Bowie seniors get home visits to encourage graduation
(BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL -- April 1, 2021) — More than 80 Bowie Bears who may be struggling with virtual learning got a visit from at their homes to encourage them to keep going and provide them with resources and information that may help them reach that ultimate goal: Graduation.
Bowie and EPISD administrators and educators took to the streets on Friday to knock on the doors of struggling students in an effort to help them meet all their academic goals, including graduation this June.
“We’re out there walking the blocks,” said Ana Solis, an instructional coach in the District who helped spearhead the event. “This is a culmination of an attendance initiative that is targeting students who are the cusp of graduation. Our goal is to get those students to walk the stage and get their diploma.
Teams, which included counselors and members of the Alpha Initiative (EPISD’s truancy and dropout prevention program), visited with students who may be missing credits or have not passed all STAAR End of Course exams.
Each student was given a packet with information that included contact information to the counseling team, a calendar of important testing dates and instructions on how to access in-person and virtual tutoring to help them succeed.
“We had two missions today,” said Mark Mendoza, the director of the Alpha Initiative. “First is to tell our kids that EPISD is here and that we care about them. And second to make sure our seniors graduate without any delay.”
School officials also took the opportunity of the visit to check in on any other need the student and their families may have and put them in touch with agencies that can help.
Video by Raymond Jackson/EPISD