Communities in Schools - Milledgeville Baldwin County received a donation from Robins Financial Credit Union for its High School Promise summer program at Baldwin High School.
The High School Promise program was created to help ninth graders transition from middle school to high school. Each summer the program runs for two weeks before school starts to offer ninth grade students a chance to tour the building, hear expectations, meet teachers, and more. Each day of the week has a different theme and what occurs during the day is based on these themes.
“This allows upcoming ninth graders to come to Baldwin High School and get acclimated to the building, teachers, staff, and more without that initial shock affecting their first day,” said Janet Cavin, executive director of Communities in Schools.
This year, 70 students participated in the program, and, following the end of the program, all ninth-grade students pledged to graduate from Baldwin High School. This commitment ceremony helps to ensure that all students know the importance of their high school experience, understand expectations, and aspire to graduate.
“High school is a brand new world with a lot of new expectations, schedules and interaction. So, the idea is that if they have a good transition then they have a better opportunity to be successful,” said Cavin.
Teachers proposed the program after recognizing how difficult the transition had been for previous students. Middle school and high school have drastically different expectations and approaches to how students learn and are treated.
According to Cavin, students often struggle with the transition of interacting with multiple grades, becoming overwhelmed by the size of the school, and having less leadership and guidance as they did in middle school.
“The teachers worked with the ninth-grade counselor to plan the program. Communities in Schools really began assisting with the program last summer,” said Cavin. “It was a necessity that we recognized and supported.”
Communities in Schools Milledgeville Baldwin County made a proposal to Robins Financial Credit Union’s community project in April to assist with the financial support of the program. They would later be notified that they were one of 15 other organizations to receive funding.
“We received a $21,950 donation that will be used to fund the program including purchasing resources for the program, paying teachers, and purchasing resources for students during the school year,” said Cavin.
The community project puts local dollars into funding local programs and causes that benefit the county as a whole. Such contributions, according to Cavin, help to share local stories, create strong connections between local dollars and local impact, and make connections for the program’s students for future internships and work.
“Seventy children have a much better opportunity of doing well in high school because the community took the time, money, and resources to invest into them,” said Cavin.