Press Releases

Reverend Al Sharpton Speaks at Friendship Collegiate Academy as Part of HistoryMakers Back to School Program

Washington, D.C. (September 23, 2011) –Friendship Public Charter School today hosted a meeting of students with Reverend Al Sharpton. The Civil Rights leader spoke at Friendship Collegiate Academy about his school experience and the importance of educational achievement for African-Americans.

“Reverend Sharpton’s speech reminds us that everyone faces challenges, but a quality education is the key to overcoming those obstacles,” said Donald Hense, Chairman of Friendship Public Charter School.  “We want our students to take his positive message forward as they work to be leaders in the classroom and their community.”

Sharpton’s speech is part of the HistoryMakers Project Second Annual Back to School Program. This year the back to school project will have living African American HistoryMakers visit schools in nearly 109 cities and 35 states across the country.
Friendship’s mission is to provide a world-class education that motivates students to achieve high academic standards, enjoy learning and develop as ethical, literate, well-rounded and self-sufficient citizens who contribute actively to their communities.

The graduation rate at Friendship’s Collegiate Academy is 94.76 percent – 22 percent higher than the graduation rate for D.C.’s traditional public high schools.  And 100 percent of the graduating class is accepted to college. Since 2005, Friendship students have earned 3,281 college credits in 21 different college courses.

This year, five students earned the prestigious Gates Foundation-funded Posse scholarships, which cover full college tuition. Three students also earned Gates Millennium scholarships that pay for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. In the last three years Friendship students have earned $21 million in scholarships.

Friendship Collegiate Academy PCS is a college preparatory high school serving students in grades nine through 12. Challenging and relevant, the school’s comprehensive curriculum prepares students for college and the world of work in a global economy.

The HistoryMakers is a national, 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution committed to preserving, developing and providing easy access to an internationally recognized archival collection of thousands of African American video oral histories.