The Community Schools of Frankfort is considering signing a memorandum of understanding with the Juntos Program being implemented within Clinton County through the Purdue Extension Office with a focus on preparing Hispanic youth for the future.
Juntos, which translates to “together,” was brought into Indiana through several counties across the state, and Clinton County was chosen as one of the newest counties to be awarded grant funding to jumpstart the program.
The program focuses on involving Hispanic youth alongside their families in numerous workshops, club activities and mentoring opportunities to prepare them for the future following graduation from high school.
The program begins with a focus on Juntos 4-H family engagement through a five to six week workshop series and other family nights and family events throughout the school year. The focus also centers around Juntos 4-H club involvement with a focus on tutoring, STEM, public speaking, life skills, career exploration and community service as well as monthly one-on-one success coaching by an adult who monitors academic progress and coaches them to achieve their academic goals.
The program steps outside of the school year for summer programs, including the Juntos Summer Academy, which is an on-campus experience at Purdue University where the members of the program will experience campus life as they prepare to enter the realm of collegiate success, alongside other 4-H summer programs.
Clinton County Purdue Extension 4-H Educator Caren Crum approached the Community Schools of Frankfort School Board for a presentation about the program and the partnership that the corporation may establish with the program, which would take the form of a memorandum of understanding.
“With school participation, we’re hoping to recruit some of those kids, and we’ll ask the school who they think would be perfect for this program,” Crum said. “We just want to see these gaps filled for these kids so that they can be successful, not only middle school, but high school and on into college.”
Frankfort Superintendent Dr. Matt Rhoda explained the reasoning behind the board’s consideration of the partnership as the program prepares to kick off during the 2024-2025 school year.
“Caren Crum reached out to me last month and shared a little bit about the program, and it fits right in with our pillar of postsecondary expectation,” Rhoda said. “It will engage our kids and our families to give them knowledge of what is out there so that our kids can leave high school and be well-versed in what is next.”
Rhoda continued to comment that the introduction of the Juntos Program in conjunction with the Community Schools of Frankfort will allow for the schools to continue striving toward its pillars of excellence and expectations for the students as they gain new information and resources for their futures.
“High school graduation rate is the minimum requirement for us,” Rhoda said. “Our expectation is for kids when they leave high school to be enrolled in college, employed or enlisted, so this is a way that will fit perfectly with our pillar and the population of students we serve.”
The memorandum of understanding will be considered by the board during its special meeting at the end of July or the beginning of August.