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I'm still in Washington, DC at the National League of Cities, where we have learned about new grant opportunities for cities, water initiatives, technology, and so much more. This afternoon I attended a session about jobs.
I heard a compelling story from a young man named Sean C., who attends the Academy of Construction & Design at Cardozo High School.
Sean started his academic career in Prince Georges County, VA, where he lived with his mom. Unaffected by his traditional school, Sean fell in with the wrong crowd, got in a bit of trouble, and failed the ninth grade.
His mom sent him to live with his dad in Washington, DC. Sean and his dad went to register at Cardozo HS, where administrators saw his iffy transcript and his 1.2 GPA. They suggested Sean might respond to the Academy of Construction & Design there at the high school. Sean decided to give it a try.
Dressed in a coat and tie, Sean spoke to us this afternoon. He stood tall and spoke with confidence from prepared notes.
He told us about his coursework in construction and design, where he is required to arrive on time, dressed appropriately.
He shared his growing passion for building, including repair jobs at his high school, and work on a Habitat house.
He proudly mentioned his current AP courseload, including AP English literature and Trigonometry. He carries a 3.8 GPA and has made Honor Roll for six consecutive semesters. He has applied to 12 colleges. He wants to earn a degree and return to his mom's area, where he hopes to replicate his current program at his former high school, so other young people can have the opportunity he had.
The Academy is the outgrowth of a public-private partnership; you can read more about it by clicking here.
We have many new ideas to take home to Salisbury. On the trip home I'll doubtless discern which ideas are valuable for development and which ones are not yet timely for our community. Regardless of the outcome, I've made valuable contacts and learned much about effective leadership.
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