Pep Rally Kicks Off City Year In Philadelphia
By Mike Dougherty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Hundreds of Ameri-Corps volunteers filed into the Pennsylvania Convention Center this morning for a pep rally to kick off the start of City Year in Philadelphia.
The high school graduation rate in Philadelphia was 64% last year, an improvement over years past, but Philadelphia Schools Superintendent William Hite says it's not even close to good enough.
That's why he thinks the partnership with City Year is so important.
"Where City Year engages, we have increased attendance," Hite says. "We have reduced behavior types of issues, and we see increased performance both in English and mathematics."
City Year executive director Darryl Bundridge also thinks the 64% graduation rate doesn't cut it, and that's why they're here.
"Our core members have walked in the shoes of our students, in many cases, very recently -- much more recently than I have -- and that connectedness, that bond they build, helps them work together to achieve student goals."
Uka Ekwerike is in his second year as a volunteer and he believes enthusiasm is the key to success.
"We get them hyped, we get them wanting to come back to school. We give them a reason," Ekwerike says. "I really feel like the community needs the extra support, especially our schools that we work in. The students everyday, just dealing with what they have to deal with, City Year is really powerful for them to get them back and involved with the schools."
He says that's when students let their guard down and start making progress.