From: Mike Counter, St. Norbert College, http://www.snc.edu, 920-403-3089, mike.counter@snc.edu
DE PERE, WIS.: In collaboration with Oneida Nation High School, St. Norbert College was awarded an $81,565 grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation for its “Start Right” program.
The “Start Right” program is a tutoring/mentoring initiative based at Oneida Nation High School in Oneida, Wis. St. Norbert College students will serve as tutors for the program, working with all 9th– and 10th-grade Native American students. The tutors will spend time in the language arts classroom during the day, and assist students with their homework two days a week after school. The “Start Right” program will focus on improving students’ English scores in order to prepare them for the rigors of college academics.
“The program provides our students with the opportunity to have current college students from St. Norbert College assist them with their homework and most importantly provide the ‘encouragement’ message of getting ready for college which starts in the 9th/10th grade,” said Art Skenandore, principal of the Oneida Nation High School. “The partnership with St. Norbert is an engaging step to assist our Oneida Nation High School students,” he added.
Nearly 4,000 students in the region, including those in grades 6 through 12 and adult learners, will be served by this and other programs that received College Ready grants. Each program has developed strategies to prepare their students for college by helping them to improve their academic performance, as measured through grade point averages (GPAs) or ACT and SAT scores. Strategies include a mix of short-term, focused programming as well as year-round support. Regardless of the strategy employed, each program has committed to tracking the impact of their efforts on preparing students for college success.
For more information on the “Start Right” program, contact Bridgit Martin, director of multicultural student services at St. Norbert College, at 920-403-3963 or email bridgit.martin@snc.edu.
