SEED and Morristown Neighborhood House Join to Prepare HS Students for College

Press Release

For immediate release

For more information, please contact Linda Murphy, Director of Community Development at 973-538-1229. (murphyli@neighborhood-house.org)

SEED and Morristown Neighborhood House Join to Prepare HS Students for College

Thanks to the generosity of SEED (Sisters Enlisted to Empower Dreams) and the Morristown Neighborhood House, a subsidiary of Cornerstone Family Programs is helping high school students prepare for college. The college prep program is part of Teen Pathways to Brighter Futures, a Morristown Neighborhood House workforce development and education program that focuses on preparing teens for college access and developing critical work skills for high school students in Morris County.

The college prep program is open to juniors and seniors who have a B or better average in mathematics and English classes and are college bound. Students must also have demonstrated a work ethic and desire to excel in their high school academics as indicated by grades, attendance and teacher recommendation.

Funding from SEED allows the Morristown Neighborhood House to bring in local college professors to work with students on mathematics and English.

The goal of the college prep program is to help students increase their SAT/ACT test scores and improve their college entrance opportunities. Sessions, held three times per week, begin in October and end in March, just prior to the local SAT/ACT testing dates.

The Morristown Neighborhood House’s Director of Community Development sees the college prep program as critical for “leveling the playing field” for its students. “There exists a growing disparity in the areas of education among disadvantaged families,” said Murphy. “These families usually are in the ethnic minority and/or immigrants who have come to this country seeking a better life. To achieve this, they need a hand up.”

Tiara B., a student in the program gained more than just higher SAT scores. Indeed, her scores improved by 60 points, but she found the program gave her confidence to succeed. “It helped me with my overall confidence” stated Tiara. “I’ve already been accepted into three universities and I have an interview at Princeton. The program and teachers gave me what I needed to strive beyond the SATs.”

For more information on this program, please contact Linda Murphy at the Morristown Neighborhood House. 973-538-1229.