Pittsburgh nonprofit helps student athletes improve academics, interpersonal skills
A Pittsburgh nonprofit is preparing local student athletes for successful college careers by offering academic and social support. Von Madden is the president and founder of Shadow Student Athlete Development Services, which helps students achieve academic success. He works with Dewayne Brown, whose Evolve Two Tenths program emphasizes the athletic training element. Services provided by Shadow Student Athletes are free for students, though there is a fee for the Evolve Two Tenths program, Madden said. “I was a student-athlete coming out of Pittsburgh Public Schools, and when I got to college as a student-athlete, I wasn’t prepared socially,” Madden said. “I had poor study skills.” When he saw other student-athletes facing the same struggles, he was inspired to create a program that would better prepare student-athletes for higher education. “I just wanted to make sure they had the support so when they got to college, they could succeed,” Madden said. The nonprofit, which launched in 2011, has an academic support team to ensure student-athletes are taking the right classes, maintaining healthy grade-point averages (GPA) and developing good study habits. Madden said they’ve tracked an increase in GPA among students working with the program. But they emphasize more than just good grades. They also help students with critical social skills. “We deal with interpersonal conflict, kids who are dealing with low self-esteem or kids that may be bullying kids,” Madden said. “We really work with those kids to be ‘social change athletes’ inside their school space. “We have a mentor program that really fosters love and support of all students, no matter if they’re student-athletes, no matter what racial background they come from, no matter what economic background they come from.” Madden said it’s rewarding to watch students grow through the program. He noted that many student-athletes will later come back to work in the nonprofit’s youth camp. “We’ve seen students’ behaviors shift, kids being more responsible, more active in the community,” he said. Brown said he, too, has seen the benefits of the program help students who may otherwise lack strong support systems. “It’s helping a lot of the kids with prep for college,” Brown said. “A lot of them don’t have the type of guidance at home, so being around the guys we have at Two Tenths, they get a lot of great direction.” Shadow Student Athletes has had 150 students from their program attend college, Madden said. He said only three of them didn’t finish. Several athletes who worked with the program are now professional athletes. One of the major benefits of the program, Madden said, is that it often helps student athletes earn athletic scholarships. “We’re able to get young people college education. You’re changing the trajectory of families’ lives,” Madden said. “We’re able to transition a youth into a productive citizen.” Some student-athletes who are involved with Shadow Student Athletes’ programs will also travel for tournaments with the nonprofit to increase exposure in hopes of attracting more college recruiters, Madden added. The nonprofit’s work hasn’t stopped even during the covid-19 pandemic. They’re still offering their mentoring program through Pittsburgh Public Schools, though much of it now takes place via Microsoft Teams. The nonprofit is also offering small group sessions for academic support and athletic training. Students can use the Wi-Fi in their Beltzhoover facility to do schoolwork if they don’t have Wi-Fi at home. For more information or to participate in Shadow Student Athletes programs, contact [email protected] or visit their website at ShadowStudents.org.
Evolve 7v7 Travel Team Tryouts Primer
Travel 7v7 has become more popular in Pennsylvania over the past seven years. Evolve, a 7v7 travel team out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of the top programs not only in the state, but in the Northeast. Evolve will be holding their 7v7 travel team tryouts this Saturday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex. Panther247 takes a look at some of the top prospects that will be in attendance at the tryouts. OTHER TOP PLAYERS WHO WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE: Hollis Mathis – Quarterback – Offer from Howard. Dante Cephas – Athlete – Offer from Howard Skyy Moore Daquay Brown Rashod Allen – Offer from Toledo Deoveon Crute Will Gipson – Offer from Toledo and Howard Jermaine Joseph Damon Mackln Terry “Tank” Smith Dan Walker Jr. Daquan Hardy Check back with Panther247 for pictures, video and articles after the tryouts this Saturday.
