Go Green Ambassador #2- Christoph Grosse

Name: Christoph Grosse
Hometown: Downingtown, PA
Rank: Green Belt

1. Take batteries and old, unused cell phones to places where they can be disposed of safely

2. Carpool when going to school, work or Taekwondo class

3. Keep chargers for handheld electronics unplugged when not in use

4. Turn off water while brushing teeth

5. Go through your neighborhood and pick up trash

6. Turn off lights that are not being used

7. Replace all the standard light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent ones

8. Replace household cleaners with environmentally friendly cleaners

9. Recycle all paper, glass and plastic products

Go Green Ambassador #1- Max Ashby

Name: Max Ashby
Hometown: West Chester, PA
Rank: Green Belt

1. Recycle EVEN more in and out of home

2. Walk to Taekwondo class

3. Turn off fans when not in room

4. Keep stereo unplugged

5. Use a reusable waterbottle

6. Only take 2-5 minute showers

7. Hang clothes to dry outside instead of using dryer

8. Use manure for soil

9. Mow the lawn with a push lawn mower

1st Annual School Picnic

Yesterday was our first annual ATA West Chester school picnic at East Bradford Park. We had over 80 students and their families attend. We were fortunate enough to have the rain stop for us! We kicked off the picnic by introducting the jahng bong(long staff) to the students and having a seminar taught by Mr. Jouan. The students discovered that they really like the jahng bong as the newest leadership weapon for their training curriculum.
After the seminar everyone ate. We had so much food!!! The picnic was potluck, so that means that each family brought a dish to share. Some of the tasty foods were pulled pork, hamburgers, hotdogs, baked ziti, chicken fry, pasta salad, chili, cookies, brownies, and more. We ended up having so much food left over that we donated the extra food to Safe Harbor in West Chester. Safe Harbor provides hot meals and food for those less fortunate.
The picnic was a great chance to have the students and parents mingle outside of the school and off the mat. Many new friendships were made and many stomachs were filled!

Visit from Mr. Jason Morgan(A.G.R.E.E.)

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009(9-9-09) we celebrated the importance of the number 9 in the Korean culture by inviting special guest instructor and 4th degree black belt Mr. Jason Morgan to teach Leadership class to the Junior and Adult Leadership Team. Not only did Mr. Morgan give us all a great workout, but he challenged us to follow the ATA A.G.R.E.E. campaign and begin practicing more environmental self-defense outside of ATA. He asked each student to go home and write down 9 specific goals that they can do to help save the environment over the next 9 weeks and then hand it to Miss Boulden or Mr. Jouan. The first students to complete the task receive an ATA Go Green! badge as well as an individual post on the ATA Martial Arts of West Chester blog. Keep an eye out for these Go Green ambassadors!

For more about the ATA A.G.R.E.E. campaign visit http://atagreen.blogspot.com/.

Going Green!

On Saturday, August 29, 2009 ATA Martial Arts of West Chester promoted 60 students to new ranks with the highest ranks being green belts! Our sponsors were Kalei Learning & Brain Training Center as well as Brown's Clothing. We had 2008 ATA X-treme Weapons World Champion Miss Sarah Modiano of ATA Hamilton, NJ as our special guest judge. She demonstrated her dynamic bo staff form and also judged each student's performance at the test. We raffled off an authentic white Philadelphia Eagles Jackson jersey as well as a private lesson gift certificate in order to prepare for the upcoming Delaware Regional Tournament. A funtime was had by all who attended!

Also, check out our article in the Fall 2009 issue of the ATA World Magazine on page 10!

Ice Cream Party

This past Friday night was our first annual Ice Cream Party! Mr. Jouan & Miss Boulden brought the ice cream and each family brought a topping to share! We had a wide range of goodies including chocolate syrup, M & Ms, gummie bears & even nerds! The students and their families really enjoyed creating their own masterpieces. The evening concluded with a few rounds of musical chairs and limbo. A great time was had by all!

Summer--New Belts, New Leaders, New Schedule

This past weekend was a busy weekend at ATA Martial Arts of West Chester. Friday night we had our End of the School Year Parent's Night Out. It was a lot of fun! We did many martial arts workouts as well as playing kickball & dodgeball outside, eating pizza, and playing ninja reflex on the Wii. The children had a blast!
On Saturday morning we had our belt promotions for Tiny Tigers and then promotions for Junior, Teen, & Adult students immediately following. We had over 50 students acheive new ranks and reach new goals. We were very grateful to have Deputy Anthony Schubbeio from the West Chester Sheriff's Department to be our attitude judge.
Also, a special congratulations to Mr. Walker Holman for being the first student at ATA West Chester to earn his Junior Leadership collar. We are very proud of everyone who promoted and a special thank you to all the parents and families who make this all possible for your children and self.
After the belt promotions on Saturday, we did our annual Father's Day Workout. The dads did a great job and were very intense. The students loved training side by side with their dads and holding targets.
Monday started our new schedule! We now have intermediate classes for all the students who promoted to the camo belt level! We are very excited!