Mission Statement
The mission of Project
D.E.E.P. is to foster the educational, athletic, and social growth and
development of middle school children of all races, creeds, and ethnic
backgrounds throughout the Dorchester community. |
About Us
Project D.E.E.P.
History
 Project D.E.E.P., the Dorchester
Educational Enrichment Program at the Murphy Community Center, is a nonprofit
educational program created by Dorchester native Brendan P. McDonough.
Back in 1995, Brendan used his experience
as a teacher, youth coach, student-athlete, and community center program
director to develop the unique concept of employing athletic summer camp
scholarships as an incentive for students to work in after-school educational
programs. These programs include individualized tutoring, mentoring, creative
writing, examination preparation, community service projects, and an expansive
summer camp program. The organization was officially established in 1996 at the
Murphy, and at the time it revolved mainly around three of its key services:
tutoring, private school placement and summer camp scholarships. A little more
than 50 children, most drawn from local sports leagues, participated during
that first year. Today, the organization annually serves more than 250
Dorchester children in seven different, successful programs, and it will do so
this year out of three locations: the Murphy Community Center, the Patrick
O'Hearn School, and the Harbor School.
Project D.E.E.P.
Overview
 The Dorchester Educational Enrichment
Program is quite possibly the best thing that has happened to Boston's
largest borough since it joined the city in 1870. Within 12 years of full
operation at the Murphy Community Center the program has transformed a
community. Before Project D.E.E.P. many parents in Dorchester felt that
there was little they could do about their children's sagging test scores; the
program has now provided those parents with the tutoring services their
children may need. Before Project D.E.E.P. many parents felt that there
was little chance their children could enroll at such prestigious schools as
Thayer Academy and Boston Latin School; the program has now given those parents
hope. Finally, before Project D.E.E.P. many parents felt there was no
way they could send their children to summer sports camps; the program has now
undertaken that heavy task for them.
And the program has been able to do all
this—and more—for three simple reasons: First, Project
D.E.E.P. has been very lucky to receive the support of its community. From
the area's elected officials to the local parents who wait in line for hours to
sign up their children, it seems that all of Dorchester has supported the
organization since day one. Second, the staff has worked hard to develop a
large and strong volunteer network, one that grows each year and makes programs
like the tutorial component possible. (It's worth noting, too, that many former
D.E.E.P. students have now risen to become D.E.E.P. volunteers.)
Third, and most important, the people at Project D.E.E.P. truly care
about the children. The organization's assets do not involve the awards it has
received, but the dreams it watches over. Children everywhere have dreams, and
Project D.E.E.P.'s main concern is that those dreams do not go to waste.
That is why every child who takes part in Dorchester's ground-breaking
educational outlet is treated as the most important person involved in the
program. Besides, if that child is not treated with such importance, if that
student is not nurtured educationally, if that young dreamer is not urged to
chase after his/her goals, then who will do these things?
return to top
Project D.E.E.P.
Programs
What's more, Project D.E.E.P. has
done these things on more than one level. And that is because the organization
believes that an educational enrichment program does not necessarily equate to
simple tutoring services. Project D.E.E.P. does include a one-on-one
tutoring element, but there are several other elements to the program as well.
The five main components of Project
D.E.E.P. are as follows:
Additional
Programming
The Learning Latin Class: This class joined Project
D.E.E.P.'s ever-expanding list of services during the 2005-2006 school
year. The Latin class meets once a week for an hour each time, and it is
divided into two levels: one class for students taking first-year Latin, and
one for those in their second year. Obviously, the aim of the class is to help
students to do well through their first two years of taking Latin in school.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
The
Exam School Math Support Program: This program was also added to Project
D.E.E.P. during the 2005-2006 school year, and it also meets once a week,
for an hour to an hour and a half each time. It is designed to help those
students who are struggling to make the transition into the difficult math that
is taught at the local exam schools. Indeed, many children who have taken
"Investigations Math" at local public schools have suffered while trying to
adapt to the math curricula at schools like Boston Latin and Thayer Academy.
