Do you want to bookmark ?

On Thursday, February 7, 2008, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools Michelle Rhee joined AARP’s CEO Bill Novelli and DC President Denise Rolark Barnes as they awarded McKinley Technology High School the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award, which includes a $100,000 prize to support an existing project that connects generations or fosters civic engagement. While AARP will donate more than $1 million to public high schools across the country as part of our 50th Anniversary celebration this year, the District is one of only seven cities selected to receive the prestigious Legacy Award.

McKinley Technology High School was selected for its innovative Project SWEEP Jr. volunteer program, through which 250 of its students engage in city clean up projects with the Department of Public Works, learning about the environment, gaining leadership skills, and engaging with all segments of the community. The project began at McKinley in 2005 as part of a strategic alliance with the Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP). It’s open to all D.C. public schools, but no school has a higher rate of participation than McKinley. Each year since 2005, the strength, reach, and number of participants in McKinley’s program has increased 66%.

The school will use the $100,000 to expand Project SWEEP Jr. and also to support the operations of a new “Technology Van,” which is being funded through the D.C. Office of Technology in partnership with Google. Once the van is operational, McKinley students in the Seniors to Seniors Program will travel to senior centers and teach center participants how to use computer programs and the Internet. The senior residents could then use their new Internet skills to book appointments with Project SWEEP Jr. online to request help with cleaning out their basements, lawn mowing, and other projects.

Mr. Novelli, Ms. Rolark Barnes, Mayor Fenty, and Chancellor Rhee joined students, parents, faculty, and D.C. Government officials in the ceremony in the high school’s auditorium. The McKinley band played and students cheered as Project Sweep Jr. classmates accepted the oversized check Mr. Novelli presented them.

AARP also has awarded a $10,000 Legacy Award for Innovation to CHOICE (Choosing Higher Options for Individualized Centered Education) Academy Senior High School in Anacostia for innovative programs that elevate student achievement and enrich school and community life. CHOICE Academy is one of 53 public high schools—one from each US state, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia—to receive the honor.

Other Resources
McKinley Technology High School