MASON ELEMENTARY TO BE TRANSFORMED THANKS TO DONATIONS AND SUPPORT

Media advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2009

MASON ELEMENTARY TO BE TRANSFORMED THANKS TO DONATIONS AND SUPPORT

St. Louis —On Friday, July 24, 2009, from 10 a.m. until noon, volunteers will be transforming the interior of Mason Elementary, located at 6031 Southwest Ave, as the school prepares to pilot a new multicultural curriculum this fall known as the Mason School of Academic and Cultural Literacy at Mason Elementary.

In attendance will be St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay; St. Louis Public Schools officials; Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org; Maxine Clark, Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear; and the Build-A-Bear “2009 Huggable Heroes” from around the United States and Canada.

The group will work together to hang newly purchased flags from 13 countries and paint the entrance hallway with a global motif that will welcome parents and students in different languages as they return for the first day of school on August 20^th.

In addition, the first St. Louis donation of the 2009-2010 school year from DonorsChoose.org will be presented to the Mason School of Academic and Cultural Literacy at Mason Elementary to help provide necessary teaching materials to successfully implement its new pilot status.

For more information, please call 314-345-2367.

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Thanks,

Julie Linder

Media Relations

Office of Public Information-St. Louis Public Schools

Office Phone: 314-345-2367

Office Cell: 314-393-0572

Fax: 314-345-2661