HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT SUMMER SCHOOL

2012 Partnership Packet

Dear partner, Every once in a while the opportunity to take part in the ght for social justice comes around, and when such an opportunity presents itself, it behooves us all to do our part to help bring that justice to fruition. Such an opportunity has presented itself, and your organization now has the opportunity to join a movement of paramount importance to the state of Alabama and the nationthe ght for educational equality. By supporting Higher Achievement Summer School with your nancial donations and time, your organization can help ght educational disparity in the Black Belt region and bring justice to deserving students across the state of Alabama. HASS seeks to remedy the educational disparity students in the Black Belt experience by providing them with 4 weeks of intensive, rigorous academic, cultural, and leadership enrichment every summer throughout the duration of their high school career. The best gift anyone can give a child is the gift of independence through education. With a quality education, students in the Black Belt will gain the independence they need to shape their own destinies and break free from the social constraints and limitations created by growing up in a community with limited opportunities. When students are educated, independent, and inspired to dream, everyone benets. HASS is petitioning nancial contributions in increments of $100, $250 and $500 in order to support the 2012 and 2013 summer sessions. With such a contribution, are not only directly impacting the lives of individual students, but you are also transforming a community and doing your part to put an end to the social injustice issue of our time. In this document you will nd a copy of our mission statement, a program description, a staff prole, nancial information, a budget, and a vision statement we hope to have on the communities we serve. Please review these documents as you consider partnering with Higher Achievement Summer School. Together in the spirit of student achievement, Angel King Strategic Partnerships Director Higher Achievement Summer School

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

CONTENTS
__01 __03 Cover Letter About Us Description of HASS Mission The Problem Visions Statement __05 __06 __08 Staff Prole Operating Budget Donors Future Impact of HASS School Districts Demographics of HASS Scholarships Available to HASS Students Future HASS Locations 501(c)3 Status ACT Preparation Community Building __11 Closing Letter

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

ABOUT US
DESCRIPTION OF HASS
Students living in the Black Belt of Alabama experience the educational injustice of the achievement gap during the traditional academic year as well as summer vacation. In the summer months, the students have few opportunities to build upon their education; as a result, HASS strives to ll this void. By the end of the intensive four-week experience, the students of HASS make substantial academic gains coupled with the development of life skills necessary to succeed in todays rapidly evolving society.Upon gaining admission into the school, HASS students will spend oneweek of class in Sumter County, Alabama in the Black Belt and the three remainingweeks of class will take place in Birmingham. The four week HASS curriculumincludes the complete analysis of two novels, a 6-8 page independently conductedresearch paper, a global citizenship course, IT skill building, a grammar boot camp, and a newly developedindividualized math course focused on the standards present on the ACT. In addition to experiencing a rigorous college prepcurriculum, the 9th and 10th grade students will have the opportunity to tour colleges and universities within the surrounding area, visit local attractions, and discover the culture of the largest metropolitan area in the state of Alabama.

MISSION
Wholly believing that education is the foundation for a better future, Higher Achievement Summer School aims to nurture and develop the potential of exceptional students who desire to expand their horizons. Specically, HASS aims to ll the void in meaningful educational opportunities rural communities in the Black Belt region are not capable of providing for students. Higher Achievement Summer School is a rigorous summer academic program designed to serve high achieving under-privileged students from across Alabamas Black Belt region. Through intensive academic instruction, leadership development, and exposure to higher education opportunities, HASS seeks to create well-rounded students who possess the academic and leadership skills necessary to compete with the top-performing students across the nation. Graduates of HASS will be goal-oriented, civic-minded leaders who are empowered to take ownership over their educational experiences. The overarching goal of HASS will be to ensure that every student graduates at the top of their high school class and enters an institution of higher learning.

THE PROBLEM
As the communities in the Black Belt have suffered over the years, perhaps the most tragic repercussion has been the decline in the quality of public education provided to the students living in this region, a decline which has undoubtedly contributed to the widening of the achievement gap between these students and their peers from more afuent communities. The statistics on the academic achievement of students in the Black Belt are grave indeed and are direct evidence of the social injustice the students in these communities are facing. Only one out of ten students from the Black Belt region will graduate from college, and of those students approximately 50% of them will be required to take remedial coursework at the college or university they attend.

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

VISION STATEMENT
Higher Achievement Summer School will be the premier summer enrichment program in the state of Alabama created specically to address the educational disparities that students in the Black Belt face. HASS will expand to provide students in all counties of the Black Belt with a quality summer enrichment program that demands academic excellence while fostering the idea of community and civic engagement. HASS will be an integral part of the communities we serve, fostering strategic partnerships with local school administrators, teachers, counselors, local businesses and organizations, and parents in order to create a network of support for our students. These partnerships will ensure that all graduates of HASS excel in high school and enter a 4-year college or university. HASS will expand and evolve to meet the specic needs of the students we serve so that we are able to continuously provide our students with the opportunities and experiences they need in order to compete in an ever-changing global society.

