DOWNTOWN : Skid Row School Gets $8,000 in Supplies
A Skid Row elementary school kicked off the new year right with $8,000 worth of T-shirts, baseballs, educational toys and cash generated by a Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce fund-raising gala.
But according to Ellie Vargas Page, principal of Ninth Street Elementary School, there are still plenty of items left on her wish list for her 475 pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students.
Page hopes to raise $5,000 to $10,000 for each of the 18 classrooms in her school so that teachers will be able to transform them into “hands-on, active-learning centers.”
She envisions science rooms with animals and a library with an on-line computer system so her youngsters can tap into the information superhighway.
This school year, Page estimates she has collected $25,000 toward her goals.
“I want kids to leave this school happy and well-adjusted,” said Page.
While this may seem a simple goal, Page’s students face a major obstacle: half of them are homeless.
The school has been adopted by many local civic organizations, including the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, which often donates money and educational gifts.
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