Baltimore’s W.E.B Du Bois High School has become the latest winner of that city’s Mayor’s Attendance Campaign competition.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in August established a new attendance campaign to promote increased attendance at city schools. The Mayor’s Attendance Campaign began August 27 with children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
“One of the necessary pieces of success in school is showing up to school every day,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.
On April 11, the ninth-grade class at W.E.B Du Bois High School was named the contest’s newest winner after increasing their attendance rate by more than 10 percent, to 74.05 percent from 63.42 percent.
As a reward, the students received a luncheon with the mayor alongside Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Andres Alonso. In addition, the students will receive a school dance hosted by radio station 92Q at The Grille at Peerce’s as well as new gear from Under Armour.
Most importantly, the high school has won a $1,000 grant sponsored by the Family League of Baltimore.
“Sometimes students have no drive to show up to school because they are uninterested and the environment at school doesn’t make it any better, but having a positive incentive is a good way to get children more interested in coming to school every day,” said Nicholas Bedford, an alumni of Newtown High School in Baltimore.
