Author, and Baltimore native, Wes Moore.
American Graduate Day 2014 returns this fall for its third consecutive year with Wes Moore, best-selling author and U.S. Army veteran, as host for the all-day broadcast, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 27. Broadcast and streamed live from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City, the annual multiplatform event is part of the public media initiative, American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, helping communities bolster graduation rates through the power and reach of local public media stations. Featuring seven hours of national and local programming, live interviews and performances, American Graduate Day 2014 will celebrate the exceptional work of individuals and groups across the country who are American Graduate Champions: those helping local youth stay on track to college and career successes.
“Every child deserves a quality education and an opportunity for success,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). “The high school graduation numbers are moving in the right direction because people have stepped up as champions for students on behalf of their communities, committed to improving outcomes for all of our nation’s youth. On American Graduate Day, local public media stations will be celebrating the inspirational stories that are contributing to the progress our nation is making in addressing the dropout crisis.”
American Graduate Day 2014 will be anchored by “Stories of Champions,” a series of 14 one-minute profile pieces scheduled to air every half-hour, which will spotlight individuals and influential figures in local communities around the country who are successfully keeping students on the path to graduation.
Special guests include Gen. Colin Powell & Alma Powell, Tony Bennett, Juju Chang, Bianna Golodryga, Ingrid Michaelson, Edward James Olmos, The Raise Up Project, Sesame Street’s Elmo, Hari Sreenivasan, Trenton Public Schools Marching Band, Lauren Wanko, Brian and Jane Williams, Allison Williams, Doug Williams.