The Black Diamonds Academic Success Program, in partnership with the African American Men of Westchester and the City of Peekskill Youth Bureau, is hosting a “Rise of Black and Brown Males in Education Forum” on Wednesday, March 27th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Peekskill Youth Bureau.
At this Education Forum, participants will be able to hear from high school students, administrators and college faculty members about some dynamic programs that are having an impact on Black and Brown male student achievement. Joining the panel discussion and will be Dr. David Mauricio – Superintendent of Peekskill City Schools, Dr. Scorpio Rogers – Vice President of Community Relations & Government Affairs at Mercy University, Dr. Oumar Sarr – Teacher & MBK Coordinator at Ossining High School, Dr. Bert Shillingford Program Director – Automotive Technology at Rockland Community College, and Mr. Erik Wright – Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education of the Yonkers Public Schools.
This event is free and open to the public, especially parents. Food will be provided courtesy of the African American Men of Westchester. This event is filling up quickly. To register for this event in advance and secure your seat, click here. For more information about the forum, please contact Martin McDonald at [email protected].
The Black Diamonds Academic Success Program is a program geared to students in grades 9 through 12 has students of all levels of academic achievement, ranging from high achieving students to students that are at risk of dropping out. The program is committed to working with the students, the parents, and the school district to effectively engage the student so that they take ownership and internalize the belief that they can and will succeed academically.
Longtime Peekskill resident Martin McDonald launched the Black Diamonds Success Academy in 2018. McDonald firmly believes, “that if students don’t see themselves in the picture of education, they will not be motivated to do their best.” That was one of the main reasons he helped launch the program. He wanted to help young Black and Brown students see the success stories and achieve that success for themselves. McDonald notes, “The Black Diamonds, and the events it sponsors, not only help students see themselves in what they are learning, but help them use their voice to speak up and be leaders. An empowered student is a confident student, and a confident student is more likely to succeed. That confidence is what makes a Black Diamond shine.”
The Black Diamonds Success Academy focuses on three main areas to help students achieve success. These are students’ attendance, homework and behavior. Black Diamonds President, Martin McDonald explains,”the program focuses on the fundamental beliefs that a student must be in school, and attend daily to be successful. Part of that success is directly connected to homework and appropriate behavior.” McDonald continued, “The Black Diamonds Academic Success Program helps build student’s character, emotional intelligence, and personal independence to strengthen their overall personal development.”
Since 2018, the Black Diamonds Academic Success Academy has been exactly that. The program has had 100 percent of Black Diamond members graduate from high school on time and more prepared for life after high school. There are approximately 20 to 25 students each year in the program. Graduated members have gone on to attend distinguished schools such as Alfred University, Morgan State, Manhattanville, Cazenovia College, Hampton University, Morrisville State, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego, University at Buffalo, amongst others. To hear success stories from Black Diamonds who have graduated and are currently in college, visit the Black Diamonds Alumni page.
Visit the Peekskill Herald Events Calendar Features and the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar to see more local events.
If you would like to have your event publicized and advertised for free, please add your event to the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar. You may even get to become a highlighted featured event of the week. Do you like what you see? Click here to subscribe for free to the Peekskill Herald. Do you really like what you see and want to support local thriving journalism? Click here to donate and become a member of the Peekskill Herald. The Peekskill Herald is a 501c3 charitable organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
