Save Germantown High School Promise Academy

Transcription

1 Save Germantown High School Promise Academy Germantown High School Alumni Association, Inc. (GHSAA) Germantown High School Promise Academy Home & School Association January 29, 2013 Submitted To: The School Reform Commission & The School District of Philadelphia T h e m i s s i o n o f t h e G e r m a n t o w n H i g h S c h o o l A l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n i s t o f o s t e r a n d s t r e n g t h e n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n G e r m a n t o w n H i g h S c h o o l a n d i t s A l u m n i a n d f r i e n d s ; t o p r e s e r v e a n d p r o m o t e t h e H i g h S c h o o l s t r a d i t i o n s, p u r p o s e s, g r o w t h a n d A l u m n i ; a n d t o k e e p a l i v e t h e s p i r i t o f a f f e c t i o n a n d r e v e r e n c e f o r o u r a l m a m a t e r. The Home and School Association Philosophy : At Germantown, we value each student as an individual with unique contributions. We believe that learning is best achieved through a language based social process which nurtures every child. Our educational goal is to raise the level of student achievement by encouraging children s natural curiosity and channeling it into exploration and inquiry. Our objective is not merely the competence of our students but also to instill in them a lifelong love of learning and the pursuit of excellence. Home of the Bears

2 The Legacy of Germantown High School There has been over a half million graduates from Germantown High School since the first class graduated in June, On June 19, 2013 the 146 th Class will graduate from GHS In 1914, when Germantown High School officially opened, it provided its students with the finest academic education available at the time. Students took coursework in Latin, Greek, Botany, and Rhetoric. Faculty held doctorates in a variety of disciplines. When Germantown students graduated, they attended the nation s leading colleges and universities. The young men went to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. The young women went to Radcliffe, Wellesley, and Smith. They assumed roles as leaders in business and civic life throughout Philadelphia Germantown, the quaint neighborhood on Philadelphia s northwest corner, had one of the leading secondary schools in the nation it provided its graduates with a first-rate education and the necessary credentials to secure a prosperous future. Germantown High School is home to some of America s most distinguished individuals. They include an advisor to presidents, outstanding lawyers, corporate inventors and executives, world famous sports figure and entertainers, law officers and a host of public officials. Not to be forgotten are the thousands of husbands, wives and parents who carried knowledge gained at GHS with them, and passed it onto their children. GERMANTOWN HIGH IS A HISTORIC LANDMARK OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. CELEBRATING OUR CENTENNIAL IN 2014.

3 Our Goal To preserve the school s historical building and provide an completive educational program for students, grades K-12, in the Germantown community. Benefits to the Community and it s Economics Benefits to Students and their Education Community stabilization Property values increase Encouragement of young families to move into the community Encourage rehabilitation of housing in the general community Expand and improve the business community Less blight on the landscape Germantown High School s historical value to area and the city Stabilization in the community Safety in a friendly environment Easy access to children by parents Psychological benefits Traveling to and from school in safety A continuous flow in their learning and their performance Community involvement in special programs will continue to benefit student learning, growth and development Stakeholders contributions to education Germantown High school will flourish Programs and opportunities that come to Germantown students through its Alumni will continue to be available

4 GHS Promise Academy Facts PSSA Data Math GHS Improvement PSSA Data Reading GHS Improvement Persistently Dangerous List Removed in 2010 Special Education Students with Disabilities 31% Attendance Data % % % Graduation Rate % % Matriculated College Acceptance % % (116 Students accepted to college) Explanation: All of the students who took the test for CCP where counted as accepted % (64 Students accepted to college) Explanation: All of the students who took the test for CCP where not counted as accepted. Only Acceptance letters ONLY are counted toward this percent.

