261 East Lincoln Avenue Mount Vernon, New York 10552 ph: (914) 668-650 fax: (914) 699-0839

www.amanicharter.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 27, 2010

MOUNT VERNON, NY - Amani Public Charter School will open its doors for the first time on Monday, August 29, 2011at 7:30 AM. The 5th- 8th grade charter school is located at Friendship Family Life Center, 261 E. Lincoln Ave. The program will start with 80 students in grade 5 and add a grade each year. A brief opening program will be held in the banquet hall of the Center at 8:00 AM. Media is invited to attend. The mission of the school is to provide Mount Vernon students with the academic skills necessary to succeed in competitive high schools, college and a career of their choice. Amanis schedule includes longer blocks of class time for English Language Arts and mathematics. Each school day will begin at 7:30 AM and extend to 4:30 PM. The schools academic year spans 195 days versus 180 days in the regular public schools. Our teachers are prepared, the children are excited and now, finally, its time for the opening bell, said Debra Stern, Amanis founder and Executive Director. She added, Great teaching and strong school culture are the key ingredients for success in any school, and I know we will have more than enough of both at Amani. A charter school is a public school run independently of the school district in which it is located. Amani is the first charter in Mount Vernon, and only the second in the Hudson Valley region. INFORMATION: Debra Stern 646-957-1077 dstern@amanicharter.org

To educate and inspire; to uplift and transform. Every scholar. Every year.