Aspire’s July Highlights!

Summer is in its golden hour, and we’re soaking up every last bit of sunshine, connection, and joy it has to offer.

The days may be a touch shorter, but they’re still full of light, and with them comes a renewed appreciation for the adventures, milestones, and memories that make this season so special across the Aspire community.

From big wins to everyday moments of connection, there’s still so much to celebrate as we round out these last weeks of summer.

Here’s a look at what’s been lighting up Aspire lately:

Academy North Highlights:

We had another visit to Susanna Farms in Lake Bluff and had a great time feeding the goats, sheep and chickens! We are looking forward to exploring the wildflower maze and garden on our next visit. 

We celebrated the 4th of July with homemade ice cream sundaes, face painting, temporary tattoos, a dance party outside with DJ Calvin and an Aspire favorite: BINGO!

We have been watching our summer garden flourish! The lettuce has yielded 2 big crops, and everyone has enjoyed salads at lunch! We are waiting for the tomatoes to turn red and to watch the cucumber flowers grow into cucumbers! 

The Lake County Fair swooped in with superhero-sized excitement for its 96th year, and we were there! We were able to see a magic show, enjoyed the interactive bubble zone, and spent time in the Miller’s Petting Zoo where we saw donkeys, goats, lambs, baby pigs, camels and more! 

Academy South Highlights:

Academy South hosted an art show featuring creations made from completely recycled materials! People at Academy South created personalized collages, bees and a honeycomb, wind chimes, and a variety of flowers from materials that were used as something else in the past or recycled from home. 

People at Academy South got out an about to various 7/11 stores near Hillside to celebrate 7/11 Day and get a free Slurpee! Everyone got to pick their favorite flavor for a sweet summer treat.  

The Aspire Dance Team finished competitions last month, so July gave us an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments and stay in shape before preparing for the winter performance.