CINCINNATI — What started as a one-classroom commitment has become a district-wide movement to provide students at Middletown City Schools with more opportunities.
In 2022, Adopt-a-Class approached Middletown City Schools about creating a program to connect students with companies to provide connections to varied career paths and a team of role models. The first agreement was just for one classroom, but the program's success was too great to be contained within just one room.
"Now, we have four of our elementary schools, all third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms, have a business partner and the business partners are coming into the schools same classroom once a month," said Debra House, superintendent of Middletown City Schools.
One of the businesses sending its employees in to the classes to work with the students is Hightower Petroleum Company.
The company's COO, Stephen Hightower, was asked if he would adopt a class in Cincinnati. He liked the idea, but liked it better if it were to happen where his business is located: Middletown.
He said his team enjoys making the lesson plans and working with the kids.
"My team at High Tower Petroleum Company has really grabbed this," said Hightower. "This has become a part of our culture and part of, of what we do every day."
Beyond enjoyment, it's hard to see the long-term impact on the students in such a short period of time, but the district is convinced the students will be able to make use of their interactions with people in the business community when they are older, and lean on what they learned to help them make decisions about career paths.
"The magic is that our students here consistently from adults who come into their lives through our program that they're worthy that they're capable that they can dream bigger than they've ever dreamed and that we believe in them," said Sonya Fultz, CEO of Adopt-A-Class.
One tangible impact of the program is that the success of Adopt-A-Class and Middletown schools has netted them a $100,000 grant to continue to grow their partnership.
Meanwhile, the students and business leaders in Middletown continue their learning sessions.
The program, meant to give to the students, is also having an equal effect on the adults.
"Adopt-A-Class has done more for me and my team than we could ever give back to these kids," said Hightower. "Because they teach us, they teach us you know about life, they teach us about culture."
