‘Once in a lifetime’ scholarship offer motivates Bellwood kids

Joel Alvarado, 13, has visions of someday studying on the “peaceful” grounds of Concordia University’s River Forest campus. But first, he wants to get some extra tutoring so he can become an “expert in math.”

Both of those ambitious goals are possible -- even though Alvarado is only in seventh grade -- thanks to a year-old program at Roosevelt Middle School in west suburban Bellwood.

Last year, his class of 22 students was selected to participate in a novel program, Tomorrow’s Promise, created and sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and Concordia University, in which students are guaranteed full scholarships to the River Forest school. The students must remain in the district, maintain a B average and graduate from middle school and high school and stay out of trouble.

In turn, the program offers free laptops for each student, tutoring, counseling and a host of other support services for the kids and their families -- and all expenses paid to attend Concordia, which now costs $30,000 for tuition, room and board.

While the students were already the best of the best in the impoverished, low-performing district, students, parents and teachers say the program has provided motivation to do even better.

After one year in the program, 84 percent of the class exceeded state standards in reading on the Illinois Student Achievement Test, up from 63 percent when the students took the test in the fifth grade the year before. Forty-seven percent exceeded state standards in math, up from 32 percent the year before.

The higher scores are impressive even for top students, who often are not challenged enough in schools and end up doing poorly out of boredom, officials said.

The program, participants say, also has led students to start thinking hard about going to college -- even though in some cases their parents and older siblings didn’t attend.

”It’s like a very big offer that can happen once in a lifetime,’’ said Alvarado, who wants to become a neurosurgeon. “It’s very hard to get a scholarship. I want to use it up.’’

Said Arkeelaus Sherman, mother of Johari, 12, “The program encourages her to be more focused. . . . To hear her be so ambitious about her future, it is a relief.’’

The program has motivated parents, too, to get more involved.

Al Podgorski/Sun-Times

When Jocelynn Morales, 13, got a poor grade in social studies, her parents told her “they want me to do better. We had a long, long talk.’’ She is now trying hard to boost that grade and could get free tutoring from Concordia students soon.

Roosevelt math teacher Kim Ardoin welcomes that “parents are keeping up with them. That’s good.’’

While it’s too early to know the program’s exact academic impact, it’s existence has removed a huge amount of stress from struggling families in depressed Bellwood.

”You save for your kid’s college and hope you have enough’’ -- but you never know, said Barbara Humphrey-Earskine, the single mother of Brianna, 12. “It’s really nice knowing you don’t have to worry.’’

She also says Brianna, a two-time cancer survivor, has “really opened up,’’ in part because of the boost of having outsiders put faith in her. In addition to getting straight A’s this year -- an improvement over last year -- Brianna joined the student council and will dance in an upcoming Michael Jackson tribute show.

”She’s more comfortable with herself,’’ Humphrey-Earskine said.

That’s not to say there have not been bumps in the road. Since the program launch last year, the principal and the program administrator at Roosevelt were ousted.

And three of the 22 original students in the program are out -- one student moved after a divorce; an illness in the family led another student to transfer, and a third just didn’t keep his grades up.

While any turnover might seem surprising with so much on the line, that mobility rate is lower than the school’s overall 25 percent rate.

One goal of the program is to add stability to the community because students who constantly change schools are less likely to succeed, said Tom Jandris, Concordia’s graduate school dean. At a celebration last spring, two families who had planned to move told Jandris they are staying put because of the program.