AllentownSchool District

Building 21 Allentown Places Students in Summer Enrichment Programs Across Lehigh Valley

Building 21 Allentown Places Students in Summer Enrichment Programs Across Lehigh Valley
Posted on 06/20/2018
Building 21 is thrilled to announce that our Allentown school, Building 21 Allentown, has secured hands-on, rigorous learning opportunities for 50 of our students this summer.

Students will participate in 19 different programs across the Lehigh Valley over the summer including the following:

● Lehigh Valley Health Network (work, leadership program)
● The Baum School of Art Summer Programs
● Muhlenberg College Forensics Camp
● Penn State Lehigh Valley Entrepreneurship Program (for college credit)
● Lehigh University Summer Engineering Institute
● DeSales University Summer Theatre Institute
● Fé Program
● Various work internship opportunities

These summer learning opportunities are being provided through the generous financial support of The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust, The Rider-Pool Foundation, the Downtown Allentown Community Development Initiative, other local funders and scholarship support from several summer program providers. 

“Research is clear that summer enrichment programs can have a huge beneficial impact on student learning and outcomes,” remarked Jose Rosado, Jr., the School Leader at Building 21 Allentown. “We are very appreciative of the support that we have received from the community to make these opportunities possible for our students.”

Sixteen Building 21 Allentown students will have the opportunity to work in departments across Lehigh Valley Health Network for four days per week over the summer, and will come together one day per week for leadership and professional development programming. “This summer program is a natural extension of our ongoing community partnership with Building 21 Allentown,” added Kerri Green, Education Consultant at Lehigh Valley Health Network. “We are extremely excited to host these students and see this program as an innovative approach for our organization to invest in the region’s future health care workforce.”

Rising third and fourth year students at Building 21 Allentown were eligible to apply for summer learning opportunities, and were matched to various offerings based on their interest and passion. All programs and work opportunities were screened by Building 21 Allentown staff to ensure that students would find their experience engaging, illuminating and connected to their interests.

“We are pleased to know these students will gain experience in top healthcare, educational, arts, and leadership building organizations,” said Edward F. Meehan, MPH, Executive Director of The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust and The Rider-Pool Foundation. “This directly mirrors several of our focused support areas including success in education and  community development in the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone.”

Nzigirabarya Leocadia, a rising fourth year student at Building 21 Allentown who completed the Penn State Lehigh Valley Entrepreneurship Program last summer, said of her experience, “It was really fun - from dressing professionally and preparing for interviews to presenting your ideas effectively, I learned so much. Being an entrepreneur all starts with an idea that you are really passionate about, and then sticking with it no matter what.” 

Summer enrichment programs are just one piece of Building 21’s career-connected learning program in which students are pushed to connect their learning with real-world projects in authentic settings.

About Building 21
Based in Philadelphia, Building 21 seeks to empower networks of learners to connect with their passions and build agency to impact their world. Building 21 currently operates two competency-based, innovative high schools in Pennsylvania, and has partnered with five other innovative schools across the country that have adopted the Building 21 learning model.
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