In the News

UrbanFUTURE wants to open after-school academy
By Shawn Clubb Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal

A group that promotes literacy wants to use Fanning Middle School for a pilot program to prepare students living in poverty for success.

Urban Future already has a place at the school with its after-school programs that work within the Fanning Community Education Center (CEC). Frank Van Bree, president of Urban Future, wants to expand that presence to include Junior Achievement, the YMCA, and other groups for what he calls the Fanning Academy.

Van Bree, 44, of Wildwood, became involved with Urban Future nearly six years ago, when it was called the Meramec Education Foundation. He said the board of the foundation asked him to find out why its programs were unsuccessful.

Van Bree said the foundation's programs were conducted outside of the school. He said it needed to be in the schools. He was then brought on to run the program.

When the Fanning CEC met last week, Van Bree asked to start the Fanning Academy, which would begin after school lets out at 2:30 p.m. It would run from 2:30 to 6 p.m. five days each week and provide literacy education from Urban Future, extracurricular sports from the YMCA, economic education from Junior Achievement, performing arts education from Stages, health services and other services, all within the walls of Fanning Middle School, 3417 Grace Ave.

Van Bree said children living in poverty face high expectations without the opportunities and services necessary to help them pass these hurdles.
"The tyranny of the moment robs you of your future thinking. There are survival things that are in the way," he said.

Van Bree said community involvement is the key. He said many cities have started after-school programs like the Fanning Academy.

He said the program at Fanning could take all 300 students, but enrollment would be voluntary. He said students would have to want to attend for it to work. He envisions enrollment of about 100 students.

The mission of the academy would be to prepare the students for high school. Van Bree said students now enter the school reading well below grade level. He said they leave for high school with little improvement. He said Urban Future has been able to advance students' literacy by two or three grade-levels in one year.

Brian Murphy, chairman of the Fanning CEC, said he likes the bold scale of the program. However, John Windom, who oversees the CECs for the St. Louis Public Schools, said he is concerned the academy could divert resources available to the community at the CEC. He said the academy has to be developed with more specifics.

CECs are jointly supported by the school district and block grant money. The 16 centers in the city offer classes including language acquisition for Bosnian and Vietnamese residents, dancing, yoga, Tai Chi and even hat making. Some centers have computer labs that are available for community use in the evening.

Van Bree and Windom are scheduled to meet again today to work on planning for the academy. The Fanning CEC board would later vote on whether to start the after-school academy.