MAIN TOPIC AREAS

The Central High School Capital Campaign

Central High School is the first public school in Philadelphia to have an alumni association initiate a successful capital campaign

Private Fund Raising
In Public High School
Facilities

University City
High School
$30 Million Goal

St. Louis
Public Schools
$2 million raised
8 Athletic Fields
Public High League Donation


Ladue High
School
$1.7 million raised
Field House, Track
Friends of Ladue High School Athletics


Afton High
$1 million raised
Student Commons
Single Alumni Donation

Clayton High
School
$800,000 raised
Gay Field
Friends of Clayton High School

Maplewood
Richmond Heights
$500,000 raised
Sunnen Athletic Field
Sunnen Corp. Donation

Webster Groves
High School
$265,000 raised
Roberts Gym
Alumni Capital Campaign Committee

Join the Movement!



Make a gift to Project Appleseed! Become an advocate for parents and families engaged in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness in America’s public schools.
Click here!

easy being green



The November 2007 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change described climate change as "severe and so sweeping that only urgent, global action" can head it off. Confronting climate change will require solutions of immense proportions and an unparalleled nature. There are more than 95,000 public schools and 34,000 private and independent schools in the U.S. alone. Schools must be active participants in global efforts to conserve resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prepare citizens to think and act in new and creative ways. No individual school or subset of schools can solve this problem alone. We must work together now to preserve our planet so that future generations can thrive.

The Building As A Teaching Tool & Other Curriculum
Facility managers within GSA member schools are developing curriculum using the “school building as a teaching tool.” Facility and plant managers are working together to combine their efforts to develop a curriculum road map so that other facility managers can work alongside students and engage them in weatherizing, metering and calculating energy use, retrofitting lighting and in other opportunities to implement green campus solutions.

Climate Quilt Campaign
The Climate Quilt Campaign is an effort to tangibly connect children worldwide around the issue of Climate Change and what they can do about it. The Campaign is designed to empower youth, raise awareness, build global community, and be the voice of children around the worlds who are pledging to do their part to help save their planet… More >


What Schools Are Saying

Don't take it from us, read what schools have to say about GSA and the Climate Commitment.

Education Videos

Visit Our Channel On




New Rule: Don't Blame Teachers When there are no books in the house, and there are no parents in the house, you know who raises the kids? That's right, the television. Kids aren't keeping up with their studies; they're keeping up with the Kardashians. We're allowing the television, as babysitter, to turn us into a nation of idiots.
 


College Bound
A series of programs designed to aid parents in preparing their Middle School and High School children for college entry.

University City High School Foundationtm
Investing In the Next 100 Years


There is nothing for teenagers to do in U. City. Especially poor, urban teenagers, the majority of who are black and live in poverty.  Nevertheless, youth who are 16 years old and younger will have to start watching the clock a little earlier in University City.  In June of 2010, the University City Council approved a change to the Loop curfew for minors. An adult must accompany those who are under 16-years-old after 9:00 p.m. every day. The previous curfew had been 10:00 p.m.   The community needs a place where all 1,100 UCHS students can go – morning, noon and night for recreation.  Recent research has shown that quality after-school and summer programs reduce crime, delinquency, and victimization of children and youth.

The passgage of a $53 million dollar bond issue for U. City schools in April of 2009, did not include funds to renovate all of UCHS or keep the Nataorium open. The good news is there is a campaign to build a privately financed, revenue producing recreation center with a new pool. The school district is being aided by Project Appleseed in a $30 million capital campaign to improve the high school facilities and establish them as the major recreation center for a large portion of St. Louis County.

Project Appleseed, a national school improvement organization with roots in University City, proposed a multi-million dollar capital campaign that begins with the construction of a new regional recreation center, as part of the total renovation of this historic high school. The concept was encouraged and approved by former University City Superintendent Dr. Vern Moore in 2004 and has the support of current Superintendent Joylynn Wilson. The project calls for razing the outdated and costly Natatorium and the old Boys & Girls Gyms which were built in 1959. Project Appleseed is creating a new University City High School Foundation that will independently build, own, and operate a new privately financed facility. The center and its components will be named after leading alumni contributors through a capital campaign - the largest such effort for a public high school in Missouri.

University City High School must be refitted to become a Green School. Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education. Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities.

Phase I calls for the building of a $30 million regional recreation center, with a Olympic competition pool of eighteen lanes, a separate recreational pool with 100 foot plus water slide, current channel, splash fountain, and a vortex pool, four multipurpose courts, student and public fitness centers with selectorized weight circuit and cardiovascular equipment. The Grand Hall of Fame will be a meeting facility which contains the UCHS Hall of Fame and the Center for the History of Jewish Life in St. Louis. The center will be an interactive multimedia display, designed to document and educate students and the public, about the many contributions the Jewish community made in the development of University City and St. Louis. The Grand Hall of Fame will have majestic views of the outdoor stadium & track, main basketball gym. Upgrades to stadium include lights and field turf. Community center includes baby-sitting, OASIS, parent information center, police substation and other community organizations.

