Brainerd High School’s graduation rate jumped 17 percent within one year.
But school officials say they won’t be satisfied until they reach 100 percent.
The Maclellan Foundation and Front Porch Alliance want to help.
“We want to see a higher graduation rate,” said Al Chapman, president of Front Porch Alliance, a local organization that connects “stakeholders for the revitalization of inner-city neighborhoods,” according to its website.
Brainerd’s graduation rate increased from 52 percent to 69 percent in the 2012-13 school year, though decreased slightly, to 67 percent, last year.
Devin Smiley works in tutoring.This year the school started an evening school, and will host its first summer graduation ceremony for students who complete graduation credits during the summer.
Homeless students, those pulled in and out of state custody and single teen moms make up some of the school’s student population, and they have jobs or other circumstances that prevent them from regularly attending class during general school hours, said Assistant Principal Dr. Jacqueline Cothran. She wants to eliminate every excuse students have for failing by meeting students’ needs.
Principal Uras Agee started the evening school in January. About 25 students are enrolled, said Dr. Selina Thedford, evening school facilitator.
Instead of meeting at the school from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. as traditional students do, they meet from 3:15-7:15 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 2:15-6:15 p.m. on Fridays. Front Porch Alliance provides bus passes for transportation to the evening school.
The Maclellan Foundation is imparting stipends for Brainerd’s summer program teachers. According to the local nonprofit’s website, it “proactively explore[s] and promote[s] fresh, innovative approaches to education…”
Of the $200,000 the foundation awarded to 46 agencies this year for summer programming, Brainerd received $14,000 — the largest portion.
Maclellan also gave the school an additional $50,000 to use throughout the year as needed.
Transferring from one school to another contributed to 19-year-old Antawan Vaughn being behind in credits when he came to Brainerd. He took advantage of the school’s summer credit recovery program where he had academic coaches guiding him through classes like economics and Algebra to make up credits.
This year he will become the first person in his family to graduate.
“The biggest thing that the children tell us is that they see hope … a chance to get out of the cycle of not getting anything completed,” said Carol McCance, instructional coach at Brainerd.
“It got me on the path to graduate,” Vaughn said.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.