American Education Week: Philly schools highlight initiatives to motivate, inspire students

PHILADELPHIA - Schools in Philadelphia celebrated American Education Week by highlighting programs helping to motivate and inspire students across the district. 

Students at Henry C Lea Elementary School in West Philadelphia were tutored Monday by faculty from the University of Pennsylvania for the second year.

One educator from the Ivy League school said the initiative yielded the highest data in every recorded category. 

Elsewhere in West Philadelphia, the Andrew Hamilton School showed off the first-of-its-kind robotics programs for students in grades K-8.

The William C. Bryant School boasted their "Bear Den" Monday, a room full of games and fun that students can gain entry to by earning points for exhibiting the school's core values of safety, responsibility, respectfulness and preparation.

"This is not the time when we were in school where they say ‘just do it'," Principal Bahir Hayes told FOX 29. "The kids are not going to just do it, they need to be motivated, they want to know what they get in return for doing this, they want to know why school is important." 

The Bear Den also has a store loaded with donated items the students can use their points to purchase, including video game consoles and toys.