Bartlesville Nonprofit And School District Team Up To Help Struggling Freshmen

A Bartlesville nonprofit has teamed up with the school district to start a new program for struggling ninth graders who need a fresh start.

The classroom setting can be intimidating for some students.

"It's hard for the regular teacher, I know, as a teacher with 20 to 25 kids, but you know you got a kid who can't just keep up, and it's hard to take care of all the needs," said Sandy Dossett, Director of the Youth Development Center.

That's why Dossett wanted to create a space and a curriculum for those kids who struggle in the classroom-- where they can become successful.

She says with the help of On The Rock Ministries and Bartlesville High School, she was able to turn her dream into a reality by making the historic creamery into a youth development center.

"We can facilitate and provide an environment for kids to come and really believe in themselves and believe that they are worthy and that they have lots of worth and lots to give other people," said Dossett.

The ten students who are enrolled at the center are still considered Bartlesville students and are receiving high school credits for each course completed.

Dossett says the program is individualized to meet the needs of each student.

"We are trying to provide intervention for those skills that maybe kids are missing. In English, language arts, and math, especially because that impacts everything else that they do the rest of the day while they are at school," said Dossett.

Although the students are less than a month in, Shiloh and Dan Perez say they already see a difference in their son's attitude toward school.

"He is just more excited to come to school. He lets us know a lot of the subjects he is learning, which I have never seen before for him to be excited about certain subjects, so he really talks to us about what he's learning in school, and he's just pretty excited all the way around," they said.

The students will go back to Bartlesville High next year, and Dossett hopes these students will feel a little more confident in the classroom.