The Northfield Public Schools was recently awarded a $53,000 grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation in support of the Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes (TORCH) initiative. The money will be used to fund several staff positions, as well as provide TORCH students the opportunity to visit college campuses.
Currently, TORCH serves over 190 Northfield students in grades 6-12. They are Latino, English Language Learners, low-income students, and youth whose parents did not attend college. TORCH provides academic and social support, mentoring, career exploration, and connections with postsecondary education opportunities.
Over the past four years, TORCH has helped to increase the graduation rate of Northfield Latino students from 36% to over 90%. Of the 27 TORCH students who graduated in spring 2009, 22 are planning to pursue postsecondary education next year.
The funding from Great Lakes will support the continuation of the high school portion of TORCH throughout the 2009-10 school year. The grant will fund the TORCH High School Coordinator position, the AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at Northfield High School, and an educational assistant to work with TORCH students, as well as trips to college campuses.
“TORCH is a remarkable collaborative initiative that makes a real difference in the lives of many Northfield youth,” said Marnie Thompson, Northfield High School Assistant Principal and TORCH Project Director. “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Great Lakes. This grant will assure the continuation of this important program at the high school level that helps our students graduate and pursue their dreams of higher education.”
TORCH is a collaborative among Northfield Public Schools, Familias en Accion, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges, Mentoring Coalition, Centro Campesino, and the Minnesota Alliance with Youth’s Promise Fellows initiative.
For more information on TORCH, please contact Marnie Thompson at 507-645-3450 or Marnie.Thompson@nfld.k12.mn.us
