Building 21High School

Building 21 Allentown receives $1M Grant

Building 21 Allentown receives $1M Grant
Dr. Cooper; Jose Rosado, Jr.; David Zimmerman; Representative Mike Schlossberg; Representative Peter Schweyer; and Senator Pat Browne
Dr. Gary Cooper, Interim Superintendent; Jose Rosado, Jr., Building 21 School Leader; David Zimmerman, School Board President; Representative Mike Schlossberg; Representative Peter Schweyer; and Senator Pat Browne.
 
On January 27, State Senator Pat Browne and Representatives Mike Schlossberg and Peter Schweyer presented Allentown School District officials with a $1 million grant for Building 21 Allentown High School.
 
“We are truly grateful to the city, our local legislators and the governor who worked together to secure the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding for Building 21 Allentown High School,” said Dr. Gary Cooper, interim superintendent of the Allentown School District.
 
“To say that we continue to be overwhelmed by the support of Building 21 and our commitment to finding innovative pathways for learning would be an understatement. This funding provides us with the resources needed to renovate the building while we continue to focus on connecting our students to learning opportunities that allow them to grow and discover their individual paths.”
 
The RACP funding, which had previously received legislative authorization, was released by Gov. Tom Wolf late last year.
 
“Building 21, as part of the Allentown School District, provides another great opportunity for students who thrive in a more non-traditional, innovative-learning environment,” Browne said. “I am pleased that the governor and the legislature were willing to fund this Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program project in support of this alternative school that provides students with a more hands-on, small group education.”
 
Building 21 Allentown, which opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 2015, is an alternative education high school that focuses on project-based learning in non-traditional classroom settings with more industry-focused and student-centered learning environments.
 
“The students of the Allentown School District deserve the absolute best – not just teachers and curriculum -- but facilities as well. I’m proud to have played a role in securing these needed dollars so the ASD students at Building 21 have all they need to continue their great success,” Schweyer said.
 
The $1 million grant will help with school renovations that will enable creation of cutting-edge learning spaces that allow for the integration of technology into the classrooms and the flexible grouping of students, while creating an environment conducive to applied and project-based learning.
 
“Yesterday, I met with leaders and a student from Building 21. It is a great example of efforts to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Governor Wolf, Senator Browne, Representative Schweyer and school district leaders to support Building 21 and the students of the Allentown School District,” Schlossberg said.