New San Bernardino Charter School is Helping at-Risk Students get on the Right Path

17Aug
by Brenda Benitez

A new charter school in San Bernardino is helping at-risk students get back on track by giving them the opportunity to obtain a high school diploma, job skills and much more.

The school is one of two opened this year by Operation New Hope, and it serves students ages 16 through 25.  Mary Sellers, executive director of Operation New Hope said:

“We like meeting the needs of the population groups that may have been discounted or neglected or forgotten about. Our goal is to help those young people who may have lost their way or been forgotten about.”

Everyone who graduates from Operation New Hope will not only have a high school diploma, but they will also be certified in a specific job skill. Students will be offered basic skills training for a variety of jobs, including emergency medical technician, certified nursing assistant, security guard, and automotive repairman.

The program that stands out the most is the one operating out of Focus 92411 Homework Center on Western Avenue. The Operation New Hope Learning Center is partnering with Catholic Charities to expand on existing after-school programs, and will provide a wide range of support for its students.

“By putting the school program adjacent to its other programs, Catholic Charities is in a position to connect students with services that can help them pay rent or utility bills, provide resources for young mothers, put shoes on the feet of children or offer counseling services.”

The school plans to enroll 60 students at the Western Avenue Campus in its first year, and will provide case-by-case management for each and every student to ensure they are on the path to success.

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Brenda Benitez

Brenda Benitez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and grew up in Chicago, IL with her 4 brothers and sisters. She recently graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, where she studied Public Policy with a concentration in Psychology. She is passionate about education and immigration reform. Thanks to scholarships for both high school and college, Brenda had the opportunity to attend high performing private schools, and her interest in education is born of the realization that too few low-income students have access to this type of education. Furthermore, her own family’s struggle with the immigration system inspired her to be active in the immigration reform movement since a young age. Brenda is currently an intern at Education Post.

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