Photo: Jay Willett / WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Boston school is being recognized nationally for helping kids plan their futures — and it's happening in middle school.
UP Academy Dorchester is one of five schools nationwide — and the only middle school — to win the inagural Future Forward Schools Prize, splitting a quarter-million dollars awarded by nonprofits Building Hope and Britebound.
The school's "Imagine Your Future" program connects middle schoolers — 99 percent of whom are students of color — with leading Boston companies like WHOOP, Dell, and even Boston Duck Tours for a hands-on look at real careers. Chief Operations Officer Mike Bower says the program is built around one idea: give kids real-world exposure long before most students ever think about life after school.
Principal Michaela Power says UP Academy was chosen from a pool of 256 applicants across the country. Prize funding will go toward expanding the program and deepening its reach during what educators call the most critical years for career curiosity.
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The school already ranks first in Massachusetts for English Language Arts growth among high-needs schools.
WBZ's Jay Willett reports.