Thanks to the Rotary Club of Oxford’s STRIVE program seven high school students were able to overcome academic difficulties and increase their Grade Point Averages this year.
‘We have so many different programs here, but STRIVE is unique in its own way,? said OHS Counselor John Moody, who helps coordinate the program. ‘It mentors (students). It motivates them. It gives them skills and tools that they can use to become better academically.?
Last week, Rotary handed out $1,500 worth of checks to STRIVE students who improved their GPAs throughout the 2007-08 school year.
‘We want to reward you for your hard work and we want to give you an incentive to keep on striving to do better,? said Oxford United Methodist Pastor Doug McMunn, the Rotarian who spearheaded the program this year. ‘We believe in you and your future.?
STRIVE pairs adult mentors with students facing academic challenges. This year’s mentors, which included McMunn and fellow Rotarians Dr. Paul Ferri and Deb Bolognino, met with students once every three weeks for about an hour.
During STRIVE meetings, the mentors spent part of the time engaging in friendly conversation with students to get to know them better, find out who they are, what challenges they face and what their goals are both academically and in life.
‘STRIVE is a good thing,? Moody said. ‘Especially for those who have the capabilities, but just need that extra push to get going.?
Each meeting also featured a different motivational speaker, usually a Rotarian, with an inspirational story.
‘We ask our speakers to focus on a time in their life when they stumbled ? they fell short somehow in school or in their professional work ? and how they recovered,? McMunn explained. ‘We wanted these students to understand that even if you have had a disappointing setback, your life isn’t over. You’re just getting started.?
‘All of us who have reached maturity and established some kind of career, we’ve had our setbacks, we’ve made our mistakes,? he added.
Moody said STRIVE gives students the ‘opportunity to hear how others, who are just like them, made their own path and strove to be better academically and as a person.?
OHS junior Jonathon Brown saw the biggest improvement as a result of the STRIVE program. He increased his GPA from a 1.56 to an impressive 3.10.
For this achievement, Rotary awarded Brown $500.
Junior Scott Curlett increased his GPA by 1.19 and earned $300 while sophomore Kimani Poston raised her GPA by 1.12 and was presented $200.
Senior Matthew Wright was awarded $200 from Rotary while sophomore Abagail Brown, sophomore Brittany Schiffman and freshman Courtney Hager each received $100 for their efforts.
With the presentation of each check, McMunn gave each student a personalized blessing by wishing them positive futures.
‘We can believe a bright future for one another and for ourselves,? he said. ‘And as Rotarians, we believe in that bright future for you.?