Hamtramck High School presented its senior-focused Decision Day events, recapped a weeklong HBCU college tour and outlined a pilot summer bridge program for incoming ninth-graders during the Hamtramck School District Board of Education meeting.

Decision Day, described by Assistant Principal Ayanna Vance, recognizes seniors’ postsecondary commitments — including two students headed to Ivy League schools and many enrolling at community colleges, HBCUs and local universities. Vance said the event combines college and trade‑school partners, alumni panels, and a senior brunch and pinning ceremony to create accountability around students’ enrollment decisions and to engage parents in the transition to postsecondary life.

The board also heard a report on a multi‑campus Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) tour chaperoned by district staff and organized with New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Presenters listed the institutions visited on the trip — Tennessee State University, Meharry Medical College, Howard University, Morgan State University, Virginia Union University, Morehouse College, Livingstone College, Spelman College, North Carolina A&T, and Virginia State University — and said the five‑day trip totaled roughly 1,790 miles. Staff said the tour was financed with grant funds and aimed to expose students, many of whom are first‑generation college applicants, to campus life, admissions offices and financial aid resources.

Principal Schroeder and staff said the tour sparked student interest: previously quiet students became engaged, some indicating interest in applying to visited colleges. Schroeder said district leaders will follow with academic supports so students who choose college are better prepared to succeed.

To support that follow-up, the district outlined a summer bridge pilot at the high school for 60 incoming ninth‑grade students. The program runs about three and a half weeks and blends an initial week of “essential skills” (time management, note taking, adaptability) with two interdisciplinary seminar weeks that use project‑based, pre‑AP strategies to bridge core content (math, science, social studies, language arts). The program will include field trips (Motown Museum, Detroit Zoo or an equivalent) and conclude with a 2½‑day retreat on a college campus; teachers will use the summer to build relationships and jump‑start chapters 1–2 of core courses so students begin fall classes with foundational content.

Speakers emphasized that Decision Day and the HBCU tour are part of a larger effort to “plant seeds” and couple exposure trips with follow‑up academic supports so students can both access and persist in college programs. Board members were told the tour and the bridge pilot were supported by grant funds; staff said additional bridge programming and retention supports are planned in coordination with district leaders and community partners.

The board did not take a separate formal vote on these program reports; staff requested continued board support for the ongoing summer bridge pilot and for alignment of follow‑up interventions.

The district said they will circulate materials and videos from the HBCU tour to board members and continue community outreach to increase parent participation in Decision Day events.