Sean Nichols is principal of the Fresh Start Academy, an alternative St. Louis high school that welcomes back students 17-21 who have dropped out. It is extremely inspiring to see the focus shifted back to the children and the passionate commitment to education.
The one-year program geared exclusively toward preparing for the GED examination provides new hope for the shockingly increasing number of drop outs in the St. Louis area.
"These kids have been surrounded by poverty and violence and people who may love them but lack resources to help them," he said. "Most left school because they felt defeated and could not take another blow."
"They crave access to people who care about them and can help them," he said.
Mr. Nichols sees good teachers as the key to helping these children. He recruits teachers who understand that these are kids who need special help, sometimes in the evening or on a weekend, teachers willing to work "beyond the job description."
Though it is important to also support education reforms to decrease the number of drop outs in the first place, keep up the good work and commitment to education!
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Story
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