Boston Scholar Athlete Top Stories

May 16, 2013
BSA Zone Scholarship Banquet
The newly piloted BSA Zone Scholarship Program awarded 18 one-time scholarships of $1,500 to BSA Zone Members last night at the Scholarship Banquet held at Hibernian Hall. The evening included remarks by former Celtics player Dana Barros as well as Headmaster Rudy Weekes of West Roxbury Educational Complex. The purpose of the BSA Zone Scholarship is to assist Zone Members in their pursuit of higher education, which is one of BSA’s primary programmatic goals. Each recipient, chosen from one of our 19 Zones, met the criteria of being a Full-Time Zone Member, having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, demonstrated leadership qualities, and provided a letter of acceptance and proof of enrollment from an accredited 2-4 year college. The BSA Scholarship Program is part of a continued effort to combat the financial barriers our students face in their pursuit of higher education. BSA plans to increase the Scholarship Program next year. Congratulations to all our Scholarship winners!

April 29, 2013
BSA All-STAR Winning Basketball Teams recognized at Celtics Game
During last nights' Celtics vs. Knicks game, boys' and girls' from the winning BSA all-star basketball teams, along with their coaches had an opportunity to be recognized on center court and take part in an inner-squad scrimmage during half-time. Congratulations again to our basketball all-star winning teams!

April 4, 2013
2013 BSA Boston Marathon Team
With only 12 days left until Boston Marathon, our runners' - Liz Collins, Joseph Cappellano, Kim Norris, and Shanell Mosley are gearing up for this years' 117th run!! Please visit our Crowdrise page below, and continue to support our amazing team! http://www.crowdrise.com/TeamBostonScholarAthletes/fundraiser/bostonscholarathletesprogram

March 27, 2013
Alfreda Harris Coach of the Year Award
During the Boston City League All-Star Basketball game this past Saturday, John D. O'Bryant High School boys' basketball coach Drew Brock was awarded the second annual Alfreda Harris Coach of the Year Award. The Alfreda Harris Coach of the year award is given to a coach from Boston Public Schools who demonstrates the attributes of an exemplary basketball coach - hard work, drive, focus, and maintaining constant support of the scholar-athletes whom he/she coaches. Alfreda Harris is known in the community for her years of dedicated work to Boston Public Schools athletic department as well as for founding multiple basketball groups, including the women’s Boston Neighborhood Basketball League, and the Boston Shootout Basketball Tournament. Congratulations, Coach Brock!

March 22, 2013
Boston City League Basketball All-Star Banquet
Thank you to all coaches, parents, and scholar-athletes who were able to attend our Boston City League basketball all-star banquet last night at Suffolk Construction headquarters. We had an amazing turn out and we are thrilled to see our boys' and girls' all-star teams in action tomorrow at the ALL-STAR basketball game at Northeastern! Good luck to both teams!

March 20, 2013
Charlestown High School MVSA award ceremony
Congratulations to Jimmy Edwards, a junior on the Charlestown High School boys' varsity basketball team and Kharlita Chambers-Walker, a senior on the Charlestown High School girls' varsity basketball team on receiving their MVSA (Most Valuable Scholar-Athlete) awards! MVSA (Most Valuable Scholar-Athlete) awards are given to students who exemplify qualities of leadership, teamwork, focus, and dedication both on the court, and in the classroom. Congratulations to our MVSA's!

March 12, 2013
East Boston High School MVSA Ceremony
Congratulations to our East Boston High School MVSA's (Most Valuable Scholar-Athletes)! MVSA recipients from East Boston High School include: Roy Perez, Sean O'Halloran, and Connor Henry.

March 7, 2013
SAVE THE DATE! 2013 Boston Scholar Athletes Pep Rally
Mark your calendars! The Boston Scholar Athletes 2013 PEP RALLY is around the corner! Listen to the sounds of success as this years’ Boston Scholar Athletes bang the drum loudly in a chorus of excitement! As always, thank you again for supporting BSA and we hope to see you there! For tickets, and sponsorship information, please contact Katharine Powell at kpowell@suffolkconstruction.com.

February 27, 2013
BSA Volunteers at Cradles to Crayons
On Friday, February 22nd, the Boston Scholar Athletes staff volunteered their time at Cradle to Crayons in Brighton through a collaborative effort to provide essential needs to children across the Commonwealth living in homeless, or low-income situations. The Facilitators and Front Office staff members' help, and hard work in the outfits and library departments of Cradles to Crayons played an essential role in keeping over 134 local children feel valued, safe, and warm this winter. Additionally, as part of their efforts, the BSA donated school supply items and toys to help support the thousands of children Cradle to Crayons serves. Great work BSA Team!

