Securing Success through GSS Graduate Support

PictureParis Vincent, GSS class of 2013. She attended Warren Easton High School and is a graduate of Spelman College with a degree in English. She is now working as an Assistant Producer on the WWLTV Morning Show.
The GSS Graduate Support Program is just one of the many aspects of our unique model that makes GSS special and sets us apart from other schools.  The program provides the principal source of transitional tools, placement guidance, academic, social and peer support for the Good Shepherd’s graduating students – who first came to the school as young, at-risk children.  The Graduate Support Program allows our graduating students the resources to sustain the exceptional education received in Good Shepherd’s elementary level classes, and maintain and grow their academic successes as they matriculate to secondary school and beyond.  
       
How It Works: The Good Shepherd Graduate Support Program eases a middle-school graduate’s transition into high school, maintains a  connection with all graduates during high school, advocates for students, assists in preparing students for high school graduation and post-secondary education, and tracks the growth and achievements of all graduates.

Program Design: The Good Shepherd Graduate Support Program has five specific elements to ensure students’ success:  
  • Transition Preparation – orientation to the graduate support program for GSS middle-school students and families, administration of the High School Planning Questionnaire for GSS middle-school students and families, individual student interviews, and weekly high school preparation classes;
  • Placement Guidance – initiating and maintaining relationships with high school placement / guidance counselors, arranging high school visits, working with students to secure financial aid packages (including need- and merit-based scholarships), and  providing placement test preparation.
  • ​​Graduate Academic Assistance – provision of tutoring, review of progress reports and grades, ACT/SAT preparation, and volunteer mentoring program;
  • Social Support – annual Graduate Social, maintaining in-person/telephone/email/social media connection with each graduate, conducting graduate retreats and university field trips, maintaining contact with graduates’ families providing any necessary referrals for support services, and periodic attendance at graduates’ extra-curricular activities; and
  • Financial Support – dependent of family needs, the program provides partial financial support for student fees, uniform and book costs in order to clear any financial barriers and ensure graduates have the materials they need to succeed. 
The Good Shepherd School
1839 Agriculture St
New Orleans, LA 70119
Tel: (504) 598-9399
GSS Mission Statement
The Good Shepherd Nativity Mission School, Inc., seeks to help low-income, urban youth in order to realize their fullest potential as productive members of society by providing them with an extended-day, year-round, quality education, integrated with personal, moral and spiritual development, and continued guidance during the students' further education.

The Judeo-Christian values which have inspired the Nativity model include a respect for the dignity and potential of each person, a responsibility to assist the poor and those in need, a strong sense of community within the one family of God, and the obligation to promote a society characterized by social justice. In this Nativity model, students are enrolled without regard to race, color, religion, or ethnicity.