Yellowstone Schools' first college grads lauded for 'one of the first steps toward building a more just society'

Yellowstone Schools celebrated its first students to receive college educations at its annual event April 8.

For the fourth consecutive year, Party in the Park was held at McGovern Centennial Gardens in Texas Medical Center. Music, dancing, garden games and catered food from Pappas Restaurant were available to the 400 attendees with a total of $831,547 raised for scholarships for students to attend Yellowstone Schools.

Founded in 2001, Yellowstone Schools provides a quality, faith-based education to financially disadvantaged students in Houston's Third Ward.

"In serving a majority black population during a time of profound social and racial unrest, Yellowstone’s mission and work are uniquely positioned to provide hope, healing, and a meaningful path forward for our whole community," Thomas Parker, the director of grants and communications, told Houston Daily. "Providing equitable access to high-quality educational opportunities is one of the first steps towards building a more just society."

The event honored the first class of alumni that started graduating from college in 2020. Due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, Parker said they did the best they could to make the event notable for the graduates.

"We prayed over them and sent them out with a blessing," Parker said. "As part of our celebration, we premiered a video where some of our first college grads came back to reflect on their time at Yellowstone Schools. This moving video demonstrates just how important a community of support is."

Yellowstone Schools is made up of Yellowstone Academy and Yellowstone College Prep, which are separate school systems both housed at a single campus in Houston’s Third Ward.

In Yellowstone communities, Parker says that 10% of students are expected to complete a post-secondary education.

"Yellowstone Schools serve nearly 450 students – of these, 99% are black, and 1% are Hispanic," Parker said. "About 96% qualify for the national free and reduced lunch program, indicating that their household is economically disadvantaged."

Yellowstone has defied the odds, proving that what it is doing is working, with 80% of their college-age alumni attending a post-secondary school or vocational certification program.

“Yellowstone helped me accomplish more than I ever would have dreamed of doing, such as pursuing a master’s in education degree,” said Brea Groce, who graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2020, in a release from the school.

In addition to Groce, former Yellowstone students who were honored at the event were Roneisha Gamble, University of Houston; Alyssa Germon, Lamar University; Nick Jones, Houston Baptist University; and Emerance Murekatete, Houston Baptist University.

Soon-to-be college graduates include Timera Adams, University of Houston; Marvin Anariva, Houston Community College; Christine Cooper, Prairie View A&M University; and Jasmine Ward, Houston Baptist University.