Moments of Opportunity; Lifetime of Success!
Our "Success" Story
A Proven Strategy for Success
“Avenues for Success” provides the Norwood community with quality before and afterschool programming for students K-12; a long-term strategy for a growing community challenge and a winning strategy for students, families and schools.
Its Needed
As more and more parents work outside the home, many have difficulty finding acceptable afterschool care for their students. As a result, large numbers of students are alone and unsupervised at the end of the day.
It Works!
The evidence is overwhelming; “Avenues for Success” works! As lofty as this may sound, “Avenues for Success” has played a direct and real role in Norwood City Schools move from a rating of “Continuous Improvement” to “Excellent.” Likewise, “Avenues for Success” played a significant role in the community being named as one of the “100 Best Communities in America for Young People” by Americas Promise Alliance. Our students who participate in afterschool programs are more engaged in school, exhibit better behavior, have higher grades and better test scores.
Creating Opportunity
““Avenues for Success”” extends learning and critical enrichment activities beyond the regular school day. Our vision to “provide experiences to transform “educated” students to “well-educated” students” is realized by the variety of clubs that are offered to the students K-12. Our clubs are designed to take learning beyond the books, to hands on experiential learning. Our students have the opportunity to perhaps attend a Broadway show, skateboard at a professional facility, or attend a boating camp and receive their boating license. These experiences can be life -changing, and full of potential to continue on to lifelong interests or perhaps a career choice.
Celebrating Real Success
Paige’s Story
When the Norwood Middle School Afterschool Program Clubs were first announced, my family was skeptical about allowing me attend. I finally convinced my mother to let me join when I brought home a club listing showing just how many clubs I could be in, everything from clothing design to skateboarding. From that moment on, from my seventh grade year until my last day as a senior, I participated in as many clubs as I could every day. This not only kept me off the streets, but gave me opportunities to experience many things an average student would not have a chance to do, such as cake decorating, floral design, and jewelry construction. The afterschool program also taught charity through our service learning projects, we gave back to the community utilizing the talents we obtained through club activities. This inspired me to volunteer my own time to local causes, building character. After six years of being involved in the afterschool programs, I had a strong foundation from which I made the leap to achieve a college education. I also received many scholarships making college even more attainable, due to how involved I had become in the community, through the after school clubs. I am currently enrolled as a Pre-Business Major at the University of Cincinnati, and I am working for the after school program, now called Avenues for Success.
-Paige C. Gearhart
Paige relayed to me in a conversation this summer, had it not been for the afterschool program, she would have been delinquent from school. As I watched Paige receive several scholarships her senior year, and a few weeks later, walk across the stage at Xavier University’s Cintas Center, to receive her diploma from the Norwood City Schools, I was overwhelmed to see the hard work of so many people being realized in her success. Her mother sent a letter to express her thanks for all we had done for her daughter. She penned the following words “you have created avenues for success for my daughter”. From the very instant I read those words, I knew Avenues for Success would be the new name of our program! It is truly amazing, what an opportunity can do in the life of a student!
-Laura L. Ferguson NCSD Afterschool Program Coordinator