Name: Thomas McPherson

Relationship to SPA: Staff

Longest Distance Run to Date: 13.5 Miles

Scheduled Race(s) on Behalf of SPA: Crescent City Classic

Reason for Participating in Stride For Success: I am running for SPA because I am inspired by the dedication of our team in creating college-bound students for leadership and lifelong learning. The more attention and resources that we can bring to the school, the greater the work we can do.  The students deserve our best, the community deserves our best, and we are constantly pushing to provide this for them. Pushing to run distances for this cause is a small but significant symbol of our dedication to this work.

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Success Preparatory Academy (SPA) is a Kindergarten through 4th grade high performing "transformation" charter school that opened its doors in August 2009. Each year, we will grow by one grade level, eventually serving over 600 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. We are a team of results driven educators who offer a world class education to this great city's children.

We serve some of the most at-risk children in the country, as our school has a population of 96% free and reduced lunch students. There is a dire need in New Orleans for high quality schools, which SPA aims to fill. We provide rigorous, data-driven instruction in language arts, math, science, and social studies and build the whole child by providing music and physical education on a daily basis. Each of our students is required to complete a minimum of ten service learning hours each year, and by the time they graduate from SPA they will have been on 15 college visits around the country.