Oprah donates $365,000 to Atlanta school

Atlanta educator Ron Clark was delighted last week to receive a letter from oprah winfrey, on whose show he has appeared twice. It wasn't until he noticed an extra piece of paper flutter out of the envelope that he realized just how lucky he was.

It was a donation of $365,000 for the innovative private school he opened in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods in 2007, The Associated Press reported.

"We teach school all day and fund-raise at night," said Clark, who finds private donors to pay most of the $14,000 annual tuition for each student. "To have an unsolicited gift come like that is incredible."

Clark surprised his students Wednesday with the news of the donation. The money, from Winfrey's foundation, likely will go to scholarships for students, Clark said.

Clark and his students became stars during the presidential election when a video of the students performing a political rap they wrote grabbed the public's attention on YouTube.

Tags: political rap,private donors,atlanta school,fund raise,oprah winfrey,private school,presidential election,educator,scholarships,money

Thursday, January 01, 2009 |

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