Title
Recognizing and thanking Philadelphia Performing Arts: A String Theory Charter School for reaching out and enrolling displaced children impacted by war in Ukraine.
Body
WHEREAS, On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War destroying several major cities and displacing millions of Ukrainians; and
WHEREAS, In response, President Biden announced his commitment to welcoming up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees through the "Uniting Ukraine" program; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia City officials expect 10,000 Ukrainians to settle in the region by the end of the year. About 90% of these Ukrainians are women and children; and
WHEREAS, Northeast Philadelphia has become one of the landing spots for this new and growing population of school-aged children who speak little English; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia Performing Arts: A String Theory Charter School, ranked a Top 10 Pennsylvania Charter Elementary School by Newsweek (2021) and named a Top Public High School in Philadelphia according to Philadelphia Magazine (2020), expressed interest in supporting this growing community of displaced Ukrainian children by establishing a unique enrollment opportunity designed for Ukrainian students in July 2022; and
WHEREAS, Councilman David Oh facilitated an introduction between String Theory Charter School and local Ukrainian community leaders including Bishop of Philadelphia Luke Zhoba, Ukraine Orthodox Church / Kyiv Patriarchate of USA & Canada and Iryna Mazur, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Luke, has led the efforts in promoting this opportunity to Philadelphia's Ukrainian community on social media and numerous local and international news organizations. Bishop Luke has also worked tirelessly in helping parents with the application process as well as housing and transporting these families throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, Honorary Consul Iryna Mazur also contacted the local community a...
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