YVI has enjoyed an incredibly productive year in collaboration with the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA). Danielle Corbin and her sixth-grade students have been with us since the beginning of the program and on June 3, 2022, we celebrated our 1st anniversary with them!
Danielle Corbin’s 6th grade science class
Sherita Herring-Oglesby of Philanthropy Alliance Foundation came up with the idea of a merit badge program to support the selection of students for YVI’s 2023 summer camp, and she and I decided to award all the students in the class with the first badge of the program – the Microscope Badge.
Microscope Merit Badges
We also decided to provide the students with certificates to reward them for the great work they’ve done since Corbin began teaching the 40-week YVI curriculum at SBECA.
YVI Certificate of Merit
In a ceremony akin to a graduation, held during a morning classroom session, each student was called by name and asked to come forward to receive a certificate.
We recorded the event on video for posterity – watch it below.
To extend the celebration, SBECA students participated in an exclusive interview with Dr. Tania Otero on June 10. Student Madina A. Sissoko posed the initial questions, which Dr. Otero answered with candid enthusiasm. Other students then asked their questions, and Dr. Otero responded to these as well.
YVI is looking forward to working with Danielle Corbin and SBECA throughout the summer to prepare for our foray into the 2022-2023 academic year. We all have our “eyes on the prize” – Summer Camp 2023!
