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Several of the Cathedral City elementary schools have gotten involved in “No Excuses University,” a program which involves having the schools or classes “adopted” by one or more colleges in an effort to get students motivated about attending college at an early age. Landau Elementary has already begun official members of “No Excuses University,” and Cathedral City and Agua Caliente are in their application process.

Agua Caliente First Graders

Cathedral City Elementary - No Excuses University

Above are two examples of recent adoption. At left, Cathy Liss’ first grade class (class of 2023) was recently adopted by the University of North Carolina’s Pembroke campus. If you ask her students where they are going after high school, they say “We’re going to college!” At right, Martha McDevitt’s class 5^th grade class at Cathedral City Elementary was recently adopted by the University of Indiana thanks to the efforts of local KNews talk-show host Anita Rufus, who reads to McDevitt’s class as part of the BookPALS program.  Rufus introduced the idea to her friend Jack Kimberling, a retired Los Angeles lawyer, political author and now local resident who is also an active alumnus of Indiana University and its Law School. Kimberling took it to IU, and they readily agreed to the adoption. McDevitt’s students received t-shirts and other materials about IU.

Pictured with the students are from left rear, Principal Tony Signoret, Director Elementary Education Frank Tinney, Rufus, Kimberling, Board of Education Member Gary Jeandron and McDevitt.

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