STEM saturday: FranU
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University is partering up with Scholar’s Laboratory for their STEM Saturdays. It will offer Experience, Exposure, Professional Examples and Endgame Apprenticeship Pathways to Jobs, Business Development and Entrepreneurship.
Center of INFLUENCE
From expulsion to trader
From hacking his high school, getting expelled, and dealing with the law, 20-year-old Giovanni Gonzaga was able to turn his life around, create a life true to himself, and hopes to inspire other people in the process.
HELPING YOUTH TO REACH THEIR
FULL POTENTIAL
Scholars Laboratory
is a human development organization that specializes in teaching underserved youth how to reach their full potential in life, work, and the community. Our vision IS to implement interventions that transform their lives through education, self-agency, and self-efficacy.
MENTORSHIPS, TUTORING, AND ENRICHMENT TO K5-12TH GRADE, TRADE SCHOOL AND
COLLEGE PROGRAMS
Sethan Hollier
18-year-old Sethan Hollier, who was born to a young single mother, has seen family members struggle with alcoholism, drugs, and domestic violence in his lifetime. Sethan was accepted into the Scholars Laboratory program that helps underserved youth reach their full potential.
PLACING THE STUDENT IN THE
DRIVER'S SEAT OF LEARNING
EDUCATE: 24/7/365
Teaching and empowering youth with the social, emotional, academic, ethical, and economic skills to build quality lives for themselves and their communities.
We promote education through experience and exposure in life, work and play 24/7/365. The tenants of that education include: Reading, Writing, STEM, Respect, and Responsibility and a Moral Compass. We embrace diversity of learning styles and guide our public squares with respect to diverse life experiences.
HISTORY
Scholars Laboratory (SL) emerged from lessons learned through transforming a struggling non-profit in Louisiana that dates back to 1996. More specifically during the years 2013-2014, we realized that our goal and ability to reach a larger youth population was ineffective and too costly. Our solution was to implement a program that expanded our outreach by engaging public schools utilizing the methodology of a collective impact model. This model is rooted in the collaboration of multi partner organizations that share the same vision which was the well-being of children and adults from cradle to occupation. As a result of our course of action: we quadrupled our outreach, increased the overall participant grade point average by 1 full point, cut our budget in half, increased the number of collegians by 700%, and the number of volunteers increased by 2200%! Consequently, we were honored at the 2016 My Brother’s Keeper’s White House Showcase on What Works.
Programs
Out of School Program
Scholars Laboratory out-of school program helps underserved youth in K5-12th grade to reach their full potential by offering tutoring, mentoring, enrichment and finally scholarships to three private schools. Through the use of maker-spaces, intergenerational dialogue with community leaders, gateway in depth STEM activities, community service and field trips we facilitate development of self-agency and self efficacy.
Families of Hope
Families are included in monthly meetings throughout the year at the our facility to discuss and learn about topics important to successful navigation of school and life. Examples include: grades, independent living skills, social skills to include bullying, conflict resolution, and career awareness.
In addition, SL has added another community engagement service called “Kitchen Table Talk” that is unique among “out of school” programing in Baton Rouge. The description is as follows.
Kitchen Table Talk Louisiana
This program addresses and teaches social and emotional learning (SEL) which is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Moreover, Kitchen Table Talk Louisiana is an “intergenerational public square” that offers underserved youth the opportunity to engage community leadership in meaningful dialogue about how to “Live, Learn, and Change the World.” This life changing experience offers the participants the opportunity to:
• Hear inspiring stories from community leaders as they share how they overcame adversity and succeeded.
• Interact with scholars who are blazing trails and redefining their future.
• Be taught social emotional learning
• Learn how the “bookend organizations” Southern States Scholars and Scholars Laboratory are gearing up to make an even greater difference in the lives of our future leaders.
• Enjoy a wholesome meal while engaging in nurturing dialogue about creating a quality life.
Kitchen Table Talk History
Kitchen Table Talk was created by John G. Daniel who is the founder, President and CEO of the “bookend organizations”, Southern States Scholars and Scholars Laboratory. It is designed to reflect the values, intellect and character training that he received from his parents who had only four years of formal education collectively.
John’s parents, Thomas and Eula Mae Daniel, were born in 1897 and 1913 respectively, found creative ways to imbue thirteen children with experience and exposure to build quality lives based on a positive and growth mindset.
Kitchen Table Talk Format
The format of Kitchen Table Talk is simple and nurturing.
A community leader utilizes the cozy and nurturing setting of a kitchen table to share the “glory and real story” of his/her life’s triumphs and challenges in education, career and relationships with youth scholars, parents and stakeholders.
Topics of Discussion
In general, we ask community leaders to share their life lessons in a framework that includes the value of:
- Free time
- Friends
- Reading, watching, and listening materials that create a fund of knowledge
Specifically, we request community leaders to share information concerning:
- Occupation
- Self-leadership and agency
- Value of college education
- Mastering a college prep curriculum
- What college students need to know to be successful at completing college
- Managing change
- Culture and education
- Value of vocational education and career potential and other things they deem relevant and important
Lastly, following and/or during the community leaders’ presentation, the youth scholars are free to ask questions or make comments to fuel and enrich the dialogue.
