AN EXTRAORDINARY CONCEPT, COLLEGE GUARANTEED: THE BOOKER WAY
By Edna V. Sherrell
Opportunities knock often on the doors of Booker High. On any given day, students across all grades could be engaged with a master teacher in a dance class, ask questions of a doctor about jobs in the medical field, or experience a visiting artist explaining his work. Administrators, teachers, coaches, mentors and others work tirelessly to ensure every student has an opportunity to learn on a deep level and dream broadly about prospects for the future.
Two new partnerships will open new doors for Booker grads. In addition to Financial Aid Night and weekly visits from college representatives, which have been hallmarks of the Booker Way to training and higher education, there is a new addition: Direct Admission to USF and New College.
“When Booker High School was selected as 1 of 9 schools – and the only Sarasota County school – to pilot The University of South Florida’s Guaranteed Admissions Pathway program, we were ecstatic,”
stated Dr. Rachel Shelley, proud principal of Booker High. “This type of opportunity was unprecedented for our students. We were floored when, a few weeks later New College – the Honors College of Florida – offered our students a direct admissions path to their secondary education experience. We are excited, we are grateful, and we are absolutely thrilled at what this means for Booker graduates.”
These next-move college and career opportunities are the result of efforts which started in 2016, when Dr. Shelley, teachers and mentors began searching for ways to complement the successful Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading. With the support of former Sarasota Schools Superintendent Lori White, Booker’s Shared Decision-Making Team, teachers and student government association, the Booker High mission and vision took shape.
“Our vision is 100% of Booker students will graduate college or career ready and become productive members of society. Our students know these words, and this vision has become our plan for College and Career Readiness: The Booker Way,” says Dr. Shelley.
Principal Shelley’s commitment to assisting every student, every day has not gone unnoticed by peers and organizations throughout the state. She is the 2019 Principal of the Year for the Arts Association, was awarded the 2018 Florida Association of Secondary Schools Principal of the Year and is the State of Florida’s 2017 Principal of the Year.
Booker High leads the district in securing federal financial aid and needs-based scholarships. With the help of college and career adviser Lem Andrews, students who might otherwise have their college dreams deferred can move forward with their aspirations of higher education.