February 26, 2013
BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series presents Akbar Waheed
Thank you to students, and coaches who attend our BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series yesterday at New Mission High School! We had 40 freshmen in attendance. Our speaker, Boston College Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Akbar Waheed spoke to students about having a vision, a solid plan, and staying academically focused while actively participating in athletics. Check out our, 'upcoming events' section on our website to see when the next speaker series will be! For more information, please contact Brad Schoonmaker at bschoonmaker@bostonscholarathletes.org

February 25, 2013
BPS students participate in Fenway Batting Cage Program
On Thursday, February 21, 2013 Boston Public High School students from twelve (12) baseball teams participated in the Fenway Batting Cage program run by BCYF Recreation and Boston Red Sox. These students were given an opportunity to get ready for spring athletic season by taking cuts at Fenway Park in the same batting cages used by the professionals! A big thank you to BCYF Recreation, and Boston Red Sox for providing our students with this wonderful opportunity!

February 14, 2013
Coaches Academy Speaker Series Presents Dr. Vaughn Calhoun
Thank you to everyone who attended our Coaches Academy Speaker Series today at Charlestown High School. Today, Speaker Series presented Dr. Vaughn Calhoun, Assistant Athletic Director at Emerson College who came to speak to students today about athletics at the collegiate level. Dr. Calhoun’s role at Emerson College is multifaceted ranging from student-athlete advising, coordinating community service events, liaison to vendors, oversight of facilities, and management of professional staff. Check out our 'upcoming events' section on our website to see when we will be presenting the next speaker series!

February 13, 2013
all-CITY Football Banquet
On Thursday, Febraury 7, BSA hosted the all-CITY Football Banquet at Boston College to celebrate the best football players in the City of Boston. Players, their families and coaches were treated to a formal dinner with a special awards presentation that included personalized all-CITY jerseys for each player. The evening culminated in the announcement of the 2012 Player of the Year, Kyle Dance, a junior from Boston Latin Academy.

February 7, 2013
BSA Winter Fit Program
On Tuesday, February 19 - Friday, February 22nd, BSA will be hosting a Winter Fit program open to all prospective BPS High School students.This program will focus on endurance, strength, and conditioning and take place at The Reggie Lewis Athletic Training Center in Roxbury Crossing, MA.

February 6, 2013
all-CITY Cheerleading Banquet
Thank you to all coaches, parents, and Cheerleaders who attended our all-CITY Cheerleading banquet last night at Suffolk Construction Headquarters! We were thrilled to honor the all-CITY Cheerleading team for their continued hard work, effort, and accomplishments. We are looking forward to having the all-CITY team cheer on the boys' basketball ALL-STAR team on Saturday, March 23rd!

February 6, 2013
BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series Presents Charlie Titus
BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series presented UMASS Boston's Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation, Charlie Titus who came and spoke to a classroom of students at Charlestown High School this morning about pursuing athletics at a higher level, and the importance of academics.

February 1, 2013
Charlestown High School Zone Celebrates Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, students from the BSA Zone at Charlestown High School began creating a collage of African-Americans from the past, and present who have been influences in their lives. The collages includes inventors, activists, and athletes who paved ways for them. The students just began the collage yesterday, but are excited to continue adding onto the collage throughout the month of February. Even coaches will be creating a page of their own to add to the wall!

January 31, 2013
BSA Sponsors Community Service Project
On Wednesday, January 30th, the Boston Scholar Athlete Zone at Snowden International High School sponsored a community service project in conjunction with the Timilty Middle School. The BSA Zone Scholar-Athletes planned, and executed a successful sports clinic for two (2) middle school gym classes that gave the younger students the opportunity to learn techniques for track, soccer, and basketball.

January 28, 2013
BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series Presents Peter Roby
Thank you to everyone who attended the BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series on Friday, January 25 at TechBoston Academy. It was a pleasure to have Northeastern University's Athletic Director, and member of NCAA Men's Basketball Committee, Peter Roby speaking to Dorchester and Eastside High School basketball players on the importance of being a good teammate, and staying focused both on, and off the court. There were approximately 50 students, faculty, and coaches in attendance. BSA is looking forward to continuing to bring these wonderful speakers into your schools!

January 24, 2013
BSA hosts Nutrition Clinic at Charlestown High School
On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 BSA hosted a Nutrition Clinic for 20 students at Charlestown High School led by owner and founder of Body by Brandy, Brandy Cruthird. The 20 girls’ in attendance learned valuable tips on how to properly fuel their bodies to be high performing athletes, and reviewed what’s best to eat on a daily basis. Additionally, Brandy taught the girls about fueling their bodies with good calories and how much they should be in taking every day to ensure they are consistently performing at their highest capacity on the field, and in the classroom!