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

STAFF PROFILES
Executive Director, Justin Younker
younker@alabamahass.org (330) 465-3165 The director takes a leadership role in driving a collaborative process with the board members, ofcers and members of the community that would result in the development of goals, objectives and operational plans for the organization. The executive director will play key roles in creating fundraising goals and creating and maintaining media relations.

Marketing and Recruitment Director, Ashley Buckelew

buckelew@alabamahass.org (256) 708-1268 The responsibilities for this position include: distributing H.A.S.S. marketing material to Jr. High and Middle schools in the Black Belt region with the intent to recruit new applicants to widen the applicant pool, communicating with all local media outlets, distributing a quarterly newsletter covering ongoing projects and events, and updating all forms of media including: Twitter, Facebook, blog, and website.

Finance Director, Arcadio Torres

torres@alabamahass.org (909) 472-9617 The responsibilities for this position include: maintaining all nancial records for the purpose of marketing, maintaining a ledger of all transitions, responsible for any reimbursements and paying bills on time.

Strategic Partnerships Director, Angel King

king@alabamahass.org

(334) 467-7728

The responsibilities of this position are to foster the relationships between key members in the community, establishing corporate and individual sponsorship as well as seeking out individuals in the community that can contribute to the program, its curriculum and or nances.

Curriculum and Logistics Director, Laurie Brown

brown@alabamahass.org (561) 714-5391 The responsibilities of the position include: creating, managing, and overseeing the implementation of a day-to-day operations plan for the summer school, creating academic goals for students, designing curriculum for instruction, and measuring student outcomes.

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

OPERATING BUDGET
of H.A.S.S. for the period from July 1, 2011 to July 2013

Revenue Cash On Hand Student Tuition1 Grants From Interns2 Donation Goal Total Revenue Required for Cohort Years 2012 and 2013 Expenses Room/Board for Students/Staff3 Boarding During Prep Week for Interns Food Allowance for Interns During Prep Week Expo Markers (48 Markers. Buy In-Store) HASS Printer HASS Printer Toner Paper (4 Boxes from Costco) Intern Supplies5 Teacher Supplies6 Pens Staff Kudo Board Supplies Promotional Item7 Student and Staff Binders Working Snacks8 Coffee9 Mid-Session Staff Retreat10 P.O. Box Yearly Dues - Livingston Photography Project Mailing Supplies Transportation Reimbursement11 Total Expenses for 2012 and 2013 Notes:
1Tuition

6597 18480 8400 18,223 51,700

-44100 -1400 -560 -80 -130 -200 -140 -320 -960 -30 -40 -150 -120 -1000 -400 -600 -100 -250 -120 -1000 -51,700

is calculated by taking the number of students, 18, at $385 each in 2012 for $6930 and 30 students in 2013 for $11,550. Total of $18,480. 2Each intern from the College of Wooster provides HASS with a grant of $2,100 each year. For years 2012 and 2013, HASS will be provided with two interns each year. 3Cost of room and board per person per day is $35 for a total of 21 days. We expect to have a total of 18 students and 6 staff members in year 2012 and 30 students and 6 staff members in year 2013. ($35 x 21 days x 60 in attendance = $44,100) 4Two interns per year will receive a $20 food allowance for seven days. ($20/day x 7 days x 2 interns x 2 years = $560) 5Each intern has $80 for supplies for years 2012 and 2013. ($80 x 2 interns x 2 years)
2012 HASS Partnership Packet 6

6Each

teacher has $120 for classroom supplies for years 2012 and 2013. ($120 x 4 teachers x 2

years) 7HASS branded pens 8Years 2011 and 2012 will have a $500 working snack amount. 9 Coffee and coffee supplies (i.e., cups, creamer, sugar, etc.,) will be available for purchase in years 2012 and 2013 for $200 each year. 10All teachers and interns will have $50 allowance for a mid-session staff retreat. The $600 amount is for 6 staff members for years 2012 and 2013. 11HASS Staff are eligible for transportation reimbursements at $.16 per mile for a maximum of $500 for each year.

DONORS
Christian & Small Law Firm
Birmingham, AL

Mr. and Mrs. Grifth

Demopolis, AL

Bill Mackey Real Estate

Demopolis, AL

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL

College of Wooster
Wooster, OH

Indian Springs School

Indian Springs, AL

Sumter County Board of Education

Livingston, AL

Friends and Family

USA and England

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

FUTURE IMPACT OF HASS

School Districts
Higher Achievement Summer School began in 2011 with its charter cohort coming from two separate school districts, Sumter and Marengo Counties. In order to serve a larger portion of the Black Belt, HASS will continue to geographically expand its enrollment to serve eleven counties for the summer session of 2015. These counties have been strategically selected to ensure that HASS is available to students who do not have summer enrichment opportunities. Please nd below an explanation of the expansion process. The chart represents student enrollment through the year 2015.

