Community Leadership Academy

Our high school students returned from a two day retreat themed, “Live Wide Awake.” This theme will kick off our year of chapel and small groups in upper school. What a great way to start off the school year!

CLA Class of 2024!!!

Juneteenth, Freedom Day, Swipe to see why.

Congratulations to CLA’s Best & Brightest School Winners! These four graduates, attended the Best & Brightest awards ceremony tonight.
Jordan Boulware-Athletics
Cole Griffith-Drama & Performing Arts
Jeremy Roberts-Career/Technical
Jael Meyer-Art

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Courtney Jacqueline Kelley🦁
A member Class of 2023
First Generation High School Graduate
CJ has been an important part of our CLA varsity volleyball program during her time at CLA.
She has had many health challenges over the past 2 years which she has persevered through in order to graduate together with her classmates.
Courtney completed an internship in the field of cosmetology and is planning to study cosmetology at Lively Technical College after graduation.

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Jael Meyer🦁
Jael has been at CLA since Kindergarten! Jael is a National Merit Commended Scholar and is Valedictorian of the class of 2023. Jael has won many department awards over the years at CLA for her excellence in academic performance, and she is this year’s CLA finalist for the Best and Brightest Awards program in the category of Art. Jael’s artwork won Best in Show at this year’s North Florida Fair and she was this year’s “Outstanding Executive Intern” at CLA. Jael has a heart to use her artistic creativity to be a blessing to others. Jael has qualified for the Florida Academic Scholarship and an academic merit scholarship to attend UCF where she plans to pursue a BFA in Experimental Animation. Jael we are so proud of your heart for the Lord and for others, for your resilience, your creative brilliance, and your commitment to excellence. But most of all, we are proud of who you are. We love you!

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Kiersten (Lei Lei) Gilmore🦁
Lei Lei joined CLA in 2020. She has been dual enrolled at TCC for the past 3 semesters and plans to complete her AA at TCC and then transfer to UCF. Upon coming to CLA she completed an internship as an art teacher and during that time discovered the joy that she found helping others, especially kids! She wants to pursue a career as a pediatric radiologist. At CLA she was a member of the track and field team for the 2021 and 2022 season. She was also a starter on the women’s volleyball team for three years. Lei Lei is passionate about the gospel and finds joy in working in whichever mission field God provides for her whether that be in another country or here in everyday life! Lei Lei you are a blessing to CLA, to your friends and family! We know that God will use you to bless everyone around you!

✨High School Awards✨

DEPARTMENT LEVEL AWARDS
Strength and conditioning: Preston Sturos🏋🏻‍♂️
Music: Ty Meadows🎼
Art: Addie Davis, Sydnei Feldman, Reagan Parker, Emily Kitchen🎨
Spanish: Emily Kitchen, Caitlin Boyd🗣️
Bible: Eli Palmer, Sydnei Feldman✝️
Math: Makenna Hughes, Brody Tidwell🧮
Science: Lily Ritter, Iain Raines🧪
Social Studies: Noah Vick, Kaylah Feldman📜 🌎
English: McKenna Hughes, Madison Decker📖

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Executive Internship Awards: Jael Myer🦁
Dual Enrollment Award: Jeremy Roberts, Noah Vick, Madison Decker🦁
Community Service Award: Cole Griffith🦁
Student Project of the Year: Noah Vick🦁
Male Athlete of the Year: Ben Holloway🏀
Female Athlete of the Year: Jordan Boulware🏐
Student Leader of the Year: Madison Decker, Luke Starnes❤️🦁💛

