Classical High School Alumni Association 2017 Annual Report Keeping Classical Strong Table of Contents Message from Board President, Dr. Curtis Odom ‘90 1 Mission Statement 2 Thought Leadership (why we do what we do) 2 Impact of Support 2 CHS at a Glance 3 Keeping Classical Strong (How we support the mission) 4 AP Certification Tuition Program 4 Teacher Grant Program 4 Music Program (Bornstein and Band Uniform Fund) 5 Art Program 6 Athletics 7 Food and Clothing Program 8 Alumni Events 9 Testimonials 10 Resources and Financial Management 11 Letter from Treasurer Stephen Pascarella, CPA ‘73 Financial Statements Looking Forward 12 2018 goals 175th Anniversary Celebration Executive Leadership – CHSAA Board and Staff 13 Get Involved 14 Become your Class Representative Join a committee Volunteer Featured Alumni Speaker Series 2018 Calendar of Events 15 Make a Donation 16 Social Media 16 2017 List of Donors 17 Letter from Board President, Dr. Curtis Odom ’90 Dear Fellow Alumni, I am excited to share with you the first ever Classical High School Alumni Association Annual Report. We are launching this annual communication to coincide with the 175th year of Classical High School. The publishing of this annual report is the official kickoff of a yearlong celebration, with a focus on the themes of “History, Legacy, Diversity and Family”, culminating with our grand alumni evening event on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at the Hope Club in Providence. This first annual report comes at a time of key transition for our organization and for our alma mater, Classical High School. You will see that in this last year we have accomplished a number of key initiatives, either proposed by the board of directors, or initiated because of input from our members. Going forward, this annual report will be our means of reaching out to share with you our year in review. We invite you to take a moment to evaluate our successes over the past year, and to become familiar with the areas on which we will focus in the year ahead. The Classical High School Alumni Association supports Classical High School by building and maintaining relationships between alumni and community members and by raising funds for both school and association activities. In many ways, this last year was a new beginning for us as an organization. During these financially difficult times, the board — with substantial input from our members — adopted a new business model that moves the association away from an over-dependence on annual fund donation revenue to focus now also on targeted philanthropy and the growth of our endowment fund. While this three-tiered focus on philanthropy is a departure from our past, it helps to assure the association’s continued existence. Your alumni time and money provide a bridge between the funding needs of the school and the funds given by the city of Providence, in order to provide the best education for the children of Classical. The association plans to offer events that appeal to more of our alumni, in order to provide numerous opportunities for alumni to give of their time, as well as hopefully to inspire our alumni to contribute financially where they can . An event of particular Purple Pride is Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s officially declaring March 20, 2018, as “Classical Day”, to celebrate Classical High School’s turning 175 years old this year. Founded in 1843, Classical High School is one of the oldest public high schools in the United States and one of the six oldest public high schools in New England. On March 20th, students, alumni, faculty, city and state officials, members of the school board, and members of the community will gather at Classical High School for an assembly where a proclamation by Mayor Elorza will be read. This will be followed by the unveiling of a plaque from the Classical High School Alumni Association to commemorate our benefactors through the years. Later that same day, the Rhode Island General Assembly will issue a proclamation at the State House. We hope to see many familiar and many new alumni faces that day. As you read our annual report, I hope it will remind you of our recent successes and will energize you for the future as you envision “loyalty in action” toward the mission of the Classical High School Alumni Association for 2018. For those of you who have tirelessly committed time, energy, and finances to the success of this organization, I thank you. For the many of you who are new, I welcome you to your association. I look forward to being of service to all of you as president in this exciting year of 2018 as we work together to “Keep Classical Strong”. Classically Yours, Dr. Curtis Odom ’90 1 Mission Statement The mission of the Association is to provide support to Classical High School (the “School”) in Providence, Rhode Island. The Association shall achieve its mission by: • preserving and supporting the tradition of excellence of the School; • building and maintaining relationships among the School’s alumni and friends; • raising funds for activities of both the School and the Association; • enhancing the educational experience of current students at the School. Thought Leadership: Why we do what we do The Alumni Association was founded on the idea of giving back to the beloved school. Founding President Guy Pirolli ’73, had his daughters We invite all Alumni enrolled at the school at the time when city budgets were getting and Friends of Classical reduced. He saw firsthand the impact of these cuts. Guy was motivated to get his fellow alumni together to strategize ways they to stay a part of an could raise money in support of the school and the Classical High involved and connected School Alumni Association (CHSAA) was born. community. CHSAA is committed to turning loyalty into action. Our gratitude motivates us to give back to our community and to strive to Keep Classical Strong. Impact of support This year CHSAA gave more than $50,000 in funds to the school. This chart indicates how that money was allocated to the programs we sponsor. We would like to grow our support to Art and Food & Clothing in 2018. 2 Classical High School at a Glance Celebrating 175 years in 2018 68% one of the oldest public schools of students live at or in the US below the poverty level Class of 2017 was awarded 76% $18.6 million ethnically diverse in grants and scholarships to top US Universities 54% female Charter member of the 97% Cum Laude Society graduation rate since 1921 # High School 1in Rhode Island 2017 Blue Ribbon Exemplary High Performing School awarded by the US Department of Education in 2018 Commended Entrance Exam High Performing School college by the RI Department of Education preparatory Rated 1 of the public school CollegeBoard top Advanced Placement Program performing high schools by Offers 24 US News & Advanced Placement World Report (AP) courses 3 Keeping Classical Strong The Alumni Association is proud to offer various programs that support our mission and help us to Keep Classical Strong. # Advance Placement (AP) Certification Tuition Program 1 The Alumni Association pays the tuition for CHS teachers to obtain High School their certification in AP classes. This program enables us to preserve in Rhode Island and support the tradition of excellence at the school. IMPACT AP Certification Impact AP Certification Program CHSAA sent five Classical teachers to St. Johnsbury University in Vermont this summer to get certified. Of the 1185 students enrolled at the school, 555 Total Students 1118 AP students 555 students take AP classes. Classical currently offers 24 AP classes, more than any other high 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 school in Rhode Island. Teacher Grant Program Every September, CHS teachers apply to the Alumni Association for grants that are awarded to them in the fall. The purpose of the grants, is to allocate funds that enhance the educational experience of current students at the school. Grants awarded include field trips to museums, live performances, and other out-of- the-classroom experiences not allotted for in the school city budget. Grants also help purchase much needed classroom technology and equipment. IMPACT Teacher Grant Program This year 28 teachers were awarded grants affecting 700 students. Grants awarded supported field trips to Montreal, the ballet, and Boston Lyric Opera; workbooks for AP exam preparation; support to the Mock Trial team; and much more. Students affected by grants Total students 4 Music Support Program Through the support of the Alumni Association, the music program was brought back to CHS after budget cuts had eliminated it years ago. This program is due to the generous support of Richard Bornstein ’67. IMPACT Music Program The Richard Bornstein ’67 Music Gift allows us to provide fees for both the Jazz Ensemble and Strings. It also contributes to the school band by paying for instrument repairs and purchase, sheet music and more. There are currently 50 students involved in the Music program at the school. 5 Art Support Program This year, the Alumni Association turned its attention to the Visual Arts program at the school. The program has been underfunded for years and was in need of some assistance to support the seven classes and Art Club. We launched the Art Fund with a goal of raising $5,000 per academic year to purchase much needed art supplies and equipment. The Alumni Association used its #GivingTuesday platform exclusively to raise money for Art at CHS. IMPACT Art Support Program We owe a special Thank You to the Class of 1966 who donated $1,000 from their 50th reunion to the fund.