Jennifer Stark Fry: Keep programs that ensure student success

The last two weeks in March are often joyous occasions in high school classrooms and counseling offices, as news of hard-won college acceptance letters and scholarship awards fills the air. Years of preparation, sacrifice, hard work and discipline come to fruition as students reap the rewards of their efforts in tangible terms.

Only the lucky few experience the sheer joy of witnessing students’ jubilation as they receive scholarship news that promises to change the trajectory of their lives (and those of their families) forever. I assure you from firsthand experience that the joy of watching high school seniors as they learn about their college admissions and scholarship awards is unparalleled.

Such is certainly the case this week in Wichita, as our accomplished students suddenly glimpse their futures a bit more clearly, and their teachers and counselors celebrate their successes. This student success, represented in the millions of dollars that Wichita students receive in scholarships, is directly attributed to the quality education they receive through rigorous college preparatory programs such as AVID, International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement, and from their nurturing, attentive, dedicated teachers and counselors who guide and encourage them every step of the way.

Without the rigorous preparation that college preparatory programs provide, Wichita students would lose the opportunities for advancement that they deserve and crave, opportunities that would not exist were it not for their tremendous high school preparation. For example, in the past few weeks, IB students at Wichita High School East have been offered more than $4 million in scholarships, which enable students to pursue college educations that their families could not otherwise afford.

Ultimately, if students cannot pursue opportunities in higher education, the entire community will lose a skilled, educated workforce – a fact that should gravely concern business and community leaders. Stripping schools of exemplary academic programs that prepare students to succeed in life is foolish, shortsighted and counterproductive to the entire purpose of education, and poses a grave threat to the viability of our community and state.

Surely the adults in this community and state, in acting as role models and problem-solvers, can think of a better solution for our budget woes than to eliminate the very programs that ensure student success.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Jennifer Stark Fry: Keep programs that ensure student success."