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| Cambridge Mayor Michael Sullivan (left) and Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers talk with Cambridge Harvard Summer Academy students. (Staff photos by Kris Snibbe) |
HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES
Harvard supports Cambridge learning with $500,000 in grants
Gazette Staff
Cambridge Mayor Michael Sullivan joined Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) on Aug. 1 to celebrate Harvard's contribution of more than $500,000 to a variety of programs, agencies, and organizations that are helping advance the common goal of learning in Cambridge.
The event was centered around the Cambridge Harvard Summer Academy, a five-year educational enrichment partnership between Harvard and the city of Cambridge that has linked Cambridge teachers and Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE) students with more than 400 local teenagers. The academy is among more than 20 Cambridge programs, organizations, and agencies to receive Harvard funds to support literacy and jobs for youth, summer school, professional development for teachers and administrators, community center activities, social services, and learning through culture and the arts.
On a tour of the academy, Summers became "teacher" when he and Sullivan stopped by a chemistry class. With a chemical equation on the chalkboard behind him, Summers pointed out the link between chemistry equations and their applications - including the production of clothes, floor material, and life-saving drugs. Later, Summers and Sullivan took the reins of a history and civics classroom led by Steve Ford and his interns, encouraging a lively debate on the right to use force.
The event highlighted Harvard's place among the many organizations, programs, and services that contribute to the rich fabric of Cambridge. The program was introduced with singing and a dance performed by youngsters with the Phillips Brooks House Association's Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program. This program is organized and run entirely by Harvard and other college students and provides summer activities for neighborhood youth.
"Harvard is an institution dedicated to education," said Summers. "We have a wonderful partner in the mayor and are proud of the initiative our students show in working in the community on a range of education challenges."
Sullivan recognized the spirit of collaboration that has drawn a wide range of the city's resources to address the educational and literacy needs of the community.
"Further collaboration, working together - Harvard, the city, and the organizations here today - this is the partnership we are talking about," said Sullivan, a strong advocate for literacy in the community who thanked the organizations present for their efforts. "This partnership is about us working together for the future of our kids and for the future of our community. This collaboration is about making a difference."
Interim Schools Superintendent Carolyn Turk later echoed the mayor's observations: "We hear a lot of talk about 'partnerships' but what I see is a local university doing its part for the community, with a sincere interest in supporting young people and adults," said Turk. "Education is everybody's business and today is a testament to that fact."
This summer’s grant recipients include:
And a fund for Children’s Books for:
PBHA Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program
Tobin Elementary School
Morse Elementary School
Somerville Charter School
Benjamin Banneker Charter School
Cambridge Camping Association
Community Arts Center
YWCA
Margaret Fuller House
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