The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep Southwest matures into a student-led campus and a strong presence from senior leaders

September 09, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Last Friday’s all-school meeting at YES Prep Southwest was a great example of how far the Mavericks have come in being a student-led school. When people step onto campus and remark on the strong culture and instruction it is not because we have to remind students that visitors are coming or that they need to step up their game to set a good impression. It is because our students get it and they get why they are here. The six junior and senior boys that stood up to address the student body are excellent examples of that, each in his own way. However, getting to that point does not happen the moment new students step into the Maverick Nation. It takes time, sacrifice, and consistent hammering home of the message each and every day so that in the end we have excellent examples like

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We are role models for other students: A Guest Blog from Sherman Elementary

September 09, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

The first graduating class from the flagship Southeast campus immortalized their experience at YES Prep in the YES Prep Thinks and Acts, a commandment-esque list of things model YES Prep students think and how they should act.  These Thinks and Acts are a series of phrases that every YES Prep 6th grader memorizes and all students use as a source of motivation.  In my five years working at YES Prep, I have thought a lot about what my favorite Think and Act might be, but it has become as challenging of an endevour as deciding on my favorite song.  However, I recently saw one particular Think and Act exemplified that didn't surprise me, but made me proud.

Our culture is rooted in community service.  In fact, YES is actually an acronym for Youth Engaged in Service.  Building community is

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The 100 Percent Promise: US News & World Report

September 02, 2010 by Jill Willis

U.S. News & World Report's most popular issue, "Ranking Best Colleges," includes a two-page feature on YES Prep Public Schools and our college-bound culture: "The 100 Percent Promise." The magazine is on newsstands now, so be sure to pick up a copy to read more about our students, staff and mission to prepare 10,000 college ready students in Houston!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Excerpts from The "100 Percent Promise"

"In the past 10 years, 100 percent of [YES Prep's] graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges. Marquez was not about to break that track record. 'I'm going to college,' says the freshman at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. 'A lot of my other friends can't say that.'

"The success rate would be remarkable for any public high school, but the

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The Khaki Pants: A Story of a YES Prep Parent and her daughter’s new school uniform

August 31, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

My daughter spent the last five years of school with no uniform dress code.  She has never really been “into” clothes. Things don’t have to match or be trendy or even be clean for that matter. I feel like I have dodged a bullet for the last five years. It didn’t even hit me that I would have to worry about her putting up a fight to wear a YES Prep uniform.

Khaki pants and a collared shirt. What was so bad about that? Ok, the button-down shirt. I knew I had to come up with something pretty good for that one to get past her. Who wants to wear a dress shirt in the summer heat?

The first day of summer school approached and she started getting nervous and thinking about reasons not to go to school. Her last ditch effort-- the “boring uniform”

What could I say about the uniform? How

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Senior Feature: YES Prep Southwest’s Raven Rathers

August 25, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

This year, YES Prep Southwest will graduate its first class of seniors and 100% of them will be accepted into a four-year college or university.  We are excited to celebrate the success of this inagural class of seniors by featuring them each week on our blog.  The success of our students is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teachers who do whatever it takes to ensure more students like Raven have a chance at a great education. 

Hi! My name is Raven Rathers. I am a 12th grader and I have been at YES Prep Southwest since my 7th grade year. I have struggled throughout my time at YES Prep but I refuse to give up. I am hardworking and very focused. Last year, I was having a hard time deciding whether or not I would stay at YES Prep for my senior year and when all of my

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