Abby Baggini ’18: The Cross Bridge Scholars Program may be coming to an end due to a lack of funding.
Cross Bridge, one of Episcopal’s lesser known programs, can be described as an outreach opportunity that allows students to discuss and explore the concepts of race, stereotypes, culture, and media with fellow high schoolers of all different backgrounds. In partnership with Project HOME’s Honickman Learning Center in North Philly, the selected scholars work on technology based projects that can be viewed on Cross Bridge’s blog.
The program began in 2004, when EA alumnus John Haas ’36 gave a generous grant to Episcopal Academy, a portion of which was to be used towards the creation of Cross Bridge. Tory Stagnaro, one of the program’s creators and current coordinator explains, “It is fairly well known that he [Haas] did not want EA to move to Newtown Square, that he felt like Episcopal was abandoning the city. That’s when he said, ‘Come up with something to keep Episcopal connected with the city of Philadelphia.'”
For the past eleven years, the expenses of the program have been slowly deducted from Haas’s original lump sum, which is held by Project HOME. However, over the past several years, money has been dwindling. “Because Project HOME holds the money, and because we didn’t have a strict budget, I had difficulties figuring out how much was left in the account,” explains Stagnaro. As a result, Cross Bridge headed into the current school year without a clear picture of its funds. As time went on, the remaining number was calculated and it became clear that the program did not have enough money to finish the full year. Instead of running for its usual two semesters, Cross Bridge only had enough funds for one.
Photo Courtesy of Jenna Cooley ’16
While Stagnaro is exploring ways to reclaim that lost second semester, such as through parent volunteers, she is primarily looking for more holistic solutions for Cross Bridge’s future. Fortunately for the program, the administration seems to be on its side. “For the last two to three years, we’ve been working and meeting with development and talking to Dr. Dinkins and Dr. Hall about our situation. They have told me they are committed to the Cross Bridge Scholars Program, and they would like to see it move forward. They would love to continue it, but they just need funding,” says Stagnaro. Dr. Delvin Dinkins, Head of the Upper School, confirms that he is supportive, saying, “It is in some ways our lifeline to the city, to socioeconomic diversity, geographic diversity, and all other forms of diversity. It is a mutually beneficial partnership that is one that hopefully adds value to our students’ experiences but also adds value to the students who come from across the city of Philadelphia to participate in the program.”
However, neither time nor money seem to be on Cross Bridge’s side. In order for it to continue next year, funding needs to be found quickly. So far, no donors have stepped up and there does not appear to be any room in EA’s budget. Nevertheless, Dinkins explains that there still might be some hope. “It is a competitive environment in term of resources. So it might mean relying on competitive grant money from other sources, a donor who finds us to be a remarkable way to give back, or a combination of sources like alumni or operational funding.
If funding was to be found, Dinkins also says that this could bring a lot of change for the program itself, in terms of curriculum modification and budget restructuring. “I think there will be an opportunity for us to really identify those areas that have a real impact and that are really aligned with the programmatic goals of Cross Bridge. The thought now is to think about what some of the short term and long term goals of the program are. How do we create a structure that supports those, how do we identify resources that are sustainable and reliable, as opposed to jumping into something and having to back out of it again?”
The school must come to a decision about the future of Cross Bridge soon, about whether or not it continues to exist and whether or not it will be conducted in the same way if it does. For students however, the decision is easy. They want to see Cross Bridge survive. Melvin Davis, a two time Cross Bridge Scholar from the Honickman Learning Center says, “I have had a great experience in the Cross Bridge Scholars Program and I think it is something every high schooler should do. If it were to lose its funding, I would be very disappointed.”