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Ethan Meadows🦁
Ethan has been at CLA since the 2nd grade! Over the years at CLA, Ethan played basketball, football, and ran cross country. In 2020, Ethan started his own outdoor furniture business called Bird Dog Outdoor Living. Ethan currently interns with White Oak Construction as a business development assistant. Additionally, Ethan completed the Small Business Program at the Jim Moran Institute. Ethan plans on growing his business and working as an entrepreneur. Ethan is passionate about mission work. He has been on numerous mission trips including Panama and Guatemala. Ethan loves fishing, woodworking and learning new skills. Ethan we are so amazed by all of your accomplishments and by the man that you are. We are praying that God continues to lead you as you continue to remain in Him! Bird Dog Outdoor Living LLC Andrea Meadows

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Jordan Boulware🦁
Jordan has been at CLA for 14 years! Jordan has been dual enrolled at TCC for the last 2 years. In the fall of 2023 she will be attending Florida State University on a beach volleyball scholarship. Jordan has won multiple beach volleyball national championships and been selected to the USA Volleyball junior national beach training team for the last five years. We are proud of you and are excited to see God use your gifts and talents for His glory! Keep bringing light and joy to everyone around you! Peter Boulware Kensy Boulware Jordan Boulware: Beach Volleyball 2023

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Ben Holloway🦁
Ben joined CLA for his senior year of high school and loved it! Ben has earned Bright Futures and additional scholarship offers at Flagler and FSU and plans to make his decision soon. Ben was captain of the CLA men’s basketball team and here are some of his basketball accomplishments!
🏀Florida Independent Christian Athletics Association (FICAA) 1A State Champion
🏀FICAA 1A State Tournament MVP
🏀FICAA 1st Team All-State
🏀FICAA Academic All-State
🏀Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) District 3 Independent Division Player of the Year
🏀FACA All-State Team
Ben we are so glad that you joined CLA for your senior year and we are excited to see where God leads you!

🔦Senior Spotlight🔦
🦁Jeremy Roberts🦁
Jeremy has been at CLA since the 3rd grade! Jeremy has been dual enrolled at Lively Technical College and just completed the HVAC program and is going straight to work this summer. He will be on a team doing install work before going back into the TRACCA program. He also plans to do a lot of fishing this summer! Congratulations on all of your amazing accomplishments Jeremy!!

🔦SENIOR SPOTLIGHT🔦
🦁Cole Griffith🦁
Cole has been at CLA since January of 2017! After graduation, he plans to finish his FAA certifications in Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics at Lively Technical College and then attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for Aviation Maintenance. After that the sky is the limit, as he continues to pursue God’s will for his life!✈️ Cole you’re an amazing young man and we are so thankful that you have been a part of CLA!

Congratulations Jeremy Roberts!!

Tony Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning Our technicians are always available for emergency service no matter the time of day! Call 850-792-4488 today!

🔦SENIOR SPOTLIGHT🔦
🦁Luke Starnes🦁
Luke has been at CLA for 10 years! He started in the 3rd grade. Swipe to see a photo of Luke on his first day at CLA.🥺He is currently employed at White Oak Construction and plans to continue into full time employment with them after he graduates. He is working toward becoming a job site manager. He also has plans to go on another mission trip to Panama this summer! We are so proud of you Luke!

7th grade had a great time on their class trip to Kennedy Space Center, SeaWorld, Disney Springs & Dave and Buster’s!

Nova Southeastern University Holocaust Reflection Contest! Our very own CLA student, Briley Hanlon, won 2nd place in the middle school Visual Arts category for her outstanding artwork, “Burning Cattle Car.” This past weekend, she and eleven other student winners were recognized in the awards ceremony at Nova in Ft. Lauderdale. While there, Briley met Holocaust survivors, received her award, and presented her artwork. We are so proud of her dedication and accomplishment in this project!

Congratulations to Leanna Kitchen who won 3rd place in the Junior Plant Sciences division at the STATE Science and Engineering Fair for her project investigating the affects of high air pressure on plant growth! She also received a special award from Agriculture in the Classroom for her project! Leanna you’re amazing!!

He is Risen!

The juniors and seniors just got back from an amazing mission trip to Guatemala! This movie was made by one of our juniors Elizabeth Pulsifer. God did so many great things on this trip!

