Freese Elementary Gets $100,000 Grant from Target Corp.

Freese Elementary Arts and Culture Magnet School in the Skyline neighborhood has been awarded a $100,000 grant by Target Corporation, nominated by viewers of TV's Ellen DeGeneres Show.

The grant will be used to support the school's Arts and Culture Magnet Program and purchase new books.

"I'm just so excited at what this will mean for our school," said Alma Hills, Freese Principal. "Due to budget cuts, our Arts and Culture program, which provides every Freese student with rich experiences in music, dance, theatre and visual arts, has been in danger of being eliminated.

"Additionally, Freese library book collections have been severely worn, due to our ambitious Scholastic Reading Counts independent reading program, in which Freese students have read more than 100 million words for multiple years. I want to especially thank Mary Pat Hutt, Freese's Arts and Culture Resource teacher, who submitted the nomination."

As an Arts and Culture Magnet school, Freese students constantly expand their cultural knowledge by exploring topics with local artists, musicians, dancers and actors, both on and off campus. All students in grades kindergarten through five participate in six- to eight-week arts and culture rotations, which are often enhanced by field trips and assemblies.

Superintendent Bill Kowba saluted not only the commitment to education by Target and the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but the excellent program at Freese.

"The Freese community took the initiative to pursue this important opportunity and deserves great credit for that," he said. "Not only is the funding appreciated, but the national recognition again highlights the quality education that students receive at Freese and all over the San Diego Unified School District."

As the Feb. 15 deadline for school choice applications approaches, Freese is holding open houses so prospective parents can tour the site and explore the programs. Contact the school at (619) 479-2727 for a schedule.

In addition, Freese will have a display at this Saturday's All Schools Fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Recital Hall in Balboa Park. Find Freese online at www.sandi.net/freese