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St. Louis Leaders
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STL Leaders Speak Out is a brief video by Leadership St. Louis® graduates offering insights on leadership to inform and inspire. This week, hear from Vince Hillyer, President and CEO, Great Circle. Read more
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FOCUS Blog
Mar
14
Written by:
Focus St. Louis
Monday, March 14, 2011 12:35 PM
Every year, the FOCUS St. Louis® What's Right with the Region! awards ceremony recognizes 20 individuals, organizations, or initiatives that have a positive and significant impact on the St. Louis region. Four honorees are chosen in each of the five following categories:
- Creating Quality Educational Opportunities
- Improving Racial Equality and Social Justice
- Demonstrating Innovative Solutions
- Fostering Regional Cooperation
- Promoting Stronger Communities
This week, we'd like to introduce you to the honorees who will be recognized for Creating Quality Educational Opportunities in our community.
Crossroads College Preparatory School
An eye-catching quote scrolls through different messages on the Crossroads College Preparatory School website—“We don’t fit the mold because we don’t believe in molds.” And with an impressive socioeconomically diverse student body in the city (60 different zip codes are represented), the highest scholarship rate of any area independent private school (more than 43 percent of the student body receives tuition assistance), an emphasis on practical application of new knowledge instead of “busy work,” and as the only K-12 school between the coasts to receive LEED platinum status—we believe it.
Marian Middle School
The majority of Marian Middle School students come from households falling well below the federal poverty line. The first all-girl middle school in St. Louis, Marian was founded in 1999 by a group of women who saw education as a means to end the cycle of poverty through empowerment. For a group of girls that often have to take on adult roles in their everyday lives, Marian is a safe place that allows the students to be kids, loves them, and helps plant and foster internalized dreams of success. With a concentrated goal to help the girls achieve academic success to get into the best high school possible, Marian Middle School plays a huge role in setting each student on the right path at a critical time in their lives.
Dr. Henry Givens of Harris-Stowe State University
President of Harris-Stowe State University since 1979, Dr. Givens has been at the helm during the entirety of the institution’s transformation from a school with one building and one major into a beautiful campus with 14 available degree programs. The opening of the school’s Anheuser-Busch School of Business successfully tripled Harris-Stowe’s enrollment and changed its status from college to university. Dr. Givens has been an advocate and champion of public education his entire career, but has not pigeonholed his efforts into the education field—he has also chaired the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission for the past 25 years, turning it into the second largest celebration for Dr. King, Jr. in the nation.
The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum
For more than three decades, The Magic House has been dedicated to creating and providing quality hands-on educational opportunities for all children in the St. Louis region. Programs are overseen by a group of leading teachers and administrators from area schools that make sure all programs foster current, 21st century skills. Programs reach extensive topic areas with innovative methods to educate children through non-traditional means. Sometimes these methods prove successful to children who struggle in traditional classroom settings. Ask anyone who has grown up in St. Louis over the past 30 years, and they will undoubtedly be able to point to The Magic House as an iconic fixture of their childhood.
Congratulations to all our honorees! Check back with us—we will be highlighting the winners of each category weekly for the next month.
About the writer: Denise Kruse is the Marketing & Communications Director at FOCUS.
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