A Plus 11/20/08: Codman Academy's Keith Nolen
Mattapan Teen Overcomes Neighborhood; Inspires Younger Students
POSTED: 11:23 am EST November 16,
2008
UPDATED: 5:57 pm EST November 20,
2008
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BOSTON -- Every two weeks, NewsCenter 5 presents a high school senior who has taken the lessons of the classroom and applied them to life. This week's A Plus student is Codman Academy Charter School's Keith Nolen.NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that Keith is called the heart and soul of the Dorchester school and leads by example.
Meet Tonight's A Plus Student Keith Nolen"What I do affects everyone else here in the school, so if I'm doing something good, hopefully then they'll do something good," Keith said.A February school trip to South Africa helped awaken the 17 year old."Kids were walking around barefoot ... and there were kids who were just in the mud puddles trying to drink water ... it really sort of honestly kind of hurt me to see all that," said Keith.Keith returned to Boston humbled, inspired and eager to mentor younger students."He was different, there was just a peace about him. I can't explain it, he was more peaceful. He didn't have that combative air about him anymore," said acting teacher Lynne Johnson.The student council president and B-average student is the type of kid who brings people together through laughter. During the Huntington Theater summer production of Comedy of Errors, Keith donned a wig and stole the show."It's a time for me to be who I would like to be, but I know I'm not," Keith said."What this allows him to do is just let go of whatever it is, what's bugging him and put it out there," said Johnson.Keith has slowly begun to share his problems with fellow students and teachers: a financially strained single mother and his Mattapan neighborhood plagued by gun violence."She's laid off most of the time and it's hard financially to keep food in the house, keep the rent up ... I've seen people on drugs I've seen people who've been shot, who've been stabbed, who've been molested, raped, all that stuff and I see the type of path that I can go down if I pursue that path, but then I also realize that I can do so much better," Keith said.It is a lesson Keith shares every chance he gets.If you know a special student who truly makes a difference in his or her classroom, e-mail us your nomination. Please include your phone number.
Meet Tonight's A Plus Student Keith Nolen"What I do affects everyone else here in the school, so if I'm doing something good, hopefully then they'll do something good," Keith said.A February school trip to South Africa helped awaken the 17 year old."Kids were walking around barefoot ... and there were kids who were just in the mud puddles trying to drink water ... it really sort of honestly kind of hurt me to see all that," said Keith.Keith returned to Boston humbled, inspired and eager to mentor younger students."He was different, there was just a peace about him. I can't explain it, he was more peaceful. He didn't have that combative air about him anymore," said acting teacher Lynne Johnson.The student council president and B-average student is the type of kid who brings people together through laughter. During the Huntington Theater summer production of Comedy of Errors, Keith donned a wig and stole the show."It's a time for me to be who I would like to be, but I know I'm not," Keith said."What this allows him to do is just let go of whatever it is, what's bugging him and put it out there," said Johnson.Keith has slowly begun to share his problems with fellow students and teachers: a financially strained single mother and his Mattapan neighborhood plagued by gun violence."She's laid off most of the time and it's hard financially to keep food in the house, keep the rent up ... I've seen people on drugs I've seen people who've been shot, who've been stabbed, who've been molested, raped, all that stuff and I see the type of path that I can go down if I pursue that path, but then I also realize that I can do so much better," Keith said.It is a lesson Keith shares every chance he gets.If you know a special student who truly makes a difference in his or her classroom, e-mail us your nomination. Please include your phone number.Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
