RPA teacher gerts $5,000 ‘Community 101’ grant

The Redmond Proficiency Academy announced today that Teacher Ryan McLaughlin has been awarded a grant of $5,000 for Community 101 (C101).

Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the PGE Foundation, the Ambassador Cadre at Redmond Proficiency Academy has been accepted into the 2013-2014 Community 101 program. Administered by The Oregon Community Foundation and the PGE Foundation, Community 101 is a classroom- based program that provides student leadership and civic engagement through charitable giving.

A school-based program that connects students to neighborhood issues, such as hunger, homelessness and child abuse, Community 101 students are provided $5,000 for grant making; $1,000 of the $5,000 can be used for in-school grants.

Students identify issues that are important to them and that they see impacting their community. They research nonprofits, review grants applications, visit nonprofits, provide community service hours and award grants.

Community 101 students have granted over $2.2 million to Oregon nonprofits since 1997.

RPA teacher Ryan McLaughlin commented, “It is very exciting to bring Community 101 to our school! As an alum of the program myself, I look forward to giving students the opportunity to explore the needs of their community and then be able to make a significant contribution to support them.”

It is an innovative collaboration of schools, businesses and charitable organizations that gives students the tools to bring about positive change in their communities.

C101 also satisfies the Oregon Department of Education’s new essential skills requirements for an Oregon Diploma.

About Redmond Proficiency Academy
The Redmond Proficiency Academy (RPA) is a public charter school operating in the Redmond School District. In its fifth year of operation, RPA serves nearly 700 students in grades 6-12. Students come to RPA from throughout Central Oregon. Using a proficiency-based instructional model in a personalized school environment, RPA strives to prepare all students for success in college and life. For the past two years, RPA was deemed “Outstanding” by the Oregon School Report Card rating system, placing RPA in the top third of all Oregon schools.