January 23, 2013
BSA Coaches Academy Presents Coach Joe Jones
On Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 BSA Coaches Academy Speaker Series brought Boston University Men's Basketball Head Coach Joe Jones to speak to 45 girls' and boys' at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School. This Speaker Series is part of an ongoing scheduled series which will be taking place in BPS schools throughout the year. BSA's athletic team carefully selects, and presents sports figures from in, and around Boston to come speak to students in Boston Public Schools and share their stories while stressing the importance of education, hard work, and setting your goals high. Check out our calendar of upcoming events to see when the next speaker will be!

January 8, 2013
BSA Participates in Community Service Project
On Monday, November 19, 2012, The Boston Scholar Athletes program at Brighton High School successfully took part in a community service event at the Brighton Allston Congregational Church. The scholar-athletes were members of the Bengals Varsity Football team and were accompanied by Head Football Coach, Randolph Abraham, to assist Reverend Karen in unloading food from the churches van and sorting food including perishable and nonperishable items.

December 19, 2012
Support the 2013 BSA Boston Marathon Team!
Help make BSA even better by considering a donation to the four individuals selected to the 2013 BSA Boston Marathon Team; Kim Norris, Joseph Cappellano, Shanell Mosley, and Liz Collins. They need your help as they strive to raise a minimum of $5,000 each for the Boston Scholar Athletes program!

December 18, 2012
BSA Coaches Academy Presents Coach Bob Hurley, Sr.
BSA COACHES ACADEMY PRESENTS Coach Bob Hurley, Sr., the legendary basketball coach of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Coach Hurley, Sr. will be coming to speak to all BPS coaches on Saturday, December 29, 2012 from 9:00am - 11:00am at The Shelburne Community Center (2730 Washington Street Roxbury, MA 02119) For more information and to RSVP for this event, please contact BSA Athletic Associate, Brad Schoonmaker at 617-517-4526 or bschoonmaker@bostonscholarathletes.org

December 5, 2012
BPS Indoor Track and Field Clinic, Sponsored by BSA
Thank you to everyone who attended our track & field clinic yesterday at The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center! Our hosts and instructors remarked on how happy they were to have us organize something like this, and all saw it as a fantastic start to revitalizing a rich track & field tradition in the city of Boston. Our partners from BPS Athletics stopped by and were extremely pleased with the turnout - word has it somewhere between 326 and 350 attendees! Great job by all!

November 29, 2012
MVSA Ceremonies
In the first step to the Boston Scholar Athlete's new student recognition accolade known as the All-BSA Team, each Zone has recently awarded what are known as the Most Valuable Scholar Athletes Awards, or MVSA's of the Fall Season. Every Public High School and Zone in the city of Boston will hold a ceremony to recognize those athletes who have epitomized the qualities of what defines a Scholar Athlete; leadership, teamwork, effort and dedication. All of the recipients will receive a certificate along with a $100 Scholar Dollar Bill with which they can make purchases of various BSA items from their Zone.

November 28, 2012
Most Valuable Scholar-Athlete Ceremony
The MVSA ceremony for Dorchester Academy was held on Tuesday, November 27th to recognize two (2) outstanding scholar-athletes; football player, Darrius Patterson and cheerleader, Rebekah Soto. Numerous school staff members, students and teammates gathered in the Bear Zone after school to celebrate and recognize the Most Valuable Scholar Athletes for all of their hard work, dedication, and leadership both on and off the field. The program included encouraging words from Head Master Kwesi Moody, BSA Executive Athletic Director Chris Rooks, and Zone Facilitator Shanell Mosley. Congratulations to all of our MVSA's!

November 15, 2012
BSA College Fair
BSA, Boston Public Schools, and Success Boston are proud to host a College Fair featuring over 50 Colleges & Universities on Saturday, December 8th, 2012 from 9:00am-12:00pm at Madison Park High School in Cardinal Hall.

November 14, 2012
BSA Volleyball All-Star Game
Thank you to all coaches, players, and BSA staff who attended our Boston City League Girls' Volleyball All-Star games on Tuesday, December 13th at Emmanuel College Gymnasium. It was a great game, with 30 players in attendance from both Boston North, and Boston South. The game ended with Perez-Byrd’s North squad defeating Fisher’s South Squad, 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-21).

