More than 100 students and teacher-mentors from the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD) and Minneapolis Public Schools South High and Roosevelt High Schools convened on the University of St. Thomas Minneapolis campus for the Step-Up Boys Mentorship Program Summer Summit, June 15-19. The Summit is an intensive educational experience for male students who have finished eighth grade and is designed to help prepare them for high school by focusing on four key educational concepts: Aspirations, Expectations, Opportunities and Achievement. Students that participate in the Summit receive additional guidance in school and are involved in mentorship activities throughout their high school career. The Summit also provided opportunities for University of St. Thomas Teacher Education candidates to complete hours toward their clinical practice coursework. Check out our Facebook photo album featuring highlights from the week’s events.
“The week was, in a word, phenomenal,” shared teacher candidate Alex Rome in his reflection about the Summit. “Our team leader, Marvin Sims from Mounds View public schools, was truly inspirational.”
Rome, along with Sims and others, worked with 15 NWSISD students on the importance of staying focused on academics in high school, keeping yourself in the right social circles, and setting and achieving worthwhile goals. “The boys came each day energized and ready to work. Their energy was infectious and I found myself excited and anxious to get to campus every morning,” said Rome, who initially volunteered to “help out” but also discovered the experience was an incredible networking opportunity. He was grateful for the connections he made with Sims and other team leaders from NWSISD. “I hope that I will be available again next year because I not only gained valuable experiences for the classroom, but also had a tremendous time and met so many wonderful people.”
Read more about Alex Rome in From Marine to Teacher.
For summer 2016, the University of St. Thomas will welcome back NWSISD and Minneapolis Public Schools students for their sixth and second Summer Summit, respectively. Read more about the University of St. Thomas and NWSISD partnership.
