City to receive 21st Century Grant funding

Approximately two months ago, the City of Apalachicola submitted a proposal to the Florida Department of Education (DOE) to act as the fiscal agent of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant, a role the Franklin County School District played during the grants first five years.

On Friday, August 21, City Administrator Betty Taylor-Webb received notification from DOE Bureau Chief Joe Davis that the proposal submitted by the city will receive funding.

The city asked for $490,320.00 to continue its Project Impact afterschool and summer programs at the city’s new recreation and community service complex located at the former Apalachicola High School.
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The purpose of the grant it to provide academic enrichment programs to help students meet performance standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics.

As well as to provide youth development activities, such as drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, art, music, and recreation programs that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students.

In addition, the purpose of the grant is to provide families of students served by the program opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

In his notification letter Davis wrote, “We are very pleased to inform you that the proposal submitted by your agency for the 2009-2010, 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant has been selected for funding. The overall quality of submitted proposals resulted in a highly competitive process, and the success of your proposal is a significant accomplishment”.

Project Impact director Faye Johnson along with her assistant Nadine Kahn and city staffer Cindy Summerhill put together and submitted the city’s proposal to the DOE for consideration.

The $490,320.00 award will position the City of Apalachicola to effect positive the academic development of Apalachicola and Franklin County students, a role every municipality in the state should seek.

A Spectacular Grand Opening

More than 200 men, women, and children from throughout the Franklin county community attended Friday’s grand opening held at the former Apalachicola high school campus, which now serves as the city’s new Recreation & Community Services Complex.

There were loads of kid’s activities, games, demonstrations, free food, tours of Project Impact and live entertainment as the city breathed new life into the abandon campus, closed two years ago due to the opening of the new consolidated school in Eastpoint.

Highlighting the entertainment and to the delight of the crowd were the famed FAMU Strikers All-Star male dance crew, which preformed on both the inside and outside stage.

The Eastpoint Church of God’s drama team, performed their renowned Christian skit titled, “Shouting John” and Jeanette Taylor’s Zumba class swaggered to some high paced Latin tunes, while Abby Harrison a local up and coming teen singer belted out a couple of Miley Cyrus’s hits.

Other entertainment included Kimberly Harrington; the first local female country rapper out of Carrabelle who performed her new hit single Bass Pro Shop. It has been reported that during the past few weeks, Bass Pro Shop has been the most requested single on local Country radio station WOCY 106.5FM, surpassing the 17-year run of Billy Ray Cyrus’s Achy Breaky Heart.

City commissioners were also recognized and commended for their role in accepting and transforming the old campus into a safe gathering place for Apalachicola’s youth and Betty Taylor-Webb, city administrator for embracing the concept and making it happen.

According the city commissioner Valentina Webb, the city of Apalachicola went outside the box with the festivities surrounding the grand opening.

Photos courtesy of Cindy Summerhill

Youth Center Grand Opening

Park Opens at 3:00PM

Water Slide, Games, Prizes,
Contest, Basketball, Karaoke,
Art Activities, Music and More!

Free Food at 5:00PM
Strikers Dance at 6:00PM

Sponsored in Collaboration With:

Project Impact

The City of Apalachicola Anti-Tobacco Program

The Franklin County Health Department
Location at AHS 14th Street

For more information call 653-9319

Project Impact, making an IMPACT

Faye Johnson, director of the City of Apalachicola’s Project Impact updated the commission at the July 7, meeting on the progress of the summer program activities. Johnson reported that the program just completed at all three sites its first summer camp session.

The first session ran for three weeks from June 15 through July 2, and is now gearing up for a second session scheduled for July 13 through July 30.

The three sites include the old Apalachicola High School campus, the ABC Charter School, and the dropout prevention program at the Franklin County Consolidated school in Eastpoint.

Johnson spoke of a well-rounded program where students have received help with credit recovery, have access to the Wilderness Coast Public Libraries bookmobile, take weekly field trips, swimming lessons, participate in sports activities and Zumba classes.

