18 / matters magazine / summer 2017 from Renee Stout, an African Ameri- can master artist. It’s evident that MAC Scholars have made a community within CHS, but the more important question is whether the program is effective in helping students of color improve their academic performance. Hicks’ answer is a resounding yes: “For 2014 and 2015, grade point averages for all but four MAC scholars improved.” That’s out of a group of roughly 60 kids. And for the four students whose GPA did not improve, in each case it was because of larger adverse condi- tions at home, like a divorce. “Beyond the grades, MAC changes how our students see themselves, and how the community sees our leaders,” Hicks adds. “If you ask them, they will tell you they are intelligent school leaders. This wasn’t always the case at CHS.” MAC has also given a platform to many top-quality student leaders. Nini Heriveaux is one MAC student who was so enamored of the high school program that she drew up a plan to bring it to younger students. Now her program, called “Mini MAC,” brings the support of MAC to elementary schools in the district. Next year “Mid- dle MAC” will provide support for stu- dents at Maplewood Middle School. MAC’s success extends beyond the halls of CHS. Hicks tells of one of last year’s students “who struggled through AP Eng- lish Language Literature. But we got her a tutor and she stayed in it, because people believed in her.” The payoff: “She called me this year from college,” Hicks says, “to tell me she felt she could succeed through tough classes this year because of the MAC program.” “I was lucky enough to be picked as one of the few MAC Scholars charged with the task of guiding the new Schol- ars,” says Nicholas Burgess ’14, a MAC Scholar who is now at Howard Uni- versity. “We created a space where we acknowledged our talents and never let our shortcomings overshadow our ac- complishments. It was genuine and I attribute a lot of my confidence in aca- demic settings to my time as a MAC Scholar with the students and faculty I consider to be family.” Adrianna Donat is a freelance writer who lives in Maplewood. n “...Ms. Hicks makes the MAC program what it is and for some students, this saves them. I’m just blessed to have been a part of it.” Nicholas Burgess ’14, a MAC Scholar now at Howard University. Read Matters© Anywhere www.mattersmagazine.com On your laptop, Android, iPhone or tablet. On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. All issues, online, all the time. Matters M A G A Z I N E Summer 2017 Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter to Maplewood and South Orange Since 1990