This program alleviates that problem.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
The College Preparatory Program: This is not so much a formal
program as it is an event aimed at helping local high schoolers prepare for
that next big step in their lives. In March or April of every year, the
organization hosts its annual College Prep Night, a seminar which serves
to prepare parents and students for everything involved with the college
application process. A Stonehill College admissions officer is usually on hand
along with a local financial aid expert, so that just about every aspect of the
entire process is covered, including the SAT, the application essay, early
action vs. early decision, admissions statistics, scholarship possibilities,
budgeting plans, college savings options, and the financial aid applications.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
|
 The One-on-One Tutorial
Program: Each student in the program is assigned one tutor to work with
throughout the year. The student and tutor then meet for 90 minutes each week
(usually during the same time slot--for example, Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30).
During these sessions the tutors are responsible for helping the students in
all of their subjects. They are to help with--but not do--the students’
homework, and then push the students ahead of where they are in class (if
possible). Finally, the hallmark of the tutoring element of the program is that
extra emphasis is placed on reading and writing. Every student is expected to
have an outside reading book at all times, and they must write about this book
on a weekly basis. The 13th year of this program will soon be underway.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
return to top
 The Examination Preparation
Program: This is the aspect of Project D.E.E.P. that helps students
to do well on the placement exams used by the best schools in the Boston area.
The course actually involves two different courses: a math class and a
verbal/reading comprehension class. These classes span a period of eight weeks
and cover all the pertinent material which will be included on the Independent
Schools Entrance Exam (ISEE) and the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT).
The program is offered to fifth, sixth, and eighth graders at a cost of
$80--the only fee ever accrued by the parents of Project D.E.E.P.
students. In its 11th year, during the fall of 2007, the course succeeded in
helping more than two-thirds of our sixth-grade students gain admission into
private schools like Thayer Academy and public schools like Boston Latin.
This program is offered in two locations this year: the Murphy School and
the Harbor School.
return to top
 The Community Service
Program: The students of Project D.E.E.P. are educated in terms of
class work and study skills, but they are also educated in the skills necessary
to become active in their community. As a formal requirement upon enrollment in
the program every child in Project D.E.E.P. must complete five hours of
community service. Many of the students choose to do so at the year-end
Community Service Day, when both the staff and students of the program come
together to do something for the community. Countless others spend their time
in the winter shoveling for the elderly in their neighborhoods. Just about any
example of community service is accepted by the program, and every time a
student does something for the community he/she receives credit for it. In each
of the last two years, our students have totaled more than 1,300 hours of
service to their community, and several children have done more than 100 hours
on their own.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
return to top
 The Private School
Placement Program: This has now become the smallest of the five elements of
Project D.E.E.P., but this is where the program began. Starting in 1995,
Project D.E.E.P. has held seminars during the autumn months to expose
the Dorchester community to the wealth of educational opportunities that are
out there. On a given night every October, representatives come to the Murphy
Community Center from as many as eleven different private schools: The Belmont
Hill School, Boston College High School, Boston University Academy, Buckingham
Browne & Nichols, the Dexter/Southfield School, Fontbonne Academy, Milton
Academy, the Noble & Greenough School, The Roxbury Latin School, Thayer
Academy, and the Winsor School. Their purpose on that night is to talk to the
parents and students of the program, in order to possibly recruit children from
Dorchester. And once the children become interested in these schools the
program takes it one step further by helping them with the application process.
Project D.E.E.P. becomes the children's advocate for their admission
into the schools of their choice, helping them with intense interview
preparation sessions, and promoting their eligibility for financial aid. If
nothing else, this program at least opens the eyes of many people who would
otherwise keep at a distance from these prestigious institutions.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
return to top
 The Summer Camp Program: This is the bonus of the program, the
incentive for the students. Every child who maintains a certain level of
diligence during the school year receives a full scholarship to a summer camp.
In the summer of 2007 Project D.E.E.P. was represented in the enrollment
of 16 different camps, which ranged from a horse-riding camp in Hingham to the
program's own baseball camp. This aspect of the overall program is the one
element which defies the belief that Project D.E.E.P. only runs during
the school year. Extensive work and finances are directed toward making sure
every deserving student receives a ticket to the camp of his/her choice. The
months of June, July and August are busy times for what has become a year-round
organization.
Click here to inquire about our programs.
return to top
Board of
Directors
| OFFICERS |
NAME
|
TITLE/EMPLOYER
|
| President
- |
Brendan P.
