The Academy by A Bigger World

04/10/2026

Over spring break we travelled with a group of students to visit Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois Springfield. Check out this video capturing their thoughts as they reflect on their experiences on campus, meeting with Division I student-athletes, and the ways exploring these spaces creates empowerment and the belief that they can achieve academic success.

04/10/2026

Thanks to UW-Parkside for welcoming us to campus yesterday! We had a great visit to admissions, toured campus, and even got to sit in on a class.

03/24/2026

We wrapped up our spring break college tour with a visit to ! Special thanks to the admissions team who gave a fun and very informative presentation on the financial aid and scholarships available to our students.

03/23/2026

Thanks to for welcoming us to campus today. We had lunch in the cafeteria and then learned more about their admissions process, scholarships and grants, and then toured campus.

After the tour, and welcomed us to their facility. Several current men’s and women’s student-athletes shared their academic and athletic journey with us. Afterwards, we got to shoot around on their court!

Thanks to everyone at Western Illinois University for a wonderful visit!

03/21/2026

We're hiring!

We're looking for a passionate educator to join us for the summer to lead lead fun and engaging activities in the classroom for our students. Please share!

03/16/2026

On Saturday evening The Academy took in a game! Students were invited to the game if they attended 80% of days in February.

Regular attendance leads to higher grades, better work habits, and improved relationships with peers and adults. Their attendance and hard work paid off as The Academy just had the most successful academic quarter in programs history. 65% of our middle school students have GPAs over 3.0 and six students achieved a 4.0!

Thanks@to for a great experience!

03/06/2026

Last month Marshon, a long-time participant in The Academy, led "Built to Lead," a leadership seminar for middle school students. The event focused on confidence, teamwork, and collaboration based on Marshon's own experiences in The Academy and his travels to Morocco last summer. The day offered hands-on learning about leadership styles, communication, and confidence. For Marshon, it was another step in developing leadership, public speaking and organizational skills that will serve him well beyond high school. Well done, Marshon!

02/17/2026

Today we hosted “Built to Lead,” a seminar created and led by Marshon Brown (Waukegan High Class of 26) for our middle school students. The seminar focused on identifying leadership styles, working together collaboratively, and building confidence as leaders. The day ended with a fun intra-squad basketball game.

Thanks to Marshon for all your work planning and leading!

02/13/2026

Congrats LeBron! We're proud of you and all your hard work!!

LeBron Massey Jr. is routinely on the floor late in games for Warren, a top contender for the Class 4A state title.

01/11/2026

We’re proud of all our student-athletes participating in the Waukegan feeder basketball program. Our 7th graders had two hard-fought games today— the second game went into double overtime!

12/18/2025

Today we celebrated the holidays with our middle school students. Our students selected gifts for their family members, wrote cards, played reindeer games, and made ornaments. In the season of giving, they created 80 care packages for a local retirement home that included hand written holiday notes, personal items, and small gifts. We ended our time with food and a hot cocoa bar. It was a fun and festive celebration!

Happy holidays from The Academy!