Arizona has thousands of bright, curious children from all corners of the state and these children possess so much capability and potential talent, but they desperately need opportunities to reach their full potential. That is where St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Tucson excels.

Teachers at the school remember when their students didn’t need desks with cubbies—they had nothing to put in them. Unfortunately, today’s economy has many schools struggling to keep their doors open, amid challenges that go beyond desk supplies. Further, the students that most need a quality education are typically those least able to financially help the school.

Principal Keiran Roche knew that his school served the state’s poorest children and that he needed to find a new source of funding to enable his school not only to survive, but to thrive.

“Our students come from some of the most under-resourced families in the community, with 80 percent of our school’s students qualifying for the National Free and Reduced Lunch Program,” Roche said. “These families want the opportunity to choose the best education for their children, but they do not have the ability to self-pay. AAA Scholarships provide St. John the Evangelist with the chance to expand our student enrollment to students we otherwise wouldn’t be able to serve.”

One hundred percent of the students attending St. John receive some form of financial aid in order to attend the school.

Students from the same community that would send them to failing schools are showing documented achievement. From August 2013 to February 2014, St. John saw cumulative student growth of 68 months across 1st through 8th grades – 170 percent more learning than the expected 40 months of growth! Making “Academic Achievement Accessible” is not only AAA Scholarship Foundation’s name – it is our passion and goal and we are pleased that we are able to help St. John in closing the education achievement gap.

St. John has partnered with the Notre Dame ACE Academies (NDAA) to incorporate an innovative program that utilizes resources from the University, corporations, and the local community. The NDAA program encourages schools to increase the number of students enrolled through parental school choice scholarship programs, which has been a key to success for the Tucson area it serves – an area recently ranked the sixth poorest metropolitan area by the US Census Bureau. St. John embraced this program and has increased their enrollment by more than 100 percent in five years, growing from 133 students in 2010 to 314 students today.

“We address the needs of the whole child in providing diverse approaches to learning,” Roche said. “Our AAA Scholarship students provide not only diversity, but also a stability of income through multi-year scholarships that we would not have otherwise. AAA Scholarships enables us to compete for students that otherwise would not have a choice in where to go to school. We appreciate everything the AAA Scholarship Foundation and the generous donors have done for the many students they serve.”

About St. John the Evangelist Catholic School
Established in 1950, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School serves Pima County students in grades preschool through 8th grade. Maximizing the benefit of their partnership with Notre Dame ACE Academies, children experience the effects of a program focused on comprehensive school excellence and implementing a unique model of urban schooling. St. John students prepare for college by closing the education achievement gap, as shown by testing twice a year with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. During the 2014-15 school year, St. John served 316 students, 116 of which were AAA scholarship recipients. The annual cost of tuition and fees at St. John for the 2014-15 school year is $5,800 for grades Kindergarten through 8th, plus the cost of books and fees.

About AAA Scholarship Foundation
The typical AAA Scholarship student is an ethnic minority living with a struggling single parent/caregiver in a high crime community. The average household income of families accepted to receive scholarships is $23,559 for a family of four. Many children are either below grade level, failing at their previous school or both when they receive a scholarship. Parents, who find their children in these circumstances and care about their future, look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges their child to reverse inadequate learning and/or social patterns and the potential lifelong negative impact. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances, and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure.

AAA Scholarships are funded in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania by corporations that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a tax credit (dollar for dollar in Alabama, Arizona, Florida and Georgia and up to 90 percent in Pennsylvania). The AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only approved Scholarship 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations exclusively serving qualifying low-income, disabled and/or displaced students through these Scholarship Tax Credit programs. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single-solution for participating in multiple state tax credit scholarship programs. For more information or to learn how your corporation can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri@aaascholarships.org or 888 707-2465 ext. 730.

To view PDF Version, click here: AAA Spotlight March 2015 StJohn School.

Many of our donors and families remember Quinton Johnson. He was a spotlight student in April 2013. Quinton is a preeminent example of what can happen in a child’s life if they are given the opportunity to choose the school that best meets their unique learning needs. As a child, he experienced the “harshest of circumstances.” Then it was determined that he should be in the care of his grandmother, Verdelle Johnson, who saw such potential in Quinton that she searched out help to get him into a school that would share her vision for his future.

At just 14 years old, he said “My grandma showed me that I could do better things with my life, she taught me to try my best in everything I do.” The theme that comes to mind for those that know him is “character.” Quinton strives to show through his actions how you can influence your future with a little help from others.
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After losing his father when he was only 12 years old, Patrick Vega vowed to help his mom in any way that he could. He realized that succeeding in school and being a productive member of his family and the community were the best things he could offer. Thanks to a scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation, Patrick has been able to fulfill that promise and has risen as a star at his school – excelling in academics, sports and other extracurricular activities.

