BELL

"I learned things I didn't know. Who knows what I'll learn next." - BELL Scholar

"BELL's commitment to working with low-performing students has not only had a positive impact on their ability to perform on or above grade level, but on the morale of our entire school." - Principal of a BELL partner school

"I want to come next year because I learn stuff I don't know. I got an A+ on my report card. This program has taught me a lot and I would like to get even better grades on my school work. I want to get straight A's." - BELL Scholar

"I appreciate the work that you do and evidence of your good work is the continuing progress of my child's academics and behavior." - BELL Parent

"BELL is the most outstanding after school program in New York City." - New York City Local Instructional Superintendent

"I am impressed! My enrolled students have improved tremendously! The staff goes out of their way to reach each student. Wow!" - Teacher at a BELL partner school

"I want to return because it is helping me a lot and they make learning fun." - BELL Scholar

"This program has been very helpful to the students in my classroom. They are more motivated to work in the classroom. They have gone from being passive learners to more active learners. Also, their homework comes in on a more regular basis." - Teacher at a BELL partner school

"I am very grateful to BELL for my daughter's progress. She is doing great, well above her level, and I'm sure it's due to the extra help I sometimes can't give." - BELL Parent

"I want to return to BELL because this is the best after school program." - BELL Scholar

"My student truly enjoys the program because she is learning how to read and write. She has developed a love for writing and has gained confidence in her math skills. She feels she is well taken care of and she has a positive attitude in the classroom and with BELL." - Teacher at a BELL partner school

"Both of my boys who attend BELL often mention having learned skills that I am teaching. They feel more confident in math and reading." - Teacher at a BELL partner school

"BELL's after school program has been a wonderful experience for my child and I am very proud that my son is a part of the program. I am especially thankful for all that BELL has offered, particularly for people of color. Your work has not gone unnoticed. Keep up the good work." - BELL Parent

"BELL is an excellent program. My daughter has learned a lot this year. This definitely keeps her ahead of the game. I hope she will enjoy this program for a lot more years. Maybe one day she will be a tutor for BELL Thank you for all that you have done."
- BELL Parent

Frankie Cruz "When I enter college, I'll be there with an express purpose: to study hard, learn a lot, and become a teacher to continue the BELL mission."

Frankie Cruz has been involved with BELL Summer for seven years as a scholar, a volunteer, and most recently as a tutor. The opportunities and relationships that Frankie found at BELL have transformed him from a struggling middle school student into an aspiring teacher on the path to college.

By the time Frankie entered BELL Summer in 2001 he had been held back twice in school due to failing grades. Education was not a priority for him, and going to college was not on the horizon. The close relationships he formed with his tutor Tanisha and site manager Mr. Nobles turned Frankie's life around. They believed in his ability to excel and demanded he do the same. He began thinking about the future, about what an education could bring him, and where he wanted to be in life. After two years with the BELL Summer Program, Frankie's grades had skyrocketed and he was awarded a Red Sox Scholarship, an honor that took him one step closer to higher education with a substantial college scholarship.

At thirteen, Frankie was excelling academically and ready to enter high school alongside his peers. He was told that if he could pass the high school entrance exam, he could advance two grade levels and be placed once again with his own peer group. Through hard work and with the support of his mentors from BELL, Frankie passed the exam, skipped two grades, and was accepted to the Codman Academy--a charter school in Dorchester, MA, which boasts a 100% acceptance rate to 4-year colleges.

Frankie credits much of his success to the academic and social support he received from BELL. For this reason, Frankie has been driven to give back what he has received in the form of mentorship and teaching for the next generation of BELL Scholars. Frankie's dedication to providing more children with the opportunities he received is what qualifies him to be the only tutor at BELL who has not yet finished high school. His unique journey, his boundless energy, and his enthusiasm for learning will touch all of the scholars that he comes in contact with.

Frankie also credits BELL with introducing him to the stage. What started as an enrichment activity during BELL Summer has become a life-changing passion for Frankie: the theater transformed a shy, ten-year old boy into a confident and well-spoken young man. Frankie uses acting exercises with the scholars he works with to develop their confidence and public speaking skills.

This fall Frankie will be applying to colleges, a step Frankie doesn't believe he'd be taking if his mother hadn't found BELL for him. His top choice is Georgetown University, and when Frankie enters college he'll be there with an express purpose: to study hard, learn a lot, and then turn right around as teacher to continue the BELL mission of dramatically increasing the academic achievements, self-esteem, and life opportunities of children living in low-income, urban communities.

Kourtney Lewis, BELL Class of 2003

"They knew that I was different from other students and that school wasn't a challenge for me, but they couldn't do anything for me."

Subject to low expectations and unchallenging coursework, many lower-income students with the ability to excel languish in their schools for years, performing well below their potential. Too often, these students never rise to achieve at top levels. Kourtney Lewis' story illustrates what can happen when such students are challenged to perform at the highest level.

Although she always believed she was academically talented, Kourtney's performance did not place her anywhere near the top of her class. She spent first, second, and third grades at a public school in her neighborhood, where she felt that her teachers were ill-equipped to feed her curiosities. "When I was in elementary school, my teachers didn't push me,"˜ she says. "They knew that I was different from other students and that school wasn't a challenge for me, but they couldn't do anything for me."

At the age of 10, Kourtney transferred to a new school district as part of Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), a voluntary desegregation program. The move ultimately afforded Kourtney opportunities she never had at her local school. Her new school district had a smaller student-to-teacher ratio and provided more resources per student than Kourtney's neighborhood school.

When she arrived at her new school, Kourtney was placed in a remedial program. For a student who craved greater intellectual challenge and stimulation, being in remedial education was difficult. "When I was in the remedial class, I wanted to be independent and I wanted to learn more, which made it really hard for me."˜

It took the help of her mother, a mentor, and BELL Summer to move Kourtney from the remedial program into advanced courses, where she has since excelled. With high expectations from those around her, positive adult role models, and the lessons and skills she learned in BELL, Kourtney now says, "I know what I have to do to get an A." Her grades and writing skills earned her a spot in a college-preparatory program that provides a college scholarship and adult mentor for participants.

And Kourtney has found earning top marks not just possible but probable. As an eighth grader, Kourtney was elected president of her class, and in 2006, she was recognized by METCO for earning the highest grade point average of all students in her grade in the Boston-area program.

Now in her sophomore year at a public high school in Lincoln, Massachusetts, Kourtney has her sights set on attending Stanford University or an historically black college or university when she graduates. She wants to pursue a career in law and work on behalf of social justice."