Johnson especially highlighted the activities at the old Apalachicola High School campus, which now serves as the City’s Youth and Community Service Center. She stated that during the first session the Mary Brogan Museum brought in and set up their inflatable planetarium called StarLab.

StarLab is a 20’x22’ portable planetarium that features age appropriate shows for grades K-12. The shows include current night sky, basic astronomy, constellation identification, celestial navigation, mythology, world geography, plate tectonics, and ocean currents.

Johnson also announced the grand opening scheduled for July 17, from 3:00PM to 6:00PM at the Apalachicola site. The event will feature an inflatable water slide, bounce houses, music, movies, free food, and the famed FAMU Strikers All-Stars, which recently competed on MTV season three of the America's Best Dance Crew show.

Photos taken by Gail D. Johnson

Project Impact Summer Program

At the June 2 city commission meeting, Faye Johnson, director of Project Impact gave commissioners an overview of the activities of the afterschool program.

Johnson told commissioners that June 3 was the last day for students at Project Impact, but that the program was gearing up for its 2009 summer schedule.

The summer program will consist of two-parts, session one will begin on June 15 and run through July 2 and session two from July 13 through July 30. Both sessions will be open to receive kids from 8:00AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Thursday.

Johnson stated that the program would have a strong arts component, both visual and performing, where the kids will put together a program akin to the Wizard of Oz. She said that, instead of the Wizard, there will be King Retsyo and instead of munchkins, there will be oysters.

Other components of the summer program will include video production, a science program, field trips, recreation activities, reading enrichment and a teen center inside the old high school that will be open after 4:30PM to give kids a place to go after Project Impact closes.

The City of Apalachicola operates Project Impact in collaboration with the Franklin County School Board. However, the city applied to the Florida Department of Education as the fiscal agent for next year’s Project Impact grant totaling $490,320 dollars.

City Inaugurates Project Impact

The City of Apalachicola and Franklin County School Board (FCSB) have partnered to provide Afterschool and Summer Camp programs through Project Impact. The programs are offered at threes sites including the Franklin County Consolidated School in Eastpoint, Apalachicola Bay Charter School, and at the new City of Apalachicola Recreational Complex at the former Apalachicola High School. The Project Impact Office is co-located at the fieldhouse of AHS with the Franklin County Library Tigers Program.

The building has been refurbished to include a classroom and computer lab for Project Impact, with the gymnasium reopened for students 3:00PM to 6:00PM and available for public use 6:00PM to 9:30PM weekdays, and managed by volunteers on the weekends. The gym will be available for special programs upon request by contacting the City of Apalachicola at (850) 653-9319.

Project Impact initiated the City’s Afterschool program in February and is continuing to accept students including elementary through high school. Afterschool services are provided free of charge and include homework help, targeted tutoring, educational enhancement, recreational activities, and arts education. A full-time program will be offered in the summer weeks with the first sessions running June 15th – July 2nd , and second session running July 13th – July 30th. Enrollment for the City’s Summer Camp program will begin after spring break and is accessible online at www.projectimpactfcs.org or you may contact the program office at (850) 323-0231 or the coordinator of each site. Summer programs will be offered at all three sites with the ABC site focusing on recreation and academic enrichment, the high school site focusing on credit recovery and enrichment, and the City of Apalachicola site focusing on academics and an enriched arts and culture program.

Project Impact is funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program to support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

For more information on Project Impact, please contact Faye Johnson at (850) 323-0231.

Project Impact Summer Camp Enrollment

Time to Enroll
Project Impact
Summer Camp
Sponsored by the City of Apalachicola
Please call 323-0231, enroll online at
www.projectimpactfcs.org or stop by the Project Impact Office
at 1 Shark Blvd. (formerly Apalachicola High School Fieldhouse)
Sessions 1: June 15th – July 2nd
Session 2: July 13th – July 30th

Monday – Thursday, 8:00 to 4:30

Recreation, Arts, Academics, & Field Trips!
Program Sites: Apalachicola Bay Charter School,
City of Apalachicola (AHS), FCS Eastpoint