Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 12-10-21

Feature Column
Organizations Crown First ‘Ambassador’
Crowning at Ferrell Middle School, left to right: Assistant Princi- pal Carla White, Robyn Donaldson, Ambassador Surayya Scales, Paulette Walker, Sakeya Donalson; back, Bobby Scales (father).
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
In partnership with the STEM program at Ferrell Mid- dle School, and with STEM Xposure (founded by Robyn Donaldson), Paulette Walker, the President and Founder of New Height Des- tiny, Inc., a 501c3 organization, said they crowned their first Ambassador on Monday, De- cember 6, 2021.
“When we came together, she stood up and spoke out. We knewshehadtobetheone– with leadership qualities, not afraid to come forward,” Ms. Walker said.
The organizations crowned
Ambassador Surayya Scales, a student at Ferrell Middle School. “Ambas- sador Scales will stand as the leader and be an example to other young ladies in the repre- sentation of New Height Des- tiny and STEM Xposure programs. She has symbolized achievement, proven to show greater success in showing strength and courage,” Ms. Walker further stated.
New Height Destiny is a program designed to empower low income families with youth who live in communities ex- posed to a society of oppres- sion and violence. “We are fundraising and would like to provide bikes and skates to
INETTA STEPHEN ...Guest Speaker for Winter Tea
kids and youth ages 9-17. If you would like to help, you may contribute by donating cash or buying a bike or skates.
To further this cause, on December 18, 2021, the organ- ization will have its first in-per- son Winter Tea since COVID. The Tea Party is open to the public, and interested parties may register at Eventbrite. At- tendees are encouraged to wear their Mother pearls, facemasks and gloves as they sip tea. The guest speaker is Ms. Inetta Stephen, an author and mother.
The Winter Tea will be held at the Ybor City Scientology Building, 1300 E. 8th Ave., 11 a. m.–1p.m.
“We are also looking for families to assist.” For more in- formation, call Paulette Walker, 813-924-0290.
A Second Chance For All
ears ago, when youth
were unsuccessful in school, caused disruptions in classrooms, accumulated numerous tardies and ab- sences, engaged in fights on school grounds, or were chronically misbehaving, the only chance the child had of completing school or gradu- ating was to attend adult GED classes with older adults as old as 60-70 years of age.
Moreover, the drop-out rate for Black students was always disproportionately higher than the rate for white students. Thankfully, there has been improvement over the past decade, now 6.4% down from 11.5%, but still higher than the rate for white students, 4.2% down from 9.7%
Sometimes when we make mistakes, make wrong choices or decisions, or en- gage in behavior that harms ourselves and others, we do not get a second chance to do it over again or to wipe the slate clean. Were it not for an organization called Finish School (a national chain of schools), many high school dropouts, students with behavior problems, stu- dents who tried adult GED classes, or youth who oper- ated on the fringes of drugs and crime, never would have graduated from high schools in Hillsborough County.
Unfortunately, they would have ended up as a statistic - the 5 out of 100 students who drop out of school, the 68% of all males in prison, the youth who is 3.5% times likely to become
arrested, or the 8 out of 100 who are unemployed.
Here in Hillsborough County, Finish School op- erates the Seminole Heights High School and the West University High School, located at 4006 N. Florida Avenue and 11602 N. 15th Street, respectively, close to com- munities in need. Both schools are accredited char- ter schools, have “com- mendable” ratings, are tuition-free and serve stu- dents ages 16-21, using flex- ible scheduling and extensive academic and so- cial support.
Students are provided flexible scheduling, year- round graduations, and a fast-paced work-at-your- own-speed environment that includes personal coaches, retention special- ists, and social workers pro- viding on-site, or referral based support. If necessary, students are provided free public transportation passes.
There are many success stories of students who com- pleted their education and who graduated from these schools turning their lives around to become successful and contributing adults. The love (yes, love), hope, excitement, high expecta- tions, encouraging and car- ing staff and board members is Finish School’s persona and can be felt when talking to students, staff, and board members. Malinda and Taivan are two of those success stories.
Malinda had attended
five different high schools with little success, had com- pleted 11 credits and had a GPA of 2.4. Seminole Heights High School was Malinda’s last chance to succeed in school with a his- tory of her mother relin- quishing her parental rights, placement in the Foster Care System and disruptive school behavior. She had missed an entire year of school and was one year be- hind her classmates.
Upon enrolling at Semi- nole Heights High School, Malinda was the first student to arrive for class and worked eight to twelve hours a day to gradu- ate. Upon earning 13 credits, no failures and a GPA of 3.22, and enrolled in a local Commerce and Industry Training Program.
Taivian, had attended five high schools and an Adult Education School with 30% attendance rate when he enrolled at Seminole Heights High School. Tai- vian’s history included fam- ily problems, estrangement from his father, whom he had not seen since he was 5 years old, “uncaring teach- ers”, involvement with group activities in drugs and crime, a move from Tampa to change his behavior, and a return to Tampa and Seminole Heights High School with a 1.3 GPA, which he called a “blessing.” Taivian graduated after earning 3.5 credits, 80% at- tendance and a GPA of 2.06.
Both of these students were headed toward an un- fulfilled life. If your child or relatives are at risk of drop- ping out of school, try a Fin- ish School. Kudos to Board Member James O. Sim- mons and principal Bobby Smith for making sure youth get a second chance for their education in Hills- borough County.
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PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021