ACES Faces Feature: Meet Jose
Jose is a thoughtful and creative ACES student who’s knocking it out of the park when it comes to combining sports and learning! A 5th-grader at Hennepin Schools, Jose has grown in confidence and focus, especially when it comes to math. “It’s helping me with long division,” he shares.
At ACES, we believe learning is at its best when it’s active, creative, and connected to students’ passions—and Jose is proof of that in action. A fan of baseball and math, Jose loves how ACES blends both through fun, engaging projects.
One of his standout ACES memories is the stadium-building project. “It taught me how to build strong roofs because we only got to use duct tape,” he recalls. It’s projects like these that let Jose flex his creativity while exploring real-world applications of math and design.
Jose’s favorite thing about ACES? “How different students get to learn about sports and math.” Whether he’s practicing problem-solving strategies or learning about athletes and teams from around the world, Jose is all in.
Jose especially loves how ACES connects sports to learning. “It taught me more about different players and different teams and how they use social media,” he says. And as a baseball fan, he knows exactly what makes the game exciting for him. “It’s fun how you can pitch the ball and hit it with the bat so you can run the bases.”
His Program Coordinator, Ellie, sees Jose’s growth and kindness on full display. “Not only has Jose shown growth in his focus and confidence with Math, but he’s also a patient and kind friend to his peers,” she says. “He brings a positive, calm energy and loves showing his creativity skills with the building projects we have done together.”
Jose’s mom, Alma, is proud of his progress. “The program is good for the kids. It is fun and makes them happy. Very thankful for all you do. I am proud of him.”
If Jose had to describe ACES to a friend, he’d say it best, “ACES is a fun learning program that you can take so you can learn more math and teams and stuff.” With his curiosity, creativity, and love for learning, Jose is making big plays on and off the field.