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[Enter the Dragon Punch]

http://pix11.com/2016/06/25/bronx-h...pride-as-entire-senior-class-goes-to-college/

How about some good news to start off this week?

TREMONT, The Bronx — The 64 graduates of the Theater Arts Production High School Class of 2016 have so much to be proud of.

This eight-year-old New York City public high school in the Tremont section of the Bronx is in a neighborhood with the graduation rate is 60 percent. Yet Tapco, as it is called, has a 77 percent graduation rate with all of this year's graduates going on to college.

"The key to our success is the collective work of our entire school," principal Ron Link said. "It's the parents, teachers, staff members, all the way down to the cafeteria workers and custodians."

Tapco is a school for the performing arts where half of the students audition and the other half show an interest in behind the scene production. But to the students it's all about community.

"I like the fact that we all get along, it's like family," Angela Reyes, a graduate, told PIX11.

"It's been a very welcoming experience for me," salutatorian Allen Deleon told PIX11. "I just love the people and environment. It's like my second home."

Due to that sense of community and achievement, these graduates were offered $5.5 million dollars in grants and scholarships to an impressive array of colleges and universities, making the families and the faculty so proud.

Really a rather short article, but there's a video in the link.

$5,500,000 USD in scholarships and an entire grad class going to college/uni in an area of the Bronx with a 60% graduate rate is amazing. Good on these kids!

 

[[Agent]ZeroNine]

Growing up in NYC the 90s, experiencing and seeing what I've seen, then comparing that to today's situation, it leaves me with high hope for the next generation of young Black and Hispanic people in New York.

Now if only we can not get gentrified out of our neighborhoods by the time said communities pull themselves out of a system that benefits from their strife.

 

[Succinct Verbosity]

This is the opposite of a certain Office scene that I love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYQiQCj5Nmo

 

[WickedCobra03]

Uh, why is this a good thing? I dunno, I think that college isn't for everyone. I definitely think the majority of people need some kind of vocational experience after highschool, but not 4-year college.

I feel like pushing that on everyone isn't in their best interest. I think the college experience is great for a good part of the population as far as growing up, but there are others that simply want to take on a craft or vocation.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Uh, why is this a good thing? I dunno, I think that college isn't for everyone. I definitely think the majority of people need some kind of vocational experience after highschool, but not 4-year college.

I feel like pushing that on everyone isn't in their best interest. I think the college experience is great for a good part of the population as far as growing up, but there are others that simply want to take on a craft or vocation.

...how is it NOT a good thing? College graduates earn a *lot* more money on average than dropouts and high school graduates.

If the kids didn't want to go to college, they could turn down the scholarships or simply not apply to colleges.

And yeah, MikeBreezy nails it as well.

 

[MikeBreezy92]

Uh, why is this a good thing? I dunno, I think that college isn't for everyone. I definitely think the majority of people need some kind of vocational experience after highschool, but not 4-year college.

I feel like pushing that on everyone isn't in their best interest. I think the college experience is great for a good part of the population as far as growing up, but there are others that simply want to take on a craft or vocation.

While that's true you're missing the point. Its not about if going to college is a good thing, its the fact that everyone was pretty much eligible despite societal and economic conditions and did well enough to get into college.

 

[Permanently A]

From Tremont? That's pretty amazing.

 

[TheAbsolution]

Uh, why is this a good thing? I dunno, I think that college isn't for everyone. I definitely think the majority of people need some kind of vocational experience after highschool, but not 4-year college.

I feel like pushing that on everyone isn't in their best interest. I think the college experience is great for a good part of the population as far as growing up, but there are others that simply want to take on a craft or vocation.

Where does it say they all went to 4 year schools?

 

[SolarPowered]

Growing up in NYC the 90s, experiencing and seeing what I've seen, then comparing that to today's situation, it leaves me with high hope for the next generation of young Black and Hispanic people in New York.

Now if only we can not get gentrified out of our neighborhoods by the time said communities pull themselves out of a system that benefits from their strife.

Agreed entirely as someone from that same background.