Community leaders that have participated in Kitchen Table Talk include:
- Tina Holland, PhD., President and CEO, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
- Judith Roberson, VP, Advancement, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
- George Bell, President, CEO, Capital Area United Way
- Warren O Birkett, President, WYBIRK & Associates
- Roland Mitchell, Dean, Associate Director and Associate Professor of School of Education, LSU
- Thomas Clemons, Director Community Affairs, Louisiana Healthcare Connections
- Bryan Moore, Under Secretary, Office of Workforce Development for Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC)
- Loretta Ovueraye, Dean, STEM Division, BRCC
- Captain Rodney Walker, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office
- Lee Meredith, General Manager, WAFB TV
- Devin Lemoine, President, Success Labs
- Sandra Holub, Executive Director, Albemarle Foundation
- Janet Pace, President & CEO, Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge
- Rev. Monteic Sizer, PhD., Executive Director of Northeast Delta Human Services Authority
- Eric Dexter, Business Development Director, Civil Solutions Consulting Group
- Penny Leduff, Director, EmployBR
- Margaret I King, President Student Affairs, & Professor, University of Alabama
- Rene Taylor, Executive Director, Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge
- Josh Coleman, Attorney, Kean Miller
- Damona Barnes, Corporate Learning Specialist, Albemarle Corp
- Gail Grover, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the Mayor President, City of Baton Rouge
- Kredenna L Beverly, Board Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and owner of Twinkling Smiles
- Sebastian Brazelton, Architect, Owner, Brazelton and Brazelton Inc
- Mawe Takyi, Certified Financial Planner, Dent Asset Management
- Gregory Payton, Esquire, Founder, Law Offices of Gregory Payton
- Gloria Thomas, Office of Strategic Initiatives, LSU
- Philippe Veeters, Founder/Owner of Dutch Physical Therapy
- Raoul Manalac, M.D., OLOL Hospital, Pennington Bio-medical Research
- Ronald Andrews, Physician/Owner Pediatric and Internal Medicine
- Minister Joseph Stewart, Owner, KJ Custom Cycles
- Justin Maclin, Masters Student, LSU and Graduate Fellow, LSU Athletics
- LSU Cox Communications School of Excellence and LSU Athletes
- Michelle McCalope, author, motivational speaker, former WAFB TV journalist
- LSU Diversity Ambassadors
- Frankie George Robertson, Regional Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs-Southeastern US March of Dimes.
- Audra Collett, Owner of Competitive Edge, LLC, Chair, Treasurer, Vice President, Scholars Laboratory
- Carol Patin, MD, Owner, Center for Women’s Healthcare, Baton Rouge
- Troy J. Prevot PA-C ATC, Executive Vice President, at LCTA Workers’ Comp, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area Insurance
- Glenda Minor, Retired senior level executive with progressive leadership experience in controlling, finance, accounting, treasury and audit at Fortune 100 companies
- Judge Freddie Pitcher, Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, former Chancellor, South University Law Center, Senior Partner with the Baton Rouge office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP.
- Tim Barfield, President, CSRS Inc.
- Regis Prograis, World Champion Professional Boxer
- Vidal Prograis, Father of Regis Prograis
- Ken Miles, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at Louisiana State University Louisiana State University
- Brent Sumler, Manager, Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program – Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes at LSU, Louisiana State University
- Brenda Nixon, PhD, Co-Director, Cain Center for STEM Literacy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge
- Roger Cador, Retired Head Baseball Coach, Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
- Phil Smith, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement / Executive Director, Baton Rouge Community College
- Sid J .Gautreaux III, Sheriff, East Baton Rouge Parish
- Rodney Walker, Captain Rodney Walker, SCAT Commander, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office
- George Bell, President & CEO at Capital Area United Way
- Tom Eldringhoff, Academic Assistant Principal at Catholic High School, Program Chair Scholars Laboratory
- Hugh McKintosh, Head of School at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge
- John Brown, Senior Vice President – Chief Human Resources Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
IMpact
Transformative Change
Scholars Laboratory is open to youth from middle to high school who will benefit from the intensive academic training, life skills coaching, and social emotional learning instruction. students are referred by their schools, current scholars, community supporters and by word of mouth. Under the leadership of John G. Daniel, Scholars Laboratory has cut its budget in half, from $500,000 to $250,000 in 2015 – 2016. Additionally, the scholars’ GPA increased from an average of 2.0-3.0 to an average of 3.0-4.0. Moreover, the scholars embraced the program and became great ambassadors in the media and at community empowerment events.
White House Honors 2016!
As a result of the transformative change described above John G. Daniel, President & CEO of SL, was invited and honored at the “My Brother’s Keeper Whitehouse Showcase on What Works” in late 2016!
The showcase was hosted by a collaborative group that included among others the White House, U.S.Department of Education, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, Results for America, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and President Obama’s legacy initiative, My Brothers’ Keeper (MBK). As President Obama said when he launched MBK, the initiative is about- “Building on what works – when it works, in those critical life-changing moments.” This means a commitment to use data to inform and improve service delivery, and working to develop and scale interventions with evidence of success to ensure all young people can reach their full potential.
