FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2011

FOR ASSIGNMENT: Saturday, June 4, 2011; 10 a.m.

Contact: Brice Freeman, Communications, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com Kate Schmelyun, Communications, 410-396-7336, kschmelyun@oedworks.com

Ninety-Four Baltimore City Students to Graduate from the Academy of College and Career Exploration June 4 Mayor Rawlings-Blake to offer greetings at Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland (May 23, 2011) – Ninety-four Baltimore City students will graduate June 4 from the Academy of College and Career Exploration (ACCE). Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will attend the ceremony and address the graduates. This graduating class will be ACCE’s fourth since it opened to ninth graders in 2004. ACCE is a public city school uniquely focused on preparing students for the workforce and post-secondary education. The Baltimore City school system operates ACCE in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) and the Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Policy Studies. “These ACCE graduates deserve all the credit for their hard work over these past four years,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “Their success shows what can be accomplished when we build strong community partnerships, like this one with Johns Hopkins and my Office of Employment Development working in tandem with the school system.” September 2010 marked the school’s first year as a transformation school with the addition of a middle school division called ACCE Prep. ACCE Prep started with a small class of sixth-grade students; by 2014, enrollment will include grades six through 12. ACCE is a "non-criteria" school, meaning admission is open to all students with no regard to grades, attendance or prior school performance. For the past six years, the school’s average incoming ninth-grade class is reading at a fifth-grade level. The teaching staff at ACCE has a track record for successfully working with students to ensure they are performing at grade level and are prepared for the next step in their education. The school has a graduation rate of more than 80 percent, and 100 percent of ACCE students apply for and are accepted into two- or four-year colleges. Class of 2011 graduates will be attending Columbia College Chicago; Morehouse College; Stevenson University; Towson University; University of Alabama; University of Baltimore; and Salisbury University among others. “We set students on the path toward prosperous and stable careers, while adding to the pool of qualified workers for local employers to hire,” said Karen Sitnick, director of MOED. The 2011 ACCE graduation ceremony will be held Saturday, June 4 at 10 a.m. at Johns Hopkins University, Shriver Hall. (Note: Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend.) In addition to Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Ms. Sitnick, speakers are to include class valedictorian Tavon Betts and salutatorian Lamont Jackson (see attached profiles of both students). The keynote address will be delivered by Chris Rey, who founded the nonprofit Project L.I.F.T. to address the need for more low-income students to enter the areas of law, medicine, science and engineering. With a student body of 469, ACCE is smaller than many other city schools, which allows for class sizes to average 22 students and ensures personal attention and support for each student. A staff of 55 advocates, mentors, and teachers connects students with opportunities to explore post-secondary education and career paths. Throughout the year, in every grade level, ACCE students are exposed to a wide range of work-based learning through internships, job shadowing and summer jobs. ACCE is located at 1300 W. 36th Street in the Hampden community. For additional information, visit www.accebaltimore.com. ### In fiscal year 2010, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development served more than 23,000 city residents through our Career Center Network, placed more than 2,700 individuals in jobs, facilitated nearly 17,000 computer literacy training visits at our Digital Learning Labs, provided summer work opportunities to more than 5,100 youth, assisted more than 400 businesses through our Employ Baltimore strategy, and offered information, services and referrals to more than 4,000 displaced workers. In fiscal year 2011, how can we work for you?