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News & Views

New playground built at Allen Academy

On Oct. 20, more than 100 volunteers from Allen Academy, the local community and The Home Depot joined together with the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! to build a state-of-the art 2,500 square foot playground at the school, 8666 Quincy St., Detroit, Mich. The build was funded through a $47,200 grant from The Home Depot and a $10,000 contribution from Allen Academy.

For photos, go to Allen Academy's school Web site and click on the article in School News.

Chavez Academy Middle School dedicates new building

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m., the board of directors and staff of Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School dedicated its brand-new facility at 6782 Goldsmith St. Tours and traditional Mexican refreshments were offered following a brief program featuring Patrick Irwin, board president; BIll Coats, Leona CEO; Rick Guerra, school leader; David Gamez, Saginaw Valley State University board member; and Norman LoPatin, construction project manager.

In a move that is garnering attention as a prototype for other school construction projects, Cesar Chavez Middle School has built a new facility that merges "brick and mortar" construction with new building methods.

The school began holding classes for its 435 students at the new location on Sept. 26. The program formerly was located in a leased facility at 1548 Porter St.

The main building consists of 28 units, each weighing 10 tons, which were assembled in South Whitley, Ind., transported to Detroit and placed together at the new school site by a crew of specialists from Pennsylvania. Once considered to be "modular" units, the sections are actually state-of-the-art prefabricated sections with steel construction and frames and concrete floors. The entire building is bricked together and features custom-constructed two-story stairwells, cafeteria, offices and glass entryway. Other construction companies and school systems have visited the site, which is serving as a model for new school construction.

The newly built middle school building houses grades 6-8 on the high school campus off Waterman Street in Southwest Detroit. Cost of the construction, which began in May, is $6.5 million. The two-story, 179,000 square-foot structure features 20 classrooms, labs, cafeteria and offices.

The facility was funded through a bond secured by the academy’s board of directors, led by Patrick Irwin, president. The board also funded the academy’s $10 million new high school facility in the same way. That building opened in the 2003-04 school year and now also serves more than 400 students.

Cesar Chavez Academy is a free public charter school serving 1,350 students across three campuses in Southwest Detroit.

Relief given by Leona staff, students for hurricane victims

We are all saddened by the devastation and loss that Hurricane Katrina has left in its path. Many lives were lost and hundreds of thousands will remain without water and shelter for days, perhaps even weeks and months. To help with recovery efforts, Leona Group is contributing $25,000 to the American Red Cross. If you would like to make a personal donation, please do so directly to the Red Cross or another credible organization. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to all those affected by this disaster.

Bill Coats, CEO, The Leona Group

Leona schools are supporting relief efforts:

• Northridge Academy, Flint, Mich., donated 35 cases of bottled water.
  
• Tri-Valley Academy of Arts & Academics, Muskegon, Mich., collected $200 through donations for Casual Friday.
  
• Alta Vista High School, Tucson, Ariz., collected nearly $1,000 thanks to efforts spearheaded by David Provencher's third-period American History class.
  
• Cesar Chavez Academy High School, Detroit, Mich., collected $750 for the Red Cross.
  
• Schools are enrolling evacuees from the disaster, including Desert Hills High School, Gilbert, Ariz., and George A. Phillips Academy, Toledo, Ohio.
  
• Voyageur Academy students in Detroit raised $370 through donations from dress-down day.
  
• Student council members at Maya High School, Phoenix, held a car wash for relief efforts that raised $550 in 2.5 hours.
  
• The social studies class led by Amy Tillman at Paul L. Dunbar Academy, Toledo, Ohio, raised $84 for the Red Cross.
  
• At Hope of Detroit Academy (Michigan), a "dollar dress-down day" on Sept. 16 resulted in $475 for the Red Cross.
  
• Students at George Crockett Academy in Detroit raised about $1,100.
  
• National Honor Society students at Desert Hills High School, Gilbert, Ariz., helped raise and ship more than 50 boxes of supplies and clothing to hurricane evacuees in Arkansas.
  
• Students in the Multicultural Club at South Pointe High School, Phoenix, sold nachos, pickles, sodas and tamales to raise nearly $300.
  
• Cesar Chavez Academy Elementary School, Detroit, raised $1,820.53.
  
• At Timothy L. Johnson Academy, Fort Wayne, Ind., grade 4 students are making key chains to sell in order to raise donations, while grade 3 students are making bracelets. An academy parent is setting up a roller skating party, with proceeds to benefit hurricane victims.
  
• Wildwood Environmental Academy, Toledo, donated to ISOH/IMPACT, The Children Lighthouse organization.
  
• Students in National Honor Society at Peoria Accelerated High School, Phoenix, sponsored two projects to benefit hurricane victims. They collected more than 1,500 toothbrushes and 500 tubes of toothpaste for the Salvation Army to distribute. They also hosted a blood drive that collected more than 90 units.