What is Strive?

1
What is Strive?

• A scholarship and mentoring program to help
  students improve grades, attendance, and school
  performance.

2
Who sponsors and supports STRIVE?

• Rotary Club of Maple Grove
• Volunteers from Rotary and the community.
• Maple Grove Senior High School
• Osseo Senior High School
• North Hennepin Community College
• Hennepin Technical College
• Anoka-Ramsey Community College

3
Who is Strive for?

• Students coming in to their senior year who have
  GPAs in the lower 1/3 of their class.
• Students who have a desire to be more successful
  in school.
• Students who want to attend post-secondary
  education, and may need financial assistance to
  do so.

4
Why is Strive important?

• Because we know these students have greater
  potential than they have shown in the past. Most
  are as intelligent as those on the A honor roll,
  but have simply lost their way.
• Because we believe that we can provide these
  students with new ways of doing things and a
  stimulation to try them.
• If you keep on doing what you have always done,
  you will keep on getting what you have always
  got!

5
Strive Works!

• Statistically, 75-80 of those who made the
  commitment to Strive criteria improved their GPA.
  These students had a 91 attendance average. They
  knew that the school and the community were
  pulling for them through the efforts of the
  volunteers at the Strive Power Meetings.

6
History of Strive

• Strive was started in 1991 by a Rotarian, Don
  Mooney, in White Bear Lake.
• Since then, hundreds of Rotary Clubs throughout
  the United States have started Strive in their
  local schools.
• Maple Grove Rotary began Strive at Osseo in 1995,
  and several years later expanded to include Maple
  Grove.

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The mechanics of Strive

• Prior to the start of school in the fall, letters
  of invitation to an orientation meeting are sent
  to students that qualify for Strive.
• Students who attend the orientation are asked to
  make a commitment to join the program.
• A schedule of Power Meeting dates, times, and
  rooms is developed and distributed to the
  volunteers and students.

8
The mechanics, continued

• A record is made of each students cumulative GPA
  to get a starting point to gauge change.
• Volunteers meet with the students 16 17 times
  throughout the year, at the school, during class
  times.
• A banquet is held prior to the end of the school
  year to celebrate the students participation in
  Strive. Each student is allowed two guests.

9
The mechanics, continued

• Pictures are taken of the students and volunteers
  at each school to be used for a news article in
  the Osseo/Maple Grove Press.
• After the school year ends and grades are
  computed, an awards presentation is done at a
  regularly scheduled Rotary meeting.

10
The Strive Commitment

• Accept Strive by signing the commitment form.
• Attend classes regularly.
• Report to classes on time.
• Bring appropriate learning materials to class.
• Participate in the learning activities.
• Treat others with respect and dignity.
• Obey reasonable requests of the teachers.

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What happens at Strive Power Meetings?

• The class size can vary from 15 to 45 students at
  each school for any given year.
• There is a lead facilitator at each school.
• We try to have a minimum 1-to-5 ratio of
  volunteers to students to facilitate small group
  discussions.
• After the short presentation of the topic of the
  day, we break up into small groups as often as
  possible to help get all students involved.

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Power Meeting Topics

• Introductions and expectations.
• Improvement requires change Attitude 1.
• College check-in, grants and scholarships.
• Goal setting.
• Time management.
• Career Day.
• Making good choices, decision making.
• Improvement requires change Habits.
• Building self confidence, overcoming obstacles.
• Improvement requires change Attitude 2.
• Friend raising, networking.
• Improvement requires change Organization.
• Stress reduction.
• Ethics and morality.
• Positive negative influences
• Setting priorities family, friends work.

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Strive Scholarships

• Each scholarship awarded is funded by Maple Grove
  Rotary and matched by the Foundation of the
  College of choice.
• To date the partners with Maple Grove Rotary are
  North Hennepin Community College, Hennepin
  Technical College, and Anoka/Ramsey Community
  College. More will be added in time.

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Strive Scholarship Awards(At Each School)

• Most Improved GPA
• 2000 Scholarship (when matched).
• Second Most Improved GPA
• 1000 Scholarship (when matched).
• Third Most Improved GPA
• 600 Scholarship (when matched).
• Best Attendance to Classes
• 400 Scholarship (when matched).

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Celebration Banquet

• For all Strive students (and two guests,
  preferably their parents or guardians).
• Luncheon at Edinburgh USA Golf Club.
• Recognition of students with presentations by
• Rotarians.
• Past and present Strive students.
• School representatives.
• Partnering College representatives.
• Group pictures of each Strive Program.

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Maple Grove Strive, 2004
17
Osseo Strive, 2004
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Testimonials from Students

• It really gave me the encouragement to do my
  best and not slack off so much.
• I like that they taught me to organize my time
  and I do now.
• Gets you motivated to do better, helps you start
  out somewhere.

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Testimonials from Students

• You get ideas of how to improve grades and
  habits.
• I like the free food.
• I think it helps kids realize you dont need to
  be really smart to succeed. You just need to
  apply yourself.
• Helped me to set goals and plan.

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Strive is a Beautiful Thing!