Holy Cross and Morgan Stanley Establish New JA Academy Partnership Team for North High School

WORCESTER, Mass. – The opening session and celebration of the College of the Holy Cross and Morgan Stanley’s new Junior Achievement (JA) Academy partnership for North High School will be Monday, Feb. 11 from 3-4 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center, Room 401 on the Holy Cross campus.

JA Academy was developed in the spring of 2007 in response to the need for an after school-mentoring program for local high school students that combines Junior Achievement’s quality financial literacy and workforce awareness programs with college familiarization and preparation.  Unlike traditional Junior Achievement programs that are offered in a public high school or youth agency setting, the JA Academy model distinguishes itself by taking advantage of its location on college campuses and incorporating college volunteers and business professionals in team teaching pairs.  The unique pairings of undergraduates and corporate leaders, coupled with the learning experiences that are available on a college campus, will expose students to valuable post-secondary educational and career options.  The JA Academy model has been nationally recognized by JA Worldwide as the 2007 recipient of the prestigious MetLife Entrepreneurial Award.

During their junior and senior years, North High School students will participate in an intensive after-school program at the College of the Holy Cross campus.  They will be transported to the campus for 13 afternoon visits each year.  During this time, volunteers from the Morgan Stanley management team will deliver the JA Success Skills, JA Titan, and/or JA Company programs.  Faculty, staff and student leaders from Holy Cross will coordinate admissions and financial aid workshops, along with presentations on issues such as residential life, clubs, activities and academic majors offered at the college. Here is what the JA Academy partners have to say about the program:

"At Holy Cross we believe deeply in the power of education to transform lives and transform communities," said Holy Cross president Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J.  "The most important contribution we can make to this city is to help empower its talented young people through education.  We are proud to be able to extend our many partnerships with the city and particularly the Worcester Public Schools through our participation in this Junior Achievement program."

"When approached and asked to consider supporting this project, it seemed to be a natural fit for us. At Morgan Stanley, investing is what we do and investing in children is one of the smartest investments one can make as it will reap dividends for many years to come."  Todd Wetzel, Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Worcester School Superintendent James A. Caradonio said the academy model encapsulates what he called “the new three R’s,” of rigor, relevance and relationship.  “We’ve got to connect the dots,” he said.  “The ‘because we said so’ school doesn’t work.”  Linking with outside partners, like the colleges and businesses involved in this initiative, helps accomplish these goals, he said. Holy Cross student participants:

Francisca Turkson ’10 was raised in Ghana, Africa, and moved to the U.S. when she was 14 years-old. As the first in her family to attend college in the U.S., she applied to colleges completely on her own because her parents were not familiar with the process. She toured only one college campus, Holy Cross, and she knew that was where she wanted to spend her next four years.

Yachira Torres ’10 is a Worcester native and graduate of North High School. As an English and Spanish double major, she has plans to return to her former high school as a teacher after graduation.  An active member of the Holy Cross community, she is a summer orientation leader; campus tour guide; Passport “pathfinder” leader, a program that helps first-year students get acclimated to college life; and she volunteers with the ESL program at Centros Las Americas in Worcester.

Kevin Golembiewski ’10 graduated from Tempe High School in Arizona, and ranked eighth in a class of 350. He transferred to Holy Cross from Sante Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla. his sophomore year. An economics major, he hopes to attend graduate school in the future.