A grant created in 1988 is now being implemented in Jamestown, Dunkirk and Salamanca school districts through partnerships with Jamestown Community College.

JCC will be managing the grant worth $450,000 per year over the course of five years, and implementing program to assist students in need. The grant cycle began in September and the program became fully staffed in November.

“We got the highest level grant,” said Laurie Whitermore, director of the JCC Liberty Partnership Grant.

Students who qualify for the grant must be identified as having “risk factors.” These factors include academic performances, attendance, behavioral issues, family or peers who have dropped out of school, domestic trauma or neglect, homelessness and or negative peer pressure.

Potential programs include tutoring, after school programs, parent engagement, workshops, summer camps and overall support for students at their schools. There are seven employees who manage the program that are based out of JCC that include a director, an outreach coordinator, a student services assistant and four navigators that are the at the schools in the program.

“Navigators create onsite support,” Whitermore said.

Lindsey Rensel, the middle school navigator in Jamestown, said many students refer to her as “coach,” and see her as a life coach. She said that once the initial “barrier” is broken down and students learn to trust the navigators and open up. Rensel works with students in Washington, Jefferson and Persell middle schools with problems students might be having in school or at home.

She said the issues could range from passing a math test to handling an issue a particular student might be facing at home. On a daily basis Rensel said she’ll have students pop in and out of her office to update them on their progress, or just to “chit-chat.”

Some of the goals include passing classes, improving social skills and study skills and researching careers.

While the program is new, Rensel said she saw “a fire lit in some of them” and has seen the excitement in students when they improve upon their goals for the year.

She said the primary goal of the program is “expanding their world” and providing opportunities for the students that wouldn’t be available without the program.

By the end of enrollment, Rensel said she will have 28 students from each middle school in the program.

There are four navigators that cover the eight different schools. One navigator at Jamestown High School, one at the Jamestown middle schools, one in Salamanca and one in Dunkirk. The navigators are available during the school day for students enrolled in the program to offer support and services.

Students are identified primarily through recommendations from school administrators and counselors. Once identified, parents are notified and the students are then able to submit an application for the grant. Students can elect not to participate, though. Whitermore said parents are occasionally hesitant to support the program because of the negative connotation, but she said the support and feedback has been “really positive.”

“We feel very supported,” she said.

If enrolled into the partnership with JCC, students are then made available to many programs and services that are tailored to help students graduate and succeed after graduation, Whitermore said.

“We set goals that are achievable this year,” Whitermore said.

She said the goal of the program was to help students find “a path that might be successful for (the students).”

Many of the students that are identified are in high school and some of them are seniors. Whitermore said the focus for those seniors is to graduate and find success after graduation. She said occasionally seniors might not have solid plans for after high school and services being offered through the grant would help them create a plan.

Whitermore also said that for students struggling with final exams or graduating in general, the partnership offers support with the idea of “helping them believe graduation is a possibility.”

After the enrollment process is finished, the program will be comprised of 360 students from the three school districts combined.

“The long term goal is to be difference makers in the lives of the students we serve and see them to graduation with a college ready mindset,” she said. “We are dedicated to providing opportunities that will expand their worlds and assist them in making informed decisions for their future.”

The grant is renewable and Whitermore anticipates reapplying for the program and hopes to receive funding for the next grant cycle.