Duke Ellington School of the Arts receives $17.2 million endowment

August 9, 2011 - 05:13 pm

Correction:

A previous version of this story identified the Eugene B. Casey Foundation as the Annie B. Casey Foundation. This story has been updated.

The sweet sound of Duke Ellington's legendary music is not the only thing echoing through the Georgetown art school that bears his name.

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Duke Ellington, the man whose name adorns the school. (Photo: Flickr)

On Tuesday, the cheers echoed as well, as the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the District's only school of its type, received a $17.2 million endowment from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation.

"We have struggled for so long and waited so long for an angel, and now we've got one," Dr. Mary Jane Ayers said.

The school has had to reduce staff and take dramatic measures to protect the integrity of the arts program, but that job has been increasingly difficult.

"We have struggled raising the money over the past few years, but now endowed funds like we just received will allow us to continue," Rory Pullen says.

ABC7's Horace Holmes has more.

Short URL: http://wj.la/nTBUXH

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