Teachers Sacrifice Saturdays To Help Englewood Students Meet Graduation Requirements

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- On Tuesday, dozens of students at a New Jersey high school will walk across the stage to get their diplomas, and they'll have a few teachers to thank.

As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, the educators gave up part of their weekends to make sure the students graduate.

The stage is set for graduation at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, but Charday Mason wasn't always sure she'd see the day.

"I was upset, and sad, and disappointed," she said.

Mason -- one of 78 seniors in her class of 285 -- fell short of the state's graduation requirement due to low PARCC test scores. It was the first time the scores were used to assess students in Englewood.

"In my old school they would have just told you that you're not graduating. They wouldn't have done anything," Paula Escobar said.

To first year Superintendent Robert Kravitz, dozens of students not graduating was simply not an option.

"We need to solve, we need to act. The time is now to help kids," Kravitz said.

School administrators and teachers came up with a plan to tutor students each Saturday, to meet alternative graduation requirements.

'We knew it was the best way. We needed to get the kids in a quiet space where they could focus," teacher Michael Hellegers said.

"It was just natural to get in here and help them so they could realize their dreams," Daniel Markert said.

"I was excited because it was like, 'Yes, there's something I could do to make it up," Anthony Balkaran said.

For weeks, students and teachers gave up their Saturdays to ensure the 78 students would graduate. On Tuesday, 77 will walk across the stage to receive their diploma.

"I will be happy because I did it with the help of my teachers. Without them I wouldn't be where I am now," one student said.

"I might just cry. I think I'm gonna cry. I'm gonna be excited though because I can finally leave, go to college, and move on," another said.

It's a new beginning that might never even have started.