By Johana Lastor

Ms. Jose, an ELA teacher here at Passaic High School who teaches English 2 CP and AVID, has been a part of the “STRIVE club for some time now.

“STRIVE is a club that motivates students to succeed in their academics. We organize events and programs to try their best and we celebrate them when they are successful,”  Ms. Jose said.

Going further in depth about the types of projects that they focus on within their club, Ms. Jose mentioned that “all of our fundraisers are for incentives scholarships and STRIVE award ceremony at the end of the year. The scholarships are book scholarships. We give them money to buy books for their first year of college.”

When asked how the idea came about of starting a club that is based on the academics of the students, she said, “I started the club back in 2011.”

She realized that there were many students that cared about their academics.
“It all started with a meeting with some other colleges and we were talking about [the students’] academics and how they can do better,” Ms. Jose said.

She proudly stated that STRIVE has expanded, not only through the high school system, but also in the middle school level. The advisor for the club over at Lincoln Middle School (LMS) is Ms. Washington. Ms. Jose said that the club members from LMS tend to join again when arriving to the high school.

“At STRIVE Awards we ask teachers to nominate students and we invite their parents. Then, we honor the students,” she said.

She informed me that the name of the club has meaning; it stands for “Students and Teachers Reviving and Instilling the Value of Education.”

Ms. Jose described her passion for the club. “I’m extremely passionate because I love to see students challenge themselves and striving for their dreams.”

She claims that “the reward is seeing when they come back and are able to share their challenges and love for their career. It came from my passion for the city; it breaks my heart when I see students that don’t value their education.”

When asked if she thinks that the club is successful or not, she was quick to say that “I think we see the fruits of our labor in June, when we have an auditorium with bright smiles from students, proud teachers, and proud parents. I think the club is definitely successful. We want to make sure we have an impact on our school.”

She also mentioned how the club is “not only for the club members, but for the entire school.”

Ms. Jose mentioned that her goal for the club is “collaborating with the students, we can determine how to be successful and help them accomplish their goals.”

In addition, she hopes to expand the club in the elementary schools. Although she adds on that it can be difficult doing that sometimes and what would be helpful if “more teachers who are genuinely interested in improving school improvement.”

As our interview came to a close, Ms. Jose mentioned that she has noticed a pattern with the club members that have participated or taken action. “The students that are involved are dedicated and they are taught to practice what they are best at, they do better in their own studies. Many that join in freshman year stay for the four years. And they are proud to be in the club,” Ms. Jose said.

S    tudents and
T    eachers
R    eviving and
I    instilling the
V    alue of
E    ducation