Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Thurgood Marshall and Belmont High School students may be eligible for full-tuition scholarships and college-level coaching and support at Wright State University under a new agreement between Wright State and Dayton Public Schools.
Up to 20 students enrolled at Belmont and Thurgood Marshall will be selected annually to participate in Wright State’s Take Flight Program to help students with demonstrated financial need and a GPA of at least 3.2 to get college degrees. The students will be selected while in the ninth grade.
“We are looking forward to seeing what students will accomplish because of this partnership and hope that more students can benefit in the future once the program gets underway,” said David Lawrence, DPS interim superintendent.
During high school, each participating student must remain enrolled full-time at Belmont or Thurgood Marshall, submit complete applications for federal financial aid, apply for Wright State and register as a full-time, degree seeking student, and complete Algebra II by the end of their junior year with at least a B+, according to a memorandum of understanding signed this past summer.
If the student falls below the 3.2 GPA requirement in high school, Wright State officials said they will work with DPS and the student to get back on track. If they don’t make up that GPA by high school graduation, they are still eligible for scholarships and aid at Wright State University.
Lawrence said Thurgood was picked due to its STEM background, and Belmont was picked due to its Navy ROTC program which DPS felt aligned with the Take Flight program.
