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Young Men's Leadership Academy
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About Our School
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Grades 6 – 8 | Choice
The Young Men's Leadership Academy will offer 6th-8th grade boys a dynamic learning experience that encourages critical thinking, inspires confidence and nurtures the intellectual and social development necessary for success in college, career and life. Rigorous coursework, field-based exploration, and the incorporation of social and emotional learning helps students transition from middle school to high school, higher education and beyond.
At Young Men’s Leadership Academy, we feature a rigorous educational program geared toward our all male student population. Along with academic growth, our focus is set on transforming boys into young men and ultimately into the leaders of tomorrow who will positively impact their community. Young Men’s Leadership Academy is a school of choice within the Grand Prairie Independent School District that also offers competitive athletic, fine arts, and leadership programs. Abiding by the school creed, our administrative and educational staff is dedicated to being lifelong learners. They are committed to seeing things clearly and making them better to ensure the holistic success of our leaders.
Our Focus:
- Building Character: Successful Men of Tomorrow
- Leadership Focus: Literacy
- Teamwork and Competition
- Study Skills and Time Management
- Goals Setting
- Professional Communication
- Community Service
- College Readiness
How to know Young Men’s Leadership Academy is right for your child:
- You want your son to be a part of a program geared towards growing future leaders and men of character.
- You want your son to experience all the benefits of a traditional middle school, but with an emphasis on leadership and character building.
- You believe your son would thrive in an environment that positively employs competition and removes distractions allowing them to focus on academic and personal success.
Unique ways your child can learn and grow here:
- All boys take part in Mindset Monday, a unique lesson that builds the four core values: character, hard work, fortitude, and leadership.
- YMLA offers Junior Cadet Corp, built-in Academic Advisory AVID, fine arts, and Chi Schedule for restorative discipline.
- Students are placed in positions of leadership on and off campus allowing them opportunities to drive programming on campus and serve our community.
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Contact Us
2205 S.E. 4th Street, Grand Prairie, TX 75051 (Google Map link)
Phone: 972-264-8651
Fax: 972-522-3699
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Curriculum Offerings
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Curriculum Offerings
Courses include options for varied levels of learners: Advanced, Gifted and Talented, On Level, Accelerated Instruction, Inclusion Support, and CTE.
Leaders can earn up to 7 high school credits. High School credit course options are as follows: Spanish 1-3 and AP Spanish Language, Entrepreneurship, Principles of Transportation, Principles of Engineering, English I, Algebra I, Geometry, and Foundations of PE.
Advanced Academics and Gifted and Talented classes are offered for students who meet the district criteria for participation.
We also offer specialty electives such as AVID, Leadership, JCC, and Kickstart Karate.
Extracurricular Opportunities
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Extracurricular Opportunities
Athletics - YMLA 7th and 8th grade students have the option to participate in the following sports through GPISD Athletics: football, basketball, soccer, and track.
Leadership - Focus on building and developing leadership skills centered around 21 century skills for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
Kindness Crew - A team of students who work to promote kindness and compassion throughout the campus and community by doing service projects, social learning activities, and inspiring acts of kindness.
National Junior Honor Society
Kick Start Karate - Kids can compete in Karate Tournaments
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is Young Men’s Leadership Academy a reform or last chance school?
No. At Young Men’s Leadership Academy, we pride ourselves on being a highly competitive academic campus. We are part of GPISD’s schools of choice. We strive every year to produce the most productive and successful middle school boys in the state.
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Does Young Men’s Leadership Academy offer all sports and fine arts?
Yes. Young men who attend our campus have the same offerings in academics, athletics and fine arts as every other middle school in GPISD. Those offerings include:
- Football
- Band
- Basketball
- Choir
- Soccer
- Orchestra
- Track
- Mariachi
- Theater
- Art
We even have cheerleaders! The ladies from Young Women’s Leadership Academy cheer for our young men.
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Do students wear uniforms at Young Men’s Leadership Academy?
Yes. At Young Men’s Leadership Academy, we believe that uniforms reduce distractions (both physically and mentally) and allow us the opportunity to teach some valuable life lessons as it relates to possible workplace and collegiate guidelines.
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Is there more bullying and fighting on campus?
No. YMLA focuses on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and kindness. We incorporate various activities to address the way leaders and staff interact with one another; and our leaders are responding. Our goal is to support our leaders in curbing certain behaviors before they become critical issues. A quick list of activities are listed below:
- The Kindness crew makes posters for Bullying Prevention Month, and greets leaders when they arrive at school.
- Counselors, Randle and Campbell (Leaders know them as RC Cola), provide a weekly SEL lesson on Leadership, Responsibility, and Teamwork using NearPod as a resource.
- Leaders are recognized for the “Tied to Kindness” Campaign with all support staff cheering on every Friday.
- Selected leaders provide information on the “Start with Hello” program, Bullying Prevention, and how to recognize leaders at risk for suicidal ideations and how they have been trained and educated to help.
- Conflict Resolution ( Counseling Mediation) between peers to build a strong positive campus culture.
- Conflict Resolution with teachers and leaders to build relatability and increase academic success.
We have found that one benefit of having a single gender academy is that students do not feel the need to impress students of the opposite sex; and therefore, having only boys reduces conflict and bullying. In addition, the implementation of uniforms has also positively impacted the reduction of students feeling ashamed or being bullied.