2005-2006 Grant Recipients

Focus on Education
Adventures Ahead After-School Tutoring Program: $22,000
USC African Millennium Pen Pal Program: $7,200
Expanding STARS: Sharing the Power of Science with Neighborhood Youth: $26,250
Family One: $10,000
Mission Science: $34,291 (for UPC) & $20,935 (for HSC)
USC NAI Saturday Academy: $22,600
Robotics – STEM: $29,362
Street Law Foundation Program: $5,000
USC ReadersPlus: $44,150
University Park Family Newspaper: $50,425

Arts Education
24th Street Theatre - After ‘Cool Theatre Program: $28,600
Art in the Village: $14,999
Building Bridges: $9,500
Creating from Within Media Workshop: $11,400
Thornton Jazz Reach: $37,466
Thornton Music in Education and Thornton GuitarMasters: $35,200

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

Safety
Kid Watch: $53,000
LAPD S.W. Equipment Management: $1,500
Peace Games: $11,116
VIP CMHC Mentoring and Tutoring Project: $31,500

Health
Dental Explorers Program: $11,024
FUENTE Initiative: $5,616
USC Health Science Expo: $14,600
HSC Health Fair Fall 2005: $16,528
Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van: $20,200 Playground Pals: $2,940 Troy Camp: $20,000

Focus on Education

Adventures Ahead After-School Tutoring Program: $22,000
Community partner: Adventures Ahead
USC partner: Urban Initiative, Dean's Office
Program Description: This after-school program for Kindergarten to sixth-grade students provides tutoring and recreational opportunities to children and families in the University Park neighborhood. The goal is to achieve grade-appropriate literacy among children K-6 and to nurture each child’s enjoyment and experience of success in their development as lifelong readers.

USC African Millennium Pen Pal Program: $7,200
Community partners: African Millennium Foundation
USC partner: Joint Educational Project, College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
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.

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: This program provides high school juniors with a mentored, hands-on science experience in the laboratory of a USC scientist. In addition it provides approximately 1,000 students (grades 9 – 12) the opportunity to conduct an inquiry-based research project as part of their academic science courses and to participate in the USC sponsored USC-Bravo Science Fair.

Family of Five In-School Facilitators: $10,000
Community partner: USC Original Family of Five Schools
USC partner: USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This grant provides a part-time, on-site coordinator of USC programs at each of the original five USC Family of Schools. Coordinators 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 facilitators help to ensure that programs run efficiently.

Mission Science: $34,291 (for UPC) & $20,935 (for HSC)
Community partners: HSC: Griffin, Murchison and Sheridan elementary schools & UPC: 32nd St./USC Magnet, Foshay, Norwood, Weemes and Vermont schools USC partner: Viterbi School of Engineering
Program Description: This after-school program allows elementary and middle school students to learn science, engineering and technology by working on hands-on projects, exhibits, simple experiments, machinery to take apart, and a workshop in which to work. School teachers serve as instructors. The students will become MSIs – Mission Science Investigators. Taking a page from the popular TV show, CSI, Mission Science students will take environmental samples of air, soil and water and analyze them, solving the mysteries of the world around them.

USC NAI Saturday Academy: $27,500
Community partners: NAI Parent Leadership Board
USC partner: USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative
Program Description: This grant funds the USC NAI Saturday Academy at which participating high school students receive intense and inter-active academic experiences, both remedial and enriching. These include SAT vocabulary development, writing and mathematics-skill building, study skills and test-taking skills development. Most of the classes take place on the USC campus utilizing the expertise of staff, USC students, certificated LAUSD teachers, parents and volunteers.

Robotics – STEM: $29,362
Community partners: Foshay Middle School
USC partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Program Description: This program uses the existing expertise and infrastructure at USC to collaboratively develop and implement a robotics after-school program for Foshay Middle School. Hands-on, experiential inquiry-based learning is highly effective in making STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) topics appealing to students of all ages. It is especially effective in the recruitment and retention of typically under-represented student groups (i.e., girls and minorities). This group will be recruited for weekly classes in Robotics, the process of designing, building, programming and debugging.

Street Law Foundation Program: $5,000
Community partners: Manual Arts High School
USC partner: The USC Law School
Program Description: Through Street Law, 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 while connecting with law students who continue the mentoring relationship. The "Homicide: Life on the Streets" teaching program, teamed with Court TV, provides legal lessons in homicide and promotes better choices. All of these programs facilitate dialogue about juvenile justice issues among students, parents and school staff.

