B u l l e t i n - Noble and Greenough School

Seizing the Chance
To Achieve
Program models best of independent school values
too often, bright students from low-income urban areas get
lost in their schools, becoming disengaged from the classroom
and losing enthusiasm. For many adolescents, the value of an
invested mentor is immeasurable. The Achieve program looks
to fill the void for a small group of middle school students
from the Boston area by enhancing their academic skills and
building self-confidence.
Achieve supports uninterrupted learning success by incorporating
two components—a summer session and academicyear
session—which run from the summer before sixth grade
through the summer before eighth grade. Students must apply
for the tuition free program through an extensive application
and family interview process.
Connie Yépez, executive director of Achieve says that
she and her staff are not looking for the “superstars” or the
students with discipline issues in the public schools. Instead,
she says, “We’re looking for kids in the middle who need
some enrichment to get to the next level—to become the
cream of the crop.”
The rigorous summer program bridges the gap for
summer learning loss and fosters a love for lifelong learning.
About 70 students are bused to Nobles from Dorchester,
Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mattapan and
Roslindale five days a week for six weeks over the summer.
Students are positioned in an academic environment that is
modeled on Nobles values and practices; they are pushed to
explore their potential and reach beyond perceived limits.
They take classes in English, math and science, and develop
social skills such as public speaking and the confidence to
interact with adults.
32 the Nobles bulletiN spring 2012
“I tell them [that] I know at some point this is going to get
really difficult. I tell them that my hope they'll is that a moment
will come when they are so challenged and want to give
up. But they don’t. They push through,” Yépez says.
Although the program’s standards are set high, Achieve
offers students strong mentorship and guidance to overcome
obstacles. It is a safe community for the scholars to take risks
in and be academically focused. For some students, this kind
of environment is not available at their home school.
“When I started Achieve, it was an eye-opening experience
for me because I always wished there was a program
like this for me and for the kids I grew up with,” says Nobles
graduate Shabrina Guerrier ’09, who works with Achieve
students. “Some of us got lost, so having a program like this
would have been beneficial.”
Lillian Vo has two sons who have benefited from Achieve.
One is a sixth-grader in the program. The other, Jason, is an
Achieve graduate. “When Jason started the program, he was a
shy guy, but attending the program has made him more confident.
They taught him to speak publicly during morning
meetings, and when he shakes people’s hands, you notice his
handshake is very strong. Achieve has helped my son in
[building] his character. It has helped shape his thinking and
has helped him learn from other kids.
“I believe that if the kids feel loved at any school or any
program they go to, they will do well in school. It has not only
helped my kids, but it’s also helped me—learning to support
my kids at home. As my kids grow, I grow too.”
As much as the program is beneficial and positive for
Achieve students, the teaching and tutoring opportunity for