2004-2005 Grant Recipients

Focus on Education
32nd St./USC MAST Physics Laboratory Collaboration: $2,290
Adventures Ahead After-School Tutoring Program: $22,000
Expanding STARS: Sharing the Power of Science with Neighborhood Youth: $26,250
Literacy One: $27,500
Mission Science: $31,217 (for UPC) & $20,140 (for HSC)
USC African Millennium Pen Pal Program: $7,200
USC Families of Five School In-school Facilitators: $10,000
USC NAI Saturday Academy: $22,600
USC ReadersPlus: $43,350
USC Street Law Foundation Program: $5,000
University Park Family Newspaper: $49,025

Arts Education
Art in the Village: $19,981
Dance Included: $5,688
From the Page to the Stage: $26,000
USC Jazz Reach: $34,060
USC Thornton Music in Education Program and USC Thornton GuitarMaster/Make an Impression Guitar Program: $32,000

Sports Education
Kids In Sports: Amount: $27,000
USC After School Sports Connection: $51,000

Safety
Kid Watch: $53,000
Peace Games: $10,106
VIP CMHC Mentoring and Tutoring Project: $30,000

Health
USC Community Health Fair 2004: $16,128
Fotonovela on Diabetes Prevention and Education Program: $32,000
FUENTE Initiative: $11,912
USC Health Science Expo: $14,200
USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Clinic: $20,000

Focus on Education

32nd St./USC MAST Physics Laboratory Collaboration: $2,290
Community partner: 32nd Street USC Math, Science and Technology High School
USC partner: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Program Description: Provides high school students with direct physics and astronomy lab experience for a full academic year at USC. Students work in the USC lab and have access to equipment, curriculum and instruction advisement, and student worker equipment support.

Adventures Ahead After-School Tutoring Program: $22,000
Community partner: Redeemer Community Partnership
USC partner: Urban Initiative, Dean's Office
Program Description: This after-school program for Kindergarten to sixth-grade students provides tutoring and recreation opportunities to children and families in the University Park neighborhood. The goal is to nurture children and help them experience success in their development as lifelong readers. This year's grant will also aid them in securing new materials and equipment for the program.

Expanding STARS: Sharing the Power of Science with Neighborhood Youth: $26,250
Community partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School
USC partner: USC School of Pharmacy
Program Description: Provides juniors and seniors a mentored, hands-on science experience. They join a basic science research team at USC as part of their science curriculum and work with USC life science graduate students culminating in the USC-Bravo Science Fair.

Literacy One: $27,500
Community partners: Norwood St., Vermont Ave, Weemes (UPC) and Sheridan St. (HSC)
USC partner: USC Language Academy
Program Description: Focuses exclusively on improving English-language literacy skills of kindergarten students in their earliest phases of literacy development. It helps these students bridge the gap between the demands of mandated reading curriculum and their English ability.

Mission Science: $31,217 (for UPC) & $20,140 (for HSC)
Community partners: 32nd St./USC Magnet, Foshay, Norwood, Weemes and Vermont schools (UPC) & Griffin, Murchison and Sheridan elementary schools (HSC), Natural History Museum
USC partner: USC School of Engineering
Program Description: This after-school program allows more elementary and middle school students to learn science, engineering and technology by working on true hands-on projects, exhibits, simple experiments, machinery to take apart, and a workshop in which to work. School teachers serve as instructors. The students also get to participate in special tours and programming offered by the Natural History Museum.

USC African Millennium Pen Pal Program: $7,200
Community partners: African Millennium Foundation, Manual Arts High School, 32nd Street/USC MaST and Foshay Learning Center
USC partner: Office of Vice Provost/Enrollment Services
Program Description: This program takes a cultural and linguistic pedagogy approach to teaching expository writing skills to middle and high school students in order to help them prepare them for their Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT). Students will practice by corresponding with students from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa in a pen pal format. The project will culminate in a video conference between the students and their international pen pals.

USC Families of Five School In-school Facilitators: $10,000
Community partners: USC Family of Schools
USC partner: USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This grant provides a part-time, on-site coordinator of USC programs at the original five of the USC Family of Schools. They coordinate, schedule and serve as liaisons between the school staff and USC program administrators. With the many programs at the schools - including those noted here - the on-site facilitator helps to ensure that programs run efficiently.

