The Mind Trust commits $1 million to make long-vacant P.R. Mallory Building new home of Purdue Polytechnic High School and Paramount Englewood
Indianapolis – (February 25, 2019) – The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, today announced a $1 million award to the John Boner Neighborhood Centers in support of the $36 million revitalization of the long-vacant P.R. Mallory Building. The Mind Trust’s award supports critical renovations that will make the historic near eastside factory the permanent home of two of Indianapolis’ premier charter schools: Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) and Paramount Schools of Excellence’s new campus, Paramount Englewood.
Tonight, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved the project’s financing. This approval marks the culmination of a three-year, collaborative effort to envision and finance the redevelopment of the four-story, 120,000-square-foot complex. The nonprofit development team is led by John Boner Neighborhood Centers and the Englewood Community Development Corporation.
“The redevelopment of the P.R. Mallory Building will be a game-changer for the near eastside, and I can think of no better partners than John Boner Neighborhood Centers and Englewood Community Development Corporation to lead this effort,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “Purdue Polytechnic High School and Paramount School of Excellence will provide a high-quality education to over 1,000 students while breathing life back into a historic building that has meant so much to our city.”
“We are deeply grateful for the support of The Mind Trust in this important project that advances our neighborhood goals around education, job creation, and industrial redevelopment,” said James Taylor, CEO of John Boner Neighborhood Centers. “For all of the parties involved in this project, it took vision, courage, and dogged tenacity over the past several years to make what happened today a reality.”
The Mind Trust has also supported the design and development of PPHS and Paramount Englewood through its school leader Fellowships. PPHS opened in 2017 through The Mind Trust’s Innovation School Fellowship, which provided founders Scott Bess and Shatoya Ward with two years of planning time, resources, and expert support as they designed and launched PPHS as an Innovation Network School in partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools. PPHS utilizes a unique industry-focused experiential learning model to develop skilled talent prepared to seamlessly transition from high school to college to high-tech and/or high-wage jobs.
“Our partnership with The Mind Trust enabled us to plan and implement a cutting-edge high school model designed to vastly increase the pipeline of low-income, underrepresented minority students who qualify to move on to post-secondary education,” said Scott Bess, Head of School at Purdue Polytechnic High School. “The development at P.R. Mallory will take us to the next level in terms of marrying our school model with a physical school space. We could not ask for a better combination of community partners to make our vision a reality.”
Paramount Englewood founders Tommy Reddicks and Darius Sawyers are currently completing a year-long charter school Fellowship and will launch their school in a temporary location in Fall 2019. The school will serve 5th–8th grade students utilizing Paramount’s proven academic framework that combines data-driven, standards-based instruction with an exciting STEM-infused atmosphere.
“This project is a powerful example of how great relationships are critical to success,” said Tommy Reddicks, Executive Director of Paramount Schools of Excellence. “With such strong partners in place, two high-quality schools can take advantage of their like-minded educational approaches. Once this process activates, great things are going to happen.”
Both PPHS and Paramount Englewood plan to move into the P.R. Mallory Building in Fall 2020.
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About The Mind Trust
The Mind Trust is an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works to build a system of schools that gives every student in Indianapolis, no exceptions, access to a high-quality education. The Mind Trust does this by building a supportive environment for schools through policy and community engagement, empowering talented educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the supports they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 24 schools and helped place more than 1,400 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms. More information can be found at themindtrust.org.
About John Boner Neighborhood Centers
John Boner Neighborhood Centers (JBNC) inspires neighbors and partners to improve the quality of life on the near eastside of downtown Indianapolis by providing tools for change and growth. The Center works to build a community where people want to live, work, and leave an impact by facilitating action in a place where residents set the agenda for the neighborhood and define measurements of success. Under its collective impact model, the Centers’ ability to enhance quality of life on the near eastside is defined by the breadth and depth of collaboration with residents and partners in designing and implementing programs, projects, and services to realize shared goals.
About Englewood Community Development Corporation
Englewood Community Development Corporation (ECDC) strives to nurture and embody “love of neighbor” in the areas of affordable housing, economic development, and comprehensive community development on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. ECDC is a resource and collaborative partner for the Englewood Neighborhood and the near eastside community and a demonstration for churches and communities seeking a more faithful response to “love of neighbor” in their own communities. The organization maintains a focus on strengthening the neighborhood by providing quality and affordable home ownership and rental opportunities for a wide array of valued neighbors and developing affordable commercial and retail opportunities for a variety of businesses and organizations on the near eastside.
About Purdue Polytechnic High School
Purdue Polytechnic High School Indianapolis (PPHS) is a university-aligned, non-traditional urban high school that uses design challenges and projects as a framework for learning; places extra attention on science, technology, engineering, and math; builds the skills necessary to succeed in an evolving workforce; and creates a pathway for underserved and underrepresented students to continue their education at Purdue University. Graduates of the high school program who meet admission criteria for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute will be admitted directly to the college, getting a jumpstart toward building successful futures. PPHS is a tuition-free, public charter high school, which opened its doors to its first campus in 2017 and plans to open its second Indianapolis campus in 2019. Interested applicants should visit https://pphs.purdue.edu/apply.
About Paramount Schools of Excellence
Paramount Schools of Excellence (Paramount) exists to inspire learning through an unparalleled academic approach and to transform communities by changing lives. Established as a Mayor-sponsored, K-8 Charter School in 2010, the school’s underlying philosophy balances a rigorous, data-driven education with authentic, real-world experiences. As a National Blue Ribbon and Five Star School award winner, Paramount has demonstrated consistent academic success in Indianapolis. Currently, Paramount’s two existing schools (Paramount Brookside and Paramount Community Heights) serve 911 students on the eastside of Indianapolis. The third school, Paramount Englewood will move onto the P.R. Mallory campus in 2020, helping Paramount Schools reach their goal of serving 1,650 students by 2024.