Black Lives Matter

Dear FoCA Community, 

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police sparked a rallying cry for racial justice in Philadelphia, across the United States and throughout the world. We mourn the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and every Black person whose life has been taken as a result of systemic racism and police brutality.

The groundswell of concern demands that we re-examine who we are as a country and has challenged people of all races to understand the experience of being Black in America. From Philadelphia to communities across the world, we are not remaining silent. We are saying loudly and decisively to our Black parents, students and community residents, “WE HEAR YOU.”  

The Friends of Chester Arthur stand with protestors demanding justice and equity in our society. Black Lives Matter. Today and every day. It is not enough to acknowledge this statement as true. We must create a community in which Black lives have abundant support, space, and resources to thrive and flourish. It is FoCA‘s mission to foster an engaging, safe and robust learning environment for Arthur’s students, the majority of whom are Black. In fulfilling our mission, we must remain aware that structural racism and inequities remain prominent in our education system both locally and nationally. It is thus of the utmost importance that FoCA and our Chester Arthur community continue to learn and grow together to create an environment in which our Black students at Arthur not only succeed but thrive. 

There is tremendous work to be done. FoCA is committed to speaking up and creating spaces for our Black parents, children and community residents to feel safe, supported and included. We welcome you to share with us your thoughts, experiences and suggestions, which will help ensure our efforts are in the spirit of anti-racism and our organization remains open to all members of our community. FoCA can be reached at arthurschoolgroup@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Shannon Braden and Leigh Botwinik
co-Presidents, Friends of Chester Arthur


Jason Miller, Secretary 
Keola Harrington, Treasurer 
Brad Baer, Director
Noah Buboltz, Director
Michael Burlando, Director
John Diston, Director
Dan Harris, Director
Matt Katz, Director
Rebecca Lacher, Director
Hannah Ryan, Director
Debra Serota, Director
Timothy Spreitzer, Director
Amy Sutter, Director
Dr. Mary Libby, Principal & Ex-Officio Director

Donor Spotlight: Skip and Remy

the stiles

A few months after Remy and Skip bought their remodeled home around the corner from Chester Arthur School, they read an opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer about two Point Breeze residents who returned their tax rebates to the city to support under-resourced public schools.

Remy emailed the article to Skip. The couple was struck by how lost tax dollars affect schools and wondered what they could do about that. “We thought about the best way we could give back to our new community,” Skip said.

And so it was decided: They would use their own tax rebates to make a unique donation to Friends of Chester Arthur, the nonprofit that fundraises and supports their neighborhood school. Remy sent a message through the FoCA website, saying she was inspired by this article and interested in supporting the organization. FoCA co-president Leigh Botwinik replied that very night. Leigh later got together with Skip and Remy to talk about FoCA and the various academic and extracurricular programs it funds at the school.

The Stiles went all in, making a donation based on the combined tax abatements for two homes they own in the neighborhood.

“This represents a way of thinking about donating to FoCA that we haven't seen before, and I think it’s indicative of the extent which FoCA has become woven into this community," Leigh said. "We are so grateful to Skip and Remy for this transformational gift.”

After donating, the Stiles took a tour of the school with Dr. Mary Libby, Arthur's first-year principal.  “It was great to see the kids interact with her,” Remy said. “Everyone who passed by was high-fiving her.”

They got to check in on a Spanish class (the Bilingual Butterflies program is funded by FoCA supporters), and they learned about the educational aspects of the schoolyard (which FoCA donors created out of blacktop several years ago).

They also watched students working with iReady, a computer program that provides personalized, targeted instruction in reading and math. It is hugely popular with students and has already resulted in improvements in test scores. Dr. Libby had been hoping to make it available to all students; the Stiles' gift has enabled FoCA to fulfill that wish.

Shannon Braden, FoCA co-president, toured the school with the Stiles. "Individual giving is an increasingly critical component of the fundraising that FoCA does, and so we’re thrilled that this gift will help us achieve our goal of raising $42,500 this year in individual gifts to support programs like iReady,” she said.

Remy and Skip are products of public schools (they met running track at Haddonfield Memorial High School in South Jersey). Their kids — Michaela, their newborn daughter, and Levi, their 2-year-old son — will one day be students at Chester Arthur.

