Harvard Kent Leadership & Scholarship Partnership: A Community and School Partnership with Big Dreams

Everyone knows the Harvard-Kent School here in Charlestown, but have you heard of the Harvard-Kent Leadership & Scholarship Partnership? This all-volunteer organization is committed to making the dream of college or secondary education a reality for students at the Harvard-Kent School. It’s a small organization with big dreams to ensure even bigger dreams for our students.

The mission? To make sure all Harvard-Kent students know and feel that college is a real possibility for them, and not just an impossible, far-fetched dream.

The partnership between the Charlestown community and Harvard-Kent School to make these dreams a reality is an impressive model for supporting our students who need it the most. Harvard-Kent serves the largest percentage of students who live in public housing of any school in Boston – many are classified as high-need and almost half are English language learners.

Each year the partnership awards eight aspirational college scholarships to two students in each of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Winners are selected by teachers, the principal, and several members of the partnership board based on academic performance and leadership criteria. The scholarships are held in an interest-bearing trust for each winner until he or she reaches college age.

In the 16-years since its inception, the partnership has awarded 96 scholarships and distributed $92,000 to send students to college. And the return on their investment is high – a 95% college completion rate.

Leveling the playing field and making dreams come true, who wouldn’t want to support this? To learn more, visit their website and follow them on Instagram @harvardkentpartnership.