Breakfast and a little help with math.
For City Year AmeriCorps member Jordan Barry, it is all about the kids and giving them the tools and support they need to do well in school.
"It doesn't matter how I feel in the morning. The moment I walk through the doors here at Stanton Elementary School, I'm super excited...seeing their smiling faces, it just gets me through it," Barry said.
Barry is one of 18 City Year members working at DC Scholars Stanton Elementary School as part of the school turnaround program.
The corp members give one-on-one instruction to students who may be struggling, and the program's success prompted a visit from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
"This is a school that historically did a very poor job of serving kids and serving the community," Duncan said. "But to see how much better the children are doing now is absolutely remarkable."
Breonna Peterson is a 4th grader at Stanton Elementary. She's seen the difference in her own report card.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
"Last year, before the City Years were here, I was getting B's and C's. Now I'm getting B's and A's," Peterson said.
The corps members are assigned to the school for a year, and during their stay, they wear many hats, serving as role models, tutors..even friends
"They're not grown-ups like were are, right. They're kind of like your older, teenage brother or sister," D.C. School Chancellor Kaya Henderson said. "They care about you."
The City Year AmeriCorp members are not just at Stanton Elementary. There are 156 of them at schools throughout the District. For more information on the City Year program, click here.