USC ReadersPlus: $44,150
Community partners: First Five USC Family of Schools
USC partner: Joint Education Project, the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Program Description: USC ReadersPlus provides reading and math tutoring to thousands of children in classrooms as well as meaningful work opportunities for USC work study students. Up to 150 university students work with elementary students at the five schools. The readers provide more than 47,000 hours of literacy assistance per year and math mentors provide more than 24,000 hours of math assistance.

University Park Family Newspaper: $49,025
Community partners: Seven of the USC Family of Schools: 32nd Street, Foshay, Norwood, Vermont, Weemes, St. Agnes and St. Vincent
USC partners: USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This bilingual, bimonthly newspaper features good 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. Its goal is to reach the target audience of parents and guardians of the more than 9,600 students who attend five public schools and two parochial schools in the University Park neighborhood. Photos of students remain a popular feature for students and their families/guardians – as well as stories on programs and student accomplishments.

Arts Education

24th Street Theatre - After ‘Cool Theatre Program: $28,600
Community partners: 24th Street Theatre and USC Family of Schools
USC partners: USC School of Theatre
Program Description: This after-school arts program uses theater as a tool for helping students focus on the importance of education and the role education can play in their lives. The 2005/2006 program theme “CHOICES” will use acting techniques, character analyses, mask workshops, and plot development to help empower youth to realize the consequences of choices made and how those choices can impact their personal lives, their education, and ultimately their community.

Art in the Village: $14,999
Community partners: USC Family of Schools
USC partners: USC Fisher Gallery and University Village
Program Description: Students from our family of schools have their artwork judged by a panel of USC students who will consider each submission against a set of clearly defined criteria. Thirty artists will be chosen and their artwork will be professionally installed in the University Village food court in six exhibits. Based on an inspiring theme, each show is kicked off with a reception for students, their parents and teachers. They receive certificates from Councilman Bernard Parks.

Building Bridges: $9,500
Community partners: Burton Green School/LA Child Guidance Clinic Partnership
USC partners: USC School of Theatre
Program Description: Students attending the Burton Green School operated at the LA Child Guidance Clinic will be taught self empowerment, self expression, self presentation, oral communication, and leadership skills through the artistic disciplines of theatre and dance. The program will offer emotionally disturbed, physically and mentally abused, and socially challenged youth a safe, nurturing, creative environment and healthy space for them to come and “be themselves” without judgment or scrutiny.

Creating from Within Media Workshop: $11,400
Community partners: Anti-Self-Destruction Inc./Digitalimaging Academy
USC partners: School of Cinema-Television
Program Description: The Creative Lab will be a two-week summer production workshop for high school students in the USC neighborhood to discover and nurture their creative voices in art and filmmaking activities and gain greater mastery of the tools for inquiry, reflection and informed decision making. It is designed to enable students to express themselves in visual and artistic languages, providing structured collaborative activities; enhancing their traditional academic efforts and introducing them to digital media production as a field they may want to pursue.

Thornton Jazz Reach: $37,466
Community partners: Manual Arts High School, 32nd Street/USC MaST and Foshay Learning Center
USC partner: USC Thornton School of Music
Program Description: This program fosters the development of skills and appreciation of jazz music among 75 high school students. Lessons are taught by USC Thornton School of Music Jazz Studies majors, Thornton faculty, and professional musicians who have all been trained as mentors. Through their participation in the program, students learn to make a long-term commitment to music and are prepared to play at university-level. They also gain experience by participating in public performances.

Thornton Music in Education and Thornton GuitarMasters: $35,200
Community partners: Norwood, Vermont, Weemes, St. Agnes, 32nd Street/USC Magnet, Murchison Street schools, Manual Arts High School
USC partners: USC Thornton School of Music
Program Description: With dedicated administrative and faculty oversight, this program brings comprehensive, weekly, after-school music education programs into our local schools. Instruction will range from classes in keyboard, percussion, strings and winds to vocal instruction, ensembles, general musicianship and GuitarMasters. In-service training for teachers will also be offered. A multitude of activities will be available for students in the Thornton Outreach Programs (TOP), including tickets to Thornton concerts both on and off campus (such as Walt Disney Concert Hall), a Meet the Instruments program will be implemented, and students will be able to attend fully-staged Opera dress rehearsals with a lecture/discussion option.

