Sunday, February 11, 2001
Agassi building college prep school
Australian Open champion Andre Agassi, who recently won his seventh Grand Slam title, had a big week — and it had nothing to do with tennis. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy was Thursday in Las Vegas, within a mile of the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club, built in 1997.
The $4.1 million charter school is funded by the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the State of Nevada. The academy's curriculum will focus on technology and college preparation while also introducing cultural activities and expanding social community affairs. Grades 3-5 will open next fall; grades 6-12 will open through 2008.
Agassi spoke on a conference call this week with media from all over the world, including Michael Perry, who covers the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati for The Enquirer.
Here are five questions regarding the charter school:
Q: What does the groundbreaking mean to you?
A: The point is to bring the level of education, as well as expectation, to these children's lives. We believe that if a child is expected to do little, then the child will not disappoint. If a child is expected to work hard and to learn and to go to college, then a child will not disappoint. That's kind of the approach toward it.
Q: What was the genesis of this?
A: I've had a foundation now for over six years. We're focused on reaching kids at risk, kids who need help, whether it's education, whether it's shelter, whether it's clothes, whether it's just the opportunity to make better decisions in their lives. The school has just kind of been where we've ended up. It's been the latest dream in our efforts to make a difference here in Las Vegas. I really don't know what else to say about that outside the fact that without education, a child would have nearly no chance.
Q: How do you juggle all those things in your life ...?
A: “Very carefully” is probably the easiest answer. It's not an easy thing. You have a lot you care about, a lot you want to do well. It requires you to constantly make choices. Some of them aren't easy, but clear. I find that it's a daily balance, one that I don't succeed with a lot of times.
Q: A lot of kids these days are growing up with dreams of becoming professional athletes and short-changing their education to get there in some cases. What are you going to tell those kids?
A: You can't take away dreams from a child or any of us. Everybody has the right to dream and to strive for those dreams. But I don't believe you have to strive at those dreams with the cost of keeping yourself prepared for whatever life throws at you. That's what it boils down to. It boils down to continue to dream, continue to work hard in your athletics, but also take care of your mind and your education. That's possible to do.
Q: A lot of athletes have charitable foundations or do charity-type work. It's obvious you've made an extraordinary commitment. Was there someone or some incident you encountered in your life that made you particularly concerned about underprivileged children?
A: No, nothing specific. I've got to say that giving back, it's an ethical question. ... For me, it's always been, “I'm going to give back; I'm going to make a difference.” The question is how. Children, to me, seem like the greatest way to spend those energies. It's our future. When you touch a child's life, you never know the lives that they're going to touch. It seemed like a no-brainer to me.
Andre Agassi is expected to participate in the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati (Aug. 2-12) at the ATP Tennis Center in Mason. For ticket information, call (513) 651-0303.
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Agassi building college prep school
