Phillis Wheatley Construction Celebration - New Home of Dibert!

Construction is underway at the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School site

Dibert 8th grader, Dameon DeJean, at the celebration

FirstLine Schools came together with the Recovery School District (RSD), Orleans Parish School Board, and community partners last night to celebrate construction on the Phillis Wheatley building, future home of John Dibert Community School. The evening began with a warm welcome from RSD Superintendent Patrick Dobard, a school blessing by the St.Peter Claver Leaders, and a poem performed by Dibert student Dameon DeJean. Lawrence Kullman, chair of the FirstLine board, and a Dibert parent representative shared their excitement for the new building. Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other local leaders also spoke.  Former teachers and students of Phillis Wheatley Elementary School took part in the celebration, sharing memories of the building and the people that worked and were educated there.

FirstLine Board Chair, Larry Kullman

The historic Phyllis Wheatley School building was deemed unfit for the needs of the Treme neighborhood and demolished in 2011. As a part of the School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish, construction on the two-acre site is one of a series of successes in the rebuilding of the city’s public schools since 2008.  

The former Phillis Wheatley Elementary School campus is now becoming a state-of-the-art education facility for Dibert, with multiple computer labs, a gym/auditorium, an expanded ESYNOLA garden, and more!  Dibert anticipates moving into the new address, less than two miles away from their current location, for the 2014-2015 school year.

Clark Prep Alumna featured in Kreol Magazine

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A Clark Prep graduate, and author, Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy was recently featured in an article published in International Kreol Magazine, Mona Lisa Saloy – A Literary Voice for the African-American Creole Culture. 

The article discusses Dr. Saloy’s successes along with her prolific body of work including books, articles, essays and poems. A voice of the African-American and the New Orleans Creole cultural experiences, and a Clark Prep alumna, we are excited to have Dr. Saloy as a part of our community

To learn about Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, please visit her website.

Marching Forward

Congratulations to our 2013 Graduates! FirstLine Schools would like to give a standing ovation to the 2013 Bulldogs who graduate from Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School on May 22nd. We wish you the best of luck as you march forward.

A big congratulations also goes to 8th graders across our four K-8 schools; John Dibert Community School, Arthur Ashe Charter School, Langston Hughes Academy, and Samuel J. Green Charter School. All of our FirstLine Schools recently celebrated 8th Grade Promotions as our scholars transition to high school.

Clark Prep Early College Scholars visit Atlanta

Early College Scholars (ECS) prepares our most motivated and accomplished students at Clark Prep to obtain admittance into competitive colleges across the US. Early College Scholars is a competitive program for our 9th-10th grade students. From maintaining a 3.0 GPA to participating in enhanced extracurricular activities, these scholars must excel in the classroom and outside of it to qualify for the program.

Last week ECS traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to visit colleges and explore the deep historical value of the city. Alex Hochron Principal at Clark Prep, and 17 students, participated in the trip to Atlanta. The group visited five colleges: Georgia Tech, Spelman, Morehouse, Emory and Georgia State. This opportunity gave our scholars a chance to experience a variety of schools, helping students determine what type of college is the best fit for each of them. Principal Hochron was impressed by the students’ commitment to integrity and open-mindedness throughout the trip. Also on the itinerary was an exciting visit to Atlanta’s CNN station for the “Inside CCN Studio Tour”. The Bulldogs explored newsrooms and studios used on the set of CNN’s channels and programs.

Early College Scholars meet twice a week throughout the school year. They perform research on career and college opportunities, learn from local speakers, and reflect on personal academic progress. Over 30 students were invited to ECS this year and 17 qualified for the end of year college trip to Atlanta. Assistant Principal Emily Caulkins, Co-Supervisor of the ECS program, offers her congratulations to those students for their hard work and perseverance!

Clark Prep students awarded first place in national video contest

Clark Prep students were awarded first place winners in the Congress for the New Urbanisms 'Highways to Boulevards' video contest, for their mini-documentary,  Splitting the Tremé. The students who produced the piece will recieve $500 towards next year's productions, and the video was screened at the CNU National Conference June 1.

