AOL Announces 2006-2007 AOL Aspires Grant Winners.

Grantees Include Seven New AOL Aspires Schools and Thirteen Renewal AOL Aspires Schools

New Pilot Program Launching This Year; Building on Successes,E[sz]Leveraging Effective Nonprofit Partnerships and Forging Deeper Engagement with Schools

DULLES, Va. -- AOL today announced its fifth annual AOL Aspirations Fund grants, supporting programs designed to nurture the life goals and aspirations of youth and founded on the belief that student aspirations are the source and substance of accomplishment and achievement. These programs, including a drumline music program, a college/scholarship program, an African-American fathereIUs circle, an after-school electives program, and a Latino student achievement initiative are among the many innovative approaches being supported by the 2006 AOL Aspirations Fund grants. The program has granted more than $800,000 over the last five years.

This year, AOL awarded new grants of $10,000 each to six middle schools and high schools from Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland, and to one high school near AOL's offices in San Francisco. The AOL Aspires program also awarded renewal grants totaling $47,500 in the DC metro region and San Francisco, as well as Columbus where AOL has offices.

Additionally, AOL announced it has launched a pilot program, granting $25,000 each to Calvin Coolidge Senior High School andE[sz]the Maya Angelou Public Charter School, Evans Campus, in 2006. Both schools are located in Washington, DC.

The goal in launching the new pilot initiative is to test opportunities to forge deeper partnerships with public or public charter schools in the DC metro region, that share AOLeIUs commitment to opening doors of opportunity and helping students envision positive futures. Calvin Coolidge Senior High School andE[sz]the Maya Angelou Public Charter School are initiating programs that involve in-depth collaborations with AOL, other community or nonprofit partners, and/or feeder schools whose students are likely to go on to attend the grantee school.

eIuAOL is committed to helping students attain the brightest possible future," said Jon Miller, Chairman and CEO of AOL, LLC. "The AOL Aspires grant program is based on the belief that in order to reach a bright and successful future, a student must first aspire to that future and have those aspirations nurtured. This grant program seeks to help participating schools take stock of how well they support student aspirations and, by sharing what they learn, help other schools and other students reach their goals.eIN

In addition to financial support, AOL works closely with the grantee schools to provide such in-kind support as employee volunteers and computer equipment. Throughout the school year, grantee schools are invited to the Loudoun County, VA, campus, where AOL hosts several events for Aspires teachers and students. Teachers, for example, participate in workshops on leadership and on getting the most from aspirations-related programs. Students join AOL employees for job shadow days and other mentoring opportunities. And in the spring, teachers and students spend a day at AOL for the annual AOL Aspirations Fair, a chance to come together, share ideas, best practices and celebrate each othereIUs successes.

AOL Aspires Grant Winners 2006-2007

Francis L. Cardozo Senior High School, Washington, DC eI Scholarship Club

With its AOL Aspirations grant, Cardozo Senior High will create a fun and supportive eIuScholarship ClubeIN that will help students maneuver the college and scholarship application processes. The club will also provide incentives to increase the number of students seeking to gain entrance to college and win scholarships. The overall goal is to create a school climate where students eI particularly male students eI are motivated to pursue higher education and apply for scholarships, and where they feel supported in doing so.

Kenmore Middle School, Arlington County, VA eI ACT II

Through ACT II, Kenmore Middle School gives students the opportunity to take after-school elective classes between 2:30 p.m.E[sz]and 4:05E[sz]p.m. two days per week. This extended day schedule will enable students to take classes in the arts and communications technology. Funds from its AOL Aspirations grant will increase the number of classes offered (specifically, an additional semester of Computer Applications) and pay for needed supplies and materials.

Kingsview Middle School, Montgomery County, MD eI African American FathereIUs Circle

In an effort to increase the academic achievement of its African American male students, Kingsview Middle School created an African American FathereIUs Circle last year that meets monthly. With its AOL Aspirations grant, the fathereIUs circle will be able to take students on college visits and host Family Math Nights, Family Reading Nights, Family Scrabble, Family Day at the SoccerPlex and a father/son basketball game. The focus will be on demonstrating how students can be academically successful, showing success strategies in math and reading, and getting families involved in education. Kingsview also plans to reach out to its two feeder elementary and high schools, getting fathers involved in their childreneIUs education at all levels. Goals are to increase academic success and the number of students who qualify for advanced classes.

