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CCSD working to make sure all students graduate

Posted at 6:51 AM, Jul 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-23 11:00:09-04

With the first day of school just three weeks away, the Clark County School District wants to make sure every kid who attends school will eventually graduate.

Historically, the district has dealt with a high number of dropouts, but in 2017 a successful year showed more than 80 percent of students received a diploma.

The success may have been in part due to a program known as Jobs for America's Graduates or JAG.

"We do help raise graduation rates," said René Cantu, Executive Director of JAG Nevada.

JAG's goal is to take at-risk youth and mentor them with job readiness skills. Their formula to graduate students has proved to be successful in valley schools.

"We have 94% graduation rates nationwide," Cantu said.

Daethron Gales in one of the graduates who started attending JAG in high school.

"It was just hard," Gales said.

Gales started working at a young age to help his family who was in and out of homelessness for several years.

He credits JAG in helping him become the first person in his family to graduate high school, despite having three older siblings.

"It was one of the biggest goals I've ever achieved," Gales said.

Right now, JAG is only in 35 schools across CCSD, but organizers want to add it to every school.

Mentors will follow student up to a year after they graduate to make sure they don't give up on their future goals.