November 10, 2012
BSA Soccer All-Star Game
Thank you to all students, coaches, and families who attended our Boston City League Soccer All-Star game on Wednesday, November 14th at Wentworth's Sweeney Field. 58 Boys' and Girls' All-Star Soccer Players were honored to be selected to participate in Wednesday nights' game. Congratulations to all the Soccer All-Star players!

November 9, 2012
BSA Soccer All-Star Reception
For the second night in a row, Boston City League All-Stars were honored at a recognition ceremony at Boston Scholar Athletes Headquarters in Roxbury, MA. On Thursday evening, a celebration was held for the representatives selected to represent the league as Boys and Girls Soccer All-Star players and coaches.

November 8, 2012
Girls Volleyball All-Star Reception
Despite the precarious weather last night, BSA had a fantastic Girls' Volleyball All-Star reception. Both BSA front office, and facilitator staff came together to pull off a smoothly run, memorable event for the Boston City League All-Stars!

November 1, 2012
BSA Thank You Reception
BSA successfully kicked off another successful school year with a Thank You Reception at The Liberty Hotel. Attendees included BPS Superintendent and Headmasters, Teachers, Coaches, as well as BSA front office staff, and BSA Zone Facilitators.

October 17, 2012
BSA and TechBoston visit Google in Cambridge
On Wednesday, October 17th BSA Zone members from The TechBoston Academy along with BSA staff had a unique opportunity to meet with Google employees, and tour their office located in Cambridge, MA.

October 4, 2012
Shooting Touch Demand Excellence Workouts
Boston Scholar Athletes and Shooting Touch are happy to provide you and all members of your teams with an intensive, two day per week, preseason basketball conditioning program for the six (6) weeks leading up to Winter sports practice

October 1, 2012
BSA Cheerleading Clinic - Partnering with New England Cheerleaders Association (NECA)
On Saturday, September 29th BSA held a cheerleading clinic in partnership with the New England Cheerleaders Association (NECA) at Madison Park Community Center from 9:00am-4:00pm.

September 20, 2012
Zone Facilitators participate in Professional Development Training
The BSA Zone Facilitators participated in a 2 week long training to kick off the 2012-2013 school year.

September 18, 2012
MGA Sports Hosts BSA Scholar-Athletes
On September 4, volleyball players from across the Boston City League traveled to Norwood, MA to the facilities at MGA Sports Inc.

September 18, 2012
Learning Zones are up and running!
BSA's learning zones are now open! These learning zones are designed and resourced to support and encourage academic excellence.

August 10, 2012
BSA Football Combine
This upcoming Saturday, August 18, the BSA will be hosting the second annual Football Combine for all Boston Public School football players.

July 31, 2012
BSA Summer Zone 2012
On July 25 - July 27, twenty-three select Zone Members participated in the inaugural BSA Summer Zone!

June 22, 2012
BSA Fit 2012
This summer we are offering BSA Summer Fit 2012, a six-week FREE fitness program, for ALL Boston Public High School scholar-athletes! The program will be held at the Ray & Joan Kroc Center on Dudley Street in Dorchester and is operated by BSA fitness & training partner, Athletic Evolution.

June 18, 2012
BSA to Join the Revolution on the Pitch
The Boston Scholar Athletes program along with Bank of America brought a select group of scholar-athletes to train with some of the Major League Soccer's best.

June 12, 2012
Boston City League Stars Headed to Fenway
On June 10, 2012, the Boston City League Baseball and Softball All-Stars spent the day at Fenway!

May 18, 2012
BSA Zone T-Shirt Day!
The BSA celebrated another successful city-wide Zone T-Shirt Day on Friday, May 18!

April 24, 2012
Basketball All-Stars Honored
On April 26, The Boston Scholar Athletes program brought a select group of Boston Public School basketball players received a special reward.

April 16, 2012
Marathoners Run to Support the BSA
When the 116th Boston Marathon kicks off on April 16, 2012, a brand new team of employees from Suffolk Construction’s Boston Scholar Athletes program (BSA) will be running to raise money for the BSA and the Boston Public high school scholar-athletes it serves on a daily basis.

April 11, 2012
Scholars & Stars
Defending Boston Marathon champions Geoffrey Mutai and Caroline Kilel show off their strides during the second annual Scholars and Stars-World Class Athletes Inspiring Teen Achievers event on Wednesday at the Reggie Lewis Center.

April 10, 2012
The 2012 BSA Zone Party a Success!
The first-ever Boston Scholar Athletes Zone Party was held on the floor of the TD Garden on April 10, 2012.

