Students get rewarded for their efforts on end of grade tests
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on July 8, 2017 5:13 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
My'isha Holloman, 9, smiles after winning a television during the pizza party held at Pizza Inn to celebrate the end of grade testing scores of students who received tutoring.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Kavien Scarborough, 8, takes a bite out of a piece of pizza as he and other recently tutored kids enjoy a pizza party at Pizza Inn Friday hosted by the Mary Wooten Harvey Foundation following improved end of grade test scores.
Passing the end of grade test can be a daunting task for many students, but all it takes to get on the right track is a bit of hard work and a helping hand.
Over the last six weeks, several Goldsboro children took part in EOG prep courses with the Mary Wooten Harvey Foundation, a local group dedicated to mentoring and improving education for children and teens in the city.
On Friday, a few of those children met at Pizza Inn to be recognized for their hard work. Kavien Scarborough, 8, My'isha Holloman, 9, and Connor Pitts, 12, came together with a few of their mentors to have dinner and get a chance at winning a new flatscreen television.
The three sat in a back room at the restaurant, as Mark Colebrook, a member of the foundation's board of directors, talked to them about their goals in life.
He spoke to each child individually, asking them about what they wanted to do when they got older. Kavien hoped to one day join the NBA, or teach math. My'isha said she wants to be a veterinarian.
Connor, a basketball lover, also talked about his dreams of getting into the NBA. He discussed a wide range of basketball information and statistics, while Colebrook helped to lay out a step-by-step process for reaching his goals.
"At some point, you're going to have to play in an organized league of some kind, so that way you start to gain those skills," he said. "Then you can go to high school, and get into college so you can get drafted."
Connor soaked it up, but mentioned that, if the NBA didn't work out, he could always try his fall back plan -- professional wrestling.
Bobby Harvey, executive director of the MWH Foundation, said that all three kids passed their EOG tests. The foundation will begin the test prep process again in August, with the intention of meeting every month during the school year.
"We're going to prepare these kids for the test all year, so that by the time it comes around, they pass with flying colors," he said.
On Friday, however, it was all about making sure the kids were rewarded for what they had already done. The TV, donated by the Harvey Moving Company, would be given out by a simple game. The three kids, whose scores Harvey said were all close together, each guessed the birthday month of a person in attendance. My'isha hit the mark -- March -- and took home the prize.
She said she planned to give the TV to her mother when she got home.
Both Kavien and Connor received $25 gift cards to the Mayflower restaurant on Berkeley Blvd.
The EOG prep courses are the start of what Harvey said will become a growing mentorship effort. The MWH Foundation is working on gathering 100 men to act as individual tutors for at-risk students in Goldsboro schools.
The MWH Foundation is working with Goldsboro High School interim Principal Marcia Manning to determine which students there are in need of help, and plans on branching out from there.
Harvey wants to pull together mentors and students from all racial and societal backgrounds, as long as the mentors are upstanding people who pass screenings.
That way, anyone in need can eventually receive help.
"Our outline has us in every school in Wayne County," Harvey said.
For more information on the MWH Foundation and its programs, call 919-222-1419.