During the 2024–2025 academic year, the MET in the Text was conceived after a conversation in the summer between the Simmons Center's Manager of Public Education and Community Outreach Reina Thomas and Advisors Maria Gonzalez and Meg Cresci from the MET (The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical School). Gonzalez and Cresci are responsible as advisors for partnering with mentors, parents/guardians, and students to build individualized learning plans for each student, while also providing students with foundational skills like literacy and numeracy through broad-based subjects. 

Since the primary focus at the MET is the students’ internships, we chose to collaborate on strengthening their literacy skills by designing a year-long literacy program. More importantly, we aimed to inspire a genuine passion for reading. Throughout the year, students engaged with texts by acclaimed young adult author Jason Reynolds, specifically “A Long Way Down” and “For Everyone,” supplemented by additional materials integrated into a curriculum built around his work. The program also featured visits from guest storyteller Marlon Carey of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers, as well as performances by poets Justice Ameer Gaines and Sage Morgan-Hubbard. The year concluded with a special visit from Jason Reynolds himself, made possible through the support of Brown University Libraries and the Providence Public School District.

With a structure in place from the 2024–2025 academic year, the Simmons Center is looking forward to welcoming Gonzalez and Cresi’s 9th grade advisees to MET in the Text this upcoming academic year.

Reina Thomas

Manager of Public Education Initiatives and Community Outreach