| A Glimpse of Hope The San Francisco 49ers Academy
The San Francisco 49ers Foundation joined Communities in Schools, a national non-profit organization that aims to reverse declining graduation rates, especially in urban and impoverished areas, to create the academy 18 months ago. It employs six teachers and nine staff members who mostly come from the same environment their students do. And for the first semester, as an experiment in education, trained psychologists, social workers, counselors and teachers show how to build self-esteem in children. The academy is the last stop for 12- to 15-year old students who have been thrown out of schools for disruptive and uncontrollable behavior. If a student is suspended from the academy, he can no longer attend a school within the state of California. And when one of them gets expelled from the academy he comes under police supervision and is placed in programs run by the police community center. The academy was built for those who may still have a chance to set their lives straight — to deter them from dropping out of school and having run-ins with the law. Lisa DeBartolo, daughter of the San Francisco 49ers franchise-owner Eddie DeBartolo, is the direct link between the academy and the San Francisco 49ers and often asks the students to appear at opening ceremonies for the famous football team. "I think the people over at the academy really care about the children," said DeBartolo, who provided 49ers t-shirts, khaki pants to 100 academy boys as uniforms when the school opened in September 1995. The 49ers Foundation donated $30,000 to a school that officials say costs $800,000 to run. The Ravenswood School District superintendent, Dr. Charlie Knight, said most of the cost is being picked up by the school district and not enough by private industries. "So far we got a little bit of money from the 49ers," Knight said. "We got $25,000 dollars from Costco and received $25,0000 from various other businesses. But that is not enough to keep a $800,000 school running." Truant police officer Marie Watts doubts that the school will close down. But she fears if this is the likely outcome, the crime rate will soar. "This school meets a lot of needs of the school district," said the officer carrying a pizza back to the faculty meeting. "If the school closes I don't know what would happen." Meanwhile, a handful of Stanford University students donate their time to New Perspectives, an after-school program that teaches arts and crafts to students from the academy and surrounding schools within the community. Principal Carolyn Scott said that this program works wonders for some students, while for others, the academy just isn't enough. "Some kids are going to be open to the program, and some kids can't be open to the program," said Scott. It was 1992 when East Palo Alto attained the dubious honor of being cited as the murder capital of the United States, after a particularly violent year in which the city suffered more killings per capita than any other. The 49ers Academy boys were only 9, 10 and 11 years old. They witnessed gun fire in front of their homes on a daily basis. Many psychiatrists believe that males at these ages often act out aggressively and emulate the violence they have seen displayed before them. As part of a nationwide effort to reduce violence and school drop out rates, the Communities in Schools program was created by director Bill Mulligan, who envisioned schools that could cater to children who have special needs in addition to giving them an education. Communities in Schools offers social welfare programs, including one where social workers can place children in foster homes at the school. It also offers on-site medical care, where doctors make house calls, and a mentorship program, where Stanford University college students visit students after school. In addition to these programs it educates children on gang prevention, teen violence, and teen pregnancy. Though the school is hailed by many as a godsend to the impoverished two-and-half-square-mile community, the cost to maintain it is astronomical. Leslie Jenkins, the office manager of the academy said DeBartolo, the 49ers owner's daughter, had taken the students to see the Nutcracker and donated San Francisco 49ers jackets as Christmas gifts. But taking students out to see a show every now and then does not help keep the school open, according to Knight. The Ravenswood School district is threatening to close the 49ers Academy by June. "Unless we get $400,000 by this summer, we would have to close the school down," Knight said. "Besides the school attendance is terrible. And our money comes from the attendance of students." Yet remaining optimistic, Knight said she is determined to keep the academy's doors open and that the 49ers Academy continues to serve the troubled youth in the 23,000 resident community. "It's very important to try to develop some special programs to meet the needs of boys who tend to be out of control," Knight said. The 49ers emblem hangs from the beige wooden wall of the one-story school that resembles an army barracks. The building houses regular classes from math to science to English. But it also offers special after-school programs for students with good behavior. The school operates on a daily basis with one principal, a school director, an office manager, and eight teachers. "When the school first opened, there used to be a lot of fights," said Lt. Sibley, the police officer for the community. "But it has calmed down a bit." |
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