Oprah Winfrey surprised a high school principal in Newark that is making a huge difference in his community.
Principal Akbar Cook created the Lights On program. It’s designed to keep students off the street by giving them a safe place to hang out on Friday nights. Until 11 p.m. each Friday, kids can shoot pool, play video games, basketball practice cheers or even create music in a recording studio.
Oprah shared: “So I heard about West Side and all the great things that are happening here, so I’m going to leave here tonight and leave you with a half a million dollars,” Winfrey said to cheers.
She also gave the students Shop Rite gift cards and hosted a pizza party with her “O, That’s Good!” line of pizza.
The passionate principal shared: “I haven’t lost any more kids to gun violence since the start of the school year,” Principal Akbar Cook said in April.
Akbar’s Lights On program will also run three nights a week in the summer.
