INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SPECIAL GRADUATION EDITION SUMMER 2015

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1 SPECIAL GRADUATION EDITION SUMMER 2015 Photo Credit: Glenwood Academy INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Hats Off To Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch Graduates 3 Look at Graduation for Proof 5 Graduation Snapshots 6 Soundbite: Crossnore School 7-8 News in Brief 10

2 RANDY LUPER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR S MESSAGE Dear Members, June is wonderful and yet bittersweet time for your programs. This month is marked by celebrations of the many accomplishments of your students, and difficult partings as you bid your seniors a farewell and wish them well on their most exciting journey into adulthood. Presented here is a commemorative graduation issue of the monthly newsletter. With pride and excitement we celebrate your graduations and promotions. I wish all graduating students well as they move on to new challenges. Photo Credit: Glenwood Academy My message to the graduating seniors comes from a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. After reading this month s newsletter, I am certain you will concur that these young people have the commitment, intellect, and the vision to lead us to a promising and prosperous future because of the hard work and dedication of your program. Best wishes for a safe and restful summer. Sincerely, Stefanie Magness, Executive Director OUR MISSION The Coalition for Residential Education (CORE) is nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and promoting residential education programs for children and youth whose families cannot meet their needs. We are committed to advancing residential education through education, empowerment and excellence. Our members are the organization. ANNETTE COLE-GILL Board Chair DON FORRESTER Vice Chair MOE DOZIER Chair Emeritus KELLY MILLS Treasurer JAMES TAYLOR Secretary RON HASKINS Board Member 2 PAUL FREESE Board Member

3 HATS OFF TO FLORIDA SHERIFFS YOUTH RANCH GRADUATES Cecily M. has made a dramatic turnaround since she was admitted to the Florida Sheriffs Youth Villa. She came to the Youth Villa with a 1.5 GPA along with a lack of motivation to succeed in school and life in general. It was difficult for Cecily to make friends amongst her peers. Cecily M. While working with the staff at the Youth Villa for almost two years she changed the direction of her life. She became invested in her education and earned a 4.0 GPA all four marking periods. She made a life altering decision that a college education was her most important goal. Cecily was selected by the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Scholarship Committee and award a full Youth Ranches academic scholarship. Cecily learned, and now embraces her strengths. She is much more confident in herself and this has opened up the door for her peers to be more accepting of her. Yabey was admitted to the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch in January He had been having difficulty with family relationships and was not working at his full potential. School grades were being compromised and his family was concerned about his negative behaviors and that he would not be driven to success post high school. When Yabey entered the program, he attended the school on campus where he found that he could excel at his studies and use his social skills to be more positive on campus and at home. His grades increased. His GPA went from a 1.28 to a 3.00 in a year s time. In the fall term of 2014, he matriculated to Suwannee High School, our county school district sister school. Only seven out of 54 students earn that opportunity. Yabey R. He worked at the Boys Ranch Cafeteria, and then transferred to our Thrift Store as a Youth Ranches employee. He earned awards such as cottage pride, school honor roll and a Boys Ranch music award. He played in the chapel band, and was on the campus basketball team. He also continued to serve food at our special banquets. He is respected by staff because of his good choices. While attending Suwannee High, Yabey also took the culinary classes at the vocational school. He was valued by his teacher, who picked Yabey to help cater for special events throughout the county. Because his passion is culinary arts, Yabey is staying on campus in our independent living apartment while working this summer for Aramark Food Services and attending adult culinary classes at the Suwannee Vocational Center with completion possibly in December. Once the certification classes are complete, he is looking to pursue an AA degree in hospitality and Culinary Arts. He will be requesting scholarship funding through the Youth Ranches Scholarship Program in pursuit of his goal to attend a Culinary School in South Florida. 3

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5 Look at Graduations for Proof that Residential Education Works It s graduation season. This month, students in residential education will walk across the stage to the sounds of cheering family, friends, teachers, and staff as they receive their high school diplomas. We should be proud of each of the students. Each of these students put in a lot of hard work to earn their high school diplomas, overcoming various obstacles. Their futures are brighter because of the hard work and support of residential education staff. Nothing can stop them now! Everyone worked hard. It s time for everyone to take a bow. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Photo Credit: SEED School of Washington, D.C. students are graduating from high school at a higher rate than ever before. CORE would like to thank residential education programs for doing their part in helping students transition to adulthood. As critics debate the necessity of residential care for youth, residential education programs are demonstrating their success this month. St. Joseph s Indian School, Milton Hershey School, Cal Farley s Boys Ranch, the SEED School of Washington, D.C., and Glenwood Academy have already celebrated the class of 2015 successes. Residential education programs have provided a safe, structured, positive, consistent, and an education opportunity for these graduates. These are success stories for residential education programs. Proof of success is a critical catalyst for building support. Proof of success improves the reputation, credibility and visibility of residential education. Photo Credit: St. Joseph's Indian School 5

