FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Allie Raque
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville
Marketing and Communications Manager
Office: 502.805.1665
araque@louisvillehabitat.org
Rita Cron-Hines, Ed.S.
Atherton High School
APHG and IB mentor Teacher
Office: 502.485.8202
rita.cronhines@jefferson.kyschools.us
Atherton High School Juniors and Seniors Partner with Habitat for Humanity to Give Back to the Louisville Community
On March 15, Atherton High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
spent a day of service volunteering at Habitat for Humanity’s campus.
LOUISVILLE, KY – On March 15th, over 30 juniors and seniors from Atherton High School’s IB program joined Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville on its campus for a day of volunteer service.
The students painted hardie board siding for Habitat’s next home, worked in Habitat’s community garden by prepping the vegetable and flower beds for this spring and completed beautification projects around the perimeter of Habitat’s campus.
“Too often, our students, especially the full IB candidates, get 100% immersed in academics at the expense of personal balance and or stopping to help others. This Habitat opportunity comes at a great time, right after all of the major internal assessments are done and right before the external examination sessions begin in May. It will allow the students to get literally in the dirt to help others achieve their dreams. Thank you for all of this” said Rita Cron Hines, IB History teacher and Community Service Coordinator.
After completing a team-building event at Breakout Louisville, and while on the bus ride back to Atherton, the IB students began discussing how they could give back to the Louisville community. One of the students, who has volunteered before with Habitat for Humanity, recommended Habitat as the IB Program’s nonprofit partner and the students were eager to make this volunteer day of service a reality.
Atherton High School is a whole-school IB program where every learner in every classroom fosters intellectual challenge, creativity, critical thinking and reflection.
To achieve these goals, Atherton teachers, at all grade levels, support the development of an IB mindset through the development of students’ IB Learner Profiles, situated within IB Global Contexts. Atherton High School’s juniors and seniors fully immerse themselves in IB History, IB Calculus, IB physics, IB Biology, IB English, IB Theory of Knowledge, and an IB World Language. They defend their preparedness through 150 hours of community service and a service project of their choosing, as well as extensive research for an Extended Essay on the academic topic of their choosing.
“Habitat for Humanity is pleased to partner with Atherton High School’s IB Program. Through the students’ volunteer work, they will get to witness first-hand how their hard work impacts families and builds community,” – said Rob Locke, Habitat for Humanity CEO.
About Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville was founded in 1985 by a group of people concerned with the lack of affordable housing in Louisville. Since then, Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated over 500 homes in Louisville and Oldham County. Through volunteer labor and the donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and renovates stable, quality affordable home for people who make between 30%-80% of the area’s median income. All partner families are required to invest 400 hours of sweat equity in their home and in homeowner education classes. Houses are sold at no profit with a zero interest, 20-year loan. The homeowners’ mortgage payments are reinvested to build more Habitat homes. For more information, visit www.louisvillehabitat.org.
About Atherton High School
Atherton High School is currently at the largest capacity in decades, and has achieved their highest-ever national ranking by U.S. News & World Report; The Kentucky Department of Education lists Atherton High School as a school of Distinction, and its visual arts and performing arts students continue to earn the very highest levels of achievement in local and state competitions. Most importantly, school culture survey results indicate very high levels of satisfaction of Atherton High School students, parents and staff. For more information, visit https://schools.jefferson.kyschools.us/high/atherton/.