November 29, 2000
Pop cans provide STEP forward for homeless students
Old Mission fund-raiser benefits Students in Transition program
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
What do pop cans and tennis shoes have in common?
A lot, if you are a homeless student in the Traverse City Area Public Schools.
Students at Old Mission Peninsula School have been gathering pop cans for the past week to raise money for the Students in Transition Empowerment Program. Geared to helping the estimated 265 homeless students in the TCAPS system, STEP provides counseling, tutoring and liaison to area human service programs to help homeless students stay in school.
The hundreds of pop cans Old Mission students hope to collect will help in a very direct way by purchasing vouchers to area stores so these homeless students can buy tennis shoes or backpacks.
Even the youngest students are throwing themselves into the effort to help others, getting a glimpse of how life could be different for students who are homeless.
"I brought in 50 cans," said Eric Hansen, a first grader at Old Mission school. "I wouldn't like not to have a backpack, I'd have a lot pockets if I didn't have a backpack."
The pop can drive is spearheaded by fourth-grade teacher Karen McClatchey, who learned of homeless students and the STEP program last year during a presentation by the program's administrator, Jean Peltola. McClatchey enrolled the school administration in the idea and sent home a letter to parents explaining the effort. She has even received checks as a direct donation in addition to pop cans.
"Jean brought this issue to the forefront, she showed us that this problem was here in our community," McClatchey said. "We're just trying to help as part of our community service umbrella."
Homelessness among families with school age youth can be very disruptive to a child's education, noted Angie Kirby, guidance counselor at Traverse City West High School and grant evaluator for the STEP program. This is a growing problem as the average age of homeless children is seven. More than 70,000 young people are homeless in Michigan and more than one million nationwide.
Locally, homeless students are sprinkled throughout the system. They can be students of any age with a broad range of family situations. Last year the program expanded to include preschool children.
Kirby cites the strong support of area principals and administrators as giving these at-risk students a chance to succeed in school.
"We get students who don't have a fixed residence so they float from place to place," said Kirby, who helps place tutors in homeless shelters. "Once a student is homeless it is really hard for them to get a foothold. That is one of the things we try to do is to get them help to stay in school because the only way out of poverty is education."
STEP can help students stay in school by assisting with enrollment and assessment as a student transfers to a new school. The program will also help by gathering school and immunization records and helping the students settle into a new school environment.
Kirby noted that older homeless students face even greater barriers to getting an education because they may no longer have family support. These older teens living on their own, often in their cars or with a series of friends, present other barriers to educational success.
"They are too young to enroll in a shelter or receive assistance directly," said Kirby, who sees a great need for a youth shelter in the area. "Last year I saw tons of high school students who were transient and I had so many homeless ones, so far I have five this year. Sometimes they are ashamed and don't want anybody to know about their situation while others come to me and ask for help."