Faith-Based Collaboration Opportunities
Connection Newsletter - NOVEMBER, 2015
The new Parma City School District (PCSD) motto is “Empowering students to achieve their dreams.” One effort to fulfilling this goal is through the Parma Alternative Secondary School program (PASS), designed for PCSD students struggling to succeed in the traditional school setting.
According to PASS administrators, “these students are often times several credits behind and are in danger of not graduating from high school. There exists a large variety of reasons for their troubles including attendance and social exclusion. Students attend a few of the classes they need at their home high school, usually the electives, and then travel to the former Hanna Elementary building to complete the core classes they need in order to graduate. Students work on the computer to complete their required curriculum with an online program called APEX. Teachers in the main core areas of Math, English, Science And Social Studies are available for tutoring students and helping them with the material, as well as provide them career exploration into the college or work world they will move into upon graduation.
Attendance, motivation, and being unaware of future career and college opportunities are key problem areas with the majority of the students, who might just need some guidance from an established adult professional. We are continually looking for ways to improve in these areas.”
How can your church get involved?
One of the current focuses of the Parma City School District is to maximize the collaborative efforts of the business and faith-based community to inspire hope in students and families. Here are some meaningful ways churches can get involved and engage our local youth through the PASS program:
- Business professionals within your church that would be willing to speak to students about their careers and future.
- Business owners within your church that would be willing to provide an opportunity for students to visit their place of employment and learn about the careers available.
- Help incentivize students and reward them for completing milestones throughout their high school career – Candy, movie passes, bowling passes, small denomination gift cards and gas cards, etc.
If you would like more information on how your church can get involved through the PASS program, please contact Jeremy Kiner at jeremy@comamb.org or 216-200-7030.