 

[Palette Swap]

Yeah, I miss good news. Thanks for this, OP, and great for them.

 

[WickedCobra03]

Where does it say they all went to 4 year schools?

I am not saying they all went to 4-year colleges, but that is what is pushed. How many counselors really push for a 2-year degree?

I went to a 4-year liberal arts college, but this is also something I wanted years before hand. But late 90's to the early 2000's, everyone you turned to was pushing kids into a 4-year college as if that was the only choice. And that is what I think is a shame. I feel like a dupes a lot of kids into thinking it is their only option and if they are not successful or enjoy it, something is wrong with them.

EDIT: Again, it is more the mentality, not the uplifting of a community and their education standards. It is more a commentary on how society views college, and anything but.

 

[WillyFive]

That is incredibly impressive.

I am not saying they all went to 4-year colleges, but that is what is pushed. How many counselors really push for a 2-year degree?

I went to a 4-year liberal arts college, but this is also something I wanted years before hand. But late 90's to the early 2000's, everyone you turned to was pushing kids into a 4-year college as if that was the only choice. And that is what I think is a shame. I feel like a dupes a lot of kids into thinking it is their only option and if they are not successful or enjoy it, something is wrong with them.

Although the actual piece of paper you receive at the end may have varying mileage on different people and different fields (can't tell you how many people I know who works somewhere that is outside of their degree field); the experience and networking that happens from simply attending college is massively important and dramatically changes one's prospects compared to not going at all (those same people I know who work outside their field could not have landed their jobs without something that occurred during or thanks to college).

 

[Zaphrynn]

While that's true you're missing the point. Its not about if going to college is a good thing, its the fact that everyone was pretty much eligible despite societal and economic conditions and did well enough to get into college.

Yeah this.

There's also the fact that jobs earning livable wages without requiring some sort of degree are rapidly declining. Many jobs want at least an associates. A graduating class where 100% go to college is more a good thing than bad.

I say this as someone who waited until I was 28 to go to school. Yeah, I am much smarter about my finances and have very little debt, but I'm eager to stop working low-end customer service jobs. That's mostly what I can get without a degree or working on one.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I am not saying they all went to 4-year colleges, but that is what is pushed. How many counselors really push for a 2-year degree?

I went to a 4-year liberal arts college, but this is also something I wanted years before hand. But late 90's to the early 2000's, everyone you turned to was pushing kids into a 4-year college as if that was the only choice. And that is what I think is a shame. I feel like a dupes a lot of kids into thinking it is their only option and if they are not successful or enjoy it, something is wrong with them.

EDIT: Again, it is more the mentality, not the uplifting of a community and their education standards. It is more a commentary on how society views college, and anything but.

If I were a HS teacher, I would definitely not encourage ALL of my students to get 4 years degree's. Right now, I think learning a trade is more valuable than a non STEM degree. So kids who are good with their hands and are willing to put in some elbow grease in their job would probably make a better living. Too bad liberals like Bernie Sanders don't understand this.

 

[entremet]

If I were a HS teacher, I would definitely not encourage ALL of my students to get 4 years degree's. Right now, I think learning a trade is more valuable than a non STEM degree. So kids who are good with their hands and are willing to put in some elbow grease in their job would probably make a better living. Too bad liberals like Bernie Sanders don't understand this.

There's an inherent bias in promoting 4 year schools since counselors and teachers all come from system.

Still impressive for a Bronx school.

 

[Fishlake]

Congrats to all of them. That is quite the achievement for any high school class.

I was calculating the average grant but then realized it probably includes all the schools that offered grants to the students making it impossible to guess how much they get off in college.

I also want to say thank you OP for sharing some good news here.

 

[Seven Force]

Wow, wasn't expecting it to be Tremont. Good shit.

 

[bob_arctor]

I teach High School in the Mott Haven section. This year we had a 60% graduation rate if I remember correctly. This is great news.

 

[Robot Pants]

This is the opposite of a certain Office scene that I love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYQiQCj5Nmo

Dammit I came to post this. First thing I thought of