Firstline Schools

Advancing Student Learning with AI

Mya Crawford — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:33:47 +0000

At FirstLine, we are excited about using AI to drive opportunities for our staff and students! We have developed a website dedicated to all things AI at FirstLine—. Here, you can find our student and staff policies, which we rolled out to our community this fall, as well as that help make work more sustainable and effective for our teachers and leaders. FirstLine’s AI Task Force is now entering year two of supporting implementation of AI policies and initiatives.

FirstLine has also adopted the enterprise version of Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude to provide our team access to AI tools while ensuring that students’ personally identifiable information (PII) remains secure.

Additionally, we are excited to have launched Coursemojo in all 5th-8th grade ELA classrooms, with the support of . With Coursemojo, students are able to get real-time feedback while answering questions aligned to their ELA curriculum, Arts and Letters. So far, classrooms using Coursemojo have a positive engagement rate of over 95%!

FirstLine is excited to embrace the opportunities and be proactive about the challenges that come with AI. Feel free to reach out to our Chief Innovation Officer, Scott Shirey, at sshirey@firstlineschools.org if you have any questions or would like more information about AI at FirstLine!

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NOLA-PS Kicks Off “Every Day Counts” Attendance Campaign at Phillis Wheatley

Mya Crawford — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:18:12 +0000

FirstLine was honored to welcome NOLA-PS to Phillis Wheatley Community School to kick off the district’s Every Day Counts attendance campaign, focused on reducing chronic absenteeism across New Orleans.

FirstLine has made steady progress in attendance over the past three years through a comprehensive, multi-tiered attendance strategy. We are thrilled that our network is currently averaging 94% attendance for the 2026–27 school year, with a goal of reaching 95% across all of our schools by year-end.

Many thanks to NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Fateama Fulmore; Lerone Crayton, Chief School Support Officer; Olin Parker, OPSB Vice President; Judge Clinton Smith, NOLA Juvenile Court; Sivi Domango, FirstLine’s Chief Experience Officer; and the Wheatley students who shared their experiences and voices at the press conference. And a special thank you to the Wheatley team for hosting the event and providing classroom tours that showcased the incredible work happening every day on the Wheatley campus!

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Celebrating Meaningful Partnerships for Students and Families

Mya Crawford — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:22:58 +0000

Donor Spotlight - Entergy Charitable Foundation

The Entergy Charitable Foundation has been serving Greater New Orleans for 25 years, and has been a partner of ��MAX’ for over a decade. The foundation’s goal is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. Focus areas for foundation giving include education and workforce development, poverty solutions, and environmental programs.

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Entergy’s support for education programs is a pillar of the company’s commitment to investing in the future of the communities it serves. The Entergy Charitable Foundation knows that education enables individuals to achieve their fullest potential and contribute positively to society. Alongside education partners like FirstLine, Entergy strives to ensure that every child has access to a quality education and the skills to be successful in life.��

FirstLine is thrilled to announce that in May, the Entergy Charitable Foundation renewed its investment in FirstLine’s math, science, and STEM learning initiatives! We are beyond grateful for this longtime partnership, and for Entergy’s broader contributions to the current students and future leaders of New Orleans.

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Student Experiences in Action: Theater, Athletics, Environmental Learning & End-of-Year Adventures

Mya Crawford — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:39:33 +0000

From the big stage to the playing field and beyond the classroom, FirstLine students experienced meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and shine this spring. These moments showcase the experiences, traditions, and celebrations that help build strong school communities and create lasting memories for our students.

Explore highlights from across our schools that celebrate creativity, achievement, community, and discovery!

FirstLine's Talented Theater Dazzled the Stage with Beauty & the Beast, Jr.

Bravo to our incredible theater students for two magical performances of��Beauty & the Beast��Jr. in April!

Our students truly brought the story to life through heartfelt moments and strong vocals. A huge THANK YOU to our amazing staff—especially Director, Choreographer, and Talented Theater teacher, Bianca Siplin—for their dedication, creativity, and support in guiding our students every step of the way.

Thank you to the New Orleans Theatre Association for their continued support in sponsoring FirstLine productions.

Check out some performance photos and !

