American Graduate Day

American Graduate Day 2017 is a four-hour, live broadcast and outreach event dedicated to engaging our country around the dropout crisis with special celebrity guests, relevant spokespeople and compelling stories from the students themselves.

Earlier this year, KCPT and Take Note collected community nominations of local champions of education and profiled two individuals, Ken Heitland and India Williams, with short video pieces.They will be featured in the broadcast.

American Gradaute Champion – Ken Heitland

American Graduate Champion – Ken Heitland – Watch American Graduate Day Oct. 14 on KCPT

Ken Heitland is a volunteer instructor at Della Lamb and Once We Were Refugees. To hear his students speak about his impact, it’s clear giving back in the form of education is of utmost importance to him. See this video and more on American Graduate Day, from 1-5 p.m. on KCPT.

American Gradaute Champion – India Williams

American Graduate Champion – India Williams – Watch American Graduate Day Oct. 14 on KCPT

India Williams, a Generation Rap mentor, challenges her students to fulfill their potential and to be givers in their communities. Watch her story and many more on American Graduate Day from 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 14 on KCPT Kansas City PBS – KCPT, Kansas City

American Graduate Day 2017 will be hosted by Soledad O’Brien and once again be broadcast from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City. The broadcast’s primary theme will be mentorship — telling the story of Community Partners and how they provide support, advice, and intervention services to at-risk students, families, and schools.

This year’s American Graduate Day will emphasize the need for mentors beyond high school, and focus on how mentors can be helpful as students pursue a variety of post-secondary options, including traditional four-year colleges, skills-based certifications, vocational training or the military.

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