PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Due to declining enrollment, the board of Universal Vare Charter School in South Philadelphia has decided not to seek a five-year charter renewal, putting the future of the school in question. Kenny Gamble’s Universal Companies has operated the charter since 2011, but the upcoming school year will be Vare’s last, operators said.…

O.J. Spivey TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT Officials at the Universal Vare Promise Neighborhood Partnership Charter School in South Philadelphia stood firm on Thursday in their decision not to pursue a five-year charter renewal after the 2025-26 school year. They cited lower enrollment shifts and demographic trends across the city that included gentrification and lower birth rates. The…

South Philly Review; By: Mark Zimmaro ; April 12, 2025 Scientifically speaking, there’s a good chance that the next great scientist could have some strong ties to South Philly’s Grays Ferry neighborhood.  Universal Audenried Charter School on Tasker Street recently celebrated multiple awards at the George Washington Carver Science Fair last month. Award winners ranged…

The College of Education and Human Development proudly announces Penny Sparks Nixon, superintendent of schools and chief executive officer of Universal Schools, as this year’s distinguished honoree for the prestigious Constance Clayton Urban Education Leadership Award. Selected by a committee of faculty, alumni, students and community partners, this distinguished honor recognizes leaders who embody excellence,…

The energy was high in Temple University’s Charles Library on Wednesday, March 12, as students from The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) and Universal Audenried Charter High School eagerly gathered for the first-ever Klein College Mock Pitch (KCMP).  The competition, hosted by Klein College of Media and Communication, challenged student teams…

By Christie Lleto, Monday, February 17. 2025 PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Her story has been rewritten. After 29 years, Philadelphia’s all-time leading scorer in girl’s basketball has a new queen. Universal Audenreid High School’s Shayla Smith officially recorded more than 2,500 career points, breaking a city record on Thursday. Her teammates and coaches cleared the bench and swarmed her…

By Mark Zimmaro: PA Times Shayla Smith is now the Public League’s all-time leading scorer. Smith, a senior at Universal Audenried Charter School in Grays Ferry, eclipsed a 29-year-old high school girls basketball record set by Shawnetta Stewart, who attended University City High School, which closed in 2013. Stewart, a 1996 graduate, later played at Rutgers…

By Christie Ileto Monday, January 13, 2025 5:41PM Click here to watch video on channel 6ABC PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia basketball phenom Shayla Smith is scoring her way into the local record books. The high schooler has already surpassed the greats like Dawn Staley. Now Shayla is a couple of games and layups away from eclipsing title holder Shawnetta…

Article By: Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito) City of Basketball Love –– COLLEGEVILLE — Nasiaah Russell remembers the date. She remembers falling awkwardly. She remembers the searing heat that coursed through her lower right leg as she grabbed her knee crying on December 23, 2023, thinking the worst, thinking, “This is it, I’ll never play basketball again.” She was a big…