What Kids Say:
“I don’t get into trouble that much anymore. My social skills have improved and I get my homework done now. Before CIS, I was getting Ds and some Cs … Now I’m at a 3.3 grade point average. That’s only 0.2 from the honor roll.”
--Kal-El Spencer, Linden Grove Middle School student
“I used to think negative all the time. I worried I wasn’t going to graduate on time. I’d just about given up on school. Ms. Yarbrough talked to me and checked up on me. She made me have hope in myself. She helped other people get involved with me … I got the guidance I needed. Because of CIS, I have a better outlook on my life. I’m doing well at Valley – I got a B on my first math test! If it weren’t for CIS and The Kalamazoo Promise, I wouldn’t be in college at this point.”
--Tyanna Myles, CIS Alumna, KPS Graduate, Freshman at KVCC
What Parents Say:
"The 21st Century After School program has made a huge impact in my son. It provides him a structured outlet that helps him get his work done, meet new people and have a positive male role model in his life. I have seen a huge difference in him since he started attending the After School Program"
--Aleah Hofacker, her son is in the 7th grade
What Site Coodinators Say:
"One success story that I would like to share involves one of my young men on the basketball team that came to me in tears because he had became ineligible to actually play due to his grades. We pulled up his pinnacle which displays missing assignments and how much they are worth and worked together to prioritize the order in which he should complete them in. Next I gave him a planner and showed him how I tracked my assignments and now he uses the same system and often comes in to show off his pinnicle with no missing assignments, and when he falls behind he always has a plan to catch back up."
--Jenee Danielle McDaniel, Site Coordinator, Loy Norrix High School
“Just being a part of this is a success. Since we are a community driven organization— I really love that piece—building relationships is the foundation of everything we do here.”
--Artrella Cohn, Director of Secondary Sites
What Volunteers Say:
“I started tutoring at Kalamazoo Central recently. I met my student, who has been struggling in Chemistry… we sat down, opened her book and did some of her homework. We learned together and I enjoyed the experience. She said that I could come back and help her the next week.
Yesterday I learned that although she did well on that homework, she did not do well on the chemistry test that she just had taken. I was disappointed, but she said that she had improved from her previous tests. So we sat down, went through her test and found the correct answers. We discussed some memory skills that she could use to help with terminology. She’d learned after she took that test that she could have referred to the periodic chart to find the right answers. I felt that she was building confidence and feeling better prepared for the next test.
Part of what is inspiring about this young lady is that she gets right down to work when we meet and I can tell that she really wants to do well. On the whole, I am pleased to be able to offer some help. If she keeps doing better in her chemistry class, then we are probably going in the right direction.”
-- Chris Sundberg