If you visit St Louis and ask for Sumner High School then I would guess most people could tell you where it is; just in case they don't know, you can find it in The Ville neighborhood.
Both the school and the neighborhood share an amazing history! The Ville was, not too long ago, the nations most affluent African American neighborhood and became home to the very first African American High School west of the Mississippi, founded in 1875.
Sumner High Schools history is littered with former students who went on to do great things in the fields of politics, social reforms, the sciences and the arts including celebrities such as Tina Turner, Jackie Joyner Kersey and the Wimbledon champion, Arthur Ashe.
More recently it escaped closure by the skin of its teeth which is when we, the Canvas Network got involved with the school.
The students are awesome, the staff are simply heroes. I won't list the challenges they face, they are well documented but we will tell you what we have seen; talented and gifted educators fighting in the trenches to provide hope and opportunity for students, most of whom have as yet unfulfilled dreams.
We recently learned that Sumner High does not have a designated space for a staff lounge and so after conversations with Principal Nicholls and Social Worker Celeste Grayer, we decided to make one!
An old science lab, still in decent shape will be transformed into a place of refuge for these wonderful educators, AND, we will keep the science lab feel and include great furnishings.
Check out the video, produced by Nick Lusk at @Stonecreekwired.com and some of the photos taken prior to work starting.
We ask that you would please pray for us as we continue partnering with this school. Should you like to help financially then simply go to http://saintschurch.org/Give and designate it to Sumner.
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