Sports Education

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

Kids In Sports: Amount: $27,000
Community partner: Kids In Sports
USC partner: USC Educational Opportunity Programs Center
Program Description: In conjunction with the USC-sponsored After School Sports Connection, Kids In Sports offers parent-led, after-school and weekend sports opportunities for 3,000 low-income youngsters between the ages of 5-17 in the University Park area. For many children, the program will provide the only opportunity they will have for regular physical activity. Young people participate in skills clinics, practices and competitions in basketball, volleyball and swimming.

Safety

Kid Watch: $53,000
Community partners: USC Family of Schools, LAPD–Southwest Division, LAUSD School Police
USC partners: USC Department of Public Safety & Kid Watch Coordinator
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 UPC neighborhood. Today, there are more than 900 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.

LAPD S.W. Equipment Management: $1,500
Community partners: Los Angeles Police Department, Southwest USC partners: Viterbi School of Engineering, Engineering Writing Program
Program Description: This grant will be given to the students in the Engineering Writing Program to allow them to purchase equipment and supplies needed for an inventory control and laser barcode system to track equipment in the LAPD Southwest Division, proposed by the class. This project will improve the efficiency of the police officers that patrol the University Park Neighborhood, and will bring undergraduate ideas to fruition.

Peace Games: $11,116
Community partner: Norwood Street Elementary School
USC partner: Joint Educational Project
Program Description: This grant provides for two advanced Social Work students-interns who will coordinate the Peace Games program at Norwood. Peace Games is a school-wide violence 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 in which to live, work and learn.

VIP CMHC Mentoring and Tutoring Project: $31,500
Community partner: VIP Community Mental Health Center Inc.
USC partner: USC Violence Intervention Program (Keck School of Medicine)
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

Dental Explorers Program: $11,024
Community partners: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School
USC partners: USC School of Dentistry
Program Description: The Dental Explorers summer enrichment day camp program is structured to expose students to the dental profession and career ladder path possibilities (i.e., dental assistant-dental hygienist-dentist), as well as provide academic enrichment and personal experiences in clinical activities related to dentistry. They are planning to enroll thirty students in the program, from the USC Educational Opportunity Program Center, the USC medical school MED-COR program, and Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School.

FUENTE Initiative: $5,616
Community partners: Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles, East Los Angeles Occupational Center & East Los Angeles Skills Center
USC partner: USC School of Pharmacy
Program Description: The project uses the educational resources of the University’s School of Pharmacy to coordinate local pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide specific poison prevention, appropriate drug-use and self-management 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 neighborhood screenings to improve knowledge of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Health Science Expo: $14,600
Community partners: Griffin Avenue, Murchison Street & Sheridan Street elementary schools
USC partners: USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This program introduces children at our 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 in a one-day science fair competition on the Health Sciences Campus.

HSC Health Fair Fall 2005: $16,528
Community partners: HSC Partner Schools, Murchison Street Elementary
USC partners: USC Civic and Community Relations
Program Description: This no-cost health fair takes health services, information and education directly to the residents of the communities surrounding USC’s Health Sciences Campus. 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.

Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van: $20,200
Community partners: USC Partner Schools (both UPC & HSC Neighborhood) /Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles
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 elementary school children using the mobile dental vans onsite at the ten USC Partner Schools. The preventive services include oral examinations, dental prophylaxis, fluoride treatments and sealants, and referrals to no- and low-cost clinics for follow-up treatment.

Playground Pals: $2,940
Community partners: Sheridan Street, Murchison, Griffin Elementary Schools, LA’s Best
USC partner: USC Dept. of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy
Program Description: USC Playground Pals will be offered as an after school program in conjunction with LA’s Best, Griffin, Murchison and Sheridan to provide physical activities for the children. The USC physical therapy students and faculty will lead the program and teach the LA’s Best staff to follow the outlines derived from the activities’ benefit to the children, level of enjoyment and participation.

Troy Camp: $20,000
Community partners: Vermont Avenue Elementary School (and the USC Family of Schools)
USC partner: Campus Activities
Program Description: After providing approximately 200 children with a previously funded week long camp experience, the UNO grant will enable Troy Camp to continue its program with a year of events and socials for the same 200 children. This reinforces Troy Camp’s “Commitment to Friendship” which relies on frequent mentor-child interaction in fun activities and field trips.