April 2, 2012
BSA Rewards City-League All-Stars
Tianna Johnson didn’t realize the prize for winning last month’s second Annual Dr. Joseph D. Warren Memorial All-Star Game was the chance to be honored on the parquet floor at TD Garden during halftime of the Celtics-Heat game on April 24.

March 31, 2012
Dr. Joseph D. Warren Boston City League All-Star Classic
The annual city league all-star game for girls and boys in the north and south division took place on Saturday, March 31 at Northeastern. An annual event held every March, students are chosen for achieving good grades and athletic ability.

March 22, 2012
Boston City League Basketball All-Star Game
The Boston Scholar Athletes program and the Boston Center for Youth & Families are once again hosting the Boston City League All-Star Classic in honor of Dr. Joseph D. Warren. The event promises to be a showcase of some of the best basketball in Boston and feature the city’s top talent.

March 14, 2012
Fenway Girls Win Division 4 State Title
The Fenway girls’ basketball team erased a 5-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Greater New Bedford Voke, 58-49, and win the Division 4 state title Tuesday at TD Garden.

March 13, 2012
Brighton Wins Eastern Mass Finals
Brighton turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and leaned on a sophomore guard to lead the offense in a 53-42 victory Monday over Stoughton in the Division 2 EMass championship game at TD Garden.

March 7, 2012
The Zone Party!
The first annual Zone Party will benefit the Boston Scholar Athletes program's 19 Zone learning centers. The event will highlight the achievements of Boston Public School’s scholar-athletes and showcase their academic and athletic endeavors throughout this school year.

February 25, 2012
Fenway and East Boston are crowned City Champions
The Fenway Panthers and East Boston Jets were both crowned City Champions on Friday.

February 17, 2012
Boston Honors All-City Football Team
On February 16, the football players in the city of Boston were recognized at the first annual Boston All-City Football Banquet.

February 6, 2012
The BSA Delivers Shooting Machines
In an effort to reward the hard work and dedication that both the scholar-athletes and coaches put in on a daily basis the Boston Scholar Athletes program has donated “The Gun” shooting machines to select teams.

February 1, 2012
Veiga-Lee and Cox Score 1,000 Points
On January 31, the Fenway High School girl’s basketball team celebrated two amazing accomplishments. Junior guard Tajanay Veiga-Lee and senior guard Kayla Cox were both honored at halftime of their game against Boston Latin Academy for reaching the 1,000 point milestone earlier in the season.

December 9, 2011
West Roxbury Athletes Give Back
On December 9, 2011, four scholar-athletes from the West Roxbury Educational Complex’s football team spent the day giving back to their community. Aaron Higginbottom, Jeremy Cunningham, Muller Mirville and Michael Russell gave up their Saturday to go to the Pine Street Inn

December 6, 2011
Ready to Hoop it up in China - Hub students picked for cultural exchange basketball event
When Andy Pontes was called into his coach’s office at New Mission High School three weeks ago, he got nervous. Had he done something wrong? The coach sat him down and told him the news. He and seven other Boston public schools students were going to China. “I was like, ‘What? I’m going to China?’ ’’ Pontes, 18, recalled.

November 26, 2011
New initiatives helping shape BPS turnaround
“Get that homework out, we ain’t sittin’ on no luxury chairs today!” It’s 10 a.m. on a Saturday at the Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury, and hulking basketball coach Larry Merritt is taking no excuses.

November 3, 2011
Our Partnership with PULSE
This year, BSA is thrilled to launch a partnership with the renowned Boston College PULSE Program.

October 19, 2011
O'Brien Coaching Clinic
In continuing efforts to enhance BPS coaches, the BSA partnered with Emerson College's Head Men's Basketball Coach Jim O'Brien to provide each BPS basketball coach the opportunity to participate in a coaching clinic held on October 19th, 2011.

September 27, 2011
Coaches Primed on Concussions
Dozens of Boston Public Schools coaches received advanced concussion training at Northeastern University on September 27, 2011, designed to help reduce the risk of head trauma-related injuries in student athletes and prevent longer-term effects such as degenerative brain disease.

August 11, 2011
BSA Launches the College Readiness Initiative in Conjuction with The Princeton Review
Mayor Thomas Menino joined Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish and The Princeton Review Senior Vice President Rob Franek today to announce the College Readiness Initiative, a partnership between the Boston Scholar Athlete Program (BSA) and The Princeton Review.

August 1, 2011
Meet the 2011-2012 Zone Facilitators
For the 2011-2012 academic school year, the BSA was proud to launch a BSA Zone in each of the 19 Boston Public Schools! With each Zone being run by a BSA Facilitator, our staff has grown!