CLA Guatemala Mission Trip 2023 Unforgettable experience. So happy I was able to go on this trip!

Guatemala Mission Trip 2023!

CLA 8th Grade class trip to Universal Studios!

Congratulations to 8th grade student Christy Boulware for tying for 4th place at the Big Bend Regional Spelling Bee!

What an incredible blessing to have Wanda Harding visit our school. Thank you for sharing your story with our students. You inspired some to consider a STEM career, others to remain faithful in their walk with Christ, and all of us to shoot for the stars!

Ash Wednesday

“We are celebrating Black History Month! Our high school World History class has so far this month learned about Afro-Puerto Rican historian Arturo Schomburg, Haitian Revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Jamaican Liberator Queen Nanny, Mexican President Vicente Guerrero, and composer Chevalier de Saint Georges. If you would like to learn more about why there is a need to spotlight Black history, the video and biography of Arturo Schomberg is my favorite place to start.” ~Trisha McKenzie
https://www.ontheshoulders1.com

This is the first year CLA has had a MS Baseball team and they played in their first game today! 18-3 victory over Maclay! Congratulations to the players and coaches for being a part of this special team. Go LIONS!!!

6th grade is having great time on their class trip to Atlanta! They toured the and the Atlanta Aquarium today! 🥤🦈🐠🐙🦑🐡

CLA is hiring! Come and join our team!

https://clatallahassee.org/about/employment/

Congratulations to the High School Varsity Boys Basketball team for being the 2023 FICAA State Champions! Go Lions!!!

These students did a great job at the regional science fair!
🥇1st in chemistry: Mercy Decker
🥇1st in biomedical sciences: Lynlee Carroll
🥈2nd in behavioral sciences: Gentry Gantt
🥈2nd in microbiology: Kathryn Carroll

🏆Another 7th grade student won 1st place in plant sciences, overall in the entire junior division for biological sciences and received a bid to the state competition!!🏆

Noah Fulford, Andres Quiva, and Ashlynn Yoshioka also did a great job representing their hard work as well!

Congratulations to these special seniors! Ben Holloway & Ethan Meadows. You both are amazing athletes and even more amazing young men. Congratulations on a great highschool career!

Congratulations to 5th Grader Kendall Getz for her FIRST PLACE finish at the Leon County Public Speaking Contest! We are all so proud of you!!! 🏆🦁

CLA’s 5K Race & Fun Run is February 25th @ Maclay Gardens! Registration link http://Clatallahassee.org/run. Come join us on 2/25! Spread the word to our amazing Tallahassee community!

Join us on Tuesday at 6:30 PM for our Open House! Come and learn about Community Leadership Academy!

Your CLA Lady Lions are the Athletic Conference of Tallahassee Champions! Congratulations ladies and coaches!! Go Lions!! 🏀🏆🦁

4th & 5th Grade Tropicana Speech Contest Winners!!!🗣️
Overall Awards go to…
1st - Kendall Getz🥇
2nd - Delaney Johnson🥈
3rd - Alexis Bankston🥉
Kendall with represent CLA in the county competition!!🦁

Also pictured are the class speech contest winners!
4th grade class winners:
1st - Jake Smith
2nd - Gavin Sturos
3rd- Micah Roberts

5th grade class winners:
1st- Kendall Getz
2nd- Delaney Johnson
3rd- Alexis Bankston

6th Grace Tropicana Speech!🗣️Congratulations to 1st Place Winner Allison Halsell!🥇
Also Congrats to:
Emery Simon - 2nd place🥈
David Boulware - 3rd place🥉
Allison will represent CLA in the County competition! Go Lions!🦁

We’re so excited!!!

💚❤️💚 we will see you tomorrow at lunch! Can’t wait! 💚❤️💚

Congratulations to senior Jordan Boulware for signing her NLI to play beach volleyball at the University of Southern California!