Program Excel

Program Excel has three primary components that address four basic human attributes. Through mentoring, educating, and holding accountable, each student will be encouraged and equipped with the skills needed to Excel in the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical areas of his/her life.

Program Excel starts on one of the worst, if not the worst day of any student's life: the day he gets expelled from Michigan City High School. On that day, he will be referred to Avenue Family Center's Program Excel.

The first meeting with the staff at Program Excel will be one of accepting responsibility and moving forward in hope of a better tomorrow. During this meeting, the student, his parents, the teacher, and the administrator will talk about what brought the student to this point and what will be necessary to get out. It will involve the group putting together a plan of action that involves ways to grow emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. That plan will then be the map that is followed through the end of the program.

There are three components to the implementation of the plan. The first is the educating. Each student will spend four days in the classroom environment. While she is in the classroom, she will be working through the credit recovery software provided by the schools. This software is accredited and allows the student to work at her own pace, getting help as she needs it. This way, not only is she not falling behind mentally, but she is also gaining the credits needed to graduate, and actually understanding what she learns in a way that will allow her to Excel in other areas of her life.

The second component is mentoring. This is where the student receives the guidance and support needed to push through and successfully complete the plan. The mentor is there to provide a listening ear, guidance, advice, support, and access to other services that might help provide the tools necessary to complete the plan. This includes answering spiritual questions as they arise, referring the student to non-school based athletic activities and counseling. The mentor is a gate-keeper to helping the student Excel. The mentor's role does not end when the student returns to school. The mentor's role ends when the student has successfully reintegrated into school and is on the road to Excel.

The third component is accountability. Without accountability, most people will not move in the direction they are supposed to go. Thus, we provide at least one evaluation weekly between the teacher and the student to ensure the student is on track to excel in the plan. If there is an area where growth is not happening as it should, this allows us to identify it quickly and help the student accordingly so that that student can complete the program excelling.
Program Excel ends when the student returns to Michigan City High School, after having completed his plan that was written in that first meeting and then possibly adjusted over time as needed.

If you would like to be a part of this great program, you can join with your time and/or by sponsoring a student. If you wish to participate with your time, we are currently looking for volunteers to help in the office, the classroom, or as mentors. If you are interested in sponsoring a student, please see the one time levels for sponsorships below. We thank you for your consideration of joining the Program Excel team.

Sponsor Levels:
Year Sponsor:                       $3,400
Semester Sponsor:               $1,700
Quarter Sponsor:                   $850
Month Sponsor:                     $375
Week Sponsor:                      $95
Day Sponsor:                        $25

Donations can be sent to: