More than 100 Cincinnati inner-city high-school students get a taste of
college living for four weeks each summer through an educational effort
with roots in the heart of Over-the-Rhine.
Leadership Scholars,
a four-year-old nonprofit focused on providing support for students
with academic potential but few avenues of support, began after
Cincinnati lawyer Harry Santen saw the challenges faced by talented
students enrolled at
St. Francis Seraph School
downtown. Today, Leadership Scholars provides year-round programming
and support for area youth, including a no-cost summer program based at
Xavier University that will include 125 students this year, the biggest class ever.
They span four grades and more than 15 schools. They are veterans of the
school-year program, which includes team mentoring and leadership
development sessions at Xavier. During the summer session, they take
academic as well as arts-focused classes. They take field trips and have
a picnic with their extended "family" of scholars. They walk away with
much more than solidified academic skills.
"The best part each summer is watching the students make new friends,"
says Tara Bonistall Noland, Leadership Scholars' associate director.
"One student told me last week that while she has a lot of friends at
her high school, she considers her Leadership Scholars friends to be her
real friends."
Bonistall Noland is preparing for her second summer program, which means
hiring 12 professional teachers and 16 veteran high-school Leaders as
staff members, and buying 200 water bottles, 120 flash drives, 160
t-shirts, more than 500 books and thousands of sheets of paper. She
can't wait for the program to begin.
"We see tremendous growth in the students each summer - especially with
the 8th graders, who are participating for the first time," Bonistall
Noland says. "They become more mature, their communication skills
improve, and they begin to embrace leadership in a new way. All of a
sudden, holding the door for someone else becomes the norm, and speaking
up in class is cool."
Do Good:
•
Make a donation. Your contribution can help purchase supplies for this summer's session at Xavier!
•
Be a coach. Volunteer to mentor or speak to a group of young Leaders and Scholars about your career and path to success.
•
Keep in touch. Like the Leadership Scholars Facebook page to find out the latest news.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo courtesy Leadership Scholars
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