Lara Sahagun

In the summer, Achieve starts with a bus rolling onto campus and a line of applause waiting for the kids to step outside. Days are spent learning math, English, and science, and end with games and presentations. On Saturdays during the school year, Achieve students work in the Putnam Library with tutors from Classes III-I to learn or receive extra help on their assignments. Achieve is run by Nobles students and faculty as a way to share the school’s resources with students from Boston Public Schools and other local schools who may otherwise not have access. 

The program was founded in 2007 under Head of School Bob Henderson, Head of Upper School and Director of EXCEL Ben Snyder, and Dean of Enrollment Jennifer Hines. It was inspired by Nobles’ housing of UMass Upward Bound, a federally-funded program to support first-generation low-income students in attending college. The original Achieve program addressed the middle-school population. Since then, Achieve has grown to provide support for scholars through their first year of college. “Oftentimes, in education, we use the term ‘achievement gap,’ but I prefer to say “opportunity gap.” We live in an inequitable world in which folks have varying resources and opportunities to engage in enriching experiences; our work at Achieve is to bridge that gap,” Executive Director of Achieve Reginald Toussaint said. The program is dedicated to the students it hosts and seeks to help them excel by using a small teacher-student ratio, providing individualized attention to each student, and teaching subjects students have struggled with or seek to learn.

Often, student growth appears outside of the academic realm. “I think a lot of what I see is kids who need confidence building; they come in and say, ‘I’m just not a math kid.’ To have a smaller classroom where they can feel seen, and to have adults who can really focus in and help them get better, I think, means a lot to them,” Middle School Director of Diversity Efe Osifo said.

Applying to be an Achieve tutor starts with an assembly announcement, followed by a form. “​​I first got into it because my sister, who graduated last year, started tutoring her sophomore year and really liked it, so I wanted to try it too,” Achieve tutor CeCe Schelter (Class I) said. Accepted student tutors spend Saturdays working with students and some also work during the summer term.

Aiding to bridge educational disparity is a noble goal, and it’s safe to say that Achieve accomplishes more than that. These students are bright, immensely dedicated,–as demonstrated by their commitment to six weeks of summertime learning–and essential to the progression and experience of Achieve.

The relationships fostered between teachers, tutors, and students form the foundation for Achieve’s success and make lasting memories for all involved. The end-of-summer Showcase is a key event. “Students present their learning in all of their classes. Family members come. Faculty are there, their classmates are there[…]it’s a nice way to see them synthesize what they’ve learned over the summer,” Director of Teaching and Learning and Achieve Faculty Mike Kalin said. Games and activities allow for kids to be kids–including Nobles students. “I participated in the Lip Sync Battle with the kids, and that was so much fun because you really get to hang out with the kids outside of the context of work and school while they are still enriching themselves, learning, and making strong connections,” Hailey Rashes (Class II) said. Nobles is known for the web of communities it weaves together, and Achieve, bringing students of varied ages and backgrounds to learn together year after year, is one of its closest.