Kathleen: Wes Moore, Xavier & Clark Prep

On the evening of Tuesday, November 27 Clark Prep sent a total of five 9^th and 10^th grade students to Xavier University.  Xavier was hosting a special event: Wes Moore, celebrated author of “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates” spoke to the entire freshman class of Xavier, as they are required to read it as first-years and it is incorporated into their studies, and the Xavier chapter of the Alpha-Phi-Alpha fraternity as their selected shared reading for the 2012/2013 academic year. 

The trip was exciting for students and adults as well, as the book tells a story about two African American men with the same name who came from similar backgrounds in urban Baltimore but ultimately make defining and vastly different life choices, propelling one Moore into academic and professional success and plummeting the other into crime and a life sentence in jail. Clark Prep faculty members Ms. Vernessa Gipson, Mr. Will Chesson, Mrs. Dawn Goodwin and Principal Hochron accompanied the students.  

Clark Prep was also represented by Dr. Monique Cola, alumni and President of the Clark Alumni Association.  All enjoyed discussion of the themes covered in Wes Moore’s book, those themes described by Xavier as part of their mission, being “personal responsibility, social justice, the transformative power of education” and the judicial system in the U.S. All five Clark Prep students can be seen in the bottom row of the picture  – Clark Prep sweaters and the JROTC uniform help to distinguish them from the rest!



Kathleen Duffy is the AmeriCorps VISTA Outreach Coordinator for Clark Prep High School.