Monday, December 20, 2010

Chester Education Foundation at Longwood Gardens


Chester Education Foundation will be taking students from the afterschool program today to Longwood Gardens. They will stop at Applebee’s for dinner before seeing the sites. This is a great time of year for a visit to see the Winter Wonderland, the Outdoor Light Festival, Holiday Fountain Show, The Nutcracker Ballet, Christmas Performances, and the Christmas Garden Railway featuring Thomas the Train. On New Year’s Eve, there will be a family celebration. The outing is nothing new for CEF, in addition to academics, they take cultural trips.

This information comes from their website:

Who are they?

The Chester Education Foundation (CEF) is a Local Education Fund (LEF) created in 1988 by a consortium of local and state leaders including Widener University, West Chester University, the PA Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, United Way of Southeastern Delaware County, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Sun Company, Scott Paper Company, Boeing and others. CEF’s mission is to support educational excellence and promote community revitalization in the Chester Upland School District (CUSD).

What do they do?

Each year, CEF raises over $1,000,000 to provide direct services and capacity building initiatives within the CUSD community. Our generous granters include state and county agencies, local businesses and more than one-dozen local foundations who believe that Chester's children deserve a good education. Since 1994, Chester Education Foundation has facilitated the 100+ member, Delaware County Communities That Care Network which has received state, national and international recognition for successful implementation of research-based prevention strategies, leveraging and sustaining resources and exceptional leadership of community collaboration.

Chester Education Foundation provides innovative educational programming to elementary, middle, and high schools of the Chester Upland School District. Chester Education Foundation provides a rich variety of educational services and programs to more than 4,000 students throughout the Chester Upland  community including during the school year, as well as, the summer months. Tutoring for those who need remedial classes in order to be prepared to learn more in-depth studies of core subject areas is a major function of Chester Education Foundation. Summer career training, jobs, mentorship opportunities and leadership training are also important programs the children take part in during the summer months.

From Stephanie Scappa-Hall, After School Program Coordinator:

Stephanie Scappa-Hall Afterschool Program Coordinator of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers said that 264 students are enrolled in the 21st Century After-school program at Chester High School. This month’s activities included: online academics (Empower 3000, Apangea, First in Math, APEX), homework and project assistance, discussion groups and clubs which include: Poetry, Drama, Environmental, Book (group reading and discussion), Engineering, 9th Grade Girls Leadership, Girls Snack Attack (Cooking) and the Guys Discussion Group. Other Afterschool Coordinators are Richard Knox and Natalie Delva. Teachers are Ms. Myra Lineberry, Ms. Farela Howie, Ms. Judith Kleist, Ms. Susan Byrd, Mr. John Simmons, Ms. Margaret Johnson, Ms. Sheila Cottingham, and Ms. Deborah Bogle.

At the top are Executive Director Cheryl Cunningham, Assistant Director Carita Morgan, Program Director and Workforce Development Elaine Greene-Upton, Program Director and 21st Century Community Learning Centers & Communities That Care Network Neilda E. Mott, and Financial Director Cynthia Hart-Griffith.

A few years ago, I got a chance to work with the Afterschool program so I know how wonderful they are. Enjoy your trip to Longwood Gardens. It will be fun. For more information on CEF go to http://www.chestereducation.org/

For more information on Longwood Gardens go to
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/ or click this link:

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/12/17/entertainment/doc4d0ae7e489018633206163.txt?viewmode=fullstory

1 comment:

  1. Yesterday was the most prettiest thing I had ever seen in a day of my life. It had lots of flowers and lots of lights. There was a lot of people there. Some was singing. Some was look at flowers. They had this wonderful waterfall there that would light up and dance with music. I had so much fun. I would love to go there again.

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