News

Alex Quince, 18, is the second student ever in the GED Plus program to get a perfect score on the reading part of the test. He is profiled in the Boston Globe - "Boston dropout rings up a perfect score" (6/24/08)

"You should have thought about your skills before you started smoking"- is the central message in the dance battle video that launched Sociedad Latina's newest video production endeavor into the spotlight of a statewide competition of over 125 contestants. S.L. was recently named the Grand Prize Winner and Viewer's Choice Award for the84.org's Getting' Real on Reel video contest.

Two organizations within the the Boston Youth Service Network were honored as 2008 PIC Achievers for their exemplary work with young people. Elaina Elias, Career Counselor at Bridge Over Troubled Waters, was recognized for her work on several initiatives to improve outcomes for out of school youth. Lory Newmyer, Executive Director of Hull Lifesaving Museum has improved outcomes for DYS youth through the Maritime Apprenticeship Program and provides valuable leadership to the network. Congratulations!

Boston's own Ritmo en Acción youth dance troupe became the talk of the nation this week when its members were featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. See for yourself the Hyde Square Task Force program that everyone is everyone is talking about!
Click here to watch the video

The Maritime Apprenticeship Program (Hull Lifesaving Museum) was featured on the Jordan Rich Show on WBZ Radio as a Lenny Zakim Fund grant recipient.  The Maritime Apprenticeship Program offers intensive full-time, year-round training for older youth in the custody of DYS.
Listen to the 12-02-07 Jordan Rich Show

Students and staff from El Centro del Cardenal organized a Cultural Festival in early March that brings together the school, families, and community partners in an annual celebration and community building event. The festival highlighted student poetry from an intensive poetry workshop the previous months. In addition, several students (pictured below) re-enacted a controversial trial they learned about in their social studies class.

Member organizations of the Boston Youth Service Network organized a successful Youth Fair on Thursday, March 13, 2008. 170 youth from 12 community-based youth programs across the city came together to participate in the event. Youth completed an interactive workshop to strengthen their interview skills and learn about summer employment opportunities in Boston. They then connected with nearly 30 summer worksites, employers and postsecondary college and training programs at the fair. The goal of the event was to give youth a head start on their summer employment opportunities and learn how to be proactive in this process.

Congratulations to everyone at Hyde Square Task Force! Their Ritmo en Accion teen dance program was awarded the prestigious Coming Up Taller award from First Lady Laura Bush. This award honors 15 arts and humanities nonprofit organizations annually for encouraging creativity in children in order to help steer them away from crime. See the coverage in the Boston Globe.

Superintendent Carol Johnson presented her recommendations for BPS at the School Committee meeting Jan 30.  She will present the second phase of her recommendations in April 2008.  The full report and restructured organizational chart are available to download from the BPS website (www.bostonpublicschools.org).  We will be discussing these recommendations and how we want to respond as a network over the next week.

Governor Patrick announced plans to hike education spending by $368 million. This includes $223 million for local communities to spend on education and targeted funding for extended school day programs, tutoring for students with low MCAS scores and other initiatives. The Globe also reported Mayor Menino is expected to announce plans for a $1 million program called the "new Boston miracle" that would coordinate the programming of schools, branch libraries, and community centers to boost test scores and graduation rates, while decreasing dropouts and youth violence.