St. HOPE: Home
Sunday Movie Matinee
Guild Theater
The entire family is invited on the 1st Sunday of each month to attend Free Movie Matinee’s at the Guild Theater!
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Date: First Sunday of each month
Time: 2pm Showtime
Location: Guild Theater (2828 35th Street)
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This month we are showing Christmas classic, Jingle Jangle.
About the movie:
An imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of an eccentric toymaker, his adventurous granddaughter, and a magical invention that has the power to change their lives forever.
Jada Pinkett Smith Book Tour
Underground Books
Jada Pinkett Smith Book Tour Stop in Sacramento
Join us for an exciting in-person event as we welcome the amazing Jada Pinkett Smith to Sacramento! The Jada Pinkett Smith Book Tour Stop will be held at the Guild Theater on 35th Street in Sacramento, CA, USA.
Christmas in Oak Park 2023
Underground Books
Join us at Underground Books to celebrate the Holiday Season!
Black Santa will be visiting 40 Acres to take photos with all children in attendance.
– Free Photos with Santa
– Facepainting
– Hot Cocoa and Cookies
Admission for this event is FREE but registration is required.
St. HOPE Academy Founded by Kevin Johnson
July 1989
St. HOPE began in 1989 as an afterschool program in a portable classroom at Sacramento High School
After 13 years, St. HOPE realized that an after school program simply wasn’t enough to dramatically improve the academic outcomes of children, that it would be necessary to establish and run our own schools.
In 2003, St. HOPE Public Schools was founded as a preK-12 independent charter school district that provides high-quality education to nearly 2,000 students.
St. HOPE Facility Grand Opening
January 1992
7,000 square foot facility opening at 4101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
40 acres Art & Cultural Center Grand Opening
May 2003
St. HOPE’s largest economic development project opened with Underground Books, Uncle Jed’s Cut Hut, Starbucks and the Guild Theater.
40 Acres is the jewel of the SHDC efforts in the Oak Park community. The building was the historic Woodruff Hotel which was build in 1922 and was renovated by St. HOPE Development company in 2003.
The 23,000 sq. ft. mixed use facility includes:
- Guild Theater
- Underground Books
- Old Soul Coffee House
- Coopers Wine Bar
- Upper Room Apartments
Supporting Winning Teams
Message from the CEO - 11.28.23
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As I think about winning teams, I’m grateful for your support and generosity as we collectively work to uplift the Oak Park and greater Sacramento community. Speaking of winning teams, I’d like to give a shout out to our Sac High football team who came back from a slow start to make it to the second round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs. I commend them for not giving up and making the necessary changes to finish strong. We should never count the Sac High Dragons out. Let’s go Dragons!
Join Us for Christmas in Oak Park to Celebrate the Holiday Season!
We are hosting our annual Christmas in Oak Park, a multicultural community celebration with activities for kids and people of all ages. Located at the 40 Acres Complex, a historic cultural gathering place, this fun and festive event is a great way to kick off the holiday season.
Jada Pinkett Smith Book Tour is Coming to Underground Books
We hope that you can join us for an exciting in-person event as we welcome Jada Pinkett Smith as she comes to Sacramento on her book tour. Jada’s new unconventional memoir Worthy is an invitation to join her adventure in search of love and self-worth. During this special event, Jada will recount her story in an intimate conversation with readers.
Sac High Senior Micah Holmes Leading by Example
Earlier this month, Micah Holmes, a Sac High senior, presented at the City Parks and Community Enrichment Commission where he told Commissioners how much he has benefited from participating in the City’s youth workforce development Landscape & Learning (L&L) program. Micah started as an intern in the L&L program in summer 2022 where he has worked in community parks and green spaces weeding, pruning, and providing general park maintenance and clean up.
To make dual enrollment more equitable, bring the college experience to high school
October 24, 2023
College enrollment was declining even before the pandemic. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “the overall college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds decreased from 41% in 2010 to 38% in 2021.” In 2021, the college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds was highest for Asian students (60%) compared to 37% for Black students and 33% for Hispanic students.
Colour of Music Festival Returns to Sacramento
We are thrilled that on its 10th anniversary, the Colour of Music Festival is returning to Sacramento from November 6-11. This music festival shines an important light on underrepresented composers, musicians, vocalists, and other black artists. There are thousands of celebrated and prodigiously talented classical principals, composers and performers of African descent throughout the world. Yet, their opportunities to grace concert stages of major American orchestras are often or non-existent.
PS7 Alumni Spotlight: Elijah Orr
Elijah Orr is a St. HOPE Public Schools alumni who attended PS7 from fourth to eighth grade. After he graduated high school, he studied Criminal Justice and Ethnic Studies at Northern Arizona University and is now the District Representative for State Senator Angelique Ashby. Prior to working for Senator Ashby, he was a Policy and Advocacy Fellow at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.
