There was a time when an East St. Louis teenager got off the school bus, he was never seen entering a home. One day, the bus driver followed him, and discovered that the youth and his mother were living inside a car.
This story and dozens of others prompted Keith Ware, EdD, Southern Illinois University Edwarsdville East St. Louis Center’s Upward Bound (UB) EC/BEM program director, to add two clinical therapists to his staff for the summer.
The UB summer program, which began Monday, June 17, will run from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. through July 29.
“A good 50 percent of my students have issues that are not academic,” said Ware. “Some of our students are dealing with issues that limit their growth academically, mentally and emotionally. How can we expect high test scores from them, when they are not functioning in a manner in which teenagers should be able?”
UB is a federally funded college preparatory program for students at the following high schools: East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC), Brooklyn, SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School and Madison (BEM).
“Looking at the demographics that we serve, our students have challenges,” explained Ware. “These school districts are limited on what they can do and provide.
Additional help and activities are being offered to program students this summer because of UB’s surplus in funds.
“We are able to do some extra things, like hire therapists on a contractual basis that can work with our students on a more professional level and focus on areas outside the academic scope,” said Ware. “Based on the relationships we’ve formed with our students and how we have assessed them, we will have the therapists talk to those whom we think need it most based on our interactions with them.”
Ware also recounted the story of a female student who he had not seen in the program for more than two months. When she came to the office to pick up her stipend, Ware inquired about her absence and well-being. What he found out prompted him to look into providing additional services for students. Unfortunately, according to Ware, the incident is not an isolated one.
“For us to be good stewards of our students and impactful in the community, our leadership team must do as much for the students as possible,” said Ware. “We just don’t want them to achieve academic success, but we want them to become productive citizens as well.”
The SIUE Upward Bound EC/BEM program helps youth prepare for higher education and serves students from East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC), and Brooklyn, East St. Louis Charter and Madison (BEM), High Schools. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition and STEM subjects on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. The quality services provided will prepare the students for successful high school completion and entrance into post-secondary programs. Upward Bound is a college-preparatory program designed to serve low-income and/or potential first-generation college students who are currently in grades 9-12.
Photo: Keith Ware, EdD, SIUE East St. Louis Center’s Upward Bound (UB) EC/BEM program director.