Seventy students skip, run, and hop into the gym inside the Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a private Jesuit middle school for boys. As they take their seats on a row of bleachers, one of the boys yelps, “Larry Hughes is coming!”
Minutes later, the philanthropist and NBA star from St. Lois walks in full of motivation and asks the students what high schools they plan to attend.
A resounding excitement strikes the air when Hughes says, “Who wants to go to CBC?” It’s clear – the students want to excel in some of St. Louis’ best private high schools.
Looking on with pride is the president of Loyola Academy, H. Eric Clark.
For the last 13 years, the academy, located in St. Louis city off of Washington and Vandeventer, has worked to make education the students’ pathway to opportunity.
“One hundred percent of the 6th graders coming in are economically disadvantaged,” Clark says. “But we mold these boys into men – men who can save themselves and help others.”
Larry Hughes himself grew up in a financially-strapped, single-parent home, had strong parental love and an elite education. Hughes credits his mother, Vanessa Hughes, for keeping him focused on success.
“You’re learning how success works, how to be on time and do the extra work,” said Hughes, a graduate of the Christian Brothers College High School (CBC) and a 1st round NBA draft pick in 1998. “If you have 30 minutes of homework, how much do you do? An hour!”
Remarkably, 100 percent of Loyola students go on to attend college prep schools. To achieve this, the academy creates what Larry Hughes lauds as a “system of success” that teaches students how to achieve.
“We do things differently,” Clark says.
The academy runs virtually year round with a two-week break in June and a one-month break in August. School starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5:40 p.m. Friday is the only exception and on this day, school lets out at 3:20 p.m. Throughout, a staff of eight teachers caters to each student’s learning needs.
“We all wear many hats,” says Clark. “One minute you’re teaching, the next minute you’re giving a hug and cooking.”
The big challenge, he says, is parental involvement. And that is why parents and guardians must agree to dedicate 16 hours of service to the school every year.
“The average Loyola student, through the course of three years, raises his math and reading scores 8 – 10 percentile points, which is a major improvement, especially when many students with similar backgrounds experience decline during the middle-school years,” Clark says.
Eighty percent of the students come from single-parent homes and 85 percent participate in free or reduced lunch. However, the majority of students score in the 60 – 70 percentile on national math and reading tests.
Further, the Academy provides a graduate support counselor who guides students well into their high school career.
“We keep up with a student all the way through college,” Clark says. “We make sure they prep for the ACT and SAT and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in high school.”
To fund the academy, Clark and his development team must raise $1.2 million a year. With this, the academy reduces the cost of tuition from $13,000 per student to roughly $800 per student.
While corporate and private donations have made this school possible, Clark wants to gain more support from power players in the African-American community.
“Many of the donors visiting the school are white,” Clark says. “But it’s important to have black philanthropists and role models come in and see that this academy is a real gem.”
The academy recently hosted its 2nd annual golfing fundraiser in which teams of six donated $10,000 to play the tournament. Co-chairs of the event included Rusty Hager, Mike Bruno, Paul Courter and Jim Carter.
“The Loyola staff cannot even pretend to do this alone,” Clark says. “We need the help of the community. African-American leaders have an investment in this too.”
