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News & Information
"CHARTER SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT" - Heinz Endowments Spotlights Manchester Academic Charter School
Posted October 12, 2009
The Heinz Endowments is showcasing the history and achievements of Pittsburgh's Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS) on the "In the Spotlight" section of the foundation's Web site.
Heinz wanted to demonstrate what its investments accomplish by asking impressive grantees to post videos, interviews and written entries. MACS was among the first to be invited to do so.
"We wanted to choose a school that we through was very successful," the foundation's education programs officer Melanie Brown said. "Manchester definitely fits that."
MACS, a school attended by about 200 students in kindergarten through 8th grade, has for 10 years focused on providing a strong core education while offering instruction in Spanish and technology to all of its students in every grade level. The school received a Heinz grant of $45,000 in May of 2008 to boost student learning with enhanced computer and scientific technology.
MACS Chief Executive Officer Vasilios Scoumis expressed his gratitude to the foundation for helping the school to enhance its programs and to tell its story through "In the Spotlight."
"It's really value-added," Scoumis said of the grant. "We can do our basic functioning on the moneys we get from the state and the school districts. But to do these extra things, to go above and beyond, you do need assistance from foundations. This is a nice honor that they gave us and a great opportunity."
The school has certainly made the most of the opportunities it's been given. It was one of only 320 schools in the U.S. to win a National Blue Ribbon Award last year. The award goes to schools that have performed exceptionally well among institutions in their state or that have made striking gains in scholastic achievement. MACS has also won six Keystone Awards for achieving adequate yearly progress in state standardized test scores.
Sometimes the best way to get a sense of a school's excellence is to witness the eagerness and enthusiasm of its attendees. Videos posted on the "In the Spotlight" page show MACS students thinking critically about fiction and nonfiction reading assignments, conducting hands-on science experiments and participating in musical and athletic activities.
By bringing these experiences to students, Brown said, the school has become a wellspring of positivity in an area of Pittsburgh's north side that continues to struggle against violence and economic hardship. The city has gained major developments on the North Shore (two new sports stadiums and a casino) that promise some revitalization. But the nearby Manchester neighborhood has yet to fulfill its potential, which Brown said is substantial and aided by the presence of MACS.
"It's close to being the neighborhood's one bright spot," she said. "It's just this warm, welcoming, home-like place."
Educator Betty "Gram" Robinson and her husband Rev. Jimmy Robinson founded the school to build on their success enriching the strength of the local community with their Manchester Youth Development Center. It is a public institution, though it operates outside the states district system, thus allowing itself to provide its own unique educational experience. Brown said those who learn about the school from "In the Spotlight" get a chance to see the benefits of allowing parents to choose nontraditional public schools.
"Not enough people really understand what charter schools are - that they are public schools," she said.
Mr. Scoumis said he too believes MACS's achievements exemplify the service that schools of its kind perform.
"I think our school serves a need," he said. "We give choice to parents who probably would not have a choice, and that's the nice thing about the charter movement. We have a waiting list that's about 600 kids; I wish we could take in all 600 tomorrow. So we're probably doing something right."
That seems to be the sentiment at Heinz, the region's foremost community-building philanthropic organization.
"We wanted to give our grantees the ability to tell their story to a different or a broader audience," Heinz Endowments Communications Manager Linda Braund said. "I think Manchester in particular is doing a terrific job."
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