First Class of
8th Grade Academy Students Graduates
From High School

In 2001, 55 former Citizen Schools students accepted a challenge to continue their Citizen Schools apprenticeship-based education and receive extra preparation for high school. They joined a new version of Citizen Schools designed for older youth called 8th Grade Academy.   Twice a week after-school, and every Saturday, they met in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood for 8GA, as it has come to be known , working with volunteer professionals improve their academic skills and get a jump on high school and college.   This year, that inaugural crew of hard-working students enter the next phase of achievement and leadership-as high school graduates.  

To volunteer to mentor 8th-grade apprentices and help them achieve their dreams, click here.

Their success reflects well on the ambitions of the 8th Grade Academy program, which will expand across the national network to serve 1,500 students, thanks to a grant from Goldman Sachs. The older students continued to create hands-on learning projects led by community volunteers, but the one-on-one attention was more intense and writing-focused. Apprentices met with local lawyers, often in their offices, who volunteered to serve as writing coaches and mentors.   Meanwhile, they continued to receive extra homework help and strong academic support from Citizen Schools trained educators, with higher standards and a more future-minded approach to educational outcomes.

The most crucial addition to the 8th grade program was an emphasis on the path toward college. Citizen Schools staff helped apprentices write powerful applications to the very best high schools and took them to visit ten colleges.   These traditions paved the way for future students in Boston who would take advantage of 8th Grade Academy, who will join this pioneering class in receiving their high school diplomas in the coming years.

Pay attention to these names. You may just want to hire them in four years!

Partial List of Colleges 8GA1 Alumni Will be Attending
Sherry Jones - Anna Maria College
Lionel Blaise - Art Institute of Boston
Marlon Thompson - Boston College
Socrates Cribb - Brandeis - Transitional Year Program Scholarship
Stephanie Smith - Bryn Mawr   - Posse Scholarship
Besoni Cohen - Bunker Hill Community College
Lauren Shaw - Emerson College
Leide Cabral - Hamilton College
Evelis Perez - College of the Holy Cross
Kemmel Dilbert - Job Corps
Jarron Bennet - Johnson and Wales University
Benjamin Brown - Kentucky State University
Tony Welsh - Kentucky State University
Nicole Gentle - Newbury College
Leya Accime - Salem State University
Noble Williams - Salem State University
Marvin Balan - Suffolk University
Ramona Coleman - Suffolk University
Clifford Cazeau - Suffolk University
Jerry John Marcel - University of Maine - Farmington

To view this page on the web, click here :: To forward this article to a friend, click here
To subscribe to this newsletter, click here :: To unsubscribe to this newsletter, click here

CITIZEN SCHOOLS
308 CONGRESS STREET
BOSTON, MA 02210
TEL 617.695.2300      FAX 617.695.2367
[ www.citizenschools.org ]