East side elementary school gets $100,000 in classroom upgrades

Clark Preparatory Academy, an elementary school in the Morningside neighborhood on the East Side, received a $100,000 grant that will fund classroom upgrades. The punch list includes new computers and workstations in each of the school's 18 classrooms; stocked in-classroom libraries; and a new home economics learning center complete with a demonstration kitchen stocked with oak cabinetry and stainless steel appliances and a sewing room furnished with seven student stations with sewing machines.

The grant was funded by Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation. The city's Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative (NDNI) applied for it because Morningside/East English Village is located in one of its targeted Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative (NSI) areas, which also include Brightmoor, Osborn, Seven Mile/Livernois, Northend and Grand River/Greenfield.

The purpose of NSI is to shore up neighborhoods that historically have been very viable, but are experiencing some economic set-backs. The Lowe's grant will be leveraged by NDNI as part of its overall NSI effort, which has also received a grant for $200,000 from the Fannie Mae Office of Community and Charitable Giving.

The renovations are expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Source: James Canning, Canning Communications
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Image courtesy of NDNI

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