USC NAI Saturday Academy: $22,600
Community partners: Foshay Learning Center & Manual Arts High School
USC partner: USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative
Program Description: Provides participating high school students intense and inter-active academic enrichment. This includes SAT vocabulary, writing and mathematics develop-pment, and skills building in the areas of studying and test taking. Most of the classes take place on the USC campus.

USC ReadersPlus: $43,350
Community partners: USC Family of Schools
USC partner: USC ReadersPlus
Program Description: Provides reading and math assistance to thousands of children in classrooms and meaningful work opportunities for USC work-study students. Up to 150 USC students work with elementary students at the five schools. The readers provide more than 700 hours of literacy assistance; and math mentors provide more than 100 hours of math assistance. Learning takes place at each school site.

USC Street Law Foundation Program: $5,000
Community partner: Manual Arts High School
USC partner: The USC Law School
Program Description: This is a three-project program through which USC law students teach legal literacy skills to high school students. On Mentor Days, the students participate in a day-long event at which they continue to learn about the law and legal careers. The Film Screenings and Speakers Series facilitate dialogue about juvenile justice issues among students, parents and school staff.

University Park Family Newspaper: $49,025
Community partners: USC Family of Schools — school principals
USC partners: University Public Relations, USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This bilingual, bimonthly newspaper features news about the USC Family of Schools and the University Park community. Graphics-driven, the colorful newspaper focuses on news and events that are of interest to parents, students and school personnel as well as other area stakeholders. Photos of students remain a popular feature for students and their families/ guardians — as well as stories on programs and student accomplishments.

Arts Education

Art in the Village: $19,981
Community partners: USC Family of Schools
USC partners: USC Fisher Gallery and University Village
Program Description: Students have their art-work professionally installed in the University Village food court in six exhibits. Each show is kicked off with a reception for students, their parents and teachers. They receive certificates from Councilmember Bernard Parks.

Dance Included: $5,688
Community partners: 32nd Street/USC Magnet, Manual Arts H.S., St. Agnes, Weemes Elementary and USC School Age Program
USC partners: USC alumna, USC School of Theater, USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: Provides weekly dance classes at local schools in to help schoolchildren build self-esteem and gain an appreciation for the cultural arts. Schools select from classes in tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballet and flamenco. The USC students instructors are volunteers so this grant provides instructors with music, dance shoes, costumes for end-of-year performances, etc.

From the Page to the Stage: $26,000
Community partners: 24th Street Theatre and USC Family of Schools
USC partner: USC School of Theatre
Program Description: Uses theater as a tool for helping students focus on the importance of education and the role education can play in their lives. This year's program expands the concept to the workforce and will teach how solid reading and writing skills provide the foundation for a productive career..

USC Jazz Reach: $34,060
Community partners: Manual Arts High School, 32nd Street/USC MaST and Foshay
USC partner: USC Thornton School of Music Jazz Studies Program
Program Description: Fosters development of skills and appreciation of jazz music among high school students. Lessons are taught by USC Music graduate students. Through their participation in the program, students learn to make a long-term commitment to music and are prepared to play at university-level caliber. They also gain experience by playing at public performances.

USC Thornton Music in Education Program and USC Thornton GuitarMaster/Make an Impression Guitar Program: $32,000
Community partners: USC Thornton Music in Education Program: Norwood, Vermont, Weemes, St. Agnes and Manual Arts (at UPC) & Sheridan Street (at HSC); USC Thornton GuitarMaster: 32nd Street/USC Magnet
USC partners: USC Thornton School of Music

USC Thornton Music in Education Program:
Program Description: Will bring comprehensive, weekly, after-school music education programs. Instruction will range from classes in keyboard, percussion, strings and winds to vocal instruction, ensembles and general musicianship. In-service training for teachers will also be offered.

USC Thornton GuitarMaster/Make an Impression Guitar Program:
Program Description: Dedicated to continuing the legacy and rich historical tradition of American roots music such as blues, R&B and jazz by teaching students how to play guitar based on Make an Impression curriculum. USC guitar majors teach the classes and guitars are provided on a loan basis.

Sports Education

Kids In Sports: Amount: $27,000
Community partner: Kids In Sports
USC partner: USC Educational Opportunity Programs Center
Program Description: Offers parent-led, after-school and weekend sports opportunities for 3,000 low-income youngsters between the ages of 5-17 in the UPC area. The partnership extends the program to boys and girls between the ages of 7 and17. Young people participate in skills clinics, practices and competitions in basketball, volleyball and swimming.