Newport Mill Middle School, Montgomery County, MD eI The Latino Student Achievement Initiative

The Latino Student Achievement Initiative involves a year-long in-school program that targets Latino youth who are at risk for substance abuse, delinquency, gang involvement, and other negative outcomes. Funded by Newport MilleIUs AOL Aspirations grant, the program will be organized and coordinated by a nonprofit organization called Identity. In addition to facilitated small group sessions, the facilitators will work closely with school faculty in order to increase their understanding of the Latino culture and needs, and to sustain gains in studentseIU attitudes toward learning and academics. Group sessions will focus on communication, conflict resolution, anger management, decision-making, leadership development, health promotion, and goal-setting. The program will also organize a three-day weekend retreat in the spring to more deeply engage youth in team-building and leadership development exercises, and will host eight meetings for parents/guardians to foster their involvement in their childreneIUs academic success and promote bonding and communication within the family.

John Philip Sousa Middle School, Washington, DC eI Sousa Drumline Program

This school will use its grant to create the Sousa Drumline program, a multifaceted after-school music program that integrates music and technology with reading, writing and math skills. The program will meet every day after school, and students will first receive 30 minutes of homework help before the Drumline sessions in order to promote academic success. The Sousa Drumline will perform for at least four public audiences, and students will develop a website and student-produced promotional video. The programeIUs goals are for all members to achieve proficiency in reading, music and musical performance, and to improve overall academic performance.

H.D. Woodson High School, Washington, DC eI AHEADeIeIAspire to Higher Education, Achieve your Dream

AHEAD will match 50 freshmen with 50E[sz]juniors andE[sz]seniors who will mentor the younger students on how to succeed in high school and beyond. Students will go on college tours, and mentor teams will work together on specific tasks designed to help them understand the educational path needed to pursue their career interests. Goals are to (1) raise the aspirations of the schooleIUs most promisingE[sz]freshmen to encourage them to pursue a path that will lead to college; (2) solidify the commitment of the schooleIUs most promising juniors and seniors to go on to college; and (3) foster a college-going culture within the school. Specific objectives are for 100% of seniors to graduate from high school; 90% of freshmenE[sz]andE[sz]juniors to progress to the next grade level; 85% ofE[sz]seniors to enroll in college; and 80% ofE[sz]freshmen andE[sz]juniors to express an intent to go to college.

City Arts and Tech High School, San Francisco, CA eI Learning Resource Center

This school will use its AOL Aspirations grant to create a Learning Resource Center that will help prepare students for the 21st century, and enable many of these students to become the first in their family to attend college. The Learning Resource Center will provide an after-school emotional and academic support system that offers tutoring, group counseling and academic resources. Goals are to help students increase academic proficiency and content area mastery, and to help close the minority achievement gap. Specific objectives, by 2008, are to reduce the minority achievement gap to half that of the average high school in San Francisco; produce graduates who are well prepared for success in college and the workplace, and who are deeply engaged in learning; and provide proof that the schooleIUs models work for diverse students and are both replicable and sustainable.

Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, Washington, DC (pilot grant)

With its AOL Aspires grant, Calvin Coolidge Senior High School will support a range of efforts to raise aspirations of its students. Grant funds will be used to provide all incoming freshmen (an estimated 160 students) with experiences that will help to raise their aspirations for the future in terms of education and career options. Specific components will include a mentorship and job shadowing program, early exposure to college, and a multilevel peer partnership program.

Maya Angelou Public Charter School, Evans Campus, Washington, DC (pilot grant) eIWeb 2.0 Learning SeriesE[sz]eIE[sz]Seeing Beyond the Technology

Maya Angelou Public Charter School will use its AOL Aspires grant to initiate development and implementation of the Web 2.0 Learning Series eI Seeing Beyond the Technology with students at its Evans Campus. The goal is to help students understand how Web 2.0 technology can help them reach their academic and personal goals, and use this technology as a tool to develop their aspirations and skills to successfully transition from high school to college.

In addition to this year's grants for new initiatives, AOL also awarded renewal grants to 13 existing AOL Aspires schools to continue the success of efforts they initiated with their first-year grant award. Grantee schools are eligible for partial renewal grants for two additional years after being selected as an AOL Aspires school. For a complete list of schools receiving renewal grants, go to www.aolaspires.org.

Public schools from the greater DC metro area,E[sz]Columbus and San Francisco were eligible to apply for the AOL Aspires grants. The schools were asked to submit proposals outlining programs they would offer to help their students establish and achieve their academic and personal aspirations. Proposals from the schools were then reviewed by a committee of AOL employee volunteers who, in turn, visited each school and made grant recommendations.

For more information on the AOL Aspires grant program or to find out how to apply, visit www.aolaspires.org.

About AOL

AOL is a global Web services companyE[sz]that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers aE[sz]comprehensive suite of freeE[sz]software andE[sz]services, runs the country's largest Internet access business, and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLCE[sz]is based in Dulles, Virginia. AOL and its subsidiaries also have operations inE[sz]Europe,E[sz]Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.