Children thrive in the classroom and on the field as Shadow Student Athletes
Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. One Pittsburgh organization is working to ensure this happens. Shadow Student Athletes is a nonprofit whose mission is to have student-athletes transition their competitive nature into the classroom. SSA provides in-school mentoring programs, recreational sports and academic resources for Pittsburgh students. DeVon Madden, 33, who founded SSA in 2010, was inspired to create the organization after learning about the alarming rates of school suspension in Pennsylvania public schools. Its initiative A.I.M. provides in-school mentoring during school hours. “I wanted to create an organization that was consistent in everything,” said Mr. Madden, who grew up in Beltzhoover and played football at Brashear High School. “When I got to college I had success academically, but not in middle school and high school. I want [students] to have someone to look up to every day.” A.I.M (Achieving Goals, Inspiring Change, Motivating Students) is fighting against ineffective suspensions. Between 2009-2012 African-American students received nearly half of all Pennsylvania out-of-school suspensions, despite making up only 13.6 percent of Pennsylvania students. “We are trying to shape the schools through a process in giving kids more chances,” said Mr. Madden. “It’s to fight against suspensions since suspensions are not working.” SSA currently works in two Pittsburgh public schools during the academic year and hopes to expand to other schools. Funding is provided by a service contract with the school district, grants and other sources. Mr. Madden works at Langley Elementary School in Sheraden. Most of the SSA staff works in Martin Luther King Accelerated Academy (King K-8) on the North Side, where the percentage of economically disadvantaged students exceeds 90 percent in a building largely attended by African-American students. “One thing we are working on is asking ‘How do we provide support?’” said Michael Dreger, King K-8 assistant principal. “We are working on becoming a community school — to provide food, clothing and medical services.” Mr. Dreger noted that the school is often stretched so thin and is happy to have Shadow Student Athletes. Mentors known as character coaches help students channel their energy into productive efforts in the classroom. They are full-time faculty members at King K-8. “We go to homes sometimes,” says Shauntae Myrick, 29, site director of SSA at King K-8. “The current group of administrators is also making home visits. A parent may not want to talk but if we come to see them at their homes, they know that we care.” Ms. Myrick goes on to say how this is a progressive change from the school’s previous administration and appreciates how proactive the current administration is in their students’ lives. Ms. Myrick, known as Coach Tae to her mentees, is also responsible for the founding of some of SSA’s programs, including the common room, re-focus room and Junior Mentor Program. “The principal is big on trying to change the school environment. Some days it’s hard to see [progress] and other days it’s like ‘Wow there is change.’ ” The common and re-focus rooms serve to help mediate conflicts students are having in the classroom. In these spaces, kids can reflect on their behavior with a step process and receive academic assistance. The spaces offer toys, books, snacks, electronics and resting areas. “This is my favorite program,” said Ms. Myrick, when discussing the Junior Mentor Program. “We try to match [junior mentors] with kids that showed the same traits they had. The younger kids love this because they enjoy hanging out with the older kids.” The junior mentors have been members of SSA since they were in the third and fourth grades, and their success in the classroom and improved behavior have allowed them to help others. “We put these kids in leadership roles with jobs and responsibilities and it makes them feel wanted,” says Ms. Myrick. “They can identify themselves in helping kids.” Keyoushia Shealey, 14, is an eighth-grader at King K-8. She was selected as a junior mentor this school year. “Being a mentor has made me a better person,” said Keyoushia. “I have someone looking up to me, which makes me want to be a better person.” Lord James, 23, is another character coach at King K-8 and was mentored by Mr. Madden while he was in high school. By graduation, Mr. James improved his high school GPA by 2.1 points and achieved high scores on the SAT. “We came up the same way as these kids — same environment, same struggles,” said Mr. James. “I have a [high school] trophy for ‘Most Academically Improved’ due to the program.” Andre Freeman, 29, was also mentored by Mr. Madden. Before he met Mr. Madden, he was training to be drafted to the NFL and eventually made it on the 2012 Steelers roster as a defensive back. He was cut after one season and Mr. Madden helped him become a teacher at King K-8 and coach for Evolve 2/10ths, SSA’s national champion flag football team. “My students sometimes ask me ‘How are you a teacher?’ and I say ‘because you can be one,’ ” said Mr. Freeman. “I wish the media can glorify what we can do. My kids don’t know that.” Mr. Freeman is worried that the media is discouraging to African-American students. “Our little boys and girls are falling behind because of music and media. They see flashy athletes and musicians. They see [reality TV show] ‘Love and Hip-Hop,’ but they see very few doctors and lawyers celebrated.” As a football coach, he loves that he can return to his roots but says that the sport provides more than an outlet for kids. “It’s not all about football. Sports can teach you a lot about life.” Ahmad Arrington, 12, is a seventh-grader on Evolve 2/10ths. Being a student athlete allows him to channel his energies in an acceptable way. “[Evolve] keeps me from fighting,” he said. “When I wasn’t in Shadow I used to fight and get bad grades. Now that I’m in it I don’t fight that much and my grades are better.” “If