News release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Study Connection kicks off 27th year
(August 25, 2015) – Study Connection will celebrate its 27th year of helping students with the Annual Celebration and Recognition Breakfast Thursday, Aug. 27. The event honors volunteers and students for their accomplishments and will feature keynote speaker Byron Garrett, author of “The ABCs of Life” and “There’s Greatness on the Inside.”
Garrett is Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming education through meaningful family engagement, and was the former CEO of National PTA. He also serves as the Director of Educational Leadership and Policy for Microsoft and is a consulting author for Scholastic. Throughout his career he has been an advocate of the idea that everyone has an obligation to serve the best interest of children.
The annual breakfast serves as the kick-off to a new year of tutors throughout the community working with students, but it also is a time to honor those who have given their time to improve students’ lives.
- The 2015 Mike McClelland Outstanding Volunteer is Angela Hudson, who is the site director at Ivy Tech Community College and is a classroom coach at Waynedale Elementary. Last year, she helped her students write and illustrate the book “Kindergarten A to Z.”
- Jodi Smith-Causey, the case manager at St. Joseph Central Elementary School, will be recognized as the Connie Dickey Outstanding FWCS Colleague. Jodi works with two sites – St. Joe United Methodist Church and Medical Protective – and is responsible for a total of 27 students.
- Study Connection is also honoring St. Joseph Central fifth-grader Victoria Clibon as the 2015 Don Wolf Outstanding Student. Victoria has been in Study Connection for two years and was nominated by her teacher, who said Victoria has a genuine interest in learning and takes advantage of her Study Connection time to work on math, spelling and writing.
Study Connection began in 1989, founded by Don Wolf, retired CEO and president emeritus of Do it Best Corp. Over nearly three decades, more than 10,000 students have gone through the program. Volunteers are matched one-to-one with FWCS students who need academic assistance. Students and volunteers meet weekly after school for one hour during the school year with the majority of the students bused to and from local businesses for tutoring sessions. This not only gives students a chance to receive extra homework help, but also meet a mentor in the community and learn about local career opportunities.
Study Connection has been replicated in other cities across the nation and has been recognized as an outstanding mentoring program.
To get involved with Study Connection, call 467-8811.
About Fort Wayne Community Schools
With nearly 31,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 51 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.
Related Images:
