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ICEF Visual Arts / New Media
View Park Preparatory High School Jazz Band in Brazil
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ICEF Public Schools Girls' Rugby Team Returns from
Hong Kong!
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The ICEF Public Schools and Rob Santos sponsored an amazing trip for the students of ICEF Public Schools' View Park Preparatory Charter High School, February 15-26, 2008, to play rugby and attend school in Hong Kong.
Rob Santos, who lives in Los Angeles and owns a hedge fund company called Evolution Capital, paid for half the trip while the remainder was covered by the ICEF Public Schools (ICEF) , which operates the View Park Prep Charter High School and eight other charter schools in South Los Angeles.
Stuart Krohn, who left Hong Kong nine years ago, teaches at both the View Park Prep Charter High School and Middle School, inner city charter schools that are achieving outstanding academic results. He started a rugby programme for students six years ago and the ICEF Schools now field boys’ and girls’ teams at various age levels.
Stuart has accompanied rugby-playing students on exchange visits to Hong Kong and New Zealand before but this was the first time it involved an entire sevens team. “A trip like this is of huge cultural benefit to the girls,” he said. “They constantly talk about the new things they are seeing and they express an interest in everything they come across.” Krohn makes it a point for each student on these trips to speak to their classmates, at all grade levels, about their experiences.
The students attended classes at both the prestigious French International School and the King George V School. They participated in class discussions, study, and did homework. The students also stayed with Hong Kong families. “The people here are so nice and welcoming,” said team captain Briana Katz, 16. “They’ve invited us into their homes and showed us around. Hong Kong is an amazing city – a perfect mix of urban and natural beauty. It’s a fantastic experience for all of us. It’s also nice to be mixing with people who know so much about rugby. I only started playing it last year and I’d never heard of it before then. It’s a minor sport in the US so I have to explain to people what it is.”
The ICEF Public School students played sevens matches against girls’ teams from the French International School, a proud moment for Krohn as he started the girls’ rugby programme at the French Internationa in 1992. The programme has since been continued and expanded by Rod McIntosh, Hong Kong’s sevens coach and Krohn’s successor as PE teacher at the French International School.
“The exchange programme was initially funded by my old Valley colleague Tom Hall and, since then, so many people have helped us,” added Krohn. “Roddy has arranged the host families at the French International School for the past three years, while other members of the Hong Kong rugby community opened their homes after a request was put out by Robbie McRobbie at the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, and Lola Williams arranged for the girls to attend King George V. These people have all been important to the trip’s success."
ICEF's Stuart Krohn plans on taking a boys’ team to England next year, but he aims to be back in Hong Kong in 2010 when he hopes his girls will be able to take on Hong Kong's U19 girls at sevens.
The ICEF Public Schools and Santos will sponsor an ICEF Rugby Day in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15th, between 10am to 2pm. Please join us at the Webster Middle School Field 113330 West Graham Place, Los Angeles, CA 90064.
Meeting the Challenge
Dear Friends and Supporters,
ICEF Public Schools was featured in a half-hour special on Fox 11 television entitled, “Meeting the Challenge.” The program showcased several of ICEF Public Schools, including View Park Prep High and the two new Lou Dantzler Academies and Thurgood Marshall Academies. They also focused on the legacy of a great man, Lou Dantzler, who founded the Challengers Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles.
I’ve enclosed for you all below links to the four-part series so you can watch it at your convenience in its entirety.
The shows were very inspirational and served to remind me once again about why the work we do for kids is so important. I was struck by the interviews by several of the teachers and current students, as they articulated what’s so special about our program and why having access to high-quality public charter schools is so important.
I’d also like to thank Cyndee Charles, one of ICEF Public Schools’ first graduates from this past spring. Cydnee is currently at LMU in her pre-med studies. She came back to visit ICEF to describe to the first-year students at the new Thurgood Marshall Academy High School about why succeeding in college is so important. She was interviewed in the Fox 11 special and was inspiring.
I hope you enjoyed these programs as much as I did. If you get the chance, please send comments on this program to newscomments@fox11.com. Even a quick response to them to thank them for showcasing something that is really working in public education will help ensure that great charter school programs get future coverage.
Sincerely,
Michael Piscal
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
ICEF Public Schools
Meeting the Challenge: Part One
Mike Piscal formed the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF) thirteen years ago, to create independently run public charters. In June, his flagship school, View Park Prep, sent its grads to the best colleges in the country, most on full scholarships. The California Department of Education recently ranked View Park the top public high school in the state at educating African American students.
Meeting the Challenge: Part Two
Long before there was a Challengers Boys & Girls Club and the Lou Dantzler Schools, there was a dream for a better life for kids in South Central Los Angeles. When Lou Dantzler first set out in 1968 to start a club, his main objective was to get kids off the streets.
Meeting the Challenge: Part Three
David Morrow is the founding principal of the Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, one of the top ten high schools in L.A. County. Now, Morrow bringing his skills and dedication to The Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy as their director.
Meeting the Challenge: Part Four
Cyndee Charles, a View Park Prep grad and freshman at Loyola Marymount University gives back to the next generation of "ICEF" students by advising them on the rigors of the school's program and the importance of being prepared for college.
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