ExxonMobil Pledges $1.6M to New Orleans High Schools

NEW ORLEANS -- In a move that will better equip students for college, the ExxonMobil Foundation donated $1.6 million to launch a pilot program in four New Orleans public high schools.

The pledge is earmarked for Tulane University, which will establish a training and incentive program to increase participation in the Advanced Placement Program at four public high schools in Orleans Parish over the next five years. The five-year program starts next year.

"We are very proud to help offer this high-impact program to the students of New Orleans," Gerald McElvy, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation, said in a statement. "Preparing students for college is critical to New Orleans, Louisiana and the nation. This program has the necessary tools and our partners have the necessary resources to make this a huge success."

The donation was made at John McDonogh High School, one of the first schools selected to pilot the program, noted Scott Cowen, president of Tulane University, who accepted the donation on behalf of the Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University.

"We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform public education in New Orleans. This generous gift from ExxonMobil hastens the day when our school system will serve as a model for other cities around the country," Cowen said in a statement.
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