OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
STUDENTS TO TOUR NATION'S TOP
AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGES 

21 Area Students Named Winners of Black College Tour Award 

LA CANADA, Calif. (April 19, 2007) – To help inspire minority students aim for college, Opportunities for Learning (OFL) public charter schools have launched a new awards program that takes nearly two dozen students on a weeklong national trip to nine historically black colleges and universities, school officials announced today.

The purpose of the trip is to afford minority and low-income students the chance to visit colleges and experience first hand an educational environment that is truly centered on academic success. The students come from Long Beach, San Gabriel Valley, the High Desert and San Fernando Valley regions. 

“The black college tour will allow our students the opportunity of a lifetime to visit campuses with rich traditions and excellent reputations,” said Bill Toomey, OFL’s director of instruction. “Many of our students are from families that have never had anyone attend college. So this tour is intended to help inspire them and open doors they never knew existed.” 

Through a competitive application process, OFL students were reviewed according to academic profile, including test scores, as well as the quality of a 500-word essay they were required to write. The essay included questions regarding their dreams and motivation for attending college as well as what they would gain by attending the black college tour. 

“I would like to challenge the black statistics of young black males not making it to college,” wrote one of the winning students. 

Another said the experience would be a “stepping stone for me to reach greatness.” 

The students selected for the tour will have their trip fee paid for by OFL.  The students and five staff members on a visit of nine historically black colleges in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. They will tour Spelman, Morehouse, Clark-Atlanta, North Carolina A&T, Bennett, Paine College, Johnson C. Smith, Hampton and Howard University. 

“We are very excited about this program and hope to make it an annual event for deserving students,” said Toomey. 

News reporters may obtain a list of students from their areas by contacting Stevan Allen at (916) 448-1336 and stevan@allenstrategic.com or David DePinto at (818) 352-7618 ddepinto@depintomorales.com. 

About Opportunities for Learning Public Charter Schools: OFL is the operating name of three independent, WASC accredited public charter schools with 26 learning centers located throughout Southern California.  OFL and its sister organization, Options for Youth Public Charter Schools, currently serve more than 25,000 students each year; thousands more are on waiting lists.  Established by lifelong teachers and educators, John and Joan Hall in 1999, OFL began serving at-risk students who dropped out or were at risk of dropping out of school.  Over time, it has expanded its focus to become an innovator in the development of educational options, curriculum, programs and administrative services tailored to the needs of independent study and designed to expand opportunities for at-risk students. For more information: www.emsofl.com