The Cleveland Foundation supports every stage of a student’s journey through school, from Pre-K all the way to post-secondary education. Education is one of our top priorities.

One great example is our partnership with Saint Martin De Porres High School, based in the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood. Saint Martin offers a high-quality, college prep education through an innovative Corporate Work Study Program. The school partners with more than 150 local companies and nonprofits, including the Cleveland Foundation, to ensure each student gains professional work experience while in high school.

Students attending Saint Martin work five days per month in paid roles that supplement their tuition as well as provide important career exploration, relationship building and skill development. The school has a 100% college acceptance rate.

We have supported Saint Martin since 2004, providing over $1.3 million in grants, including student placement at the foundation for the Corporate Work Study Program, support for a reading specialist position at the school in 2015, and a $250,000 grant in 2015 to their “A Step Along the Way” capital campaign to build a new state-of-the-art campus.

Over the past 12 years, 46 students have joined our staff during their school year. In turn, our students over the years have become wonderful members of our staff, providing essential support for our administrative, advancement, governance and Anisfield-Wolf Book Award teams.

We’re excited to introduce our 2016-2017 Saint Martin De Porres High School student team:

Students perform a variety of roles, from data entry, supply inventory, event and meeting support, mail distribution, and more. 

This fall, the school will open the first phase of their new campus, part of a 65,000-square-foot space near the intersection of Norwood and St. Clair. The building will feature 16 classrooms, four multi-use labs, two science labs, a music classroom and an art space. And earlier this month, the school was one of three in the Cristo Rey Network to receive the Governor’s Innovation in Education Award.

If your business is interested in hosting a Saint Martin De Porres student, click here for more info.

Stay tuned for more in our blog series on our Saint Martin De Porres students, including Q&As with our students and staff and updates on their work with the foundation.