Hello Neighbors,
Would you like college bound 6-12 students in our
neighborhood to have an excellent local school they can attend? Do you
think that East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield, Highland Park, Stanton Heights
and Sunnyside deserve a successful middle school and high school nearby?
Whether you are a student, parent or member of the community, you can help make
this happen. Peabody can become the home of the Obama 6-12 International Baccalaureate
school - but this will only happen with YOUR HELP.
What’s going on with Peabody High School?
Peabody may be closed very soon. Three out of four
students in the Peabody feeder pattern choose a school other than Peabody (the
feeder pattern is the geographic area assigned to the neighborhood school)
. By the Fall of 2012, it’s estimated only 194 students will attend
Peabody, and the recent DeJong Long Term Facility Report recommends
closing Peabody.
What is Obama IB?
The Obama 6-12 International Baccalaureate School
is a magnet school that offers a rigorous curriculum with an international
focus. Obama IB is open to any student in the district, but students have
to apply and meet certain academic criteria to remain enrolled. IB
schools have long been popular in affluent areas; they provide students with
advantages that help them succeed in an increasingly globalized work
environment. Some of the country’s
best high schools are IB Schools.
Why should Peabody be the home of Obama IB?
Strong neighborhoods need strong schools. Obama IB at
Peabody gives families an incentive to live in neighborhoods north of the
busway rather than moving to Squirrel Hill, Shadyside or the suburbs.
Furthermore, a PGH
Public School Committee made up of students, parents and teachers
recommended that Peabody be the home of Obama IB. (Disclaimer: I
was a member of that committee). The DeJong Facility Report ranked
Peabody as a BETTER FACILITY than Reizenstein – but then recommended
keeping Obama IB at Reizenstein! Obama IB at Peabody provides a
great opportunity for students, and it will strengthen our neighborhoods.
What can YOU do?
Here’s what you can do:
1)
Forward
this email to your friends and neighbors – especially people in
neighborhoods north of the busway.
2)
Attend
the public hearing at Peabody on 2/7 at 7pm or Westinghouse on 2/25 at 7pm and
voice your support for Obama IB at Peabody.
3)
Email
your Board Member at boardoffice@pghboe.net
or
call at (412) 622-3770 and ask him or her to move Obama IB to
Peabody
a. IF YOU EMAIL, BE
SURE TO INCLUDE ‘MOVE OBAMA IB TO PEABODY – ATTN: BOARD
MEMBER’S NAME’ IN THE SUBJECT
b. District 2
(Highland Park, Stanton Heights, Sunnyside) – Dara Ware Allen
c. District 3 (East
Liberty, Friendship, Garfield) – Thomas Sumpter
d. Example Text:
‘Dear Board Member: I am a student/parent/community member
in your district. I support moving the Obama IB School to Peabody.
It’s a superior facility and will support families in my neighborhood
better than the Reizenstein facility. East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield,
Highland Park, Stanton Heights and Sunnyside deserve a local 6-12 school that
college bound students want to attend.”
4)
Please
email me at westpennworks@gmail.com
with your comments and let me know if you would like to do more to help.
Your help will make a difference. Thank you.
Dave Atkinson
Parent and Highland Park Resident