Christopher Peak file photo
Freshmen face off in Connect Four at YouthStat event.
One hundred city youth have graduated from a five-week summer school program targeted towards supporting students in danger of dropping out.
City spokesperson Laurence Grotheer announced the news of the recent graduation in a Thursday afternoon email press release about the YouthStat Summer Academy.
YouthStat, a program developed by the Youth Services department in 2014, focuses extra attention and resources from teachers, social workers, and administrators on students at risk of dropping out before or during high school.
“Providing young people in New Haven with a range of exciting learning, exploratory, physical fitness and field trip opportunities during the summer months,” Mayor Toni Harp is quoted as saying in the release, “is an excellent – and effective – way to introduce them to high school or prepare them for their return to school.”
Read Grotheer’s full press release below.
New Haven – Mayor Toni N. Harp today announced that 100 New Haven youth have completed a five-week summer school program with a celebration at Hillhouse High School.
Mayor Harp said the YouthStat Summer Academy is meant to encourage students to become actively engaged, energized and ready for the start of the 2019 school year. Some students obtained credits toward graduation, rising freshmen prepared for entry into 9th grade, and others worked toward credit recovery. All students had opportunities to take part in exciting enrichment activities, which included physical fitness and emotional wellness.
Emphasis at the academy was placed on small interactive settings and social-emotional supports through experiential learning to promote wellness and resiliency and on promoting student voice, self-esteem, team building and sense of community. The YouthStat Academy, is a joint venture between the City of New Haven, Board of Education and the Career Pathways Technology Collaborative, a program of The Justice Education Center.
“Providing young people in New Haven with a range of exciting learning, exploratory, physical fitness and field trip opportunities during the summer months is an excellent – and effective – way to introduce them to high school or prepare them for their return to school. I am so proud of these students’ hard work and the extraordinary dedication of their teachers and counselors – each of whom deserves to be recognized and celebrated,” Mayor Harp said. “My administration has been committed to create as many avenues as possible for student success, understanding that in learning, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. The goal is to match the passions, aptitudes and interests of individual students with a range of technology career options or four-year college experiences and beyond.”
