EXPLORE Program Brings High Schoolers to PC

Since last March, a team of Providence College faculty, students, and volunteers have been working to establish an early college readiness program for high school students from urban areas. The program, called EXPLORE, is being co-sponsored by the Feinstein Institute. Stephanie Blake '11, a social work major came up with the idea after considering her personal experiences with her college search and preparation.

"I wasn't aware of Providence College until my junior year of high school and I think high school students in this area deserve to know that PC is a great option for them," said Blake, a graduate of Shea High School in Pawtucket, R.I.

Blake wanted high school students in the Providence area to get involved with the College, and learn about what the school has to offer, as well as what it takes to prepare for college in general. Blake teamed up with Colleen Rost-Banik, of the Department of Education and coordinator of Service Learning at the Feinstein Institute, Richard Battistoni, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Political Science and professor of Public and Community Service Studies, and Joe Cammarano, Ph.D., of the Department of Political Science and Department of Public and Community service.

Together they recruited others on campus who added more depth to the program. The team tracked down Michael Walsh, director of Minority Scholarships at the Balfour Center, Jacqueline MacKay, associate Dean and director of Parents Programs, Wanda Ingram, Ph.D., senior associate dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Francis P. McKay, of the Department of Liberal Arts Honors, who all offered up some great ideas for the project.

Another influential person in the progress of the program was Laurie Grupp, Ph.D., director of the Center for Teaching. Excellence and professor in the Department of Education, who with a grant from the State of Rhode Island, had previously worked with students from Central Falls High School in Central Falls, R.I. Her field expertise and prior experience was key in the development of EXPLORE. Lizzie Lydon, Americoprs/VISTA, Susan Viau, administrator at the Feinstein Institute, Katie Feeney '09, and Margo Hanson '10.

It was decided by the team to offer the program to students attending local urban high schools, including Shea High School in Pawtucket, Central Falls High School in Central Falls, and Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence. There are 29 students in all who will take part in the program, approximately 10 from each school. The first step of the program took place in mid-February, where the students shadowed PC students as they attended their classes. The high school students will return in April.

The event in April will consist of a three-day workshop of academic learning. The students will be transported to PC during their spring breaks from April 16 to 18. The workshops will consist of an English component and a Science component, both focused on the theme of non-violence and community related issues. Feedback from students and school officials from the involved high schools recommended that the workshops concentrate on issues pertinent to the lives of the students. For the English component, students will participate in activities such as free writing, poetry, and song writing. For the Science section, the students will learn about pollution statistics in urban areas and how to be environmentally friendly. At some point during the three-day workshop, the parents of these students will come for lunch and gain some insight about the program and its purposes. Cammarano said that research studies show that the earlier you reach out to students regarding college, the more effective it is in getting them well prepared for the college process. This is why the team decided to work with high school freshmen and sophomores.

The mission of the program is to help get the idea of college into the minds of these kids and to help them start considering what classes they should be taking, what kind of extracurricular activities to get involved in, and to take into account what their options are for higher education.

"Minority students from these areas generally go to University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College," said Blake. "We want to educate them not only about PC, but about other colleges as well."

EXPLORE doesn't only better the high school students' experiences, it also betters the college experience for PC students.

"Seeing the program in action is really rewarding because it's been in progress for a while now," said Blake. "It's so wonderful to see it actually happening. Seeing the volunteers working with their kids on Feb. 18 was great. A lot of these kids will be [the] first generations to go to college and the diversity they could potentially bring to Providence College would be amazing."

In the future, EXPLORE hopes to have PC students visit and volunteer at the participating high schools.