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| Please join us at the Madison ABC Annual Meeting Sunday, June 2, 2103 at 7:30 pm at the Surf Club
What is the Madison ABC? ABC stands for A Better Chance. A Better Chance is a national organization, one of the oldest of its kind, helping minority youth achieve their potential through education. The program started in 1963 as a "pioneering experiment" in educational opportunity at selective independent schools and continues today, nationwide, at private and top-ranked public schools as a proven winner. The Madison ABC program is one of the most successful and long standing public school ABC programs, having started in 1970. Madison ABC is overseen by a volunteer board of directors, and our mission is to provide the opportunity for an outstanding secondary school education - right here at Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) - to qualified students from inner city communities. The students' four-year experience at DHHS gives them what they need to excel in college and go on to assume positions of leadership and responsibility. | |
| Madison's Daniel Hand High School provides ABC students the opportunity to be vital and active members of the school community. Students are assigned an academic advisor who assists with scholastic decisions and student development. ABC students are required to maintain at least a B average, and they consistently attain honor roll status.  Host Families Each ABC student becomes part of a Madison host family. One weekend a month, the student stays with his host family, sharing family life and activities. This gives the student the opportunity to bond with people in the community. Plus, the host family is in a great position to support their ABC son because usually they have a child who is attending DHHS. The ABC student and his host family forge a relationship which continues long after the student graduates from the program. 2012-2013 Madison ABC students, families, and host families Student Selection
All ABC student scholars undergo a rigorous admissions process to become a part of the program. First, teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, ABC alumni and other volunteers nationwide identify promising students and recommend that they look into the ABC Program. These students demonstrate both academic talent and strong motivation to succeed. Each candidate completes the application requirements of the national program, which include the SSAT or ISEE. Madison ABC then selects the students who are the best match with the educational, cultural and social opportunities our program has to offer. The top candidates are invited to come to Madison for a couple of days and interact with current ABC students and the resident staff and to visit the high school and meet with the Selection Committee made up of some ABC board members. These board members then finalize their selection. | | Home in Madison - The Roby House
Madison ABC students reside at the Roby House at the corner of Durham Road and Green Hill Road. The Roby House is a warm, comfortable, and secure home away from home. There the students shar e friendship, eat meals, do chores, study, and sleep - whatever most teen-aged boys do in their homes. They even have a great basketball court in the yard where they can unwind and release energy. Our Resident Director, David Robinson, lives at the house with the students and manages day to day household operations as well as seeing that rules are followed, chores are done, and curfew is met. David is an ABC alumnus, having graduated from the Amherst ABC program in 1981. He is also an alumnus of Wesleyan College. We are happy that he is here for the students and for us. Our Resident Tutor, Kedrick Robinson (not related to David) has a degree in mechanical engineering and resides at the Roby House with David and the students. He supervises the students during their evening study hours, 7 to 10 pm, Sunday through Thursday, and is a full-time mentor as well. Together, Kedrick and David have created a nurturing environment and serve as role models for the students. Activities
Madison ABC students are actively involved in a plethora of extracurricular activities, including sports, band, VIBE Show Choir, instrumental music, chess, and the Peer Advocates program. Besides participating in the life of their school, they become an integral part of the Madison community and participate in community efforts such as Green Up Clean Up and Madison ABC volunteer activities - working at the ACT II Thrift Shop, the ACT II Annual Bike Sale in the fall, the Madsion Cares, Habitat for Humanity, Raise the Roof event in the spring, and the annual ABC Holiday Concert in December.
Graduation and the Annual ABC Meeting
Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection for the Madison ABC students. Our graduates are honored at a special party at the Roby House and at our June Annual Meeting. One highlight of this meeting is the guest speaker, and influential person, usually of color, who shares his or her life experience. In addition, the host families share heartwarming memories of the past four years. | |
| The Madison ABC Holiday Concert will be back again in 2013. 4 pm – Sunday, December 8, 2013 First Congregational Church All Welcome! The 2012 concert was the "BEST EVER"! The 2013 concert will be BETTER YET! This page was last modified on Monday, April 29, 2013 11:01 AM | |
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