Ase Today

Ase Goes to Harlem

Ase Staff Reporters

On April 9, Ase chartered a bus and went to Harlem, New York. Most of the Ase students and staff were able to attend. Some brought along family members and guests. Our first stop in Harlem was the Schomberg Museum where we viewed an exhibit on the migration patterns of Africans throughout history. Afterwards we took a short group walking tour to an area known as Striver's Row. Following this, our party split into several smaller groups and conducted their own self-guided tours which included a scavenger hunt, shopping, and eating Harlem cuisine. Students experienced soul food and Caribbean flavors, the famous Apollo theater, the home of Langston Hughes, the 125th Street Shopping District, African and African American cultural stores, and much more. The weather was beautiful, helping to make the day a special one.

Ase Dancers Take Center Stage

For the first time in the history of the Ase program, members of the Ase drum and dance class participated in the African Rhythms Spring Show, held April 2 on Penn's campus. Before a packed audience of hundreds of people -- including many Ase students, staff, and family members -- Ase performers Sharla Glenn and Ashley Young danced while Fabian Levy drummed along with the African Rhythms drum ensemble. The students received a standing ovation at the end of their performance, and deservingly so. Their choreographed routine was flawless, demonstrating that hard work and dedication truly pay off. It was a proud moment for the Ase program, and hopefully the start of a long-running tradition.

Pillow Slash ASE Bash

by Jasmine Noble

The staff of ASE academy threw the biggest bash in ASE history, during Ase's "Arts Night and Sleepover." They had a D.J, very talented members of ASE, and other talented students of Penn University. They danced, played, socialized, and had lots of fun. They watched a movie featuring discussions taped amongst the 7th graders. The 6th graders were required to comment on the 7th graders' reactions. The young students of ASE than spent the night in their mentors' dorm. I felt that this was a great opportunity for the students to get to know their mentors. All the students said that they had a fantastic time.

Learning in Ase

by Tanesha King

When I studied Africa in Ase, I thought it was a good experience. I learned about some African countries. Some are Tunisia, Madagascar, and Cameroon. There are a total of 52 African countries all together. I learned that Africa traded items to get what they needed. Also, I was in a class called "Say Word." Ms. Debbie and Ms. Andrea taught the class. They both taught us synonyms and antonyms, and we also learned a little Swahili. Some words are Pesa which means "money," Poha means "totally cool" and Mombo means "Whatz up!" Now I am taking a fun class called Journalism. We are learning the concepts of Journalism and we are putting articles together for our newsletter called Ase Today.

Ase's Rolling Strikes!

by Fabian Levy

The Ase Bowling Trip was very fun because there were lots of things to do. I got free food and had a score of 69 points. I don’t think my score was very good because everyone else had more than a hundred, but it was still fun. After we finished bowling I played pool. I don’t know how many points I had, but I think I did well. I think bowling is much better than pool, but pool has more math concepts than bowling.

Hustlesquad Sets Records

Ase Staff Writers

The Ase "Hustlesquad" -- also known as the fundraising and programming team -- put together several successful fundraising functions during the spring months. With the help of Ase grandmother Ms. Ali, Ase hosted a "Saturday Soul Food Dinner" in early April. Most recently, Ase hosted a raffle in which several fabulous prizes (including tickets to the Common/Jaguar Wright concert ),were awarded to the winners. Ase was also able to obtain several donations from Penn offices and individuals wanting to support the program. On the horizon, Ase will be selling boxes for Penn's student moveout. The efforts of the Hustlesquad allowed Ase to fully raise money for the Harlem trip and have additional funds to kick off the 2005-2006 Ase school year.

Ase Tours Penn's Campus

by Fabian Levy

Right before we went on the bowling trip, the Ase students and I went on a campus tour. I learned plenty of things. I learned that the President lived right next door from the Ase Academy. I also learned that Benjamin Franklin built this school, and that Penn has a big library called Van Pelt. I observed that Penn puts manure on the trees so they can grow better. I learned that Penn students have lots of sports, like frisbee, football, basketball, and even volleyball. But my favorite sport is football. Penn University students study skills like how to use technology and do advanced mathematics. I figured out that college students' mathematics is a lot harder than mathematics in my school. I would like to study about the world, how people live, and how they survive if they don’t have any food. While I was doing the campus tour, I saw a twenty-four floor building, which was one of the dorms, and it was really tall.