2 Texas Schools Win $25,000 Inspiration Awards
May 2011
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From Left to Right: Juliet Stipeche, Houston School Board Member, Hannah Young, Student, Gaston Caperton, Jorge Mendoza |
The College Board is proud to congratulate two Texas schools — Ebbert L. Furr High School in Houston and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School in Pharr — for each winning one of this year’s Inspiration Awards, which are given to schools for improving their academic environments and helping underserved students achieve equitable access to higher education.
Furr and PSJA North were two of three schools nationwide to win a 2011 Inspiration Award. Each school was presented a check for $25,000 at assemblies held in the schools’ auditoriums last month.
“The Inspiration Awards celebrate the extraordinary commitment of educators and communities to their students’ futures,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “Despite sometimes overwhelming odds, these outstanding schools are taking remarkable steps to give their students the bright futures they deserve.”
Inspiration Award winners are honored for opening doors to higher education for students facing economic, social and cultural barriers. The schools demonstrate significant and consistent growth across the entire student population in the number of students taking rigorous courses and the percentage of graduates accepted to institutions of higher education.
At PSJA North, every student in the school is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and 70 percent of students are considered at-risk. Under Principal Narciso García, the school has changed from simply trying to graduate these students, to preparing them for college success and completion.
The school’s “Go Center” features a computer lab with full-time staffers who work with students on college applications, college research, financial aid applications and writing.
“If someone walks into our school, they smell and breathe college readiness,” said García. “Students step up to the level of expectations when they are provided with the opportunity to be enrolled in Pre-AP and AP courses.”
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From Left to Right: Jazmin Garza, Kristen Vela,
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The number of students taking at least one AP® class has skyrocketed — from less than 10 percent in 2005 to more than half of all students today. More than 90 percent of students graduate from PSJA North, and more than 70 percent are accepted to colleges and universities.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, student Adriana Rodríguez spoke about what her school has meant to her. Her parents joined her onstage as she accepted the award with García. Hundreds of parents, teachers and students applauded and chanted “¡Sí se puede!” (Yes, we can!) along with Peter Negroni, the College Board’s vice president for relationship development, who presented the award.
At Furr High School, Principal Bertie Simmons came out of retirement to turn around the school, which is located in an impoverished and geographically isolated area where gang activity is prevalent.
The graduation rate is almost 75 percent, and this year 97 percent of graduating seniors were accepted to a college or university.
All students who are on grade level are recruited to take part in the school’s Pre-AP® or AP® programs and are asked to sign a contract acknowledging the benefits of participation as well as the consequences for not meeting expectations. An incredible 75 percent of students are taking AP or Pre-AP classes.
More than 85 percent of Furr students are engaged in a college-preparatory core curriculum, and nearly 80 percent of seniors signed up to take an AP Exam this year, up dramatically from less than 10 percent five years ago.
Furr student Jorge Mendoza said at the awards ceremony, “AP changed me. It made me a better person. It helped me learn about myself and the world. … Now I care about my future.”
Three other Texas schools received College Board 2011 Inspiration Award Honorable Mentions, which include a $1,000 stipend: Johnny Economedes High School in Edinburg; Klein Forest High School in Houston; and R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton.
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