American Graduate Day 2015 returns this fall for its fourth consecutive year. Soledad O’Brien will host the all-day broadcast which airs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, on Nashville Public Television. Broadcast and streamed live from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City, the annual multiplatform event is part of the public media initiative, American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, helping communities bolster graduation rates through the power and reach of local public media stations.
Featuring seven hours of national and local programming, live interviews and performances, American Graduate Day 2015 will celebrate the exceptional work of individuals and groups across the country who are American Graduate Champions helping local youth stay on track to college and career successes.
During the half-hour programming blocks, NPT will broadcast a series of original short videos highlighting Middle Tennessee high school students and people who work with them. “Student Voices” videos are brief, but powerful because they feature high schoolers sharing their challenges and triumphs in their own words.
American Graduate Day 2015 will be anchored by “Stories of Champions,” a series of 14 one-minute profile pieces scheduled to air every half hour, which will spotlight individuals and influential figures in local communities around the country who are successfully keeping students on the path to graduation. The broadcast and online event will be divided into 14 half-hour blocks featuring a mix of live breaks and pre-taped partner segments that spotlight the organizations reinvigorating communities around the country and illustrate how they provide support, advice, and intervention services to at-risk students, families, and schools.
This year’s broadcast will also feature seven mini-documentaries that highlight the extraordinary work organizations are doing across the nation. NPT’s “American Graduate Champions” videos also spotlight local institutions and individuals working with students to help then stay in school and go on to lead productive adult lives. Click the links to view NPT’s “Champions” and “Student Voices” videos, or watch for them on-air.