Scholar Programs
Student Programming
Summer Program
Cost: Free
Our six-week summer program begins in June for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Scholars are taught in small classroom sizes (average is 10 students per class) by teaching fellows (college students). We focus on relationship building (student-to-student, student-to-teacher, student-to-administrators), ownership of learning, and self-advocacy. Scholars participate in:
- Academic skill building (reading, writing, math, science)
- Electives (focused on art, investigation, coding, performing arts, etc.)
- Advisory (small group mentorship)
- Weekly field trips, including out of state college tours
During a traditional (in-person) summer program, scholars attend from 8am to 3pm, Mondays – Fridays.* We also provide:
- Breakfast, lunch, and snack (free of charge)
- Bus transportation to/from the program location
Our scholars are recruited from the recommendations of teachers, counselors, and school leaders as well as through word-of-mouth by our Breakthrough families. We seek highly motivated students who are curious about the world around them, enjoy being challenged, and who want to continue growing to be the best person/student they can be. The process to become a scholar is:
- Apply (see the “Apply” button) with teacher/community recommendations
- Family interviews with Breakthrough staff
- Acceptance into the program
*NOTE: During Summer 2020, we ran a 5.5 week, 100% virtual program that was equally engaging. Over 100 students participated and attended with a 94% attendance average. Scholars gained over 2 months of growth in reading and lost no math skills, on average.
“My scholar has developed lasting relationships with her mentors. They are able to reach her in a way that I may not. This program has given her tools she can apply to her academic career as well as her professional career. [She] has started to see the importance of time management and how organizing her tasks can affect her academic performance.”
School Year & College Bound Programs
Cost: Free
School Year Programs (SYP) and College Bound (CB) programs take place for 8 weeks in Fall (starting in October) and 8 weeks in Spring (starting in February). SYP is geared towards 7th and 8th grade students while College Bound is geared towards 9th and 10th grade students. The programs are virtual and are also taught by teaching fellows (college students). Just like in the summer, we continue to focus on relationships, self-motivation, and student advocacy. Scholars participate in:
- Weekly individual support time* focused on:
- Homework help or ACT prep
- General skill building (ie, organization, writing emails, etc.)
*10th grade students receive this support on a monthly basis for longer periods of time
- Weekly small group meetings** focused on:
- Advisory (mentorship time focused on social-emotional skill-building)
- Enrichment opportunities. For Fall 2020, those electives include:
- Shark Tank (business entrepreneurship)
- STEM design challenges
- Media Literacy (investigative journalism)
**This does not apply to 10th grade
- Monthly Super Saturdays as whole groups where outside guests participate in engaging students through exposure activities centered around themes
- October 2020
- 7th-9th grade: Community Engagement and Activism
- 10th grade: Preparing for College with Birmingham Promise
- November 2020
- 7th-9th grade: Identity through the Arts
- 10th grade: TBA
- December 2020
- 7th – 9th grade: Spirit Day!
- 10th grade: TBA
- October 2020
***Stay tuned for Spring Super Saturday themes***
See more details about SYP/CB schedules below:
*Note: The 10th grade College Bound program is currently closed to new applicants.
