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April 13, 2006

Hope High students to help build Habitat house in Fla.

PROVIDENCE -- Five Hope High School students will travel to Lee, Fla., this Sunday to build a house for Habitat for Humanity.

The teens are members of the Leadership Academy at Hope, and their English teacher, Michaela Keegan, said she believes that the best way to teach teenagers how to become leaders is to get them out of the classroom.

Several of the students, all seniors, said they were on the verge of dropping out before this year, when the large urban high school broke into three smaller learning academies, hired new teachers and brought in a new team of principals.

"Last year, I cut school every day,'' said German Mendez, 18. "No one wanted to help. This year, they do. It changed my mentality. I know that I'm somebody now.''

Keegan hopes to expand the community service component next year by getting students involved in their own neighborhoods, where they can see what their efforts can accomplish.

-- Journal education writer Linda Borg

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 6:36 PM | Permalink

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