DETROIT – The campaign has attracted the attention of U.S. Senators like Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin and university presidents from all over the country.
Lead by the student council and teacher Willie Wood, the entire K-8 student body at this Detroit Public School has made a pledge to make a difference in their community, become life-long learners, college graduates and ultimately productive citizens in society.
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Our Rhonda Walker was the keynote speaker at the rally and witnessed the students making the pledge.
"I have never seen anything like this, the entire school covered with images about college, while students chant "I ASPIRE TO GO HIGHER" during a big rally and parade that literally brought me to tears," Walker said.
IMAGES: Rhonda Walker, J.E. Clark Prep Academy
Over winter break every student created essays and story boards on a different university that are displayed throughout the hallways of the school. The walls of the school have banners of different colleges and universities from throughout the country and at this early age, these young kids already have institutions in mind that they want to attend. The goal is to encourage the students in this low performing district known for low college enrollment rates, to defy the statistics and become ultra focused and determined to achieve high educational performance daily until they graduate from college.
The J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy is a DPS elementary and middle school located on Detroit's east side.