23 Schools, 15,000 Students: Project Success expands to Anthony, Field, Justice Page, and Seward this school year

When Project Success publicly announced the Dreams to Futures program expansion campaign this year, we shared our ambitious goal to expand in Minneapolis Public Schools to serve all students in grades 6-12, and to launch new and innovative out-of-school experiences.

This fall, we marked a major milestone by expanding Project Success programming to four new MPS middle schools: Anthony, Field, Justice Page and Seward. With the support of early commitments to the Dreams to Futures Campaign, Project Success has added nine schools since 2015. Project Success now serves 23 schools in Minneapolis — reaching each of the 15,000+ students in every partner school, and supporting them to connect to their purpose!

Our proven curriculum, centered around social, emotional and life skills development, is the foundation of our relationships with our partner schools. Students are introduced to PS curriculum through monthly workshops delivered by professional facilitators in their English classrooms. That curriculum is consistently and cohesively infused into all other Project Success programs. For middle schools, external programming includes access to arts experiences, outdoor expeditions, STEM opportunities and more. Additionally, free transportation and free childcare are available to families who may not otherwise have access to our out-of-school programs.

“Seward has been waiting to work with Project Success for years and we are so thrilled to finally partner with them. Helping students explore their interests, strengths, and see various opportunities is essential in helping them think about their future,” said Kaisa Lee, school counselor at Seward Montessori School. “Students need to be able to learn about themselves and others around them through various avenues such as the arts. Project Success will bring this to life in a way our students will love! Our kids deserve it!”

The mission of Project Success is to motivate and inspire young people to dream about the future, help them take steps to get there and give them the tools they need to achieve their goals.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Anthony, Field, Justice Page and Seward. This expansion builds on what has already been an incredible 25th anniversary year for Project Success,” said executive director Adrienne Diercks. “When we began our growth campaign, we were working with just over 11,000 students and their families. Now we’ve grown to serve more than 15,000, have deepened our programs for all students, and we intend to keep growing to reach even more.”

Data gathered by Minneapolis Public Schools shows that the more a student participates in Project Success programming, the more substantial impact it has on factors such as GPA and graduation rates. “We’d love for every student in Minneapolis to have Project Success for seven years,” Adrienne noted. “When a student moves from one of our 14 partner middle schools to one of our 9 partner high schools, they continue to have a Project Success facilitator in their classroom. And they continue to have access to curriculum and programming that is designed to meet them where they are as an individual. That longevity is effective, meaningful and critical for building relationships with students. Through those relationships, students can connect to their purpose and develop the skills they will need for life after high school.”

Project Success has hired and trained new facilitation staff and program coordinators to support each one of our schools, including our four newest partners, with the same mission-driven quality that has allowed us to build strong, trusting partnerships with families and school staff throughout Minneapolis.

We look forward to an incredible first year with the students and staff in our four new partner schools. To learn more about the new PS staff, read our blog post. To find out about what Project Success currently has to offer your school, visit our Find a Program page.

Justice Page Middle School photos by Janna Fraboni.