4/15/2011 11:00:00 PMStudents spend the night at school

April 15, 2011

 By Deb Lee, WEWS-TV

CLEVELAND - Sleeping in school is usually not allowed.  But Friday night was an exception.

John Adams High School freshmen brought their blankets and sleeping bags for a night of workshops on leadership, character development and decision-making.

"What I want them to take away is a sense of accountability, understanding decisions they make and the effects they have and being committed to being better, working harder and giving back to the community, " said Brian Simmons, John Adams Linkage Coordinator.

The students are all in the Closing the Achievement Gap program, designed to help African American males stay in high school and graduate.  Simmons links students in the program to whatever services they need to help them achieve.

"He keeps us focused," said John Franklin,  a freshman in the program. "It's little brother and big brother and I'm thankful."