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NewsroomPress releasesHighmark Healthy High 5 provides $150,000 grant to support transition for Duquesne High School students PITTSBURGH (Aug. 28, 2007) The Highmark Foundation, as part of its Highmark Healthy High 5 initiative, awarded a $150,000 grant to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to provide transition assistance for Duquesne High School students who are moving to two local high schools. “This funding will provide resources to support the students through this difficult change as they move to new area high schools,” said Aaron Walton, chairman of the Highmark Foundation. “We believe that safe school environments are critical to the academic success of students.” In June 2007, the intention to close Duquesne School District was announced due to a declining student population, struggling district administration team and lack of academic and extracurricular offerings. The Pennsylvania Department of Education felt that for Duquesne High School students to be successful academically, they needed to move into an environment that provided more robust opportunities. The receiving schools are East Allegheny and West Mifflin high schools. “Even though the new high schools can provide academic and extracurricular opportunities, these students also face potential threats to their emotional health, including bullying, discrimination and culture shock from moving outside of their community,” said Gerald Zahorchak, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education. “With the help of the Highmark Foundation, we can provide needed support to the students from Duquesne and the new high schools.” The grant will provide programming designed to support the emotional health of students through bullying prevention and transition facilitation, as well as mentoring and career planning. A transition facilitator will help the Duquesne students move into their new school environment and coordinate a bullying prevention and career mentoring service offered at West Mifflin and East Allegheny high schools. Center for Safe Schools bullying prevention programThe Highmark Foundation recently announced a $2.3 million grant to the Center for Safe Schools to support the expansion of their Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success). The Olweus program has been utilized internationally for over 25 years with significant results in decreasing bullying behaviors. As part of this grant, the Center for Safe Schools will immediately begin working with West Mifflin and East Allegheny high schools to implement the PA CARES bullying prevention program. The issue of bullying is one of five components of Highmark Healthy High 5, a five-year, $100 million initiative of the Highmark Foundation aimed to reverse the current trends in children’s health. Bullying is a serious public health issue that affects countless children and adolescents every day. The goal of Highmark Healthy High 5, through the support of bullying prevention programs and initiatives, is to help reduce the incidences of bullying in schools to help children and adolescents lead happier, healthier lives. “Bullying is a serious issue that can affect students in a typical school environment. Because of the merger of students into the new high schools, major social and emotional impacts will be felt by the students,” said Walton. “We felt it was critical to provide funding to support this transition because we know that the physical and emotional trauma felt by students that are bullied can have a lifelong impact.” About Highmark Healthy High 5 For more information, contact:
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