24 freshman boys attending program in Washington, D.C.


STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — A group of 24 freshman boys from the Youngstown city schools is in Washington, D.C., as part of the “Governor’s Initiative for Increasing the Graduation Rate.”

The trip, which will see the boys return home Saturday, is in collaboration with the Akron and Canton school districts which, along with Youngstown, make up one of five regions in the governor’s statewide initiative. The group arrived in Washington today.

The program, created by Gov. Ted Strickland and former state Sen. C.J. Prentiss, focuses on ninth-grade boys who fit certain criteria that put them at risk of failure or dropping out of school, providing them with counseling and various educational activities to keep them focused on getting an education.

It will be expanded to include female students next year.

One of the elements of the program is exposure to the larger world outside home communities through field trips.

The visit to Washington will include stops at various historic sites and also tours of Howard University and the White House. Efforts were being made to attempt to arrange a meeting with President Barack Obama.

The 24 freshmen, 12 from Chaney High School and 12 from East High School, are accompanied by three upperclassmen peer mentors from each school as well as six adult chaperones.

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