6 Milton Hershey School Milton Hershey School Grade 8 th Grade Promotion Ceremony The SEED School of Washington, D.C. 6

7 SOUNDBITES Crossnore School s 2015 Valedictorian Pictured to the left, is Alex T., valedictorian of the 2015 Williams Academy Class. Alex received a full-ride to Appalachian State University, which he will be attending in the fall. He plans to pursue a degree in a social science and then attend law school to earn his Juris Doctor for child advocacy. Alex would like to thank his Crossnore School family, as well as his grandparents for getting him through high school. Without their love and support he would not be the person he is today. Crossnore School Is Expanding! Proposed Marjorie Williams Academy at Crossnore Proposed Young Children s Village at Crossnore 7

8 CONTACT: Jordan Slagle (828) Ext. 322 NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Crossnore School Ends Successful Fundraising Campaign With more than 200 donations, The Crossnore School raised $21,410,842 in Second Century Campaign CROSSNORE, N.C. (June 12, 2015) On May 30, The Crossnore School s Second Century Campaign ended as an overwhelming success. First conceived in 2010 as a $13 million fundraising effort to grow the School s endowment, the Campaign grew in 2013 into a $20 million campaign in support of endowment and capital needs. I am overwhelmed and humbled by the love and generosity extended to our children, said Crossnore School CEO Brett Loftis. The success of the Second Century Campaign ensures that the work we do here will continue for another 100 years. The Crossnore School is truly blessed. In 2013, the scope of the Second Century Campaign was expanded to include two capital priorities. The Campaign s capital initiative gained momentum after Donna and Ken Lewis of Charlotte, NC committed $1 million in support of the School s new Young Children s Village. The Young Children s Village is a 3-acre property adjacent to campus featuring three 8,000 square foot cottages designed to house elementary-aged and younger children. The groundbreaking for the Young Children s Village was held on May 30. Shortly afterwards, Marjorie and Leonard Williams of Orlando, FL pledged $1.3 million to build a high school building adjacent to the existing Wayne Densch Education Building. In honor of the Williams commitment, Crossnore Academy, a K-12 public charter school on the campus of The Crossnore School, was renamed Marjorie Williams Academy in Completion of the high school is slated for July During the final stages of the Campaign, the School received an anonymous $250,000 challenge gift to pay off the School s $750,000 debt. Two gifts later, the challenge was met and The Crossnore School retired all debt in May. It has been a privilege for me to have been part of this and to have seen the extraordinary generosity of so many people, said Campaign Chair Bick Cardwell of Atlanta, GA. The result of this campaign will truly change the lives of many people. The Campaign concluded $1,410,842 over the $20 million goal. Although campaign efforts have come to a successful close, Caroline Hart, Chief Advancement Officer states that much work remains on The Crossnore School campus. Now it s time to build on the great momentum created by the Campaign. Just because our Campaign needs have been met, does not mean the everyday needs of our children have diminished. For more information about the Crossnore School, visit If you are interested in touring the campus or if you have questions, please contact Jordan Slagle, Director of Communications, at (828) About The Crossnore School: The Crossnore School is located in Crossnore, NC and serves as a residential foster care home for children in crisis from North Carolina. The School provides a Christian Sanctuary of hope and healing where students rise above their circumstances and excel both in school and in life. 8

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10 NEWS IN BRIEF Students with Disabilities Face Challenges, Opportunities in Transition from High School Today, the nation s public schools serve nearly 6 million students with disabilities from ages 6 to 21, accounting for about 9 percent of all individuals in this age range. Graduation rates for students with disabilities lag behind peers. Read more at elease.pdf. SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Helps Children Recover and Thrive With New Campaign Raising awareness about the impact of child traumatic stress and what parents and caregivers can do to help children recover and thrive is the focus of a new public education campaign launched today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI). The campaign, titled, "Helping Kids Recover and Thrive," includes new public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, as well as a website. Read more at States Try to Speed Up Foster Placements The federal government plans to expand the use of a web-based tool nationwide after a pilot of the system showed good results. Read more at NCJFCJ on the Historic Approval of the JVTA Act in the Fight Against Trafficking "As this critical legislation becomes law, victims of child sex trafficking will receive services to promote their safety while providing them the assistance they need and deserve,' said Judge Peggy H. Walker, President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Read more at The Coalition for Residential Education 1001 G Street NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC Residential Education Matters is a publication of the Coalition for Residential Education (CORE) residentialeducation.org - COREinfo@residentialeducation.org