Thursday, October 28, 2010
Photo of the Week: October 28, 2010
Ronald and Susan Working Together at St. Stephen's After-School Program
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Diploma, With Honors
Experience Corps Members Mary Jo Belmonte and Rose Napolitano have been volunteering with Generations Incorporated for nearly 3 years.
Recently I learned that several of our Experience Corps members in both Boston and Revere never finished high school. They are in their late 70-80s, and were children during World War II, when men went to war and women went to work. Older kids in a family also worked, either in factories, the family business, or on the family farm. Many teens took care of younger siblings so mother could work while father was at war. It was a time of incredible sacrifice. In fact, between 1940-1945, only about half of the nation’s 17 year olds finished high school.
We learned about this when our volunteers applied to become AmeriCorps members. Even though they had been volunteering with us for several years, AmeriCorps was new to them. AmeriCorps requires its members to have a high school diploma or a GED.
A half dozen of our 300+ volunteers are not qualified to serve as AmeriCorps members because of this requirement. These same individuals are model citizens who serve their community well in many ways and give at least 10 hours per week tutoring young children.
Dr. Paul Dakin, the Revere Superintendent of Schools, informed me that occasionally the School Committee grants honorary high school diplomas for extraordinary civic or military duty. He put me in touch with Carol Tye, Vice President of the School Committee and she agreed that our Revere Experience Corps volunteers exceeded the criteria for such an award.
On October 19, Rose Napolitano and Mary Jo Belmonte received a Revere High School diploma because of their outstanding civic contributions to the City of Revere. Mayor Thomas Ambrosino, Superintendent Dakin, all school committee members, and Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein were present, as well as many friends and colleagues.
A major goal of education is to produce strong citizens who can contribute to a vibrant community. Both Rose and Mary Jo are honor students in this regard. And both are now very proud AmeriCorps members serving in our Experience Corps program.
Mary Jo Belmonte is all smiles after receiving her high school diploma. She is seen here with Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Photo of the Week: October 14, 2010
Experience Corps Member Catherine Lydon Reading with a Student in Dorchester
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Boston May Close 6 Schools
Three Hyde Park facilities targeted; Students, parents, staff voice concern.
The Boston Globe October 7, 2010: Boston Superintendent Carol R. Johnson is recommending the closing of six schools, including three high schools at the same address in Hyde Park, that have low academic achievement, under a proposal she is presenting tonight to the School Committee.
Click here to read the entire article.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Time Spotlights Making Schools Great
Time magazine focused on education in their September 24th edition, releasing an in-depth look at the nation’s struggling schools and the family and community resources we need to help them. Click here to read their focus article, which includes a full list of “What Makes a School Great,” or click here to read the Experience Corps special mention.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Annie E. Casey Cites Experience Corps
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s new report, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters cites Experience Corps as a program that works. Click here to read the report, or here for the 2010 resource guide. For more information, visit www.aecf.org.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Photo of the Week: October 7, 2010
Experience Corps Member Manuel Fernandes decorating one of our sites at John Marshall Elementary School in Dorchester.
