��ɫ��Ƶ

About our students

Persistence Preparatory Academy is currently a K-five school, which will grow one grade each year until they are K-eight. Of their 321 scholars, 96% are Black, 3% are Hispanic/Latino and 1% are white. 55% are female and 45% are male. In addition, 100% of students at Persistence Preparatory Academy receive free or reduced lunch.

The five AmeriCorps members at PPA support four classrooms, of which 95% of partner teachers agreed or strongly agreed their ��ɫ��Ƶ AmeriCorps members provide valuable support to their classroom and students. In addition to supporting classrooms through whole-class instruction, student attendance and social-emotional learning, the team also has 45 students who have been selected in partnership with the educators at Persistence Prep and receive intensive academic support.

Meet the PPA Team

The team serving at Persistence Preparatory Academy is led by Impact Manager Hannah Dickson, a two-time ��ɫ��Ƶ alum, and Service Leader Jose Chavez.

Jose Chavez

Service leader & third-year AmeriCorps member, he/him/his
Jose Chavez is in his third year of ��ɫ��Ƶ and is from New York City. He is the PPA team leader and serving with partner teacher Ms. Glaser in fourth-grade math. He serves because he wants to help students who cannot make it on their own. His own parents could not help out with schoolwork because of the language barrier. Jose is inspired by a former ��ɫ��Ƶ AmeriCorps member from his own school. This ��ɫ��Ƶ corps member made school engaging and fun. His favorite part of service so far has been understanding things from the kid’s perspective. A fun fact about Jose is that he was a mathlete.

Cecelia Bushway

AmeriCorps member, she/her/hers
Cecelia Bushway is in her first year of ��ɫ��Ƶ and the only team member originally from Buffalo, New York. Before ��ɫ��Ƶ, Cecelia attended the University of Villanova and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and humanities. She serves with partner teacher Ms. Chapple in fourth-grade English Language Arts (ELA). She serves because she believes in equitable education for all. So far, Cecelia’s favorite part of service has been developing authentic relationships with students across the school. Following ��ɫ��Ƶ, Cecelia plans on continuing her education. A fun fact about Cecelia is that she created props and painted sets as a job in college. 

Sophia Cobb

AmeriCorps member, she/her/hers
Sophia Cobb is in her first year of ��ɫ��Ƶ and is from Hiram, Ohio, a small town just outside of Cleveland. Before ��ɫ��Ƶ, Sophia attended Ohio University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in child and family studies. She serves with partner teacher Ms. Swann in fifth-grade ELA. Sophia serves because she wants to help children have a supportive and caring adult in their lives. Her favorite part of service so far has been having impactful conversations with students. Following ��ɫ��Ƶ, Sophia wants to teach comprehensive health education to students in middle school and up. A fun fact about Sophia is that she is a poet. 

Joshua Dean

AmeriCorps member, he/him/his
Joshua Dean is in his first year of ��ɫ��Ƶ and is from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Before ��ɫ��Ƶ, Joshua attended the University of Southern Mississippi and graduated with a degree in marketing and business. He works across the fifth grade with two partner teachers, Ms. Swann and Ms. Montgomery. Joshua serves to be the one person students can count on in a classroom. So far, his favorite part of service has been the relationships with kids and staff. After ��ɫ��Ƶ, Joshua plans on becoming a teacher. In preschool, Joshua played the Cat in the Hat in a musical. 

Tiara Johnson

AmeriCorps member, she/her/hers
Tiara Johnson is in her first year of ��ɫ��Ƶ and is from Brooklyn, New York. Before ��ɫ��Ƶ, Tiara attended Canisius College and graduated with a degree in computer science and women and gender studies. She works in fifth-grade math with partner teacher Ms. Montgomery. Tiara serves because she came from an underserved community herself. She wants to let kids know they belong in the building and that college is an option. So far, her favorite part of service has been her students. Following ��ɫ��Ƶ, Tiara would like to get back into tech and work with kids. Tiara has a cat named Journey. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about the team serving at Persistence Preparatory Academy. If you would like to learn more or meet the team, please reach out to Lizz Spangenthal, development manager, at espangenthal@cityyear.org.