Mary Lyn Kagan

Mary Lyn Kagan , who has worked with Communities in Schools for eight years in Sacramento as a board member and now as a volunteer , has a warning for legislators.

I've read that a lot of these programs are going to be shelved until next year because of the electricity situation , Kagan said.But if ( legislators ) do that , they're shelving these kids..

The 8-year-old academy at Hiram Johnson serves 125 students.But Zora Foote , the academy's director , said it's having trouble raising the $ 150 , 000 it will need to operate in the coming year.

The academy already turns away hundreds of students.
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Kagan , who served on the local board and is now a volunteer , said the program is different from other stay-in-school initiatives because it is not run by school districts or operated off-campus by community agencies.

At Hiram Johnson , students spend five hours a week in the academy -- a bungalow that serves as a campus within a campus.Staff members sit down with students and parents to set goals.

Students are provided counseling , allowing them to work through their personal problems.Volunteers from the business world act as mentors , checking in regularly and taking students to lunch.

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A lot of it is giving students the support they need to be resilient , Kagan said.These kids come here with a lot a baggage.They're on their way to dropping out , they have no motivation , and they're bad citizens..

Students are provided with tutoring and taken on tours of companies in an array of fields.They're taught professional etiquette and encouraged to go to college or to learn a skill that will land them a well-paying job.For example , the academy offers the Cisco Systems Network Program that trains students to be certified computer technicians.