Chester Community Charter School Hosts Teen Summit Event for More Than 300 Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Students

Grammy-award-winning producer/songwriter Carvin Haggins (right) answers a question from Syreeta Martin, journalist and consultant (left), during a question-and-answer session at Chester Community Charter School’s (CCCS) recent Teen Summit for Students event. 

Chester, PA (May 6, 2014) – More than 300 seventh- and eighth-grade students took part, recently, in the Teen Summit for Students event, hosted by Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, together with the school’s Parent Teacher Association and the Phenomenal Youth Organization. The program included remarks and performances by special guests, Grammy-award winning producer/songwriter, Carvin Haggins, recording artist BriaMarie, singer/songwriter Julia Figueroa, and Chester Community Charter School CEO, Dr. David Clark, each of whom spoke on social, community, and school-related issues. The event was moderated by journalist and consultant Syreeta Martin.

The hour-long program, held at the school’s East Campus, engaged students in an open dialog wherein they discussed their feelings and opinions on building confidence, anti-bullying, respect for others and other challenging social issues faced at school, home and in their community. 

Commenting on the need for restricted content on social media, Vatangoe Donzo, a CCCS eighth-grader, said, “I think there needs to be more supervision on sites like Instagram and Facebook. People constantly post inappropriate and ‘ratchet’ updates, some that hurt people’s feelings. That shouldn’t be allowed.” Donzo won an award in the program’s art/poster contest for his winning submission that depicted social issues that most affect today’s youth.

Chester Community Charter School PTA President Sharona Brown, in discussing the success of the event, said, “It’s all about the children. We believe that it’s important to hear their voices and appeal to them on that level.” She continued, “Children today face so many obstacles, ones that we never had to face. It’s imperative that we keep the lines of communication open, surround and support our children as a community of concerned adults, and do everything we can to ensure their continued success, in school and in life.”

VIDEO – Remarks from Dr. David Clark, CEO, Chester Community Charter School http://bit.ly/1sgJ3OW 

VIDEO – Remarks from Carvin Haggins, Grammy award-winning producer/songwriter http://bit.ly/RkIk2d