43
Excitement builds as Warren second-graders learn about college
MVCAP, volunteers read to second-grade students in Warren
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
A local nonprofit organization talks to children in the Youngstown and Warren school districts at a young age about going to college because a large percentage of their parents didn’t go.
In the Mahoning Valley, 30 percent of adults 24 and older have a college degree. About half in Warren and Youngstown have a two-year degree.
On Wednesday, the Mahoning Valley College Access Program and several volunteers were in the second-grade classrooms at the McGuffey Pre-K to Grade 8 school to read them a story about college and help them understand what it’s about.
“For us, it’s about starting the discussion early. You have to have some training beyond high school to strengthen the talent pool and workforce,” said Lita Wills, the program’s executive director. “Much of what we do is teach kids that college is possible.”
MVCAP also helps Youngstown and Warren high-school students prepare for college, but it has also given a presentation to second-graders the past six years.
Wills accompanied Jack Guarnieri, a recently retired Niles McKinley High School English teacher, into Erika Aulizia’s classroom at McGuffey to read the children’s book “I Know I Can” featuring childlike animals learning about careers.
The children gathered around Guarnieri as he read about a teacher telling her students college is the place where students study English, math, science and other subjects “so you can have a good job when you grow up.”
As Guarnieri read, he asked if his students knew what college is.
“[It is] where you learn to get a job,” a girl said. Guarnieri agreed.
“It’s a place where you decide what you want to be, and they teach you how to do it,” a boy said.
Guarnieri’s students said they wanted to be a doctor, FBI agent, football player, and teacher.
Guarnieri mentioned being a plumber because MVCAP also tells students about vocational and military training, though he had to explain to the youngsters what a plumber is.
During a segment where the students saw pictures from college campuses, Guarnieri delivered the news that Wills said usually gets a big response.
He showed a photo of the residence halls where students live with other students.
“This is where you will live,” Guarnieri said. “These are roommates.”
“What?” one boy said, wide-eyed.
“That’s cool!” a second boy next to him added.
Later, Guarnieri described certain professions and asked the students to guess what profession it was, like police officer and pilot.
“What types of skills do we need?” Wills said. “Did you know police officers have to be good at reading? Yes, because they have to write reports,” she said.