5 Impact on GHS Students and the Germantown Community The SCR and the School District s Plan Seven Reasons Why Not 1) Close Germantown High School Promise Academy in June, ) Students in grades 9 through 11 will be given the option to transfer to other high schools citywide. Students will have the following neighborhood options: Martin Luther King Promise Academy Roxborough High School 3) Removal of our programs: (Relocated to King Promise Academy) Culinary Arts Commercial Advertising Art Business Technology Career & Technical Education (CTE) 1) The safety and security of these students in unsafe neighborhoods would place them at risk. 2) Student dropout rate will increase because of their safety concerns. 3) The cost to transport students would become an added expense on parents. 4) Many GHS students would not be able to continue their educational track. 5) Studies show that the financial gain that you seek will not be realized in the short run. g/reports/philadelphia_research_initiative/closing- Public-Schools-Philadelphia.pdf 6. Some community programs at Germantown High School are not transferable. 7. The condition of the building is due to the School District s neglect of maintenance.

6 We Propose Bring Lankenkau High School s 322 students back to Germantown (They are part of GHS sports dept.) Bring Parkway Northwest s 260 Students Bring Roosevelt Middle School s 317 Students Bring Leeds Military Academy 275 Students to GHS ROTC Program Creating a total enrollment of 1851 high school students Bring Fulton Elementary School s 367 Students Doing this would bring Germantown s total student population to 2218 To Better Utilize the faculty and increase Germantown High School s Student Enrollment of 677 In order to protect the 367 students of Fulton Elementary School, which is, located directly across the street from GHS. Transfer them, their teachers and staff to the unused section of GHS, thereby keeping the students safe and sound in their community. Maintain the current Head Start Program located in GHS, a total of 75 children Germantown High School Promise Academy would become a K to 12 By doing the suggested, Germantown High School will provide a sound education for an estimated 2200 students, who will remain safe in their own community.

7 DOL Grant $9.7 Million Peer Mentoring Student Mentoring Career Academies Instructional Coaching Credit Recovery Academy Summer Bridge 8-9 Joint Planning Time Block Schedule 4-yr Looping Advisory 9-12 career curric integ Internships Teacher in the Workplace Single School Culture In School Suspension Student Success Center Enhance CSAP SIF Grant $ 2.2 Million The Success of Germantown High School Promise Academy Stability of the principal s leadership since Germantown High School successfully transformed into a Promise Academy, although all four experienced assistant principals were replaced and 75% of the seasoned facility. ' Four Germantown High Students have won the Bill Gates Millennium Grant, the most recent in 2011 Our Community Partner Programs: Air Force ROTC PNC Bank at GHS, opened the city s first in-school bank branch Wells Fargo, Adopt-a-School Community Banking Life Services 1 st First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) After School Programs: The Stained Glass Project Girls Scouts of America Germantown Clergy Initiative (GCI Safe Harbor) Villanova University Partnership, Mentoring and College Assistance The Business Center Youth Entrepreneurship Program The Wick Association Neighborhood Schools Program GHS Culinary Arts - Bear s Den Restaurant Meal Program Janes Memorial United Methodist Church Drexel University Lankenau Hospital

8 Our Supports to Save Germantown High PA State Representative Stephen Kinsey City Councilwoman Cindy Bass PA State Senator Shirley Kitchen PA State Senator LeAnna Washington Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of PA NAACP of Philadelphia Germantown Clergy Initiative (GCI) First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) Men Who Care of Germantown (MWC) Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia (Step it Up Mentoring) The Wick Association Grace Baptist Church of Germantown (Rev Daniel Jones, Pastor) PNC Bank The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors

9 Germantown High School Alumni Association, Inc P. O. Box 253 Jenkintown, PA Germantown High School Promise Academy Parent Home and School Association 40 East High Street, Room 110 Philadelphia, PA A house in a community is not a structure that stands alone. A house in a community is a home. Perhaps the roof of that home has a leak or two, and the plumbing is not brand new, but needed home repairs didn t inhibit the children as they grew. What they learned at home propelled them into the world where, as members of a community they were not alone. And, if someone had destroyed that formidable home, to the abyss they would have gone to roam. Alumni, community activists, students and parents have joined hands for this purpose.