NEWS RELEASE
807 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27707 (919) 956-5599 (o) (919) 688-9027 (f)
“A School of Excellence: Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow”
Contact: Dietrich A. M. Danner, Principal
Phone: (919) 956-5599
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Healthy Start Academy receives $600,000
U.S. Department of Education grant
DURHAM, NC - Healthy Start Academy Charter Public School, the first established charter school in North Carolina, has received a $600,000 Mentoring Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe & Drug-Free Schools. The Mentoring Grant is for a three-year period and will provide about $200,000 per year to: 1) reduce the drop-out rate; (2) improve academic performance; (3) improve interpersonal relationships with peers, teachers, other adults, and family members; and (4) prevent juvenile delinquency and gang involvement.
“Healthy Start Academy is elated to have been chosen as one of the 198 grant recipients. I believe this program will continue to strengthen our school’s mission in providing at-promise students additional academic support and a network of mentors for success in life,” said Dietrich Danner, School Principal.
Healthy Start’s mentoring program, entitled SMART (Student Mentoring, Achievement, & Reform Transitions), will serve students in fourth through eighth grade. Leaders will work with two other charter schools in the Durham/Raleigh area to serve 150 area students. SMART will recruit, train, and empower adults to mentor the students.
“The SMART program offers a great opportunity for the Durham community to provide guidance, support, and encouragement through mentoring and to assist at-promise youth in becoming successful and productive citizens in a 21st Century Global Society,” said Liz Morey, School Board Chair.
For information on becoming a SMART mentor, please call (919) 956-5599.