A Day of Inclusion, Achievement, and Joy: FirstLine's 4th Annual Special Olympics

On Friday, April 4th, ��MAX celebrated our 4th Annual Special Olympics!

This tradition�� brings our Discovery students to the field to demonstrate their athletic abilities. Students participated in challenges like push-ups, sit-ups, races, softball, and more that got them active and working together. Every celebration and smile reminded us why this day is so important to FirstLine.

Thank you to our SPED staff who supported our students through each challenge, and to our volunteer staff who came out to referee! It was truly a day filled with joy and friendly competition.

End of Year Experiences Make a Full Return to FirstLine!

Before the pandemic, end-of-year trips were a cherished FirstLine tradition across schools, giving students opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom through experiences that blend education, exploration, and fun. We’re excited to share that this year, every FirstLine school was able to send students on two end-of-year trips, helping revive this meaningful tradition and create lasting memories for our scholars!

This year, scholars were able to travel to Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Washington D.C., Camp Istrouma, Camp Abbey, and Solomon Episcopal Retreat Center��exploring new cities, visiting national landmarks, engaging in nature-based and hands-on learning experiences, and creating memories that will last a lifetime!

Earth Day Celebrations Across ESY Classes!

This year, in honor of Earth Day on April 22, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans partnered with youth farmer, to take the pledge to nurture the��Earth��by caring for plants and animals, reducing waste, supporting their communities, and protecting nature.

Our scholars spent the day observing the plants and animals found at each of their schools – a nice, calming activity to regulate and connect with the Earth before testing.��

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Celebrating Student Success at 4th Annual Student Achievement Awards

Mya Crawford — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:05:08 +0000

On April 21, ��MAX recognized outstanding middle school scholars at our 4th Annual Student Achievement Awards ceremony!

Students were honored for their accomplishments throughout the school year, including growth in reading, dedication to Zearn, strong interim assessment performance, perfect attendance, and high academic achievement. Their hard work, consistency, and commitment to learning were on full display and celebration.

The event also featured guest speaker Mia Young (Mia X), who encouraged students to stay focused, work hard, and continue pursuing their goals.

We are proud to celebrate these scholars and grateful to the families, teachers, and staff who support their success every day.

See moments from the ceremony below!

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FirstLine Honors Outstanding Teachers with Golden Clipboards During Crescendo

Mya Crawford — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:34:52 +0000

Crescendo is a special time of year marking a period when our students, families, and staff come together with focus, energy, and intention to achieve academic excellence ahead of state testing.

To recognize the incredible work happening in our classrooms during this time, we celebrate standout teachers each week who exemplify our FirstLine commitments to��Learning, Collaboration, Service, Safety, Joy,��and��Results.

Each honoree receives the coveted��Golden Clipboard, presented by our Chief Academic Officer,��Shanda Gentry, as a symbol of excellence and impact.

Join us in applauding our 2026 Golden Clipboard recipients!

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GiveNOLA Day Support Helps FirstLine Raise $7,708 for STEM Education

Mya Crawford — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:10:11 +0000

Thank you for your support!

This GiveNOLA Day, FirstLine raised $7,708 to support Hello World computer science programming at all four FirstLine schools.

Piloted in 2023, Hello World delivers immersive learning experiences in artificial intelligence, data science, and virtual reality. But beyond the tech, this program builds students who are confident, self-directed, and proud of what they can accomplish. Students in Hello World classes gain real skills in today’s most in-demand fields, grow into autonomous and proud learners, and find a strong sense of belonging in their classrooms.

Hello World began as a single site academic enrichment program at Wheatley, before expanding to Green and LHA in recent years. We are thrilled to continue the program at all four school sites (inclusive of Ashe) in the 26-27 school year.��

GiveNOLA Day donations are opening doors students didn’t know existed. We are grateful for your support!

Check out some of our students' work and experiences!

View FirstLine students at Green, LHA, and Wheatley as they present virtual reality projects during the Hello World Virtual Demo Day!

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2026 Big Chief Awards & Network Pep Rally

Mya Crawford — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:45:45 +0000

On Friday, February 13, we proudly celebrated our 2026 Big Chiefs and Network & School Partner Award winners — the leaders, teammates, and community champions who help our network thrive every single day through their dedication to our commitments to Service, Learning, Results, Collaboration, Joy, and Safekeeping.

