Mentor program aids at-risk kids in Prince George's schools

As an eighth-grader at G. James Gholson Middle School in Landover, Daja Tyree said, she had a bad temper and no goals.

Now, two years later, Daja says her outlook has changed, a fact she credits to her involvement in the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, a program available at five Prince George's County schools that targets students who are at risk of dropping out and pairs them with mentors for tutoring, planning or just chatting. The mentors are adult employees of the nonprofit Hillside who have offices in the schools. "It's hard to find someone who talks to you and who understands you," Daja, 16, said. "Once you find that person, you don't want to let them go."

Outside of Prince George's, the program is available in the school districts of Syracuse, N.Y., and Rochester, N.Y., in which Hillside is based. The program, which is funded by Hillside, also assists students in finding jobs or scholarships for college upon graduation.

The program is funded by government grants and private donations. The county schools do not pay Hillside for its services.

In Prince George's the program is available at Gholson, Fairmont Heights High School, Suitland High School, Central High School and Walker Mill Middle School. The schools were selected when the county adopted the program in 2008, based on student achievement needs and poverty levels, said Karene Brodie, executive director for the county's Hillside Work-Scholarship program.

Students can volunteer for the program or be referred by parents, teachers or counselors. Students are then selected by Hillside based on a group of risk factors including suspension rate, grades, economic status and state test scores, Brodie said.

Program enrollment hit 171 county students this school year, and administrators are hoping to increase enrollment to 300 by the end of next school year through a $100,000 federal grant given to Hillside with the help of Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Dist. 4) of Fort Washington.

Edwards said she was drawn to the program last year when visiting Fairmont Heights High School.

"I've been [acquainted with] a few students now for two years, and it's amazing to see the change in their attitudes and behaviors," she said. "They turn themselves into academic success stories."

The Hillside scholarship program in Prince George's is still being developed, Brodie said, but is expected to be similar to those in New York, in which students can qualify for a $1,500 scholarship upon graduation.

In Rochester, the program has been growing since 1987 and has 2,800 participating students, with 88 percent of participating seniors graduating this year, said Roderick Green, executive director of Rochester's Hillside Work-Scholarship Program.

Daja said the program has been invaluable, adding she has learned how to ask for help.