American Dream rewards NJ students for scholastic excellence

In its ongoing commitment to the community, American Dream is doing something to reward students for doing well in school.

And it has reached out to a school whose students have unlimited potential, but limited resources. The school has as its mission, the determination for all of its students to excel in, and graduate from, the top colleges and universities in the nation, against many odds.

The entertainment mega complex recently announced that they have gifted 1,500 students at CAPS Paterson (College Achieve Paterson Charter School) with tickets to either their DreamWorks Water Park or Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park.

The reason CAPS is receiving this honor is that they had outstanding results on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA), the state standardized test. CAPS Paterson students improved at every grade level in reading, math and written expression.

CAPS Paterson students also showed impressive gains in the Start Strong assessments, which students completed in the fall. Across New Jersey, the pandemic had a negative impact on so many students, but even more so in the case of the most vulnerable, such as those at CAPS. However, not only did these kids weather the COVID storm, but they demonstrated healthy growth.

For that, they were recently rewarded with a day of fun with American Dream committing $75,000 to the school after it became aware of how its students bucked not just state, but national testing trends, by academically growing—even through Covid.

According to a press release, Gemar Mills, chief academic officer and executive director at CAPS Paterson, had this to say about the reward:

“We are so grateful to American Dream for wanting to bring a smile to our scholars’ faces this holiday season by generously recognizing their hard work. Our scholars have proven time and again that if you set high standards and provide a robust curriculum and resources, all students can and will rise to the top.”

Many NJ businesses say they support the community, but once again, American Dream has put its money where the fun is.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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