Small Changes Making Big Impacts across the River
Though Georgetown University and Sousa Middle School are located about the same
distance from our nation’s capital, the two schools might as well be in different countries.
At Georgetown we worry about our shrinking endowment while at Sousa we worry about
getting home safely after dark. While Georgetown needs a few hundred million more
dollars to improve the campus, Sousa, with the help of Linking Communities for
Educational Success (LINK), is making a dramatic difference with just a few thousand
dollars.
I have spent the better part of my senior year at Georgetown attempting to get to know
the students at LINK, an educationally based program housed in the basement of Sousa
Middle School. At first glance, its hard to believe anything positive can come out of the
program. LINK’s main room is falling apart and filled with out of date text books.
Moreover, the harsh conditions and meager budget limit LINK to two full time staff
members to coordinate an afterschool program, Saturday academy, summer camp and
monthly programs for parents.
As you get to know the students, however, you begin to see why the program exists.
These young people are just like anyone else, they don’t like homework and would rather
play PS2 or talk on the phone, but day after day they choose to come to LINK. Every
student I asked said that the number one reason they continue to come to LINK is for
help with their homework. While many of the students first came to LINK because of the
urging of their parents, all of them say that now they make the choice to come to LINK
and they come to do better in school. Most importantly, the program is beginning to
show results. Last grading period nearly one third of the regular program participants
made the honor role. Similarly, each student will quickly tell anyone that will listen
about the difference LINK has made in his or her school work. As one first time honor
role student stated “I don’t like doing homework, but because of LINK I actually do it
now”.
Obviously, DC public schools have a long ways to go. LINK’s support has helped Sousa,
but many students still fail to meet educational standards. What LINK does do, however,
is show that small changes, not just millions of dollars. still have a large impact on the
lives of children.
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