From our friends at the American Baseball Foundation:

Just back from the National Summer Learning Association Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. I am always seeking best practices related to how to make reading and math more fun for BASIC students. One of the presentations (Horizons Inc.) focused on themed programming and its positive attributes: enriched environment, integrated experience, deeper understanding, motivation to learn, self-direction, allows for voice and choice among the students and involves critical literacy practices.

BASIC with its sports theme contains all of the above as students are immersed in books, poetry, applied math, real-life data collection and score keeping while they enjoy new sports. Our students follow the lives of sports heroes and hopefully interiorize the socio/emotional characteristics that made the athletes successful. While all cannot replicate the athletic prowess of the professionals, all can develop perseverance, determination and cooperation that accompany them throughout their lives.

In BASIC sports may be the theme, the focus, however, remains on building the student from within. We at the American Baseball Foundation are very thankful that we have the opportunity to work with our loving, BASIC children. May God bless you this Thanksgiving holiday.

To support our expansion into north and west Alabama in the 2019 summer, the ABF requests your presence at our 18th annual fund raising dinner, featuring Atlanta Braves and New York Yankee star, David Justice. Joining David will be ex Braves star Johnny Estrada and Boston Red Sox great Bernie Carbo whose pinch-hit, three-run home run in the eighth inning tied the score in the 6th game of the 1975 World Series setting the stage for the Carlton Fisk home run in the 12th inning that propelled the Red Sox to victory. To donate and attend the event to be held on Friday, January 18, 2019. Donate at ABF website under Lead Off Dinner