Goal Getters

A collaboration between students, community members, Unit 4 administrators and the Champaign police appears to be paying dividends in boosting achievement by building on student strengths who were otherwise struggling. From yesterday's News-Gazette:

Real Goal Getters: Unit 4 high school program having positive impact on minority males
Most high school students wouldn’t sacrifice their Junes and Julys for anything. But for more than 30 Unit 4 students, Mondays and Tuesdays this summer were spent chanting together, eating together and learning leadership skills together.

These are students who have struggled socially and academically and needed a little push to get them on the right track, said Sheldon Turner, career services placement liaison for Operation Hope. He and Unit 4 administrators, as well as members of the community and Champaign police, put together the Goal Getters program...

At its core, the Goal Getters are a support group that builds on the popularity of some of these largely African- American students who seem to know everyone. Goal Getters, said Turner, was an opportunity for kids to make some money through community service work and discuss potential careers and job opportunities...
Goal Getters is continuing on this semester as an after-school program with a new group of students.

More at the web version of the article here.