Recovering from failing freshman geometry has been an uphill climb for Chris Brown.
When he retook the class in 10th grade, he missed a core sophomore math class. Now in his senior year at Hixson High School, he’s not able to take all the college prep courses he’d like to, because he’s behind.
“Something I did my ninth-grade year is still biting me,” he said.
So, to keep other young high schoolers from making similar mistakes, Brown, 17, wrote a grant request and recently was awarded $10,000 to pay for programs to keep students from dropping out. The My Idea grant is one of 36 across the nation funded by America’s Promise Alliance and AT&T.
Brown, along with other members of the teen board of OnPoint, a local nonprofit organization that promotes healthy choices, decided the best way to improve a graduation rate was to target students in ninth and 10th grades, before it’s too late.