USC After School Sports Connection: $51,000
Community partners: USC Family of Schools
USC partner: USC Recreational Sports Department
Program Description: USC's After School Sports Connection offers high quality after-school sports instruction in basketball, martial arts, soccer and volleyball to elementary school children through classes conducted on site at the USC Family of Schools. While learning the basics of these sports, the youngsters also learn about teamwork, cooperation and self discipline.

Safety

Kid Watch: $53,000
Community partners: USC Family of Schools, LAPD-Southwest Division, LAUSD School Police
USC partners: USC Department of Public Safety, USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: Kid Watch is a network of residents who voluntarily watch over school children as they walk to and from school and other institutions in the neighborhood. Today, there are more than 800 active Kid Watch members who display yellow Kid Watch decals in the windows of their homes, businesses, churches and nonprofit agencies. The program has been copied by the L.A. City Attorney's office and elsewhere — something that is encouraged.

Peace Games: $10,106
Community partner: Norwood Street Elementary School
USC partner: Joint Educational Project
Program Description: This grant provides for a graduate-level Social Work students-intern and an undergraduate program assistant who will coordinate the Peace Games program at Norwood. Peace Games is a school-wide prevention program that teaches elementary school students to be proactive peacemakers through interactive games and community-service projects. It also engages parents/guardians, school staff, community members and volunteers in changing school culture in order to create a safer and more peaceful environment for all.

VIP CMHC Mentoring and Tutoring Project: $30,000
Community partner: VIP Community Mental Health Center
USC partner: USC Violence Intervention Program (Dept. of Pediatrics)
Program Description: This grant provides for the expansion of the Mentoring and Tutoring Project that is provided by students at the Keck School of Medicine at USC to young victims of abuse and neglect. This project helps in providing for the assessment of a child for possible abuse, assault or neglect and strives to help the child avoid the trauma of testifying in a court of law. It also helps the child heal and re-enter society as confident and complete individual.

Health

USC Community Health Fair 2004: $16,128
Community partners: HSC Partner Schools & HSC Partner Schools Task Force
USC partners: Various HSC schools and departments, USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This health fair takes health services, information and education directly to the residents of the communities surrounding USC's Health Sciences Campus at no-cost. The all-day event taps HSC resources and attracts families, many of which do not have access to preventative health services or basic health screenings.

Fotonovela on Diabetes Prevention and Education Program: $32,000
Community partners: Clí­nica Msr. Oscar A. Romero
USC partner: USC School of Pharmacy
Program Description: This project will develop a health communication tool to increase knowledge of diabetes and diabetes prevention among low-income, low-literacy Latino families in the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses. That tool is a fotonovela - a popular Hispanic literary format - which, like a comic book, uses photographs and bits of dialogue to tell a story.

FUENTE Initiative: $11,912
Community partners: Griffin Avenue, Murchison Street and Sheridan Street schools, East Los Angeles Occupational Center, East Los Angeles Skills Center
USC partner: USC School of Pharmacy
Program Description: The initiative organizes local pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide poison prevention and appropriate drug-use education. The goal is to improve the quality of life and health education of the children and parents in the HSC partner elementary schools and other adults at the education/ occupational centers targeted by the program. The program also provides screenings to improve knowledge of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

USC Health Science Expo: $14,200
Community partners: Griffin Avenue, Murchison Street and Sheridan Street elementary schools
USC partners: USC Civic and Community Relations, HSC student volunteers
Program Description: This program introduces children at the HSC Partner Schools to basic science curriculum and information about health sciences professions. Students participate in an essay contest and, working with HSC students, develop a wide range of science projects. The expo culminates at a one-day science fair competition on the Health Sciences Campus.

USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Clinic: $20,000
Community partners: USC Family of Schools & HSC Partner Schools
USC partner: USC School of Dentistry
Program Description: This grant allows the mobile dental clinic to purchase the necessary supplies to provide preventative oral health services to second- and third-grade students at USC's neighborhood schools at its University Park and Health Sciences campuses at each school site. The preventive services include oral examinations, dental prophylaxis, fluoride treatments and sealants, and referrals to no- and low-cost clinics for follow-up treatment.