First Graduate® Middle Schoolers Go Back To School!

It’s that time of year again! As some of our older students step on campus to begin their first semester of college, our youngest students have returned to Everett Middle School and James Denman Middle School to begin their 7th and 8th grade years. With backpacks, new haircuts and a few new inches in height, our kids are looking sharp and ready to learn!

At James Denman Middle School, this fall marks our second year partnering with the school. We have nearly doubled the number of students we serve at James Denman this year, reaching a total of 45 students served in 7th and 8th grade. With this growth we have new opportunities for First Graduate® to collaborate with the school. First Graduate® now has its own classroom space that functions as a college and high school resource center as well as a teaching space for our after-school and advisory programs. This space is bustling with students learning about college, comparing their favorite high schools in San Francisco, and building meaningful relationships with each other through games, snacks and laughs.

In our third year partnering with Everett Middle School, things are off to a great start this fall. In early September we held the first of our monthly advisories with our 7th and 8th grade students, focusing on setting SMART goals for the 7th graders and on the high school application process for the 8th graders. In the First Graduate® after-school program at Everett, volunteer Mark Barmore leads STEM experiments with groups of students while other students work on homework and study skills. We are also collaborating with school staff outside of our program to do projects that enhance the college-going culture at Everett.

“First Graduate® really helps you with your homework,” says one of our new seventh grade students Kenia Martinez, “it supports you with getting your grades up.”