ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Congressman Seth Moulton was at the Collins Middle School in Salem to announce the investment of $2 million over the next three years to expand AmeriCorps, in partnership with Lynn Public Schools, to help improve academic outcomes among immigrant students.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SALEM — An AmeriCorps program at Lynn Public Schools that promises to improve academic opportunity for immigrant students is being extended.
United Way, the Corporation for National & Community Service, the official name for AmeriCorps, and the Massachusetts Service Alliance are investing more than $2 million, which will place 25 of its members into Lynn schools, up from 15, to provide tutoring, mentoring and academic support to immigrants and their families. The program has been in Lynn for three years and is guaranteed for three more.
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) was at Collins Middle School on Monday, where he spoke about his service in the Marine Corps, including a stint in Iraq.
“Too many times, your educational prospects are dictated by the zip code in which you were born,” he said.
Because of the program’s expansion, more people will be integrated into the community, with the increased educational opportunities, Moulton said.
The high school graduation rate among English language learners in Lynn is 56 percent, dramatically lower than the statewide average of 85 percent.
Michael Durkin, United Way’s president, said the program has two important values. It helps families who want to improve language skills, which he said is one of the gateways to success. It also provides a volunteer opportunity for people willing to make a difference in the lives of others.
“It’s really powering opportunity for a lot of families in need,” he said.
Justin Rotundo taught math at Lynn Classical High School last year as a graduation coach with United Way through the AmeriCorps partnership. He said students work 40 hours a week and work another 40 at school.
In 2008, Rotundo joined the military and was later deployed to Afghanistan in the U.S. Army Reserves. When he tutored at Lynn Classical, he met Amrudin, an Afghanistan immigrant. One day, Amrudin was being disruptive in class, and he used the word for “stop” in Pashto, a national language in Afghanistan. After class, Amrudin asked him how he knew the word, excited that Rotundo knew his language. The student then began coming to Rotundo for help after the ice-breaker. Amrudin now works at Wal-Mart and is studying at North Shore Community College.
“A lot of the students, it just gives them somewhere to go after school,” Rotundo said. “It just gives them a safe space they can go to … it’s very helpful for their stability.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.