FOUNDATION FOR NEWARK’S FUTURE, NEWARK PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CITY OF NEWARK, AND THE UNITED WAY KICKOFF BACK TO SCHOOL BEAUTIFICATION DRIVE
Newark – September 23 — The Foundation for Newark’s Future (FNF), Newark Public Schools, the City of Newark, and the United Way today launched a Back to School Beautification Drive at the Quitman Street Community School.
The back to school beautification initiative is designed to boost students’ excitement about the new school year while signaling a time in Newark that will be driven by collaboration and partnership. Ten district schools were chosen from across the city, and the schools’ principals have each determined beautification activities in conjunction with the school community and parents. Projects will include painting, murals, general cleanup, planting and gardening, revitalizing outdoor play spaces, and ensuring that the schools’ interiors are welcoming environments for students and families.
The first beautification event was today at Quitman Street Community School where Mayor Baraka and Superintendent Cerf came to thank volunteers as they rehabilitated a playground surface and did stenciling and painting of inspirational quotes on the middle school floor.
“As a 22-year Newark educator and the City’s Chief Executive, I was privileged to see Newark youth rehabilitating and beautifying facilities at the Quitman Street School today, and honored to thank them for their energy, idealism, and commitment to community. This is what we want to see in Newark – young people creating a better and more beautiful City for future generations, while becoming better persons themselves. It is projects and partnerships like these, combined with the power of our youth, that will transform Newark into a more beautiful City that we can all believe in,” Mayor Baraka said.
“The beautification initiative is a great opportunity to meaningfully enhance schools across the district,” said Christopher Cerf, Superintendent of Newark Public Schools. “These activities will have a real impact on both students and educators, fostering a more positive educational environment in the classroom. We are grateful to the City of Newark, FNF and the United Way for their hard work and partnership. It is clear when we come together, we are able to achieve exciting results for the children of Newark.”
Several more beautification events will take place on Saturday, September 26th, and the rest will happen throughout October. Each school is recruiting community, parent, and staff volunteers. All of the partners are also taking a role in recruiting additional volunteers to make this beautification initiative a reality.
“Our effort to improve educational outcomes for kids in Newark encompasses all facets of the school experience,” said Kimberly McLain, president & CEO of the Foundation for Newark’s Future. “Improving the look and feel of schools in a way that brings people from across the city together will boost the morale of students and families and point us further in the direction of partnership collective action for our children.”
“I think it’s great to see Newark Public Schools working in concert with The City of Newark to ensure our students’ school environment inspires their spirit to come to a beautiful place where they feel they can learn, believe and achieve” added Keith Green, the President and CEO of the United Way of Essex West Hudson. “United Way Lives United with our partners by mobilizing community volunteers to advance the common good for all.”
“The Quitman St. Community School is very appreciative of this partnership as we continue to provide the students of our community with a beautiful and healthy learning environment,” said Erskine Glover, the Quitman Street Community School principal. Transforming our outdoor and indoor learning spaces into inspirational beacons of hope continues to be one of my greatest joys as an educator. The more opportunities we create for young children to enjoy the outdoor spaces that are full of innovative yet safe resources for recreation, the greater the possibility our students will have to become constructive citizens to the city of Newark.”
The schools that were chosen collaboratively by the partners to benefit from this initiative are the following:
Central Ward
Cleveland Elementary School
Quitman Street Community School
West Ward
Mount Vernon Elementary School
Ivy Hill Elementary School
North Ward
Alma E. Flagg Elementary School
Branch Brook School
South Ward
Belmont Runyan Elementary School
Weequahic High School
East Ward
Lafayette Elementary School
South Street School
Those interested in volunteering at one of the schools above should visit the United Way’s volunteer page at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event;jsessionid=B1F58780F076B2619BEAD8EBC20D8E1E.worker_registrant?llr=yd5d9xbab&oeidk=a07ebleub67d32a964d
About FNF: Foundation for Newark’s Future is an education foundation working to improve educational outcomes for Newark students. The Foundation is part of a $200 million campaign for Newark’s public schools, established in 2010 with a $100 million matching grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and quickly met with a $25M investment by the Pershing Square Foundation, among others. The Foundation invests in programs and initiatives across Newark that create large-scale change through short-term philanthropy.
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