Rosie’s Theater Kids has hired Lara Paquette as its Academic Coordinator, formally launching a program to more fully serve its roster of disadvantaged students.

Throughout the past number of years, RTKids has informally provided mentoring and academic help to its scholarship students; now, the organization has solidified its commitment to the academic pursuits of its students by bringing Ms. Paquette on in the newly created position of Academic Coordinator. Paquette offers a wealth of experience in reaching students in this capacity, formerly teaching at the Brooklyn School for Music and Theater in Prospect Heights.

Since its first class of 8th graders in 2007, 95% of RTKids’s ACTE II students who have applied for specialized and selective NYC public high schools were accepted, most of whom chose to attend a specialized performing arts high school. This year, 100% of RTKids 8th graders were accepted into these schools. In 2011, students from RTKids first class of high school graduates will be attending the University of Michigan’s Musical Theater program, College of New Rochelle, and Macaulay Honors College at Baruch, all with full or significant scholarships.

Ms. Paquette will be working with the roster of approximately 150 ACTE II scholarship students in grades 6-12, assessing each of their scholastic strengths and weaknesses, and creating a structured program for each level of student. Volunteer tutors from institutes of higher education as well as mentors from the corporate community will be incorporated into the program.

RTKids’ goal is to ensure that each student is provided the resources, structure, and assistance needed to graduate high school and move on to a college or university.