FREDERICK, MD – Joined by several community partners, Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner today announced the expansion of a program to support local students who are experiencing homelessness. The New Horizons Academy kicks off next Monday. Started in 2016, the five-week program is coordinated through the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership, known as SHIP of Frederick County. This year’s program will serve 75 Frederick County Public Schools students from six high schools, and for the first time will include rising ninth-graders.
“We live in a community that cares and has taken action to help our students,” Executive Gardner said. “SHIP and their community partners are giving students the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. They are truly making a difference in the lives of these youth.”
Through the New Horizons Academy, students will take courses at Frederick High School. Peer mentors, comprised of New Horizons alumni, will provide support to students throughout the academy. The project serves students from Catoctin, Governor Thomas Johnson, Tuscarora, Frederick and Walkersville High Schools, and now Brunswick High will also participate. The expansion is funded, in part, by a $42,500 Community Partnership Grant from Frederick County.
The objective of the program is to provide support and resources to help these students remain on track to graduate on time. More than 800 students in Frederick County Public Schools have faced the challenges of homelessness, many without an adult caregiver.
Funders for New Horizons include Frederick County Government, Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, Frederick County Public Schools, The Community Foundation of Frederick County, The City of Frederick, and numerous private individuals in Frederick County who have provided items such as laptops and scholarships for the students to participate in the program.
For more information about New Horizons, contact SHIP of Frederick at 240-415-8971 or via e-mail at info@ShipFrederick.com.