The untimely passing of Patrick’s father left an empty space in the Vega family and put a financial strain on Patrick’s mother, Gracie. She was determined to keep Patrick on track with his academics during this tough time, but worried that she would not be able to afford the tuition for him to attend Bourgade Catholic High School, where his older brother attended and where the members of the church and school had served as a close-knit community for the Vega family after the loss of her husband. However, after consulting with the financial aid department at Bourgade, she learned about the AAA Scholarship Foundation and applied. Receiving the news that Patrick was approved for a scholarship provided Gracie with a huge sense of relief and reassurance that her family was going to be okay.
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As he wraps up his junior year, 17-year-old McKinley Habersham is thriving in his first year at Memorial Day School in Savannah, Ga., a school he is able to attend through a scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation. It’s hard to imagine that only a year ago, while still coping with the tragic loss of his father, McKinley was struggling academically and had lost all interest in any future ambitions.

For most of his life, McKinley had done very well in school, including earning a regular spot on his public school’s honor roll. However, tragedy struck the Habersham family in 2008, when McKinley’s father passed away during the explosion at the Imperial Sugar Factory. McKinley was crushed and while therapy helped him deal with his emotions, his mother, Latesha Habersham, saw it as the starting point of his dwindling interest and ambition in school.
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Lauren Moreno is a first year recipient of an Arizona Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation, attending Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona. The scholarship and her parents selected school have provided her with endless opportunities to achieve and build upon her dreams and hopes for the future.

Lauren is one of four children raised by a single mom. Despite the limited income for her family, Lauren’s mom, Yvonne Ortega, is dedicated to ensuring her children have opportunities in life that she did not have. Yvonne was not able to finish college and she wants her children to have the chance to advance their education and pursue their dreams. And she has made good on that promise. Determined to ensure that Lauren goes to a school that will provide her with a strong educational foundation, she has consistently sought out scholarships and other sources of financial aid that will help fill in the gaps of their family’s limited income and enable Lauren to go to a school where she can excel. The scholarship from AAA helped to ease the economic barriers and enable Lauren to build upon her success at Bourgade Catholic High School.
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Like most parents, Sabrina Levi has an unwavering dedication to her children. However, Sabrina’s own struggles have only intensified her commitment to paving a better path for her family and ensuring her children succeed – both in school and in life.

A single parent herself, Sabrina grew up under the sole care of her mother, who worked long hours to provide the basics: keeping a roof over her head, food on the table, shoes on her feet and clothes on her back. Her mother did the best she could, but after the long hours put into supporting the family, Sabrina’s education was not a focal point. After all, Sabrina did okay in school, passing on to the next grade level and eventually graduating high school. It was not until Sabrina re-enrolled in college that the harsh reality hit her – her basic academic skills – including English and math – were not up to par. In fact, she was testing at only the 8th grade level in reading and she had to take four classes to bring her up to the 12th grade level, and had to start over with the basic level class in math.
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Robert Townsend knows from personal experience the hardships of life, and because of that, he wants to make sure his children are equipped with a strong educational foundation to prepare them to be successful and hardworking adults. However, as Robert and his wife Tammy learned, finding an educational environment to meet the unique needs of each child be challenging. Scholarships from the AAA Scholarship Foundation have given the Townsend family expanded opportunities for their children, enabling them to break economic barriers and thrive in school and life.

Robert’s life journey has not been an easy one. When he was only 13 years old, he became homeless and remained without a place to call home until he was 18 years old. Despite the dismal circumstances, he knew even then the power of education and he found a way to complete high school – all on his own. During the years since, he has faced ups and downs – including losing his arm in a tragic car accident and having to learn to write again with his opposite hand. However, his determination to provide a better life for his family has remained strong.
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At only 14 years old, Quinton Johnson is on the fast track to success. A recipient of a scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation, Quinton attends The Dinoff School for the Gifted in Griffin, Ga., where he is challenging his academic abilities by taking college-level classes and scoring in the 99th percentile on standardized tests. However, just three years ago, Quinton’s academic future was in limbo.

Quinton has spent most of his life under the care of his grandmother, Verdelle Johnson, who has full custody of both him and his younger sister. Verdelle has been a positive influence in Quinton’s life, helping him to overcome early hardships and encouraging him to always put forth his greatest effort.

“My grandma showed me that I could do better things with my life,” Quinton says. “She taught me to try my best in everything I do.”
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