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Kids on Course celebrates first graduating class of 40 from Cedar Rapids schools - The Gazette

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Dakota Harris, 17, a senior at Kennedy High, throws a practice ball Feb. 27 before the Cedar Rapids City Youth tournament at Lancer Lanes in Cedar Rapids. He joined the Kids on Course program as a second-grader at Harrison Elementary and says it has provided an “ongoing support system” for him. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

High school senior Dakota Harris works Feb. 28 on an essay at his house in Cedar Rapids. He said being in the Kids on Course program is like knowing “there’s a team behind me.” (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Kennedy High sophomore Kaylee Harris works Feb. 28 on homework on her day off from school at her house in Cedar Rapids. The Kids on Course program was immensely helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic when students were learning from home, she said. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Kennedy High sophomore Kaylee Harris works Feb. 28 on homework on her day off from school at her house in Cedar Rapids. The Kids on Course program was immensely helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic when students were learning from home, she said. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Kaylee Harris, 15, a sophomore at Kennedy High, throws a practice ball Feb. 27 before the Cedar Rapids City Youth tournament at Lancer Lanes in Cedar Rapids. Being in the Kids on Course program is knowing “you always have someone you can go to if you need help” with tutoring. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Kaylee Harris, 15, and her brother, Dakota Harris, 17, pose for a portrait Feb. 28 at their house in Cedar Rapids. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kids on Course — a program that has provided tutoring, mentoring and family engagement for almost 12 years — is this spring celebrating the first year of students graduating from the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

Zane Wilson, now 17 and a senior at Kennedy High School, was one of the first students to join Kids of Course, which launched in 2011 with second-graders in two Cedar Rapids schools.

Those students are now seniors in high school, preparing for graduating this year and continuing to the next chapter of their lives. Of the 40 students graduating in May, 26 started with Kids on Course in its first year as second-graders.

Kids on Course provides tutoring, parent engagement, summer learning and long-term mentoring to students in nine high-poverty schools in the Cedar Rapids school district.

The program introduced Zane and other students in the program to different sports, hobbies and experiences, including a trip to Lake Macbride near Solon and running a 5K race. Students also get scholarship support and are offered volunteer opportunities and encouraged to job shadow.

Zane has taken a trip to Chicago, gone on about a dozen college tours, received tutoring and spent quality time with family because of the Kids on Course program. Zane’s mother, Kim Wilson, remembers a Kids on Course family event where they learned to make butter and “made lifelong friendships.”

When Zane was a freshman in high school, math was “a big leap,” he said. He was able to get a tutor through Kids on Course, which was the “only reason I didn’t come close to failing,” he said.

After graduation, Zane plans to go in to a career as an electrician or a roofer, career paths introduced to him through Kids on Course, he said.

Where program is offered

Kids on Course is offered to students at Grant, Harrison, Hoover, Cedar River Academy at Taylor and Van Buren Elementary Schools, Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy and Wilson Middle School and Jefferson and Kennedy high schools. Kids on Course staff are available in the schools for guidance and emotional support.

It is a program of the Zach Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Cedar Rapids children and their families. Johnson is a professional golfer who has 12 victories on the PGA Tour, including two major championships, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship.

Johnson was raised in Cedar Rapids and began golfing at 10 years old at the Elmcrest Country Club. He now resides in St. Simons Island, Georgia, with his wife, Kim, and his three children.

‘These are my kids’

Jaimen Pangborn is a high school site manager with Kids on Course. She has been with the program since the very beginning about 12 years ago. She has watched the first group of students enrolled in Kids on Course growing up through the program.

“The kids tease me all the time that I cry about it,” Pangborn said. “They are my kids in a lot of ways, and I feel so lucky their families let me be a part of their story. It’s an emotional and exciting year.”

Pangborn works with 140 students at Jefferson High. Her classroom is always open to students if they’re struggling with a class assignment, need emotional support or are navigating applying to college or getting a job.

“Kids come in to study. Lunch is hopping. Kids come in to eat, and we provide tutoring. We have kids in and out of the room every day,” Pangborn said.

Bid for Kids scholarships

Distinct scholarship opportunities are available for Kids on Course students. RSM US LLP, an audit, tax and consulting service in Cedar Rapids, offered three students a $40,000 college scholarship over four years. A smaller scholarship opportunity called Bid for Kids is also available to students throughout their elementary, middle and high school experience. Students can receive scholarships to help their family pay for extracurricular activities including bowling, basketball, tennis, wrestling, soccer, Tiquando, guitar lessons and Spanish tutoring.

Dakota Harris, 17, a senior at Kennedy High, said Kids on Course has provided an “ongoing support system” for him. He joined the program as a second-grader at Harrison Elementary.

“It’s allowed me to always know there’s a team behind me,” he said.

Dakota’s sister, Kaylee Harris, 15, a sophomore at Kennedy High, is also a part of the Kids on Course program. The program was immensely helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic when students were learning from home, she said.

“I’m a hands-on learner and was able to have virtual tutoring help outside of school,” Kaylee said. “You always have someone you can go to if you need help.”

Both of the students have received Bid for Kids scholarships for their bowling activities.

As a part of the program, Charity Harris, Dakota and Kaylee’s mother, recalls going to Iowa Hawkeye football games, family nights with other Kids on Course families at the school, and outings to Super Skate and Bloomsbury Farm.

Dakota plans to attend either Coe College in Cedar Rapids or Clarke University in Dubuque to study computer coding.

Sara Volz, executive director of the Zach Johnson Foundation, said celebrating these graduating students is a “bittersweet moment.”

“Their hard work, dedication and everything they have and will accomplish are truly inspiring,” Volz said.

Kids on Course program director Cassie Mitvalsky said these students have discovered their interests and passions while being part of the program.

“We feel so fortunate to have been a small part of their lives,” Mitvalsky said. “ … And this is only the beginning for these amazing kids and our program.”

Kids on Course now serves over 1,000 students in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, starting when they’re in first grade. For more information or to get involved, visit kidsoncoursecr.com.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com

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