Preparing to graduate from high school can be stressful for young people as well as parents or caregivers. Many place a great emphasis on what comes after high school—and rightfully so; it is a pivotal time marking the true beginning of independence and a journey of lifelong learning.
While a charter school’s life expectancy in America is just 15 years, Boston’s City on a Hill Public Charter School is entering its 30th year serving a diverse student population. Now in our final year, we’ve learned many lessons we feel beholden to share. We hope this will help other schools, parents, caregivers and our community support youth now and in the future.
Provide the support that matters most
Happiness is an inside job, and young people need our help to find their way. Social and emotional well-being is paramount, so it’s imperative to provide them with the support they need.
A sense of urgency is critical when helping youth, so our public charter school has a full-time licensed mental health counselor, and often one or two counseling interns. In addition, we provide additional tele-mental health support services beyond that to get them the help they need when they need it—usually in hours or days.
Providing technology that can go with our learners after high school and to college or wherever their journeys take them, is also essential. We made the decision to provide MacBooks to Upper School students, which are theirs to keep after they graduate. This foundational tool guarantees an even playing field from a tech perspective, which is critical.
All schools should also offer scholarship assistance to reduce college debt, which has become a major burden to millions of families in America today. Our college counselors work tirelessly to share opportunities to reduce the long-term financial hardship associated with student loans.
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Last, but certainly not least, we are also teaching them that endings don’t have to be bad. Change is the one constant thing we are all faced with in life and our collective mindset should be one of hope and opportunity, not ending, or failure. We owe this to our students and teachers and are walking the walk, helping them embrace change through positivity, planning, and encouragement.
Prepare students now for the future
Together, we must prepare young people for what comes next, after high school. This includes aiding them in exploring college and university options, educating them on alternative pathways to traditional higher ed and ensuring they have the tools and guidance they require.
For many families, hiring a college planning/admissions consultant is cost-prohibitive. Our 78 high school juniors and seniors have two full-time college counselors available to them free of charge.
Youth need to have a sense of agency and make educated decisions, so schools should prioritize goal-centered, post-secondary education, training, and career exploration to help them make informed choices. To this end, we work very closely with students and families to inform them of all their possibilities in the decision-making process.
We also have a FAFSA Night to support families navigating the complex, often an overwhelming process of completing required financial aid application forms. We have college tours so learners can identify right-fit options that could work for them. Other activities schools can steer are mentorships, certificate programs and “soft” skills training, which are proven to prepare our future workforce for success.
Earn college credits in high school
While dual enrollment participation is higher among Caucasian students, communities of color must ensure similar options. Our free dual enrollment program, which more than 85% of all juniors and seniors are engaged in this year, enables students to earn college credits in high school.
This serves three primary purposes:
- Helps reduce college debt and its financial burden on families.
- Provides young people with the opportunity to understand the culture of higher ed and become comfortable in this new social and educational paradigm.
- Enables them to identify potential higher education pathways and areas of study that are of interest to the individual learner.
Teaching the importance of giving back and community
Every May, City on a Hill celebrates Service Day, an opportunity for students to learn about volunteerism, community-focused activities and other forms of civic engagement. This sets our seniors up with vital opportunities to complete the 100 hours of community service (i.e., internships) they’re required to perform this year.
We view this as an imperative and encourage teachers, school administrators and parents/caregivers to promote participation and help our young people understand the importance of giving back. We’ve seen the results and witnessed our students rallying their peers and families to come together and support their communities. Some have even started nonprofits.
We are extremely proud of their commitment to this life-changing effort and believe they should be acknowledged for their contributions. This, in turn, will promote further engagement on this level.
Conclusion
Sharing our experience with adversity, change and endings—and demonstrating vulnerability—is what we’re focused on in our final year as a public charter school. We’ve learned so much over the past 30 years and know that asking youth about their interests, hobbies, concerns and passions goes far to supporting their future endeavors.
We want young
people to know every day that they need not be consumed with fear—that they’ll end up where they’re supposed to be if they apply themselves, ask for help and avail themselves of all the resources that exist today. We urge them to keep working hard and hope their schools, families and communities guide them in these and other important life and attitude skills. This, we hope, will be our legacy.
