Scholarship Endowment
Saturday Academy's Endowment provides tuition assistance and scholarships to motivated young people whose families cannot afford the full cost of participation.
Jackie Jackson Memorial Endowment
Saturday Academy's Endowment was started in 1998 by a group of Saturday Academy supporters and friends in memory of the extraordinary vision of Jackie Jackson, Saturday Academy's "Founding Mother."
Jackie developed her vision and passion through her work with young people as a teacher of Talented and Gifted students in the Portland Public Schools.
Upon learning that one of her students, a brilliant young man, had dropped out of school Jackie declared, "Never Again!" She worked with colleagues in local industry, educational institutions, and foundations to launch Saturday Academy in the Spring of 1983. Her vision was that Saturday Academy would always provide a place where young people could learn and explore outside the confines of school, testing, grades, or boredom.
Albert F. Eiss Memorial Endowment
In 2005, the family of Albert F. Eiss added to Saturday Academy's Endowment in memory of his commitment to the education of young people.
Albert Eiss (far right) and his students at the Pitcher School during the Great Depression
Albert F. Eiss was a life-long educator and a national leader in the field of science education. Graduating with an A.B. degree from Houghton College in New York State in the heart of the depression, the only job he could find was teaching in a one-room school in the remote Tug Hill plateau east of Lake Ontario. Albert earned a PhD in Science Education and New York University and taught at a multitude of institutions including Paul Smith's College in the Adirondack Mountains, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, Western Maryland College, George Washington University, and Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia.
He devoted his life to improving science education through his work. He was coordinator of Mathematics and Science for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Associate Executive Secretary of the National Science Teachers Association, Life Member of the National Science Teachers Association, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Albert delighted in finding students who found science too difficult, who were in danger of failing their course or not completing their program, and in presenting the course materials to them in a way they could understand and succeed. Many family members, students, and children of friends told years later how a few hours with him turned a hopeless situation into a passing grade.
Albert died in 1985 and never knew Saturday Academy. Had he been familiar with it, his family believes he would have been an enthusiastic supporter. Saturday Academy reflects his approach to teaching: get students involved in actively doing science.
Contributions to Saturday Academy's Endowment continue Jackie's and Albert's legacy and provide scholarships for approximately 25 young people to take classes each year.
If you would like to make scholarship assistance available to young people through an endowment contribution, please contact us.