St. Augustine High School has received funding for the first year of a three-year $150,000 grant from Mission & Ministry, Inc., a ministry of the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise, to address the gap that exists in academic achievement for minority boys before they are ready to enter high school. The grant will focus on minority boys beginning in the fifth grade, ensuring they receive the academic and social skills necessary for achievement at high academic levels.
“Since its founding in 1951, St. Augustine High School has been a leader in ensuring that African-American males were academically prepared to be successful in college and in life,” said St. Augustine President and CEO, Kenneth St. Charles, Ph.D. “We are excited to work with minority boys who are underrepresented among our country’s highest achieving students due in large part to their not receiving the same academic opportunities and resources as their peers. We are eternally grateful to Mission and Ministry, Inc. and the Daughters of Charity for their dedication and unwavering support as together we ensure that deserving minority and financially disadvantaged students are able to reach their full academic potential.”
The goals and expected outcomes of the program include preparing program participants to be successful in advanced honors courses, raising their expectations regarding grade attainment, increasing the level and quantity of extracurricular reading, improving test-taking skills, increasing self-confidence regarding challenging coursework, and leveling the playing field as it relates to exposure to higher education and cultural opportunities.
“The Academy for Gifted Boys provides assistance for gifted students that normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate,” said Mission and Ministry Executive Director Mary Wildeman. “This aligns with MMI’s mission of assisting those in need.”
The application period for the Academy for Gifted Boys is now open, and classes will begin in Fall 2018 on the St. Augustine High School campus.
