By Natalia Rimple & Madison Chisholm
From a dropout crisis to the one of the highest graduation rates that we have had, Now more and more students have been graduating Mashpee High School, 88% of students to be exact. We asked Mashpee Principal Mr. Balestracci and teacher Ms. Purdy about why they think our graduation rates may be increasing.
One thing that both Mashpee staff agree on is that the Mashpee facility have been doing a better job providing supportive programs for the students. “I think that there's better services provided to students in terms of academic support and social emotional support,” said Ms. Purdy when questioned.
Mr. Balestracci stated, “There are better programs and support. The need for a college degree is rising when it comes to employment. A high school degree isn’t enough anymore."
From a dropout crisis to the one of the highest graduation rates that we have had, Now more and more students have been graduating Mashpee High School, 88% of students to be exact. We asked Mashpee Principal Mr. Balestracci and teacher Ms. Purdy about why they think our graduation rates may be increasing.
One thing that both Mashpee staff agree on is that the Mashpee facility have been doing a better job providing supportive programs for the students. “I think that there's better services provided to students in terms of academic support and social emotional support,” said Ms. Purdy when questioned.
Mr. Balestracci stated, “There are better programs and support. The need for a college degree is rising when it comes to employment. A high school degree isn’t enough anymore."
While talking to Ms. Purdy, we asked what she thought she was doing that was helping increase our graduation rates. “Part of the curriculum that focuses on mental health has been strengthened to teach kids to become more health literate and for goals of life, skills of critical thinking and being responsible kids like advocating for yourself and others,” she responded. “The Internet has allowed more pathways for students to get motivated. They have more access to what's out there which serves as a doorway to open more things up for them. They've recognized that minimum wage will make living very difficult. We’ve done a better job at targeting students who are at risk of dropping out and surrounding them with support.”
Making the fifth record setting year since 2014-2015, the graduation rate has been 83% nationwide. Massachusetts is in between the 85-90% range. 64% of students with disabilities have graduated. Our school's graduation rate is 88%. With 431 students in our school, the staff have done a good job of keeping them motivated. Mrs. Kett especially has made a college-going environment for the students to enjoy.