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Our
Logo... 
The
Story
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Transforming
Our Communities...
One Child at a Time. |
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More
Than a School
The Joan
Fortune Campus opened its doors in 1997. Set
amongst historic grand oak trees, the campus is located on 22nd
Avenue South in St. Petersburg's "midtown".
The school initially opened to boys in grades 5 and 6 and added
a new class each year until the campus held boys in grades 5
through 8. In the summer of 2000, the St. Petersburg campus
opened to girls in grade 5. The campus now serves a full complement
of boys and girls in grades 5 through 8.
Academy Prep's impact is most evident through the success
of its graduates. Founded in a neighborhood where less than
37% of students
were graduating from high school, 95%
of Academy Prep's graduates are currently in high school,
college, or have already begun successful careers.
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Andrew
Williams – First College Grad from Academy Prep
May 28, 2008 - Sandi Pearl,
free-lance writer, photographer
 Dickinson
College in Carlisle, PA, established in 1783, held its graduation
for the class of 2008 on Sunday, May 16. Andrew Williams of
St. Petersburg was one of its more than 525 graduates.
Graduating with a B.A. in American Studies was just another
major accomplishment for this hard-working young man. One of
the first students to attend Academy Prep School in St. Petersburg
when it opened in 1997, Williams was the first of his class
to graduate from college. He spent his high school years at
St. Andrews Prep School in Delaware on full scholarship, before
going on to Dickinson, also on full scholarship.
His long-time mentors and sponsors, Charles Ehrlich and Sandi
Pearl of St. Petersburg, were on hand for the ceremony. Ehrlich,
a St. Petersburg attorney and Dickinson 1967 grad, presented
the diploma to Williams along with college president Bill Durden
amid a steady downpour of spring rain. The audience also included
the graduate's mother, Tonya Mathis; his sister, Angela Parks;
family friend Tim Collins; Gillian Barnes, development director
at Academy Prep; and Jay Hardwick (Dickinson class of 2000),
former teacher at Academy Prep.
While at Dickinson, Williams wrote for the school newspaper,
The Dickinsonian, and the school's online publication, The Dickinson
Extra. During the spring of his junior year, he was elected
a Junior Class Senator in the Student Senate. As a senior, he
worked on the Senior Class Gift Drive, encouraging students
to donate to the college’s Annual Fund.
His next accomplishment? Williams has just landed a job in Washington
D.C. with The Advancement Project.
Academy Prep is a private, middle school for children of low-income
families in south St. Petersburg. All students, grades 5-8,
attend the school on full scholarships, through the generous
donations of individuals and corporations. |
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 St.
Petersburg School Makes Time For Variety Of Classes
St. Petersburg Times
By Ron Matus, Times Staff Writer
Published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Students
at Academy Prep in St. Petersburg start their day Tuesday with
the Pledge of Allegiance.
School ends for many at 6 p.m., two hours after public middle
schools in Pinellas County close.
At 3:39 p.m., a half-dozen middle school students at Academy
Prep, a private school in south St. Petersburg, tie on aprons.
Eggs crack. Pots rattle. Bouillon cubes plunk into hot water.
"If we're doubling the recipe, how many do we need?"
asks the teacher, Shan Anderson.
"Six," a student says, adding three more cubes
to the broth.
For the Academy Prep kids, today's cooking lesson is chicken
soup and corn bread.
Read Ron Matus' article Click
Here (
63K PDF) |
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Barnes
& Noble Supports Academy Prep Readers
 "The
things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the
man who'll get me a book I haven't read."
— Abraham Lincoln
 Barnes
and Noble recently surprised Academy Prep students with a
very generous donation of new books! During an assembly to
celebrate the success of Academy Prep’s reading program,
each student received a book that was specifically selected
and purchased for them by a Barnes and Noble customer.
Delivered by Abby Russell, Community Relations Manager of
store #2550 in Tampa, Academy Prep also received over 20 brand
new books for the library. Excited young readers filled the
Vryle Davis Commons Room! While comparing titles with friends,
one young man exclaimed, “Wow, this is mine to keep!”
Such enthusiasm for literature is yet another example of the
commitment to excellence shown by the students at Academy
Prep.
 Thank
you Barnes and Noble for nurturing our passion for reading!
Click Pictures for Larger
View
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208K PDF) 