In a science-fair meets demo-day style event, the MBK What Works Showcase featured 33 organizations and interventions from across the country that demonstrated potential positive impact across MBK’s cradle-to-college-and career-goals. Continuum of care topics included:
- Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn.
- Reading at grade level by third grade.
- Graduating from high school ready for college and career.
- Completing postsecondary education or training.
- Successfully entering the workforce.
- Keeping kids on track and giving them a second chance.
7. Empowering parents and engaging caring adults and mentors.
Scholars Laboratory Impact
The achievements of the new SL organization created in 2017 fall in two basic categories: scholars academic achievement and community engagement/collaboration. The salient points are listed below.
Scholar Academic Achievement
- Four scholars graduated from high school with honors from SL. One (1) is attending West Point Military Academy, two (2) are attending LSU (bio-engineering and pre-med) and one (1) is attending Delta Technical College (medical coding).
- Overall, we have eight enrolled in college curriculums.
- Overall, GPA for SL scholars is above 3.0.
Budget remains at under $300,000
Transformative Change
Scholars Laboratory is open to youth from middle to high school who will benefit from the intensive academic training, life skills coaching, and social emotional learning instruction. students are referred by their schools, current scholars, community supporters and by word of mouth. Under the leadership of John G. Daniel, Scholars Laboratory has cut its budget in half, from $500,000 to $250,000 in 2015 – 2016. Additionally, the scholars’ GPA increased from an average of 2.0-3.0 to an average of 3.0-4.0. Moreover, the scholars embraced the program and became great ambassadors in the media and at community empowerment events.
White House Honors 2016!
As a result of the transformative change described above John G. Daniel, President & CEO of SL, was invited and honored at the “My Brother’s Keeper Whitehouse Showcase on What Works” in late 2016!
The showcase was hosted by a collaborative group that included among others the White House, U.S.Department of Education, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, Results for America, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and President Obama’s legacy initiative, My Brothers’ Keeper (MBK). As President Obama said when he launched MBK, the initiative is about- “Building on what works – when it works, in those critical life-changing moments.” This means a commitment to use data to inform and improve service delivery, and working to develop and scale interventions with evidence of success to ensure all young people can reach their full potential.
In a science-fair meets demo-day style event, the MBK What Works Showcase featured 33 organizations and interventions from across the country that demonstrated potential positive impact across MBK’s cradle-to-college-and career-goals. Continuum of care topics included:
- Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn.
- Reading at grade level by third grade.
- Graduating from high school ready for college and career.
- Completing postsecondary education or training.
- Successfully entering the workforce.
- Keeping kids on track and giving them a second chance.
7. Empowering parents and engaging caring adults and mentors.
Scholars Laboratory Impact
The achievements of the new SL organization created in 2017 fall in two basic categories: scholars academic achievement and community engagement/collaboration. The salient points are listed below.
Scholar Academic Achievement
- Four scholars graduated from high school with honors from SL. One (1) is attending West Point Military Academy, two (2) are attending LSU (bio-engineering and pre-med) and one (1) is attending Delta Technical College (medical coding).
- Overall, we have eight enrolled in college curriculums.
- Overall, GPA for SL scholars is above 3.0.
Budget remains at under $300,000
Core Values
LOVE
SL is committed to the most fundamental of all values: “LOVE” that actively promotes equity and social justice. The tenants of that love include sacrifice, perseverance, character, hope in our daily hard work on behalf of “self and others”.
MUTUALITY: COLLECTIVE IMPACT
We co-create systems and infrastructure for greater collective impact on large scale societal problems and model shared responsibility for our mutual success. We seek perfection of character with integrity and sincerity. We nurture creativity and innovation through ongoing learning and respect for different life narratives and experiences.
EDUCATE: 24/7/365
We promote education through experience and exposure in life, work and play 24/7/365. The tenants of that education include: Reading, Writing, STEM, Respect, and Responsibility and a Moral Compass. We embrace diversity of learning styles and guide our public squares with respect to diverse life experiences.
HUMAN DIGNITY
We respect the absolute value and worth of each person and take responsibility for ourselves and share responsibility for the well-being of others.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
We pursue inclusive, collaborative co-creation of social systems and infrastructure to promote:
• Strength and asset based narratives for underserved (Black, Latino, Women, Native American, Poor) populations.
• Fair and equitable distribution of power and resources
• Transparent decision making processes
• Meaningful opportunities for people to participate in the decisions that affect their lives
• Fair balance of the protection of rights for individuals with the rights of groups.
• Deepening cultural competence and the capacity to understand diverse people and groups.
• Empowering marginalized groups and communities to speak and act on their own behalf.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
• We demonstrate respect for all living things and act as stewards of the resources to which we have access and over which we have influence
• We practice mindful consumption, using the fewest resources possible to accomplish our work
• We protect, conserve, reuse, and recycle resources
• We consider the long, as well as short-term implications of their actions for our shared natural environment
• We create, preserve and enhance outdoor space.
