CLEVELAND — As part of our “Education Station” outreach, WKYC Studios has adopted a local school: Harvey Rice Wraparound in Cleveland’s Buckeye area.
When we asked Principal LaWanda Jackson what she considers to be the school’s biggest challenge, she said that on-time attendance is the top problem. About 20 percent of students are tardy every day, she estimates — and they miss out on important instruction when they arrive late.
And that’s why WKYC Studios is helping organize a weekly series of “Show Up and Shine At 7” attendance rallies at Harvey Rice during March, to encourage and inspire students to get to school early.
Our kickoff rally was held March 7 in the school gym with lots of fun, music and dancing. And we pulled a crowd, which was the goal!
We couldn’t do this work without wonderful community partners, including the McDonald's Corp. which provided gift cards for students with the best attendance. And we send special thanks to local McDonald's owner Nancy House for providing free breakfast sandwiches for students and parents.
This is just the start. Another key partner in this ongoing attendance campaign is Ricky Smith, founder of the Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere movement, who emceed the rally and delivered a pep talk to kids about the importance of getting to school on time.
Our message to Harvey Rice kids is: We're going to surprise you once a week with a pop-up morning rally featuring prizes, food and fun. So arrive early every morning and you won't miss out.