Dream Cities | Baltimore, MD
4849 Pimlico Road
Baltimore, MD 21215
Phone: 443-760-2178
Learning Center DirectorYvonne McNairymcnair  usdreamacademy [dot] org | Mentor CoordinatorAlyssa Brumisabrumis usdreamacademy [dot] org |
Feature Story
usdreamacademy [dot] org | 410-772-7143 office | 410-772-7146 faxyahoo [dot] com>usdreamacademy [dot] org>Are software solutions like brownies?
For U.S. Dream Academy Students from the Baltimore Learning Center, a chance to visit a local corporation offered a business lesson in creating and marketing—using brownies.
ANCILE Solutions, Inc., of Elkridge, Md., creates, tests and markets software solutions to companies worldwide. On July 27, company staff demonstrated the process for 26 visiting students by giving them brownies and challenged them to create and market the best one.
Working in groups of five, students were assigned stations with various toppings and asked to creating the best brownie for both design and taste. They also had to create a logo, slogan and marketing strategy.
“We intentionally put some better choices for toppings out because life is all about making choices,” ANCILE Vice President Dave Baca told Patch.com.
Company staff presented lessons about logos and slogans. Kids drew upon the presentations and previous lessons to create their own.
The students used an evaluation sheet to choose their favorite brownie and then worked to recreate it. Students presented their various ideas and then waited for a final verdict from the judges panel, which included Dream Academy mentors and ANCILE CEO Frank Lonergan.
The winning brownie was “Black and White Balance,” featuring a yin-yang design using only black and white toppings. Its slogan was “It gives you balance.”
The winning team received gift certificates to McDonald’s.
The day’s activity reinforced a previous study lesson that things must be produced and then marketed to sell. Baltimore Learning Center Director Yvonne McNair said students had spent July studying community development and selling produce they grew in their community garden.
Lonergan, ANCILE’s CEO, said he is considering book drives and other ideas to continue his company’s corporate partnership with the Dream Academy’s Baltimore Learning Center.
“We want to give something back and stay connected outside of what we do on a work basis,” Lonergan told Patch.com.
The workshop came nearly four months after ANCILE donated $10,000 to the Dream Academy Learning Center as part of their corporate charity partnership upon their grand opening.
ANCILE researched several possibilities for a corporate charity partnership and was impressed with Dream Academy’s ranking on Charity Navigator, said Marianna Noll, director of marketing and communication.
Noll said company employees were excited to host Dream Academy students “so they can see what it takes to become a software developer or support specialist and find out who we are and what it took to get here.”
Roughly half of Fortune 100 companies are ANCILE clients, including Proctor & Gamble, NASA and Lockheed Martin. The company has 80 employees in their corporate headquarters and approximately 150 in offices worldwide, including Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Our History in Baltimore
The Dream Academy Learning Center in Baltimore was one of the organizations earliest centers. Opened in 2002, the Learning Center at Collington Square Elementary School served approximately 500 student in grades Pre-K – eight, most of whose families live below the poverty line. The Learning Center at Collington Square earned the “Center of the Year” honor in 2006. With support from the Mayor's Office and the Baltimore City Public School Office of Student Support and Safety, the Dream Academy made the decision to relocate the program to a school and community in great need of comprehensive after school programs such as ours. Pimlico Elementary/Middle School in South Park Heights was identified and the program opened there for the 2010/2011 academic year. The Dream Academy is a key partner working with the Center for Urban Families and others towards the redevelopment of the Park Heights community.
About Our Staff
Learning Center DirectorYvonne McNair joins the U.S. Dream Academy team as Center Director in Baltimore. Ms. Mc Nair brings a wealth of experience working with nonprofits having directed after school programs for both elementary and middle school students with several community based organizations before joining U.S. Dream Academy. Ms. McNair earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from The City College of New York and a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix. Ms. McNair received her elementary school teacher certification from the State of New York. | Mentor CoordinatorAlyssa Brumis serves the Pimlico Elementary/Middle School Learning Center as Mentor Coordinator. Ms. Brumis is a Maryland native who graduated from Washington College in Chestertown Maryland with a degree in Sociology. Ms. Brumis has a combination of experience in youth work and program management having managed the MWR Navy Recreation Center as well as served with Americorps Vista as an Advocate and Community Engagement Coordinator for REACH! Partnership School. |
Our Baltimore Partners in the Dream
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland and The Maryland Mentoring Partnership
Center for Urban Families
Morgan Mentors, Morgan State University
Park Heights Rennaissance
Urban Leadership Institute
Wachovia Bank
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events scheduled for this learning center at this time. Please check back later.
