From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Fri Feb 14 2003 - 14:07:23 EST
February 17, 2003 == MEDIA ADVISORY
An unusual mentoring program has begun at Calvin College.
Typical college/high school mentoring programs pair struggling high school
students with superstar college students. But the new program at Calvin, which
began last fall thanks to a $50,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation, gives that
model a twist.
The Discovery Club takes high school students who are eager to prepare for
college and pairs them with Calvin students whose grades have dropped, requiring
them to take professor Andrea Granderson's "College Thinking and Learning"
class, a required class for students who have experienced academic setbacks
during their first semester at Calvin.
Discovery Club coordinator Rhae-Ann Booker says the twist works.
"These Calvin students," she said, "have great potential to be successful in
college, but, for whatever reason, their grades have dropped and now they are
required to take a course that will teach and remind them of what it takes to be
a successful college student."
Booker says the program is good for the high school students and for the
college students.
"What we're saying to these (Calvin) students," she says, "is that they have
something to say to high school students. Their experiences are valuable. They
can be a source of inspiration. They can help."
Booker says there are strong connections between the Calvin students, most of
whom are white, and the Discovery Club Fellows, most of whom are students of
color.
"The Calvin students sometimes feel like they're stereotyped," she said. "They
have to take a special class on college thinking and learning and so they wonder
if people look at them differently because of that. They sometimes feel like
people think they shouldn't be here. Some students of color can identify with
the feelings of not belonging especially when in predominantly white
environments. And so the connection between the college and high school students
can be a strong one."
The program uses computer-based lessons and helps the Discovery Club Fellows
learn and develop the skills they'll need for college. It also helps Calvin
professors learn how to integrate technology into their lesson plans. And it
gives the Calvin students a chance to be mentors and to enhance their learning
and skills through the same lessons that are being experienced by the Fellows.
Students who took part during the fall semester say good things about Discovery
Club.
Marie Abney, a senior at Ottawa Hills High School, was happy for the chance
being a Fellow gave her to work with college students. By the end of the course,
she said: "I have better learning skills and am better at working with the
computer." Marcus Scott, a sophomore at Ottawa, agreed. "I know I learned how
important it is for me to manage my time wisely and to work on my learning
styles," he said.
Working with high-schoolers helps Calvin students put their own lives in
perspective.
"It reminds them of where they've been and helps them appreciate where they're
at now," says Calvin professor Randy Buursma, who was involved with the program
last fall.
Each Discovery Club Fellow last fall (there were 15 in all) could earn up to
$60 ($10 per session) for their attendance and participation. Interestingly some
of the Fellows thought they had to pay for the program and initially tried to
write Booker checks. They were pleasantly surprised to find out they would be
paid to participate.
Booker says there's a reason the students earn money to be in the program.
"This truly is a fellowship," she said. "Fellowships are part of the landscape
in higher education, especially when you get to graduate school. Students had to
apply to be in this program and they have to apply themselves once they're in
it. Along with that we wanted to demonstrate a commitment to them."
Discovery Club runs through Calvin's Pathways to Possibilities program, a
partnership between Calvin and urban ministries in Grand Rapids, Holland, and
Muskegon that helps students in grades 4-12 learn about achieving academic
excellence. Almost 2,000 young people, 84% of them ethnic minorities, have been
involved with Pathways since it was launched in 1996. Of those who have competed
high school, 71% have entered college or another form of post-secondary
education.
Calvin's grant from the AT&T Foundation to support Discovery Club was one of
only five awarded this past summer in a nationwide competitive grant process
administered by the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) in
Washington, D.C. Over the past six years, AT&T has awarded $1.5 million to fund
30 "Teaching and Technology" projects at private colleges in the U.S.
DATES FOR SPRING 2003 DISCOVERY CLUB
2/11 ~ Parent-Calvin Student-Fellow Orientation
2/18, 25 ~ Lessons 1 & 2
3/11, 25 ~ Lessons 3 & 4
4/1, 15 ~ Lesson 5 and 6
4/29 ~ Student Presentations and Graduation
Contact Rhae Ann Booker at 616-526-6749
-end-
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