City Academy completes $11.5 million capital campaign, new playground
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
While City Academy last week celebrated the completion of its $1.5 million capital campaign and its new playground, Kendra Martin has been celebrating ever since she learned the school existed.
For Martin, the opening of City Academy meant she could move back to North St. Louis City and still give her daughter a quality education at a neighborhood school.
“I never would have imagined a school like that in my neighborhood,” said Martin, who grew up in the Walnut Park and Penrose neighborhoods.
Martin said she’s glad the playground has been completed, but her baby is the nearby Nature Trail.
“It’s good to have that type of escape and serene environment in the city,” said Martin, whose daughter Olivia is a 3rd grader at the school.
“They get lost in this mystical place and you cannot pull them away.”
Equipment for the playground was donated by the Optimist Club, whose signage was unveiled during the ribbon cutting last Friday.
Since its inception, City Academy, an independent elementary school, has been receiving community support from organizations, corporations and private donors, which supported its $11.5 capital campaign.
The school also has scholarship fundraisers, which receive support from teachers and parents.
“To have financial support from teachers and parents really says a lot about their dedication,” said City Academy co-founder and president Don Danforth III.
Still, the school needs large and small donors to reach its annual operating budget and a $3 million scholarship fund over the next five years.
Cost per student is $12,000 per year; however the average tuition is $2,000 to $3,000 per year after scholarships. Some $720,000 is need annually to offset scholarships.
“Where we are different from other independent and private schools is our mission to make it possible for all families to take advantage,” Danforth said.
An ongoing mission for the school is continuing to strengthen its already rigorous educational program. Danforth believes that donors will continue to be generous as long as the school demonstrates that mission of top-quality education.
At the core of curricula is the “Reading Incentive Program” directed by teachers and the school’s librarian/reading specialist, Martha Brown. Students are expected to read a certain amount words and books per school year. At the completion of each book, they are tested on comprehension at bookadventures.com and must pass to advance to another book.
“The library is never empty,” said Nikki Doughty, the school’s director of development. “One of the main focuses is reading and getting them to their level so they can matriculate into other advanced private schools.”
In addition, City Academy offers enriching afterschool programs: Stages (a theatrical company), life skills, chess club, Girls Inc., and soon the Shakespeare Festival will lend its knowledge of the arts.
On the weekend the school offers Delta Academy, run by the school’s principal and educational director Donna Garcia. The program teaches leadership, self-esteem, community service and African and African-American culture.
“We want them to become the leaders of tomorrow,” Garcia said.
While Martin likes everything about the school – the quality of education, administrators, faculty and staff – she’s also impressed with the parent participation.
“We talk about things after school and swap stories and information,” Martin said.
“There’s a diverse mix of parents, and it makes me feel good that there are other parents with advanced degrees sending their kids to City Academy.”
City Academy’s Parents as Partners Program requires parents to be full partners who support their child’s academic experience through school activities, monitoring and encouraging completion of homework, and providing educational enrichment beyond the classroom.
Parent Rochelle Williams, a PR and media relations practitioner at UPN46, said she like the 17-to-one student/teacher ratio.
“I’m very satisfied,” said Williams, whose 1st grader Daysia and 4th grader Jazell attend City Academy. “What I like most is the attention they receive.”