McDonough |
Director of Institutional
Sales
D.E. Shaw & Co., L.P.
|
| Treasurer
- |
Atty. William
G. Farrell |
First Assistant Clerk
Magistrate
Massachusetts Trial Court
|
| Secretary
- |
Tricia
Toomey |
Entrepreneur, Child Care
Provider
Home Away from Home Preschool
|
| |
|
|
| MEMBERS |
NAME |
TITLE/EMPLOYER
|
| |
Holly
Concannon |
Fifth-grade Teacher
Richard J. Murphy School (BPS)
|
| |
Natalie
Crawford-Smith |
Administrative Assistant
to the Dean
Graduate College of Education - UMass Boston
|
| |
William Fenton
|
Senior Vice President,
Community Development
Bank of America
|
| |
Rebecca
Galeota |
Commercial Real Estate
Broker
Cushman & Wakefield
|
| |
Katie
Grassa |
Third-Grade Teacher
Richard J. Murphy School (BPS)
|
| |
Micayla Lenane
|
Tutor, High School
Student, Junior Board Member
|
| |
Mya
Mannetta |
Fifth-Grade Teacher
Richard J. Murphy School (BPS)
|
| |
Michael
McLaughlin |
Elementary Field
Representative
Boston Teacher's Union
|
| |
Pati
Millerick |
Senior Administrative
Assistant/Fiscal Manager
Boston Public Health Commission
|
| |
Stephanie
O'Sullivan |
Hockey Coach/Camp
Director
O'Sullivan Hockey Academy
|
| |
Jeremiah
Toomey |
Consulting Engineer
Siemens Building Technologies
|
| |
Jerry
Toomey |
Equipment
Operator
Massachusetts Port Authority
|
| |
Elisabeth
Talbot |
High School Guidance
Counselor
Madison Park High School (BPS)
|
| |
Martin
Walsh |
Massachusetts State
Representative
|
| |
Anni
Zukauskas |
Art Teacher, Varsity
Athletic Coach
Polytechnic Preparatory Day School, Brooklyn, NY
|
| |
Paul
Zukauskas |
Territory Business
Manager, Advanced Technology
TriCore Solutions |
return to top
Staff
Project D.E.E.P. currently employs 12
people in four different positions. The following is a concise, yet thorough,
list of these staff members:
| NAME |
POSITION |
BRIEF BACKGROUND
|
| FULL-TIME, ALL
PROGRAMS: |
| John Hanlon |
Executive Director |
Lifelong Dorchester
resident; graduate of Boston Latin School and Boston University; Executive
Director since April of 1998 |
| Lauren Hughes |
Assistant Director |
Lifelong Dorchester
resident; graduate of Boston Latin School and the University of Massachusetts
at Dartmouth; hired on September 5, 2006 |
| PART-TIME, INDIVIDUAL
PROGRAMS: |
| Jessica Baldi |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Boston Public School
teacher; Project D.E.E.P. instructor since 2002 |
| Jessica Butler |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Boston Public School
teacher; formerly the Project D.E.E.P. Assistant Director |
| Christina Cipriano |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Boston resident; Doctoral
candidate at Boston College (in education); entering her third year as Project
D.E.E.P. instructor |
| Katie Grassa |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Boston Public School
teacher; Project D.E.E.P. instructor since 2005 |
| Mike McLaughlin |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Dorchester resident;
former Boston Public School teacher; Project D.E.E.P. instructor since 1997
|
| Jay Moloney |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Dorchester native; Boston
Public School teacher; Project D.E.E.P. instructor since 2004 |
| Julee O’Brien |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Dorchester resident;
Boston Public School teacher; entering her third year as D.E.E.P. instructor
|
| Helen Rae |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Dorchester resident;
local parochial school teacher; entering her third year as D.E.E.P. instructor
|
| Courtney Sheppeck |
Exam-Prep Instructor
|
Boston Public School
teacher; Project D.E.E.P. instructor since 2002 |
| |
|
|
| |
| Rick Foresteire |
Summer Camp Coordinator
(baseball) |
Athletic Director at the
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School; director of D.E.E.P. Baseball Camp
since 1999 |
As in years past, Project D.E.E.P. is
interested in hiring teachers to act as tutorial program assistants this year
(they would help out in the tutoring room, filling in for absent tutors or
helping those who need assistance), but as of now these positions have not been
filled.
return to top
|
|
|
