Rochester Prep Celebrates Graduation and 100% College Acceptance

Ashley Benjamin sat on the stage clutching her diploma with a brightly colored Kente cloth draped around her shoulders. She was relishing the moment. “Will the Class of 2018 please stand. To signify your completion of high school, please move your tassel from the right side to the left. You may now toss your cap into the air.” Cheers from families, friends, and teachers erupted.

After her freshman and sophomore year at Rochester Prep High School, Ashley doubted if she had the grades to get into college. “I was not that kid who made honor roll every quarter. I was the kid who was okay with settling for just passing. I didn’t take things as seriously as I should have. Accepting just a passing grade was good enough to me for most of high school,” says the 18 year old. With the support of her teachers, principal and parents, Ashley’s GPA increased significantly by the end of 12th grade. She finished quarter 2 of her senior year on honor roll and finished quarter 3 on high honor roll, which caused her mom tears of joy. Next year she will be attending SUNY Buffalo State.

Ashley’s journey to honor roll marks a historic time for Rochester Prep. This past weekend the school graduated its very first class of seniors, and 100% of the graduates are going to college. The class submitted a total of 235 college applications to 74 different colleges in 15 states. Impressively, this group of 25 students received scholarship and grant offers amounting to over $3 million. They will be attending schools such as The George Washington University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Carleton College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

For TaiJuan Ferrell, graduating high school and attending college will show his two younger brothers that they can also dream big. TaiJuan will attend Niagara University, about an hour and a half away from Rochester, and was awarded over $50,000 annually in grants and scholarships. He hopes to major in criminal justice as well as nursing.

TaiJuan is also a role model for the younger students at Rochester Prep. As part of the founding high school class, the seniors took on the responsibility to lead the younger kids by example. “The younger kids see the seniors as the most important people, the model of what it is supposed to be like here.”

Rochester Prep operates 6 public charter schools in Rochester: three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. Nearly all of the students at Rochester Prep are black or Latino, and about 80% qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

According to a 2013 study, by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University, attending an Uncommon school “completely cancels out the negative effect associated with being a student in poverty.” Uncommon Schools is the charter management organization that manages Rochester Prep and operates 9 high schools across New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Only about 10% of low income students across the country ever graduate college. For Uncommon graduates, about 80% have graduated college or are on track to do so—eight times the national rate.

“We are living proof that we, too, can and will rise. I want each of us to continue to rise and to strive for greatness,” exclaimed Keaton Hall during his Salutatorian speech. “It is clear that we are capable of incredible feats. But, if you have zoned out today and have heard nothing - this is what I want you to hear. Our roads do not end here. We are simply taking another step on our rise to greatness. I believe every single one of us has the ability. Be great. Be bold. ‘Be the Spark’ as they say. We have already achieved so much, and I can’t wait to see what we are all doing when we are 28 years old at our ten year reunion. I have no doubt it will be incredible.”