• School News
• News Archive
• Calendar

Creative Arts Recovering, Thanks to Supportive Community

January 12, 2012

 

 

Creative Arts Charter School has received an incredible outpouring of support following the December 22nd Alamo Square Fire which caused significant smoke and water damage to our school. We are amazed and thankful for the way our community has come together. With the support of parents, staff, the San Francisco Unified School District, our heroic construction workers, and our extended community in San Francisco and beyond, our school is stronger than ever and in the process of making a full recovery from this tragedy.

Our list of appreciations is lengthy: We were amazed by the outpouring from not just our own families, but their communities of families and friends as well. During the days following the fire, our extended community has donated over $20,000 online to make sure that our students have books, art supplies and so much more. We have also received donations of school supplies, books, rugs, furniture, office supplies and art supplies to get our classrooms up and running. We cannot thank our supporters enough for their caring and generous support.

As usual, our staff continues to amaze us. Our teachers put in countless hours over the break and during the first week of school to ensure that the students had a safe and caring environment ready for learning. They cleaned classrooms, inventoried losses, moved belongings, and developed entire new classroom setups in a matter of days. School opened a mere one day late, and students entered classrooms that were ready for learning. More importantly, our staff gave our students extra emotional support and assistance processing the event, and provided calm, positive role models for students and their families.

Our amazing construction crew, in partnership with San Francisco Unified, worked throughout the holiday break to assess and repair damage, replace furniture, and set up new classrooms for the school. Without their sacrifice and hard work, we would not have been able to open our doors for weeks. We thank them all for giving up their winter break in support of our students.

Because of the incredible work and generosity of all these caring individuals, Creative Arts Charter School is excited to report that we are back on our feet! A walk through our halls today reveals a revitalized community celebrating its perseverance and camaraderie. Our facility may be a work in progress as construction and restoration continues, but within the halls we hear the sounds of curiosity and creative passion.

Even as we celebrate this revival, however, Creative Arts still functions in an environment of shrinking state funding and continued financial stress. The fire did not burn away our financial needs, so we continue to look for ways to support our educational programming. Please consider supporting our two main fundraisers this year by contributing to The Annual Fund and attending our March 3rd "Hearts for the Arts" benefit dinner and auction. Donations to to the Annual Fund are 100% tax-deductible and help make up for the shortfall in state funding. At the auction we will celebrate our renewal with fine food from The Slanted Door, Il Fornaio and Max's Market, exciting auction items, live music, and the company of an amazing, supportive community of family and friends. For more information and to buy tickets for this special event, please visit: http://www.creativeartscharter.org/auction

To donate to annual fund, click here:

Annual Fund Other

 

Ultimately the fire has helped remind us all that schools are not made of buildings, but of people. When I greet our families at drop-off and when I visit our classrooms, I see what a truly inspirational group of people we have here at Creative Arts. That so many people have joined our extended community in our time of need is a sustaining force as we continue to build our our vision.

Starting with a premise that every child has a unique genius waiting to be surfaced, Creative Arts offers a nurturing and transformative educational experience dedicated to cultivating and celebrating each student's creative and innovative capacities. We are excited to be at the forefront of 21st century education; and hope you will continue to support us as we build out our vision for education that encompasses intellectual development, artistic development, social development, self awareness, community awareness, and social justice.

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts, and we hope to meet many of you in person on March 3rd.

 

Paul Greenwood
CACS Director