St. HOPE Public Schools Op-ed About Importance of Dual Enrollment
Lisa Ruda, Superintendent of St. HOPE Public Schools, recently authored a commentary in Ed Source entitled “To make dual enrollment more equitable, bring the college experience to high school. We are proud that Sac High established a new partnership with Sacramento City College that offers our juniors and seniors an opportunity to take college courses and earn BOTH high school and college credit.
Access & Exposure for Our Students and the Community
President's Message - 11.7.23
At St. HOPE we are always working to increase access and exposure. This includes ensuring our community has access to authors and artists of all ethnicities and backgrounds. We recently hosted the Oak Park Black Film Festival at the historic Guild Theater and are getting ready to welcome the Colour of Music Festival to Sacramento. This wonderful music festival showcases the talents of black classical musicians and composers and highlights their impact and historical significance on American and world culture.
Oak Park Black Film Festival opens its annual five-day run. Here’s what’s showing Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/equity-lab/representation/article280396509.html#storylink=cpy
October 11, 2023
The Oak Park Black Film Festival opens its annual five-day run Wednesday night screening short, feature and documentary works by an array of African-American filmmakers.
The Guild Theater, 2828 35th St., is the setting for the second annual festival with its mix of film showings, interviews and discussion. The festival is 5-9 p.m. daily through Sunday, Oct. 15. Tickets are $15 to $100.
This Sacramento book store is defending Black and LGBTQ literature during Banned Books week
Kamuri Spears remembers a time not that long ago when the volumes on display at the Oak Park bookstore she manages were required reading in high school classrooms.
Classic works like “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “Invisible Man” explored the breadth of the African-American experience. And like “Native Son” and “The Color Purple,” which were all written by Black authors, have become fixtures on banned books lists nationwide.
Sac High Alumni Spotlight: Ja’Lyn Wright, Class of 2023
Sac High
Ja’Lyn Wright graduated from Sac High in June 2023, and will begin classes at UCLA this month, majoring in pre-psychobiology. While at Sac High, Ja’Lyn was a member of Senate, played soccer, and was on the track team. He cultivated a love of both science and performing that he credits, in great part, to the opportunities he had while in high school.
Over Thirty Historically Black Colleges and Universities Come to Sac High
Sac High
Sac High recently partnered with the United College Action Network (U-CAN) to host a college fair with over 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Alabama A&M University, Delaware State University, Morgan State University, and Wiley College. College representatives came to Sac High to talk to students about the programs and opportunities available at their universities and answer any questions.
Join Us to Celebrate St. HOPE Public Schools’ 20th Anniversary on September 29
St. HOPE Public Schools
We hope that you can join us on Friday, September 29 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of St. HOPE Public Schools. Current St. HOPE scholars and families, alumni from Sac High and PS7, neighbors and community leaders are invited to gather, reconnect, share memories and current experiences, and celebrate this exciting moment in St. HOPE’s history.
Highlighting Success
President's Message - 9.26.23
We are excited to share with you our latest St. HOPE Annual Report 2021-2023 that includes highlights and data from our 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal years. As you’ll see, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to provide high quality education for youth in the Oak Park community. We are exceedingly proud of what our scholars at PS7 and Sac High accomplish each year and we are thrilled to watch our seniors graduate knowing they will do good for the world.
Sac High Alumni Spotlight: Asia Canady, Class of 2008
Asia Canady feels a strong connection to the Oak Park community and has impactful memories of her time at Sac High. Sac High Dragons are a part of her family as her mom and aunts attended the school and her twin sister Asha was also in the class of 2008.
Hundreds attended 3rd Annual Back 2 School BBQ
On Thursday, August 10, St. HOPE hosted its Back 2 School BBQ in collaboration with over ten community partners. More than 400 youth attended and community members enjoyed free hot dogs and snow cones, free school supplies (notebooks, pens and pencils, folders, crayons, coloring books, etc.), and free backpacks (backpacks were limited to the first 100 students). This fun-filled event at McClatchy Park included face painting, chalk art, bean bag toss for kids and an opportunity for adults to mingle and chat with friends.
Sac High Offers Dual Enrollment College Program
Sac High has established a new partnership with Sacramento City College that offers our juniors and seniors an opportunity to take college courses and earn BOTH high school and college credit. This program is called the Panther Pipeline and the unique part about it is that Sac City College professors come to Sac High two days a week to teach scholars in person. The other three days scholars complete their college work in class with their Sac High teacher.
St. HOPE Public Schools Celebrates 20th Anniversary in September
Please join us on Friday, September 29 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of St. HOPE Public Schools! Since 2003, Sac High and PS7 have operated with a clear mission to graduate self-motivated, industrious, critically thinking leaders who are committed to serving others, passionate about life-long learning, and prepared to earn a degree from a four-year college or university.
Underground Books: Preserving The Black Experience
President's Message - 8.22.23
As students head back to school, I want to remind parents, students, and neighbors about the incredible community asset we have in Underground Books located in the heart of Oak Park. Underground Books opened in the summer of 2003 and is part of the 40 Acres Cultural Center that provides so many enriching entertainment and cultural activities for residents in the region.