The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Skype Recognize Monarch School Principal with a $50,000 Donation to the School for Homeless Children

Online, April 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Principal Joel Garcia of the Monarch School, the San Diego public K-12 school for students impacted by homelessness, was honored for his inspirational work at the school during the Friday, April 6, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Garcia, who thought he was simply invited to watch the show, was presented with a $50,000 donation for Monarch School. The full segment can be seen at: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/04/an_inspiring_principal_gets_big_help_0406.php.

"It was such a huge honor to be on the show and I am so thrilled for all the opportunities this will bring to our students," said Garcia. "All of us at Monarch School are overjoyed and so grateful to Skype and the people of The Ellen DeGeneres Show for this donation."

A crew from the Emmy Award winning show, which is in its ninth season, visited Monarch School last week to film the students during their daily activities for what they were told would be a short web feature on http://ellen.warnerbros.com/. Garcia was then invited to attend a show taping later in the week as a general audience member. To his surprise, Ellen invited him on stage, ran a lengthy segment detailing the school, recognized his work personally, and showed a live feed of Monarch students cheering him on from back at the school. The excitement continued with Ellen presenting Garcia with a check for $50,000 for Monarch School.

Still full of surprises, Ellen concluded the show by calling Garcia back to the stage with his wife Kathy. Ellen presented the couple, who are expecting their third child, with two checks for $1,000 from JCPenney for their 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, and an invitation back for Ellen's Mother's Day Show to celebrate their child on the way.

The generous $50,000 donation from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Skype will help Monarch School provide needed "wrap-around" services that make its program so unique. The one-of-a-kind school operates through a partnership with the public school system and a nonprofit arm so that it can provide both the public school education and supplement homeless students' basic needs. This includes providing food, hygiene kits, clothing, school supplies, and more. For additional information about Monarch School and opportunities to donate or volunteer, visit monarchschools.org or join in the conversation at facebook.com/monarchschool or twitter.com/SanDiegoMonarch.

About Monarch School:
Founded in 1988, Monarch School, located in downtown San Diego, is a public K-12 school exclusively for students who are at-risk and impacted by homelessness. Monarch School represents a unique public-private partnership between the San Diego County Office of Education and a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization. Today, 150 students between the ages of 4 and 19 are enrolled. Monarch School's committed team of educators, support staff and volunteers is dedicated to providing homeless children with an accredited education while caring for their basic needs. Monarch School broke ground on its new campus in downtown San Diego in early 2012. For more information, visit http://monarchschools.org or call (619) 237-7678.