Through the generous support from Tulane University's New Orleans Center for Gulf South, Tulane, NOVAC and FirstLine Schools have partnered to create an innovative afters school youth media production program at Clark Prep High School in the Tremé. Tulane students from the Place-based Storytelling in New Orleans class, taught by local filmmaker Luisa Dantas, (Land of Opportunity), come to Clark Prep after the school day and work with students conceiving, scripting, shooting and editing productions that reflect Clark Prep students' experiences of the place they call home. Together this year they've created 5 short video pieces, including two documentaries (including Splitting the Tremé), a profile of Clark Prep students, and two narrative shorts, a romance and a horror film.

Clark Prep, Tulane and NOVAC will be hosting the Place-Based Storytelling in New Orleans program again next year, so stay tuned for more great videos created by local teens!

Watch the award winning  Splitting the Tremé:

Please also take time to enjoy Clark Prep Cinema's other productions from this year!
What it means to be a Bulldog
The Secret Admirer
Death to Music (warning, this 'horror' film may give you the willies!)

Clark Prep Students Receive Scholarships to Summer Programs

Four Clark Prep students will receive full scholarships to attend the Southeast’s No. 1 high school media-learning program, the Louisiana Scholastic Journalism Institute’s (LSJI). Sponsored by the LSU Manship School of communication, this intensive one-week summer training program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, works to provide students with the skills needed to produce scholastic media. Our very own Clark Prep students will learn how to produce newspapers, broadcast and yearbooks, building skills in writing, editing, design, videography, photography, multimedia production, and social media. In addition to having access to Manship’s production facilities, students will work closely with college faculty and media professionals.

This is an incredible opportunity for Clark Prep students Nelson Powell, Marshante Collins, Henrietta London, and Semaj Davis to develop strong journalism skills and get their first taste of the college experience.

Additionally, four Clark Prep students received scholarships to attend LSU’s MathCircle. The LSU MathCircle is a three-week summer enrichment program designed to cover topics in math that are not taught at the high school level. Students will learn about topics such as: graph theory, number theory, fractals, geometric construction, and mathematical modeling.

A big congratulations to Sada Jones for receiving a $2,500 scholarship, covering the full cost of tuition for the LSU MathCircle summer program. Three other students received $1000 and $500 scholarships.

We are extremely proud of these scholars who are working hard to create their legacy.

Clark Prep helps celebrate the reopening of Harrell Stadium

Thanks to the Saints, Pelicans, Super Bowl XLIVII Host Committee, Chevron, the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC), Harrell Stadium celebrated its reopening on May 17. Clark Prep was instrumental in the event, performing with NORDC band members for the opening ceremony. The reopening is centered on the decision to use the turf from Super Bowl XLIVII, played earlier this year at the New Orleans Superdome, as the field for Harrell’s football stadium. Others will accompany this renovation effort too; Chevron will be funding a new Harrell’s basketball court, and the NORD Foundation will contribute a brand new stadium scoreboard and PA system.

Clark Prep’s Marching Band, in conjunction with NORDC, played what was described as an "outstanding performance." Mr. Franklin, Clark Prep’s Marching Band Director, and Mr. Blackman are praised by faculty for their dedication to Clark’s music performance program.  The Marching Band program has been excelling at an impressive speed. Dean of Students Randall Montgomery aptly stated of Mr. Franklin and Mr. Blackman’s work, “a price can’t equal the amount of impact you’re making in their lives.”

From Clark Prep faculty and students to outside organizations, all community stakeholders are contributing to the rebirth and revitalization of valuable city resources to ensure NORDC accomplishes their mission to provide secure, educational, recreational, well rounded and culturally engaging opportunities to New Orleans’ citizens at Harrell Stadium.

We are excited to be a part of the reopening of Harrell Stadium, and even more excited to play on the field, building our athletic and musical talents, for years to come.