News & Press Releases
Mayor Ballard Announces Reuse of Children’s Guardian Home
On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Mayor Greg Ballard visited the new location of the Irvington Preparatory Academy, formerly the Children's Guardian Home, to publically announce the reuse of the home. He was joined by City-County Councilman Benjamin Hunter, who played a key role in establishing the Children's Guardian Home Reuse Authority, enablying the high school to relocate to the historic facility. Also on hand were other representatives from the authority, Irvington Preparatory Academy staff and students, members of the Irvington Community School Inc.'s Board of Directors, community leaders, and members of the media.
Hunter (shown to the right of Mayor Ballard in photo) declared, "This is a great day for Irvington and the city of Indianapolis. The Children's Guardian Home will have children back in the facility." The Guardian Home, established in 1898, vacated the building in 2009. Irvington Preparatory Academy, an Indianapolis Mayor's Office-sponsored charter high school, will breathe new life into the facility on Monday, August 9, 2010, when students report for their first day in session this school year. (IPA's sister schools, Irvington Community School and Irvington Community Middle School, are also sponsored by the Mayor's Office.)
In his address, Mayor Ballard mentioned that IPA, having graduated its first senior class in June 2010, already "has a reputation for building bright futures for the children of our communities." In the 2010-2011 school year, IPA will serve approximately 325 students in delivering on that mission. By the 2012-2013 school year, 400 students will be enrolled.
ICS Board Chairman Leslie Hiner (shown signing the Certificate of Declaration signifying the lease Irvington Community School Inc. entered into with the City of Indianapolis) spoke on behalf of the school, expressing her hope that IPA graduates "once successful, will return to contribute to the Irvington community." And so the legacy of the Children's Guardian Home lives on in a new way through the mission of the Irvington Preparatory Academy, as we prepare our students today for their promising tomorrows.