Detroit — You wouldn’t it know from looking at the Mercy Education Project’s unsuspecting brick building in southwest Detroit — but there’s a story of educational magic that happens within its walls.
The Mercy Education Project (MEP) — which offers after school tutoring for girls and a GED program for women — has been enriching lives since 1992.
Its grade school program accepts about 90 girls within the grade levels 1 through 8.
“Girls are tested at the beginning of the program to determine what grade level they are currently at,” says Amy Amador, executive director of MEP. “These tests continue throughout the program to ensure continued progress. Based on these results one of the curriculums specially designed by MEP’s own Project Coordinator, Melanie Ward, are assigned to the girl.”
The program focuses on math, reading, homework help, computer skills and providing the girls with an outlet for creativity and positive social interaction.
Once the curriculum is picked out, the girls are paired up with their tutor — with whom they usually meet throughout the school year. Despite the fact that this is not a mentoring program, the volunteer tutors often form a bond with their student.
MEP had 50 tutors last year and, as of now, 35-40 of them are returning, which means most of these tutors will choose to pick up where they left off with their student from the previous school year.
The majority of the girls that are enrolled in this program are at least one grade level below the grade they are actually enrolled in. Yet — through hard work and devoted tutors — the girls will eventually be at the grade level that’s right for them. In fact, the girls that continue with the program until eighth grade will enter high school.
MEP is even expanding its program to further help the students until the tenth grade. Eventually, they’d like the program to extend all the way through high school.
The middle-school program also has an offering called Emerging Learners, which encourages the girls to stick with school for the long-haul.
“Emerging Leaders focuses on the idea that college is a possibility,” says Sr. Maureen Mulcrone, director of development and marketing for MEP. “It explores being on a campus, work sites, meeting woman with a career and of course tutoring.”
Through the program, girls get to visit college campuses — and even college graduates — to get a first-hand look at scholastic success.
“The program has gone to Schoolcraft College, U of M, Howard Scripps School of Broadcasting and MSU”, says Lisa Fuller, MEP’s volunteer coordinator. They have even taken the girls to Northville to meet with local woman business owners to show them what is possible with an education, she adds.
Because not every young lady is given the opportunities the MEP affords for grade school- and high school-aged students, there’s also the women’s GED program.
Most of the women aiming for a high school-equivalency degree are not even up to the ninth-grade level, which is the level the GED curriculum starts. So the tutors are helping the women attain the requisite learning even before the GED classes start.
The tutors for this program are typically retired teachers, since it is during the day. Class sizes are between two to 15 students. The most recent graduating class, June 2011, had 11 women who received their GED.
Current GED student Maria Alzayadi hopes to be one of those women one day.
Alzayadi has been attending the program for the last year. When she entered the program she was at a third-grade education level. Today, she is at a fifth-grade level, and still determined to reach her goal.
“I’m going back to school because my husband is sick,” says Alzayadi. “I want to be able to provide for my family when he passes.”
She heard about the program from a former graduate and hopes to become an x-ray technician one day. Her goal is to be at the eighth grade level by the fall in order to enroll in the GED program.
“You get more of what you expect because teachers are donating their time. You learn the importance of helping others and you are teaching kids that importance. [That is what makes this program special]”, says Alzayadi.
Those interested in becoming a volunteer can visit the Mercy Education Project website for information and a a volunteer application: www.mercyed.net.