Learn more about the annual Big Chief Awards and check out our 2026 Big Chief videos where their colleagues share why each of these individuals are so deserving of this recognition here!

Congratulations to our 2026 Big Chiefs:

Maya Edwards – Big Chief of Service (Wheatley)

Horace Williams – Big Chief of Joy (Wheatley)

Brandon Mercadel – Big Chief of Collaboration (Ashe)

Jessica Sanders – Big Chief of Learning (Green)

Samatha Anderson – Big Chief of Results (LHA)

Sean Dusset – Big Chief Guardian (Green)

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And a heartfelt thank you to our incredible Network, ESY & School Partner honorees — First Student, School Food Solutions, Chartwells, Scoot Education, and our incredible Edible Evening co-chairs, Randy Fertel, Karin Giger, and Cathy Pierson — for the countless ways you show up for our schools and students.

Network Partner Honorees:

First Student, School Food Solutions, and Chartwells

School Partner Honoree:

Scoot Education

ESY Partner Honorees:

Randy Fertel, Karin Giger, and��Cathy Pierson��(not pictured

Check out some moments from our Network Pep Rally!

To honor our rocking year of academic wins, our krewe theme was Blockbuster Results, where our schools and central office teams selected blockbuster films to base their individual krewes on.

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Academic Pilots: Strengthening Literacy with New Tools & Curriculum

Mya Crawford — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:55:10 +0000

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we launched several pilot initiatives this spring to strengthen literacy instruction across our schools.

In grades K–2, we are enhancing our literacy program by introducing a dedicated reading comprehension curriculum while laying the foundation for a more cohesive K–8 approach grounded in the Science of Reading.

Across grades K–8, select ELA teachers piloted the Arts & Letters curriculum to deepen student engagement and strengthen core literacy skills. In addition, 5th-grade teachers incorporated CourseMojo—an AI-powered instructional tool that complements existing curriculum—to make daily lessons more interactive, responsive, and supportive for all learners.

CourseMojo enables teachers to differentiate instruction by providing students with targeted, curriculum-aligned feedback that builds mastery and confidence. Students especially valued the immediate feedback and positive reinforcement, while teachers appreciated the platform’s ability to summarize class-wide and individual progress, identify trends, and offer actionable guidance to address misconceptions.

Together, these pilots are helping us better understand how to align high-quality curriculum, strong instruction, and innovative tools to accelerate student learning across our network.

Watch Our Teachers in Action!

2nd Grade at Ashe Practices Arts & Letters

2nd Grade at Green Practice CKLA Listening & Learning

Watch this clip of Mr. Mercadel, 2nd Grade Teacher at Arthur Ashe Charter School, as he works with his students using the Arts & Letters curriculum to guide structured conversations,�� strengthen vocabulary and literacy skills, and integrate reading.

Watch this clip of Ms. Wiltz, 2nd Grade Teacher at Samuel J. Green Charter School, as she works with her students using the CKLA Listening & Learning curriculum to build knowledge and leverage the power of comprehensive listening and discussion.

Hear What Our Teachers & Students Have to Say About Working with Coursemojo!

Check out these clips of Ms. James, 5th Grade ELA Teacher at Arthur Ashe, and her students from the CourseMojo Demo panel discussion!

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Honoring Years of Service Across FirstLine

Mya Crawford — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:19:16 +0000

On Monday, December 1, 2025, we proudly celebrated our FirstLine Years of Service Ceremony, honoring the dedication and commitment of our team across the network. Our Director of Culture, Kristin Rodriguez, got the crowd up and moving with a FirstLine Family Feud Game Show before FirstLiners were recognized for reaching 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and, for the very first time, 25 years of service.

We are especially honored to celebrate Kimberly Baylor and Jacques Richardson of Samuel J. Green, who each reached an incredible 25-year milestone with ��MAX. Their leadership, consistency, and impact on generations of students exemplify what deep commitment to our community looks like.

For this achievement, Kimberly and Jacques were presented with a 25 year recognition pin, a custom engraved vase, and lifetime tickets to An Edible Evening!

To all of our honorees: thank you for the passion, care, and excellence you bring to our schools year after year.��

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