Press Release
June 21, 2007
Jerry Mccracken Scholarship Awarded To Students From Denver Center For International Studies
Three DPS Students Head to China This Summer
Three students from the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS), a Denver Public Schools magnet school, have received scholarships from the Jerry McCracken Scholarship Fund (JMSF), established in honor of long time Manual High School world studies teacher, Jerry McCracken.
The scholarship will send Parrish Jovanté, Warren Swiney and Crystal Bustillos to Zhengzhou, China from June 26 to July 24, 2007. They will assist students from the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) in their English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms for Chinese middle and high school students.
"I am eager to help Chinese students interact with English-speaking people and improve my Chinese comprehension," said tenth-grader Parrish Jovanté, who has been studying Chinese for two years.
The Orbis Institute began the World Camp China program last summer, when about 20 students from CU-Boulder formed teaching teams and taught English to Chinese middle and high school students. The experience was life-changing. This summer the group has invited three DCIS students who study Chinese to assist in their classrooms. JMSF will fund roughly 90 percent of the total cost per DCIS student.
The scholarship is open to DCIS students seeking to increase their knowledge and experience something brand new. The program was created on behalf of a Manual teacher, Jerry McCracken, who encouraged his students to explore the world beyond their doorsteps. McCracken is remembered as a passionate and adventurous educator who spent his career inspiring students to think outside the box.
ABOUT THE JERRY MCCRACKEN SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Jerry McCracken Scholarship Fund operates under the umbrella of the Friends of Manual organization. A group of volunteers who believe in Jerry McCracken's vision of education beyond the classroom selects the scholarship recipients. The 2007 selection committee included Joan McCracken, Culum Walsh, Dave French, Aron Rosenthal and Mark Arnoldy. Friends of Manual is a non-profit 501-c3 organization established to support the students at Manual High School. For more information about the Jerry McCracken Scholarship Fund or for donation information, please contact GG Johnston at 303-623-3366.
The 2007 Jerry McCracken Scholarship Fund recipients are:
- Parrish Jovanté, 10th grade, Denver Center for International Studies
- Warren Swiney, 11th grade, Denver Center for International Studies
- Crystal Bustillos, 11th grade, Denver Center for International Studies
For more information, please contact GG Johnston at 303-623-3366.