Project D.E.E.P. Programming

Project D.E.E.P.

The Dorchester Educational Enrichment Program

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One-on-One Tutorial Program

Examination Preparation Program

Community Service Program

Summer Camp Program

Private School Placement Program

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. The 2008 sign-up event for this program will take place on Saturday, September 6th. (See our Upcoming Events page for more information.)
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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 will be offered in two locations this year: the Murphy School and the Harbor School. The sign-up dates for the courses will vary based on the site: They will be held at the Murphy on Tuesday, August 19th, from 6:00-7:30, and they will be held at the Harbor (behind the Fields Corner T station) on Monday, August 25th (for 8th-grade), and Tuesday, August 26th (for 6th-grade), from 7:30-8:30. (See our Upcoming Events page for more information.)
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The Community Service Program The students of Project D.E.E.P. are educated in terms of classwork 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.
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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 17 different camps, which ranged from a horse-riding camp in Hingham to the program's own baseball camp (right). 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.
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The Private School Placement Program Starting in 1995, Project D.E.E.P. has held seminars every fall to expose the Dorchester community to the wealth of educational opportunities that are out there. Every October, representatives come to the Murphy Community Center from as many as twelve 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 Rivers 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. (This year's Private School Info Night will be held on Monday, October 15th, from 6:30-8:00.) 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.
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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. If you are interested in signing up your son or daughter for this program, please contact the office, either by emailing us or calling us (617-635-5027).
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The Exam School Math Support Component
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. If you are interested in signing up your son or daughter for this program, please contact the office, either by emailing us or calling us (617-635-5027).
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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.
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