CFES Names 2010-2011 "Schools of Distinction"

College For Every Student (CFES) Honors 21 Schools Across the Country for Making Significant Strides in Preparing Their Students for College

ESSEX, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- College For Every Student (www.collegefes.org), a national nonprofit that helps underserved students prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in college is honoring 21 schools with a "School of Distinction" award for their efforts in creating high levels of college awareness and aspirations among their students.

The 21 "School of Distinction" honorees for the 2010-2011 school year represent all levels of education (elementary, middle, and high) and a range of geographic settings: large urban centers like New York City and Honolulu; suburban neighborhoods like Lynn, MA; and rural communities in western Colorado, the Florida Panhandle, and upstate New York.

The 2010-2011 "Schools of Distinction" are:

High Schools

• Hotchkiss High School, Hotchkiss, CO
• Plattsburgh High School, Plattsburgh, NY
• Pelham Preparatory Academy, New York, NY
• Peru High School, Peru, NY
• Withrow University High School, Cincinnati, OH

Middle Schools

• Cloonan Middle School, Stamford, CT
• Delta Middle School, Delta, CO
• Dolan Middle School, Stamford, CT
• The Frederick Douglass Academy, New York, NY
• Global Technology Preparatory Middle School, New York, NY
• Governor Sanford B. Dole Middle School, Honolulu, HI
• Port St. Joe Middle School, Port St. Joe, FL
• Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Lynn, MA
• Ticonderoga Middle School, Ticonderoga, NY
• Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Erie, PA

Elementary Schools

• August Ahrens Elementary School, Waipahu, Hawaii
• Garnet Mesa Elementary School, Delta, CO
• Keeseville Elementary School, Keeseville, NY

Central Schools (K-12)

• Crown Point Central School, Crown Point, NY
• Franklin County School, Eastpoint, FL
• Willsboro Central School, Willsboro, NY

Criteria

The "School of Distinction" process encourages educators, families, and others in the community to work together toward a common goal: to put more underserved youth on the path to college. Adhering to an established framework of guidelines, and working within their existing budgets, each of the 21 award-winning schools: 1) intensively engaged students, known as CFES Scholars, in the three CFES practices (Leadership through Service, Pathways to College, and Mentoring); 2) demonstrated exemplary programs in moving underserved students toward college success; and 3) met school-wide, and grade-specific, expectations including:

• Completion of at least one school-wide activity that promoted college awareness and success and created high visibility in the school and beyond.
• Improvement or strategies to improve attendance, GPA, and citizenship.
• All CFES Scholars visited at least one college campus.
• All CFES Scholars in elementary school completed a research project on one college.
• All sixth and ninth grade CFES Scholars completed a college application.
• All twelfth grader CFES Scholars applied to college.

"Each year, more of CFES' participating schools are exceeding our expectations for inspiring and motivating students toward college success with creative programs and impressive results," said Rick Dalton, president and CEO of CFES.

Thirty-two schools applied for "School of Distinction" status this year, up from 19 in 2009-10, the program's first year. Some of the activities and initiatives developed by the schools included:  

• CFES Scholars and teachers at August Ahrens Elementary School created the Dream Makers Center, which has become the hub of college awareness activities. The center is a place where students, staff, parents, and the community can visit to learn about college and promote college literacy.
• Port St. Joe Elementary School CFES Scholars collected "coins for college" as part of early college awareness for the Gulf County Scholarship program. Male and female Scholars separately engaged in character building, goal setting, and leadership activities with their community mentors in the school's "Mold a Male" & "Mold a Female" programs.
• At Cloonan Middle School, CFES Scholars created a Monthly Scholar Powers Speaker Series that informed, inspired, and challenged students to continue to strive for excellence. Speakers included the Stamford mayor, Olympic skiers, and a Holocaust survivor.

CFES is a nonprofit organization located in Essex, NY, and Cornwall, VT, that has created college-access partnerships with more than 500 schools across the country serving more than 100,000 students. For more information, please visit www.collegefes.org, or call 518-963-4400.

SOURCE College For Every Student