Even though school is out for the summer, education in Nevada continues to make headlines and not always for the best reasons.
Core Academy, however, helps under-resourced students strengthen their academics and character skills.
The organization reached a milestone that should have anyone feeling hopeful about youth in Southern Nevada.
Core’s first class of scholars began in 2012 with 74 6th-graders. Last month, all 74 graduated high school and were accepted to college. Furthermore, 95 percent of them will be first-generation college students.
Lindsay Harper, the founder and executive director of Core Academy, said the whole idea for the program started in 2012 when it was part of the I Have a Dream Foundation.
“We started out really looking at what kids that were ‘under-resourced’ were facing, and we created this model that basically helps students overcome all of those barriers," she said.
Harper said, at first, the organization would go into schools with a poverty rate of 90 percent or more and adopt an entire 5th-grade class. Now, it is partnering with other nonprofit groups to identify students who need their help the most.
Core Academy students are often living at or below the poverty line, or have a parent in the correctional system or an older sibling that dropped out. Core gives them the necessary support to be successful.
Harper said that support ranges from basic needs like clothing and school supplies to character guidance (such as how to make good choices in difficult circumstances).
“More than anything, we want the kids to graduate from high school and go onto to post-secondary education success," she said. "We also want them to be good humans.”
The academy also provides cultural enrichment that many students living in poverty don't get. Harper said students who haven't been exposed to cultural experiences many of us take for granted feel "less than" when they go into the workforce or college.
Core Academy spends about $4,500 per student per year and most of that money is through private donations. Right now, it is serving about 175 students, though it hopes to expand to 250.
Harper said the 175 number is actually misleading. In reality, it is serving closer to 800 people because it offers services to parents as well. For instance, if a student is food-insecure, the organization steps in to find solutions for his or her family.
“We will find ways through community partnerships and through our amazing staff to help meet those needs so those kiddos can be whole as they are in that classroom,” she said.
The mission for the organization is post-secondary education, but not necessarily college, Harper said. Core gives students chances to see and understand career fields, and helps them move towards both the field and the education route that might be right for them.
Harper said the academy has promised to stay with the students through two years of post-secondary education, but she has a feeling it will be longer than that.
“The students have become kind of like family to us and, like with family, you don’t just cut ties after a certain point," she said. "We want to make sure we’re checking in with them, making sure they have what they need and continuing to be that support for them, so they can complete college in a really strong way and have everything that they need to do so.”
Harper said when the Core Academy first started, the staff thought they had a good idea what the students needed, but they learned it was better to talk to the students and families about what they wanted.
“It’s been an amazing learning process -- just like raising your own children,” she said.
Lindsay Harper, executive director, Core Academy.
