Students return to CATC, have 93% chance to graduate

Published: September 12, 2016

Cincinnati Arts & Technology Center continues 93% graduation rate as students return

Cincinnati, September 12, 2016 — Students of the Cincinnati Arts& Technology Center, (CATC) return to their art studios at Longworth Hall this week. CATC serves Cincinnati Public Schools juniors, seniors, and overage underclassmen, most of whom are at risk of not graduating. CATC changes that, helping to graduate 93% of participating CATC students who were eligible to graduate.  Fifteen CPS high schools take advantage of the arts-based program that positions the students for successful and self-sufficient adulthood.

“CATC has helped many of our students finish high school, prepare for college or launch successful careers,” says Principal Amy Randolph, Oyler School. “Whether they recovered credits to graduate, were accepted in Bridging the Gap and landed careers with Cincinnati Children’s, or deepened their fine arts experiences, our students have found great opportunities and support at CATC.”

Classes at CATC begin four weeks after school reopens at the high schools, giving students time to settle into their regular academic routines. The schools send students to CATC studios during the school day or after school. The students choose from five state-of-the-art studios where they can create in media ranging from traditional drawing and painting to ceramics, glass and digital art.

CATC students do not have to be artists–in fact most are not. Rather, the program uses the arts as a means to unlock self-worth and the potential of at-risk teens through the proven transformative power of art. They’re supported by a first-class environment, a character-building culture, and work side-by-side with their instructors in a guild model. The instructors are mostly successful young artists working in the community, many known nationally, some internationally. Concurrent on-site mentoring from CATC staff and instructors, partner organizations and other supportive programs help to reignite excitement for learning and instill the confidence needed to succeed.

CATC also offers a workforce development program called Bridging the Gap, founded by CATC and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 2006. Since 2006, 65 CATC students have been hired into career positions with employer partners.

“We’re always excited to welcome students back to CATC,” said CATC CEO Clara Martin. “They all bring their own stories, and new opportunities for us to help transform our community’s promising young people into self-sufficient adults.”

About the Cincinnati Arts & Technology Center
The Cincinnati Arts &Technology Center (CATC) is a non-profit agency that helps at-risk Cincinnati Public Schools students stay in school, graduate and launch careers. Most of our students are high school juniors, seniors and over-age underclassmen who lack sufficient credits to graduate. We use a combination of the transformational power of the arts, a first-class environment, and a character building culture to unlock the self-worth and potential of at-risk teens.  On average, 93% of our eligible seniors graduate. CATC is patterned after the highly successful Manchester Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, and is a model for national replication of programs that use the arts to help children succeed. For more information, to donate or sponsor a child, please visit www.cincinnatiartsandtechnologycenter.org or call us at (513) 562-5500  For more information on Bridging the Gap: http://cincinnatiartsandtechnologystudios.org/student-programs/bridging-the-gap/
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Media Contact: Gail Silver  (513) 475-0002 gms530@msn.com