Opening Day ceremony celebrates new Student Success Coach cohort to serve students throughout Duval County
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — September 17, 2024 — City Year Jacksonville, the local chapter of the national nonprofit, celebrated 66 Student Success Coaches at their Opening Day Ceremony on September 7, 2024. The young leaders will serve throughout Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) during the 2024-2025 school year providing mentorship and academic support to students.
Each year, City Year sites across the country kick off a new year of community service with an Opening Day ceremony, a nod to the concept of “Opening Day” in baseball. On Saturday, September 7, City Year Jacksonville celebrated the beauty of service and the incredible young people who have dedicated the next year to serve their community. The ceremony was held at Highlands Estates Academy, a brand-new public school campus, made possible by the half-penny sales tax initiative started in 2020 to provide DCPS students with new school buildings. It is now home to students and faculty from the combined previous Highlands Elementary School and Pine Estates Academy.
The Opening Day ceremony included a motivating and inspiring dedication event for this year's Student Success Coaches. The cohort included 66 Student Success Coaches between the ages of 18 and 25. These inspiring young leaders represent the students they serve, with 46 representing DCPS graduates and 61 coaches hailing from across the state of Florida. This year, City Year Jacksonville celebrates a 100% Student Success Coach retention from the first day of training in June through Opening Day and beyond.
During the ceremony, Student Success Coaches shared personal accounts as to why they have committed to serve and took the City Year Pledge. Special guests spoke at the event, including Principal at HEA, Natalya Richie-Graham and Superintendent of DCPS, Dr. Christopher Bernier. A special portion of the program, aptly named “Service is a Beautiful Thing,” honored the memory of late City Year AmeriCorps member, Dhante’ Lee, a CYJ Student Success Coach who served for three years. The segment title was a nod to a daily mantra repeated by every Student Success Coach before service, “We live to serve another day. And that’s a beautiful thing.”
“The team at City Year Jacksonville is eager to start another school year working with the bright students throughout our community,” said Allishia Bauman, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Jacksonville. “This Opening Day, it was important that we took the time to honor one of our own that we lost, Dhante’ Lee. The moments we share will help us heal and remind us to take advantage of every opportunity to serve harder and shine brighter.”
For more information on City Year Jacksonville and how to get involved, visit www.cityyear.org/jacksonville.
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About City Year Jacksonville:
City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year Student Success Coaches provide holistic support to students, classrooms and the whole school. A 2020 study shows that the more time students spend with Student Success Coaches, the more they improve on social, behavioral and academic skills – skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.
A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Learn more about City Year Jacksonville at https://www.cityyear.org/jacksonville.