“That’s part of what’s special about the neighborhood you live in — the public school is representative of your community,” Remy said. “We want our kids to be part of the community where we’re living. And it’s important that public schools have the support.”
 

Chester Arthur School keeps students skills sharp

Chester Arthur School keeps students skills sharp

Chester A. Arthur School has a small-class setting, relatable teachers, and engaging class assignments where students are supported to reach academic excellence.

“One of the things that I really like about this school besides the teachers are the different programs and activities,” said fourth-grader Miguel Popoca Sanchez. “I’m a junior coach at my school and through that I’m able to help the other students and staff at my school. There are so many different things to do here.”

Interview with Arthur 8th Grader Nicus Parcon

1)    When did you first start attending Arthur?

I moved to Philadelphia from the Philippines in the 2nd grade. It was tough fitting in at first, but I got to meet some really nice people. That’s the thing about Arthur — it has a really nice community. Teachers are welcoming. If you need help, you can ask anyone. People are caring and respectful. To be a part of this community is an honor and it is going to be sad to depart when I graduate.

2)    What is your favorite after-school program at Arthur?

Wow — that’s a hard question. I don’t know if I can pick just one. I really love Delphi, a dance program provided by the PA Ballet. Throughout the school year, we have three teachers who teach us three types of dance. This year we are doing ballet, salsa, and hip hop. Dance is a way of telling a story, of conveying emotion. A different side of me gets brought out. When I dance, I feel energetic and I have a lot of fun.   

But, I also love the STEM clubs. For example, in Lego Robotics, we program a robot to complete different missions. This year, the theme is outer space. We have to ask and think through questions related to the theme, like ‘How can we generate water in space?’ It requires a lot of teamwork to perfect the program that powers the robot. Something that seems simple, like having the robot move forward, means figuring out how many rotations of the wheels, how fast they should rotate, and in what direction. You really need the inputs of other people. When we work, we each have different roles: The recorder notes data and statistics, the builder puts things together, the organizer manages the process, and the idea-maker helps generate new ideas. Besides robotics, I’m also co-hosting “Dillon and Nicus Talk Food in Philly” as part of the Podcast Club. For our second episode, we got to try Vietnamese soup from Pho Cali. We’re editing our 3rd and 4th episodes right now.

3)    What’s your favorite subject and why?

I have a burning passion for the sciences. I’m really interested in astronomy. There are so many unanswered questions, and when I grow up I want to help answer them to benefit humanity. I like the problem-solving approach that we learn about in science class. Recently, we had to create an innovative cell phone stand. These days, phones are used for more than just calling people. We made a cell phone stand so that you can use your phone even when your hands are full. Initially, we created a stand out of paper. And it worked, but we have learned to keep thinking, keep testing, and keep pushing ourselves to identify improvements and additional functionality. We realized that more friction between the phone and the stand would help to keep the phone in place better.  And we wanted a panel that could slide so it could fit larger phones and tablets. So we made a new version using foam core, which is a more sturdy and durable material. How cool is it that our makerspace has foam core?!? Learning and practicing this design process has been really beneficial to me.

I also like art class and getting to work with materials I don’t have at home, like charcoal, clay, and paint. This year, I’ve gotten to work with pencils of different lead grade values indicating how dark or light they are. I’ve been working on contrasting shadow and light. One really fun project this year was when I got to create a bioluminescent creature through sculpture.

4)    What comes next for you after Arthur?

I recently interviewed at Science Leadership Academy and I just got audition papers for CAPA. Those are my top choices for high school. At Arthur, I’ve learned that collaboration and communication are key to leadership. That’s something I’ll take with me wherever I go.


The Landscape Architecture Foundation Reviews the Arthur Schoolyard

The Landscape Architecture Foundation Reviews the Arthur Schoolyard

The Chester Arthur Schoolyard Case Study has been published by the Landscape Architecture Foundation. The case study involved a Pre-Construction Site Assessment in 2016, a Post-Construction Site Assessment in 2017, both done by our landscape architect, SALT, and then data evaluation, analysis and presentation. We've been told the Landscape Architecture Foundation has a rigorous review process for their Case Studies and so it's an accomplishment to be approved by the organization. This work was funded by the William Penn Foundation grant that we secured for the Schoolyard.