Aiming High: Access Academies

Belief is a powerful force. Expectation is the key to success, says Carolyn Dubuque, ACCESS Academies’ director of mission effectiveness. ACCESS stands for Academies Creating Challenging Education for St. Louis Students, and since its founding in 2005, it has dispatched 98 percent of all its eighth-grade graduates from three city Catholic schools—St. Louis the King School at the Cathedral, Most Holy Trinity School & Academy and Saint Cecilia School and Academy—to private and Archdiocesan college-prep secondary schools such as St. Mary’s, Bishop Dubourg and Notre Dame high schools, Chaminade, Villa Duchesne, Christian Brothers College and Nerinx Hall. The vast majority of students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and all benefit from homework assistance, service projects, extended school day, summer school programs, and enrichment programs that begin when a child enters sixth grade and last throughout middle school. “Middle school is a critical time for kids,” Dubuque explains. “They can excel or they can go off the rails.” But ACCESS, she says, holds their hands. “We give them opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have: dance, poetry, book and track clubs and one-on-one tutoring. By always talking to students about high school and college, they have a goal to work toward.”

ACCESS makes a seven-year commitment to its students by easing the transition from middle to high school and providing assistance with the college process through one-on-one counseling with their graduate support director, ACT test prep, college tours, college application and essay support, and FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) counseling. All services and programs are free, made possible by donations from foundations and individuals, and by fundraisers. The largest of these, the annual scholarship dinner, takes place June 1 at the Four Seasons Hotel. All money raised is shared among the high school students and goes directly toward their tuition scholarships. ACCESS awards scholarships based on need; the balance is paid by the families themselves and school financial aid.

“We exist because we want to end the cycle of poverty through education and make sure our kids attend quality high schools,” says Terry Mehan, associate graduate support director at Saint Cecilia School and Academy. “In the city of St. Louis, going to a public high school is not always the best fit.” Graduate support directors build strong relationships with parents, teachers and counselors, often serving as advocates for families, some of whom don’t speak English (96 percent of all ACCESS students are African-American or Hispanic). Many students are the first generation in the family to go to college. The process is new and hard to navigate. “Some of our families have pretty daunting challenges, but they all want a better life for their kids,” Mehan says.

Like a proud parent, Mehan (a volunteer) has seen 109 of his students off to college; 94 percent of graduates are admitted to post-secondary institutions each year. Although the support director’s official role comes to an end at that point, Mehan says he and former students often stay in touch via Facebook and other means.

“Our message to all our kids is that a successful future is possible,” Dubuque says. To give students a taste of that possibility, ACCESS leads field trips to colleges like Saint Louis University, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Ranken Technical College. “We give them exposure, we show them what to reach for.”

The eighth annual ACCESS Academies Scholarship Dinner, sponsored by the Vatterott Foundation, takes place June 1 at the Four Seasons Hotel-St. Louis. Pictured on the cover: Students Leslie V., David T. and Evett A. For information and tickets call 314.898.0430 or visit accessacademies.org.

Cover design by Julie Streiler | Photos by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography
Pictured: Terry Mehan, Joan and John Vatterot