Nicholas Academic Centers Launch Summer Educational Program for Disadvantaged Students

High School Students from Santa Ana Will Learn at Dana Point`s Ocean Institute,
Orange County Performing Arts Center and Syd Yost`s Animal Training Center
SANTA ANA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Today students from the Nicholas Academic Centers in Santa Ana spent the day at
the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, where they were introduced to local marine
life during a boat cruise along the Pacific coast. The session is part of an
alternative educational program to keep promising students active and engaged
over the summer.

"We wanted to establish an innovative program that will engage and educate
students and give them a hands-on learning experience over the summer," said Dr.
Henry "Nick" Nicholas, whose Nicholas Education Foundation established the first
Academic Center in 2007. A second center opened in January of this year. "These
organizations are valued partners in our philanthropic network and we are
excited to be working with them on this project."

More than 50 disadvantaged students participated in the Ocean Institute visit.
They will make a return trip in August. Other field trips will include attending
productions of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Orange
County Performing Arts Center, and time with world-renowned animal trainer Syd
Yost in San Bernardino.

"The Ocean Institute is delighted to work with the Nicholas Academic Centers to
expand the horizons of young people and teach them to become responsible
stewards of our oceans," said Dan Stetson, president and CEO of the Ocean
Institute. "We look forward to helping NAC students chart ambitious courses for
their lives."

Friday`s visit included a three-hour trip aboard the Ocean Institute`s research
vessel Sea Explorer. For some of the students - including 16-year-old Mariela
Garcia - it was their first boat ride and offered a chance to see dolphins and
other marine life up close in their natural habitat.

"I`ve never had this experience," said Mariela, who will start her junior year
at Century High School. "We saw dolphins and they were doing tricks. … Money
can`t put anything on this."

The Nicholas Academic Centers are run by retired Judge Jack Mandel and funded by
the Nicholas Education Foundation, which is part of the Henry T. Nicholas, III
Foundation. Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High in
Santa Ana, the Centers provide free tutoring and mentoring for students, as well
as computers and a safe and comfortable place to study.

The Santa Ana Unified School District is located in the most densely populated
area of Orange County. The student body has the largest percentage of English
learners in the county and among the highest drop-out rates. This fall, the
first group of Nicholas Academic Center graduates will begin college at many top
schools - including UCLA, Denison University and Allegheny College.

"Motivated students in these urban areas face many cultural and environmental
obstacles in seeking higher education," said Dr. Nicholas. "For many of them
deciding whether to pursue higher education is a greatest crossroads of their
lives, and for most they would be the first person in their family to go to
college. The Centers were established to help them realize their dreams."

Aaron Curtiss, 310-788-2850
aaron_curtiss@sitrick.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009