I am quite fortunate to be entrusted to serve this school and its children, and to have so many angels like you standing with me as we dare to provide inner-city children with the quality educational opportunity that is their right.

Look at what we’ve achieved in just two years:

We’ve rehabilitated an abandoned and dilapidated 1908 school building plus built two beautiful new classroom buildings, creating an oasis of hope in one of the most marginalized areas of our city. This rehabilitation/construction project has garnered three major design awards, including the prestigious Jan Abell Award for Historic Preservation and Restoration by The Hillsborough Planning Commission.

Our students’ academic progress has been spectacular, especially considering the fact that each entering 5th grade class in our first two years averaged below grade level on nationally-standardized tests.

Our 5th graders ended the 2004-2005 year at:

   • 6th grade, 3rd month level in reading;

   • 6th grade, 5th month level in language (punctuation, sentence structure, grammar); and

   • 7th grade, 1st month level in math.

Our 6th graders this year finished on an even more impressive note:

   • 7th grade, 1st month level in reading;

   • 8th grade, 6th month level in language; and

   • 9th grade, 9th month level in math.

Our children, despite having to attend school eleven hours a day, up to six days a week, almost year-round, have an average daily attendance rate of 97.3%, which easily places Academy Prep in the top middle schools for attendance in all of Hillsborough County.

This year, our students’ parents and guardians, most of whom struggle daily just to make ends meet, gave over 2,500 hours of unpaid service to our school, while the Tampa community volunteers chipped in an additional 2,800 hours. What an outstanding example to our students of what it means to give back!

Our children dance ballet, sing, engage in karate, and perform Shakespeare on stage, while many times having a direct role in the planning and staging of their productions. In addition, our students create artwork that rivals the work being done in many area high schools. In two years, this school will graduate young people with the passion for creativity that will bode very well for them as they move into their college prep years.

None of this would have happened without your tremendous and generous support; in funds, time, and expertise. What you have done is a great testament to the powerful spirit of giving that lives in Tampa Bay. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for what you have committed to the Center and to our children.

We still have a great deal ahead of us in service to our community, and I hope that our partnership will remain strong for many years to come.