The Cincinnati Public School District belongs to the Cincinnati community, and the district welcomes the community's involvement, partnership and generous donation of time and resources. A thriving school district and a prosperous community go hand in hand, and Cincinnati Public Schools is working hard to earn and keep the Cincinnati community's support.
CPS' administration places high priority on community involvement and actively seeks input to fully involve the community in its schools.
Examples of community activity in our schools include:
Dozens of volunteers helped the staff of Roselawn Condon School beautify the school's two interior courtyards as part of the Go Cincinnati effort organized by Crossroads Church, which mobilizes thousands of volunteers to do hundreds of service projects throughout the city on a single day. The volunteers helped plant flowers and spread mulch.
University Hospital offers students a chance to "work" in various departments around the hospital and gain valuable experiences. They are treated as University Hospital associates, complete with orientation, ID Badge, embroidered lab coat and parking privileges. The Explorers are paired with hospital ambassadors who serve as mentors. Students from Withrow University, Hughes Center, Winton Hills and Walnut Hills have participated.
The boys and girls basketball teams of Rockdale and South Avondale have brand new uniforms thanks to the Center for Closing the Health Gap's Do Right! health awareness initiative. Do Right! encourages students to eat right, move right and live right. The uniforms were purchased to support the students' participation in healthy habits, every day.
Employees of Western & Southern Financial Group built six bikes as part of a team-building activity and will donate them to Hoffman-Parham students selected through a contest. Custom-fit helmets will be donated by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The Exxon/Mobil Educational Alliance has provided $500 mini-grants to dozens of CPS schools to support academic programs. Among the recipients are Sayler Park, William H. Taft, Clark Montessori, Gilbert A. Dater, Western Hills Design Technology, Western Hills University, Withrow University, Covedale, Shroder, Hoffman-Parham, Dater Montessori, Westwood, Winton Hills and Cheviot.
The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati gave a two-year, $200,000 grant to Hughes Center to develop and open a school-based health center. The center initially will offer primary medical care to Hughes Center’s students. It will be staffed by a physician’s assistant and an administrative assistant.
Give Back Cincinnati treated 75 West Side Montessori students to an afternoon of fun at Scallywag Tag, a laser tag arena. The trip was organized to reward the students for their community service projects, which are part of the Montessori program.
John P. Parker received a donation of $196 from Target as part of the Take Charge of Education program, a loyalty program that serves as a fundraiser for schools. Target donates 1 percent of each purchase made with the cards back to the school. John P. Parker can use the donation for books, field trips, new technology, school supplies or other needs.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the American Heart Association kicked off the “What Moves U Challenge” at Winton Hills and Ethel M. Taylor. The program helps create an active and healthy lifestyle for kids by forming healthy habits that last a lifetime. The goal is to ensure that each student gets at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Members of the Bengals stopped by each school to help motivate students.
The Clark Montessori Foundation raised $10,000 for instructional supplies and equipment. The donation will help the school provide unique learning opportunities, such as junior high camping, high school intercessions and elective classes. Funds will be used for new equipment, instruments, photography software, and camping equipment.
Singer and songwriter Nick Lachey and CBTS, a division of Cincinnati Bell, donated $150,000 to support local school arts and sports programs. The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), Lachey’s alma mater, will share $75,000 of the contribution with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.
The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati gave a $20,000 grant to South Avondale to plan behavioral health initiatives. The grant will be used to assess the school’s ability to implement an evidence-based prevention program to alleviate behavioral health concerns.