Phase II of the project calls for the renovation of the academic wings of the building, upgrades to classroom space, a new library that will feature a Center for the History of African-Americans in St. Louis which will compliment the Jewish Center, a new cafeteria with commons, and air-conditioning for the entire building.

60% Of black and hispanic children can't swim, black children 2.5 times more likely to drown

Chances are that, when you were growing up,school clubs, sports, and social activities played an important role in your life and in the life of your community. Today, in addition to hosting traditional student clubs and activities, many schools are open from morning to night hosting daycare, prekindergarten, adult, and senior learning programs as well as communitywide educational, health, social, cultural, religious, and recreational services and events. Schools used for these purposes can be referred to as a full-service school or community learning centers.


Key facts:

Keeping schools open longer--before- and after-school, and during the summer and weekends--can turn schools into community learning centers, providing students, parents, and the community with access to valuable educational, cultural, and recreational resources in a safe, supervised, and drug-free environment. Recent research has shown that quality after-school and summer programs reduce crime, delinquency, and victimization of children and youth.

Youth are at greatest risk of violence after the regular school day. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are most at risk of committing violent acts and being victims between 3 p.m and 6 p.m.--a time when they are not in school at the end of the regular school day. Organized activities help children resist unsafe behaviors and enhance learning. After-school and summer programs can offer the support and supervision children need in order to learn and to resist the influences of unsafe or violent behaviors. Community public school facilities can offer the venue for such programs, for, otherwise, from the last bell of the school day to the first bell of the next day--16 hours each day--one of the community's largest capital investments sits mostly vacant.

Youth need opportunities outside of the regular school day to be mentored by adults and introduced to new activities that they can master. Research clearly shows that positive and sustained interactions with adults contribute to the overall development of young people and their achievement in school. After-school activities also allow children and youth to explore and master activities (art, dance, music, sports) that can contribute to their overall well-being and achievement.


Plan calls for turning UCHS into
the center of the U. City community

Why does U. City need this project?

Concerns about educational attainment: The condition of UCHS does have a measurable effect on student achievement and student behavior. Studies support what educators consider to be common sense: Students do better when they hear well, see well and are not packed into tight spaces.

Noise, light, air quality, cold and heat have all been found to influence behavior. While the primary focus is on improving the quality of education within the school day, there has been growing recognition that after-school recreation programs can contribute to meeting this goal.

Concerns about negative youth behaviors: During the late 1980s and early 1990s, many cities reported substantial increases in drug use and violent crime among youth, accelerated school dropout rates and increased rates of teen pregnancy. While declines in these negative trends have occurred in the last few years, the rates are still unacceptably high. Local residents and political leaders have looked for youth development programs to be part of the solution to these problems.

Growth in number of latchkey children: Problems associated with a lack of adult supervision at home are pervasive across communities because of the number of two wage-earner families and the number of single-parent households. If children aren't directed into constructive activities outside the home, then they're likely to spend after-school time watching television or playing video games, or out on the streets, where they may be susceptible to peer pressure to engage in inappropriate or negative activities. (Pictured:  Dr. Beth Bender and Jerry Sincoff, member of the Hall of Fame, UCHS Class of 1950, a capital campaign planning session at UCHS in 2005. (click photo to enlarge.)

Changing demographics: The proportion of African-Americans to white students has increased substantially since 1970. University City's population is 50% black and 50% white while the birth rate is approximately 65% black and 35% white. The school district's enrollment is 86% black and 12% white - inevitably creating tensions and challenges of assimilation within the community. The situation is exacerbated by the high rates of unemployment among young people and the relatively large number of families living below the poverty level. Hence, communities like University City want to use recreation programs to help with assimilation and enhancing cultural and economic diversity.

Middle-class stability: To guarantee the future of University City schools, the community must work hard to ensure that UCHS has the resources it needs to be a "shining city on a hill" that attracts families from all backgrounds. UCHS must be the place where students from impoverished homes get the help, encouragement and skills they need; it must also be a school that gives all parents confidence that expectations are high for all students, the courses and activities are challenging and varied, and the facilities are first-rate.

Funding

The project was originally encouraged by former University City Superintendent Dr. Vern Moore in 2004, with the understanding that all planning expenses and associated risks would be borne 100% by Project Appleseed and our dedicated donors. Under this concept the newly created University High School Foundation would own and operate the facility with 100% of the profits going to renovate University City High School.

The UCHS Foundation Board of Trustees will have all fiduciary responsibility and will be comprised of UCHS alumni. Project Appleseed expects the Foundation to be operational in 2010.

University City High School Foundation is trademark of Project Appleseed