Representatives from the Washington Jesuit Academy, a tuition-free school based on the Nativity model of education, spoke at Georgetown on Nov. 20 to members of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society.

The academy works to provide continuing education opportunities to local, underprivileged middle-school students in D.C. Founded in 2002, it aims to close the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students to break the cycle of poverty. It currently works with 71 middle-school students from the D.C. area.

Three academy graduates, accompanied by their parents, and two school administrators participated in a panel discussion, which was followed by a brief question-and-answer session with the audience. Tim McCloud, a member of the academy’s first graduating class in 2004, explained to the audience that the academy encouraged him to take his education seriously.

“Before, school was just something I had to do. My grades were failing. I knew something had to be done. My mom found out about the Washington Jesuit Academy, and I decided to start there,” McCloud said.

According to Cavanaugh, only 13 percent of students read at grade-appropriate levels prior to entering the academy. Upon graduation, however, the number rises to 95 percent.

“These aren’t anomalies,” Cavanaugh said. “These are students with adequate preparation.”

The school employs the Nativity model of education, which was developed in 1972 by New York City Jesuits. In this model, students attend classes and activities for 12 hours a day, and the school year lasts for 11 months.

cCloud said that the long hours did not deter him from wanting to attend.

“It was more or less like living there,” he said. “But my teachers gave up their time, so why shouldn’t I?”

When not attending classes, students participate in extracurricular activities and clubs, such as the Stock Market Club and the Cooking Club. Community service is also encouraged as a way to embody the Jesuit principle of being `Men for Others.’ During the summer, students travel to countries such as Argentina and Guatemala to perform volunteer work and practice foreign languages.

Valentine Davies, the academy’s graduate support director noted, however, that success was not guaranteed. According to Davies, out of the 20 students in the first graduating class, 14 will have the opportunity to attend college.

“We are not miracle workers. These are challenging situations . We want to make sure every young man has an opportunity,” he said.

Nancy Bolagbade, a mother of a former student, expressed confidence in the school’s ability to change the situation affecting so many impoverished inner-city students.

“This [level of success] isn’t the norm,” she said. “But it’s going to become the norm.”

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