At the root of every holiday celebration, are family traditions.
This holiday season, families all across Boston are celebrating their own traditions—families like the Henriquezes of Dorchester. Carlos and Sofia Henriquez (pictured above) are also part of our Boston Partners in Education family. Both children have participated in our Power Lunch reading mentoring program at the Russell Elementary School for several years in a row. Today, the youngest sister Camila has also joined the program, keeping the Power Lunch tradition in the family!
“Our kids have really benefited from participating in this great program. We are very impressed and grateful for the time and effort that is invested from everyone involved. Thank you.” – Carlos & Cynthia Henriquez
Read more below about how Sofia & Carlos benefited, both academically and personally, from the consistent support of an academic mentor:
Sofia’s Story: Sofia joined Power Lunch in the first grade. Sofia is fluent in Spanish and learning two languages simultaneously can present challenges in school. Her teacher felt Sofia would benefit from one-on-one time with a mentor. Over the years, Sofia’s reading and comprehension skills flourished from the mentoring partnership. She made such great strides that her parents suggested her brother Carlos join the program as well.
Carlos’ Story: In the early years, Carlos struggled academically because he was easily distracted. Thanks in part to the extra support from his mentors, by second grade, Carlos was in Power Lunch because he was advanced in reading and needed a challenge! After four years of reading with a mentor each week, he is now confident and prepared for success in middle school!
