On the night of July 30, parents, family and other community members sat in awe as 88 4th -12th grade girls presented a summary of all that they had learned during month-long job training and educational enrichment programs.
Final written reports, 3-D projects, and work from the arts and crafts club lined the walls. Students performed a skit, dances (some they themselves had choreographed), and gymnastics. A particularly captivating moment was the Music and Sign Language Club’s presentation of the songs “Angel” and “I Believe I Can Fly,” which they accompanied with signing.
Sixty-seven girls, in grades 4-9 and 21 high school students successfully completed four week programs (July 6-30, 2010) run by the Rosedale Achievement Center. The middle school girls, taught by volunteer college students (from Harvard, Fordham, Notre Dame, SUNY Potsdam, University of North Carolina, and Santa Rosa Junior College (CA), were guided to live the Program’ theme, “Explore More” by: turning their participation in character development classes into consistent habits of living courtesy, punctuality, respect, responsibility, and true friendship; diving into award-winning novels in their reading class; mastering decimals and algebraic equations in Math, inventors and time lines in Science/Social Studies; growing in good nutrition habits and development of sports skills in Health/Sports; growing in the enjoyment of caring for details in arts & crafts, for teamwork in dance & gymnastics and in discovering the value and beauty of music combined with sign language.
Girls entering ninth grade in September 2010 participated in a special Intermediate program that featured book discussions, an ethics class, community service activities, vocal and speech clubs, health and fitness sessions and improv comedy lessons. The volunteer Intermediate Program leaders from Princeton and Notre Dame Universities taught an intensive test prep class to prepare students for the public specialized and Catholic high school entrance exams.
The high school girls participated in paid internships some as Teacher Assistants for the younger girls and some at business sites such as The Coughlin Group, The Hope Line, Stonesong Press, The Intrepid Air and Space Museum, the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allen & Overy Law Firm, and the Mediterranean Shipping Company). Some girls were so successful in their internship sites that they were invited by their company to continue working there in August even though the Rosedale Program itself has ended for the summer. The first year interns also attended afternoon classes at Rosedale in business ethics, office/computer skills, and resume writing taught by volunteer instructors from St. John’s University and Catholic University.
As someone who has been a part of Rosedale since it opened its doors to young girls for the first time on October 2, 1978, (over the years we have added Saturday Club, After-School Tutoring, Violin/Voice Lessons, TACHS/SAT Prep classes, etc.) I can tell you I needed a few tissues this past July 30th to wipe away my own tears of pride and joy in what these young girls, their families and community have come together with us to accomplish.
About Rosedale Achievement Center:
The Rosedale Center has offered character education as the foundation of its after-school achievement and leadership programs since its founding in 1978. In 1988, Rosedale joined with the Crotona Center for boys to form the South Bronx Educational Foundation (SBEF). Our programs are remarkably effective; since 1998, virtually all high school seniors in SBEF programs have gone on to college. In general, SBEF students enter college at about three times the rate of their peers.
Working mainly from a three-story row house, we provide students with individual attention in a nurturing environment through either one-on-one or small group settings. They benefit from our programs’ emphasis on individual mentoring and friendship, parental involvement, and character building through academic achievement. By the time a student finishes the program, she is typically much better motivated and disciplined and has a greater appreciation of her future role as a spouse, parent, employee, and member of society.
More information could be found here.
