At Richmond Heights Secondary school, students in grades 7 - 12 are invited to join the “Rise Up” after school program. Rise Up gives students the opportunity to get extra tutoring, join clubs, explore career interests, and take advantage of a number of mentorship opportunities. This year, Rise Up has also taken on the role of community educator. This week’s A+ Award goes to the students in Rise Up at Richmond Heights Secondary School.
“We have a core group of students who are doing great work,” said Site Coordinator Alica Trescott. Rise Up students can participate in a number of clubs, including boxing, guitar, fitness, robotics, coding, as well as academic enrichment and tutoring. They also focus on student wellness, which is especially important these days.
The community also supports Rise Up. “Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland has been a great help and really support what the students are here for” Ms. Trescott shared. “This year has been tough because we are meeting remotely, but the students are dedicated. We’ve pivoted on a dime to transfer our program to a virtual experience for students,”
Rise Up not only explores their personal interests and participates in tutoring, but they also explore social and community issues.
This year Rise Up participated in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day essay contest and the students wrote essays about Martin Luther King, Jr’s legacy and what it means today. Many of the essays explored topics of social justice and equality. The essays were so good, that the school decided to make a video featuring the excerpts of the students’ writing. “We had a lot of fun recording the video. Some of the students were nervous at first about how their voices sounded, but we are all really proud of the work they’ve done!” Ms. Trescott added.
This weeks’ NewsDepth A+ Award goes to Rise Up at Richmond Heights Secondary School, for going the extra mile to explore their interests and educate the community!
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.
