Alumni - Saint Andrew's School Archive - St. Andrew's School

A Commitment to Student DiversityThe Prep 9 ProgramSt.Andrew's takes its commitment to racial diversity seriously,as evidenced by its participation in Prep 9-a partnershipbetween Prep for Prep, the long-standing New York Citybased minority recruitment organization, and nine of thecountry's leading boarding schools. Along with Choate RosemaryHall, Deerfield Academy, The Hotchkiss School, The LawrencevilleSchool, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, Milton Academyand The Taft School, SAS supports Prep 9 each year by offeringscholarships and opportunities to inner-city students of color whootherwise may never be exposed to the all-encompassing educationavailable at a boarding school.8What sets Prep 9 apart from similar programs isits long-term association with students-an associationwhich begins when candidates are chosenfrom New York City's intermediate and juniorhigh schools. Prep 9 then trains and prepareseach student for the rigors of boarding school life.The admitted group spends its next two summersattending classes five days a week for sevenweeks; classes continue all day Saturday duringthe intervening school year. Included in theprocess is a two-week immersion in residence atone of the consortium schools during both summersessions. By the end of their second summer, Prep9 students have been both academicalIy and emotionallyprepared for the major transition frominner-city public schools to one of the participatingboarding schools.Michele Jones, Prep 9's post-placement counselorand a former Prep for Prep student who has abachelor's degree in psychology, says that thepreparation is three-fold-academic, emotional andsocial. Along with their academic courses, thestudents take psychology classes and have groupsessions in which they are encouraged to open upand confront their fears and apprehensions.Michele, who attended Choate Rosemary Hall andgraduated from Harvard, sees her role as a soundingboard-someone who can relate to the studentsbecause she has been through all the same adjustments.Rather than take the place of the counselingsystem at the student's school, Micheleencourages each student to seek out the supportpeople at his or her particular institution. "I do notwant to take the school's role," says Michele. "Itis too important that the students learn to get helpby taking advantage of the resources made availableto them. I simply help point them in the rightdirection."SAS currently has eight Prep 9 students-fourthird formers and four fourth formers. JennyHughes '92 from the Bronx and Tammy Small '93from Brooklyn attest to the program's success;they are both happily entrenched in the busy worldof SAS."By the end of their secondsummer, Prep 9 students have beenboth academically and emotionallyprepared for the major transitionfrom inner~city public schoolsto one of the participatingboarding schools.""I came from a school where violence wasmuch more predominant than learning," admitsTammy. "When 1 began the program, work was a