Yellowstone Academy verified non-profit

Houston, Texas
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Yellowstone Academy exists to promote human flourishing among Houston's poorest families. The school based on the premise that, through education and intensive intervention, children living in poverty can transcend their circumstances and grow up to become responsible, productive adults. Poverty is more a function of circumstances than race or ethnicity, and the circumstances that perpetuate poverty include illiteracy, illegitimacy and dependency. These and other factors define the intergenerational cycle of poverty, and children born into such circumstances deserve the chance to break that cycle. Yellowstone Academy is a faith-based, comprehensive approach to addressing the multi-dimensional challenges of poverty in the lives of children and their families from the platform of a high quality private pre-school through eighth grade educational institution. The school exclusively serves children from low-income families with a program designed to provide them the educational, spiritual, social and practical resources they need to succeed in life.
$1,595 Raised
28 Investors
Reading in Comfort Matters
by Marlena Smith
at Yellowstone Academy
English
Houston
$475
raised
0
minutes left
Recess Equipment
by Presley Bourquein
at Yellowstone Academy
Youth Sports
Houston
$540
raised
0
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Bibles
by Presley Bourquein
at Yellowstone Academy
Education
Houston
$580
raised
0
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Presley Bourquein

Hi! My name is Presley Bourquein, but better known at Yellowstone as Miss B! I was hired at Yellowstone Academy right after graduating from Texas A&M University in 2011. I can truly say I have grow more in the past 2 years and few months than I have in all 25 years of my life. Physically, I might have added a few wrinkles and grey hairs... But emotionally, and most importantly spiritually- in the greatest way, I will never be the same. I am in my 3rd year of teaching at Yellowstone and have been outrageously blessed during my time here. I have the most wonderful colleagues and leaders I could dream of. But my absolute favorite and most cherished part of the job I have is the love I experience with these kids. The love I have for my students is incomprehensible. I have made it my goal at Yellowstone to convince every student I can that no matter what they do, no matter where they end up, that they will ALWAYS have unconditional love from Miss B- "that one teacher we called Goldilocks!"

Marlena Smith

4th Grade Lead Teacher - English Language Arts/Social Studies

My philosophy is I am the gardener equipped to till the soil in the minds of inner city youth through education. I am responsible for planting seeds of hope, knowledge, self- worth, and self –motivation to bring to fruition the plans that God has set forth for them to achieve in this life. My job is to encourage them to put God first in all things and let him order their footsteps so that people can see the power of knowing Christ when they take a measure of their character. The scripture Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” is a foundational scripture to teach the children to build their lives upon. Yellowstone Academy is that garden. I create an environment that commands respect and does not allow excuse to define what they are really capable of achieving. The things I like about Yellowstone are the students, the team camaraderie, and the opportunity to share Christ with the students. I also like that my creativity is not stifled here and it helps the students tap into their multiple talents and take responsible risks by trying out for plays, singing in the choir, and enjoying friendly competitions. My teaching is different because I figured out the secret that ensures every student learns. What is that secret? I’m glad you asked! The secret is……INTERACTIVE LEARNING. I accompany each lesson with a song, dance, rap, or game. This method allows the students to enjoy learning without knowing they are actually learning what could have seemed difficult if presented in the lecture method, which doesn’t quickly allow students to make connections between the information and themselves. I attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Go Bulldogs! I have taught in Shreveport, Louisiana and Houston, Texas for six and a half years.