2012

2013

2014

2015

Sumter Marengo Tuscaloosa Perry Hale Greene Choctaw Dallas Wilcox Lowndes Butler Total

7 2 1 8

8 3 4 9 2 2 2

9 4 6 10 4 4 4 2 2

18

30

45

5 4 8 11 6 6 6 4 4 2 2 56

Demographics of HASS
The low student to faculty ratio of HASS facilitates a learning experience unavailable to students in the Black Belt during the traditional academic year. Throughout its expansion, HASS commits to retaining a student to faculty ratio of or below 6:1. Accordingly, for the 2015 session, the HASS staff will consist of six teachers and three interns. In addition to maintaining a low student to faculty ratio, HASS commits to actively recruiting an ethnically diverse student body, including an increase in male students. The

Note: 2014 will be the last summer for the HASS charter cohort; they will graduate in 2015.

summer school has discovered after only two admissions cycles that female students are more inclined to apply to HASS; consequently, HASS will put forth a strong effort to enroll more male students without lowering admissions standards. HASS strives to have male students constitute 40% of the student body in 2015.

Scholarships Available to HASS Students

Higher Achievement Summer School has the goal of establishing relationships with colleges and universities within the immediate area in order to provide a Higher Achievement Summer School Scholarship Program for its graduates. Outside of the time commitment, HASS is an extremely rigorous experience, and the HASS staff believes that its students should be rewarded their hard work during their summer vacations. Accordingly, HASS will seek to partner with the following universities: - The University of West Alabama - Auburn University
2012 HASS Partnership Packet

- Stillman College - The University of Alabama

8

- The University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham Southern - Samford - Miles College

Future HASS Locations

Higher Achievement Summer School originally stated that one of its goals was to expose its students to a variety of opportunities they might not experience within their immediate communities. Accordingly, for the summer session of 2013, HASS will spend two weeks in Alabama and the remaining two weeks on a campus outside of Alabama. This alternative location may be at a college campus or boarding school campus, and it is likely the location will be north of the Mason-Dixon line.

501(c)3 Status
Currently, HASS operates as a program within the Corps Member Education Foundation (CMEF), a non-prot organization dedicated to supporting Teach For America teachers in their fundraising efforts. This partnership has been quite benecial to HASS because CMEF renders all donations made to the summer school tax-deductible. As the summer school grows, however, HASS staff will require complete autonomy over the summer schools nances. Higher Achievement Summer School will obtain complete 501(c)3 status by December 2012.

ACT Preparation
An unfortunate reality concerning the schools serving the students in the Black Belt is that the systems are not preparing the students to achieve success on the ACT. Higher Achievement Summer School will prepare its students for the ACT and ensure they have a suitable score for their postsecondary goals. HASS is setting a goal that all of its students receive a 25 on the ACT before their senior year. With a 21 remaining the national average for the ACT, a 25 will allow HASS students to likely attend any college or university in the state of Alabama.

Community Building
In addition to the community service provided during the summer session, HASS will require its students to volunteer in their communities throughout the traditional academic year. HASS strives to instill the value of community service in its students; additionally, the summer school wants its students to remember their local communitys needs.

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

Thanks From the Executive Director

Originally from Northeast Ohio, my time in the Black Belt of Alabama has taught me an important lesson in reality: not all citizens of the United States have an equal opportunity at the American Dream. I never thought that graduating from high school would be a challenge, and going to college was simply the next step when I was eighteen. At the time, I believed that everyone lived a life similar to mine; unfortunately, my view of the status quo does not coincide with the reality of our students in the Black Belt. Our students need to work twice as hard to beat the achievement gap that currently engulfs the region. Luckily, HASS has located a group of bright students who have this determination. I am constantly amazed to see how far the summer school has advanced since its conception in November of 2010. I do not believe there is another summer enrichment program in the Black Belt in the same position as HASS. Our summer school will undoubtedly change the lives of its students. With an average 3.4 GPA, all our students are on track to attending a four-year university or college, and for many, they will be the rst in their family to complete a post-secondary degree. I thank you for taking the time to review this partnership packet, but no one is more appreciative than our students. If you decide you would like to support HASS, please know you will be directly and dramatically having a positive inuence on the future of our countrys youth. The achievement gap our students face is beatable. Our students have the motivation, and HASS provides the means. If you decide you would like to contribute to our summer school, please feel free to contact me directly. I look forward to speaking to you in the near future. Most sincerely,

Justin W. Younker Executive Director Higher Achievement Summer School Phone: 330-465-3162 Email: younker@alabamahass.org

2012 HASS Partnership Packet

10