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CENTER FOR A NEW GENERATION
Johnny Ramirez
Belle Haven Community School
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Johnny started at the McNeil Family Clubhouse in Menlo Park four years ago and joined CNG at Belle Haven in eighth grade.
In addition to maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA, Johnny has been an active CNG member. His resume's includes community service, after school soccer team, academic honor roll, CNG member of the Month, and being a big buddys by mentoring students in grades K-3. He is always ready to lend a helping hand to staff, mentors and students alike. He volunteers around the clubhouse, helping with special events like the Halloween Haunted House and holiday dinners, as well as day to day activities.
Part of the CNG program is to help members plan for their academic future, both in high school and college. With help from CNG staff, Johnny was accepted to Mid-Peninsula High, where he is now a freshman. One day he would like to be a mechanical engineer. Johnny's younger sister is in the fourth grade and also a member the CNG program at Belle Haven. “He does a great job being a "big brothers" and sets a positive example,” says Mauricio Marquez, unit director. “Johnny is a fantastic kid; I only wish I had more students who had so many admirable qualities as he does.” Johnny also helps his parents as much as he can with chores around the house and taking care of his little sister, as well as serving as translator for important documents and phone calls since his parents are not fluent in English.
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Center for a New Generation: Helping Students Succeed in School and Beyond
In 1991, Peninsula philanthropist Susan Ford and then Stanford University Professor Dr. Condoleezza Rice co-founded the Center for a New Generation, an innovative after-school academic enrichment program. The goal of the program was to increase the high school graduation rate in the Ravenswood City School District by helping middle school students prepare for high school and college. To accomplish this, the program focused on core subjects including Math and Language Arts. Electives such Art and Music were offered to help students express their imagination and creativity. Since the mid-1990s, CNG has been located at the James Flood Magnet School in Menlo Park . 130 students are enrolled in the program at Flood this year.
In 1996 CNG merged with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula . Since that time, the program has continued to evolve. In recent years, 100% of graduating eighth graders have been accepted to prestigious private high schools including St. Francis, Sacred Heart, Eastside College Prep or other college matriculation focused programs in the community.
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Center for a New Generation Grads Hugo Lopez, Martell Winn and Demetrius Hill with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington DC in September 2005 |
Expanding to Meet the Need In 2005, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula expanded its CNG program to a second school site, the Edison McNair Academy , a middle school in East Palo Alto . The program was well received by the students and families, and 95 students attended regularly. By the end of the school year, students improved and the McNair Academy met both its Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Performance goals, one of the few in the community to do so. In the spring of 2006, based on the success of CNG at Flood and Edison McNair, the Belle Haven Community School and the City of Menlo Park requested that the Clubs open a third CNG site on its campus. The program opened in September of 2006 and filled to capacity quickly. Currently 140 students are enrolled and 120 attend daily at Belle Haven. A waiting list of 50 students exists. Today the Center for a New Generation serves 350 students in the Ravenswood City School District across its three school sites.
Deepening our Impact Through a National Partnership
In the spring of 2006, the CNG staff recognized the need to increase the program's focus on literacy. Rather than create its own untested program, staff researched the most effective literacy programs in the country. It identified BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) as a leader. Founded in 1992, BELL now runs after-school literacy programs in Boston , New York City, Washington , and Baltimore . It has a strong track record of proven success with students similar to ours. Staff was particularly impressed by BELL 's goals, measurement tools, curriculum, and staff training. After several investigative conversations with BELL 's leadership, BELL and the Clubs entered into a partnership. BELL agreed to provide the Clubs with curriculum and staff training for its CNG program. Over the summer, CNG staff went to Boston for in-depth training. We implemented the BELL curriculum in September.
Clearly Defined Goals Our goals for the Center for a New Generations are to:
• Increase positive academic behaviors
• Develop positive attitudes/youth development indicators
• Provide positive supports and opportunities for members
• Increase parent/guardian engagement and satisfaction
• Guide scholars to actively select their high school and enroll in college prep classes
• Increase scholars' academic achievement
CNG 2008/09 Report
CNG Overview
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