This is the agency’s celebration of the work that we do with middle school boys at the WALIPP-TSU Preparatory Academy.   Our young men are the future for our community, and we are Educating for our Future! 

Last year’s event was spectacular and included a special presentation by the 8th grade students — this year we are expecting even more!  Join us as a table sponsor and have a one-on-one relationship with our program and the students we serve. 

Luncheon table prices are $3,000 and up and you can purchase your seat online at https://shop.walipp.org.

HISD Charter School Caters to Inner City Youth

17 July 2008

by: Pat Hernandez

It is a school which believes that all children can learn and creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and success in the classroom. Pat Hernandez has more on the middle school that is geared toward inner city youth.

> click here to listen

The Walipp-TSU Preparatory Academy is a unique HISD Charter Middle School that was founded by the William A Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Cheryl Lawson is executive director of Walipp, located on the campus of Texas Southern University.

“My mother who is partner to my dad, had long been concerned about the plight of children in our school system, the tendency of children to not succeed in school, to drop out before high school graduation, and she was especially concerned about African American boys who have the highest drop out rate in the nation.”

She says her mother wanted to create a program for boys that gave them — in their middle school years — the example and resource to move toward academic excellence. Parents are involved in the children’s learning.

“Another component that is unique for us, is that we have a very strong mentorship program. We use mentors throughout the professional community, whether they’re members of black fraternities, or whether they’re employees of large corporations to come in and provide educational support and community support to our boys.”

In addition to bringing in adult role models both for assembly instruction, guidance and mentoring, Lawson says Walipp’s goals are aligned with goals of the parents of the students, so that they are partners with faculty in their development away from home.

“We’ve got graduates that are now high school juniors and seniors and college freshmen, and they are telling us that every day that the things they learned at Walipp and the ways that they learned to learn have allowed them to be more successful as high schoolers or as young college students.”

Joseph Jackson says the school made him a better student.

“When I went there, I wasn’t so good at my work in school. So then, they would teach us more and more, and let us focus on that subject and, I got better and better.”

Robin Mullins is ecstatic about her son’s growth after attending Walipp.

“Everything I thought it would be has exceeded that because I’m telling you, my kids are very well behaved. I mean, everywhere we go, everyone notices that they are young men and speak very well. And they actually are a little bit more focused on what they want to do now — in high school — even in their careers when they get out of college. So, it’s really a positive thing.”

Enrollment information for Walipp-TSU Preparatory Academy can be found at WALIPP Academy-dot-org.

Pat Hernandez, KUHF Houston Public Radio News.

After School sessions are scheduled on Mondays-Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, beginning in September.

What kinds of things do you have to do?

Arrive on time
Give our students your experience
Learn something fun, or demonstrate something you feel comfortable with
Maybe it’s art or chess or reading that you’ll choose….or Junior Achievement or Athletics
We’ll have a range of options for everyone
Flexible schedules allow you to join us once, or monthly, or even weekly

Please join our Volunteer Corps by calling us at (713) 741-3600. Or email us at clawson@walipp.org.

Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Alley Theatre
Junior Achievement
Nu Boule
General Electric
NASA
Houston Area Urban League
…and many, many more!

* Enrollment Application
* HISD transfer form if transfering from HISD