the program expectations for GPA, PE, AR, and Cornell Notes will be invited to a "perfecta" reward.

If you want to support ESA with a donation, we love canisters of powdered Gatorade and ice for ESA students on running days. Our fitness-thon is our annual fundraiser and will be held sometime in the fall. Please contact Ms. Nakada at [email protected] for more information.

What is ESA?

During the 2009-2010 school year, Ralph Waldo Emerson Middle School launched ESA, the Emerson Sports Academy. This small-school community helps student-athletes balance a rigorous academic and athletic schedule. Academically, students utilize Cornell Notes for note-taking and organization and are held to the high academic standard of a 2.5 GPA. Athletically, ESA students develop individualized strength and conditioning goals. Emphasis is also placed on nutrition, emotional development, and mental toughness utilizing Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

Parent Involvement

The Academy hopes to foster a positive relationship between students, families, schools and sports programs. We offer training to our parents to help ESA students plan for high school and beyond. We ask that parents attend one grade-level specific meeting a year and one ESA activity a year through volunteerism or donation. These activities include: Back-to-School Night, guest speaker events, ESA jog-a-thon, sports specific skills clinics, UCLA campus visits, UCLA sporting events, Dodger night, Santa Barbara trip, Emerson sports events, Open House, middle school articulation at feeder elementary schools, and Emerson family tours.

ESA Benefits

ESA works closely with the UCLA athletic department to provide access to collegiate sports and athletes. ESA participants meet UCLA student athletes and attend collegiate level PAC 12 sporting events at Pauley Pavilion, Drake Stadium, Easton Field, Jackie Robinson Stadium, and the Rose Bowl. Eighth graders get the opportunity to be a Bruin for a day when UCLA student-athletes meet take our students on a tour and offer advice for our young scholars. ESA also travels to Santa Barbara to visit campus and discuss post-secondary options. ESA acknowledges student achievement throughout the school year with Wooden Awards for competitive excellence in areas such as 4.0 gpa honors, perfecta awards, and marathon, half-century, and century awards running awards.

Promoting Academic and Athletic Success for the Student-Athlete