Send an 8th Grader to College?!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

Send a child who is the first in their family and from a low-income background on the path to college at the age of only 13! I teach a wonderful group of 100 students who have committed to being on the path to college already in 8th grade! They are part of a college-bound class called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination.) Despite their economic and language based disadvantages, these students are motivated to work to their goal of going to college by taking challenging classes, setting goals, studying colleges and charting career paths.

These students are unique and special, because they are students who are part of a program that targets students with "average" grades, and pushes them to succeed in Honor's level classes with support. These students have many challenges in their lives: homelessness, lack of literacy in the home, English as a second language in the home, no quiet place to study, victims of abuse, victims of divorce and broken homes, and sometimes even lack of parental support for education. In a world where the "have-nots" automatically have a disadvantage in the job world, these students are recreating that destiny by studying early for the PSAT and creating college presentation projects for the rest of their 8th grade peers to observe and take notes on. Many of these students are the first in their families to graduate 8th grade, let alone set goals to graduate high school and go on to a four year university. The local high school has a 50% drop-out rate. These students are working together as an academic family to make sure they are not in that high percentage. We need you to help keep the momentum going by recognizing some special students during College Week.

The resources I need all tie into the College Week curriculum and beyond. First, the kids are studying SAT words, so that they are in shape for the PSAT. The "Rock the SAT" book has a CD that helps teach students words in a catchy tune. Four of these books will be given to the winners of the College Fair projects that their group completes. They will be able to study for the SAT early, and do it in a way that makes sense and is fun to them. Secondly, the other SAT prep books and college books are for the students to be able to check out and reference during College Week and after. Many of them have questions about colleges during our class- and the 283 college book will help ease questions I can not answer in the middle of class. The button maker is for my students to be able to make buttons that state "Future College Graduate, Class of 2018". These buttons will be handed out to all 8th graders during College Week, as a reminder that many of them have the opportunity to go to college if they stay in school, complete their A-G's and work hard. The AVID students will be proud to be leaders and activists and will instill some pride that they can effect others' lives in a positive way.

You will make it possible for my students to have access to a deeper college curriculum, and feel like they are truly a leader during College Week with making special college-bound buttons. Further, the four students who receive the SAT prep books will have the gift of support and test prep motivation for the SAT from someone they have never met.