Students and tutors from the Dorchester Education and Enrichment Program —Project DEEP — replaced their pencils with pizza and swapped their workbooks for wings at the organization’s annual recognition night last Thursday evening at Florian Hall.
The non-profit, established by Brendan McDonough in 1996, runs a popular education program that helps neighborhood kids excel academically, athletically, and socially.
The celebratory event also doubled as a fundraiser for the 2025 Rodman Ride for Kids and gave participants the chance to meet the people they will be biking for during the May 17 ride.
The Rodman family and Project DEEP go way back, said McDonough, who noted that the late Don Rodman was instrumental in promoting the group’s mission.
“I drove down to Foxborough, met with Don Rodman, told him what I was doing, what I wanted to do, and he said, ‘Don’t stop what you’re doing, keep going.’ And then two weeks later, I got a check for $10,000,” said McDonough.
Soon after, with the help of former Mayor Tom Menino, Project DEEP set up its home at the Leahy-Holloran Community Center.
Now in its 29th year, the program recently expanded its programming by launching the Excel Program, an 8-week math and analytical writing/reading comprehension course for fifth and sixth-grade students.
“A significant part of Project DEEP and our program involves assisting students with the application process for private and exam schools,” explained Michael McDonough, the program assistant. “We do this because these schools offer the best opportunity for our students to succeed in the future. This year, we are sending 21 of our students to private and exam schools.”
Added Executive director Ryan McCarthy: “We want to help put our children in a position to create a brighter future for themselves and their families. We want to serve the Dorchester youth to the best of our abilities, and we aspire to leave every student better than when we found him or her.”
Next fall, those students will begin their journeys at Archbishop Williams High School, Boston College High School, Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, Catholic Memorial, John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, and The Roxbury Latin School.
Though the acceptances speak for themselves, Brendan McDonough says DEEP. measures its success based on the return rate.
“I judge our success on when these kids go on and graduate, do they come back and be tutors? It should be evergreen, and it typically is,” he said.
Thursday’s event awardees included Cian Tobin, who won the Student Commitment Award, and Sam Braithwaite, who received the Daniel O’Hara Memorial Community Service Award.
Additionally, middle schooler Aaron Nguyen and elementary student Avery Woods were recognized for accumulating the most points, which are earned through tutoring hours, community service, and extra credit essays.
Tutors, like 16-year-old Alannah Tankle, were also recognized for their service.
“DEEP is so much fun,” said Tankle, who attends Archbishop Williams High and hopes to be a pediatric nurse one day. “I just joined the tutoring program this year, but seeing how much these people really care for these kids and how much they want to do for them is inspiring. Even when I’m off in college, I still want to come back.”
Niamh McManus was recognized as the essay contest winner.
While reading her work before an audience of about 200 attendees, McManus partly attributed her success on the placement exam to the tutoring help she has received at the program.
“Project DEEP provides such great help, and I’m so happy to be a part of it,” said the soon-to-be seventh grader. “When I’m older, I hope to still be a part of the program, and I hope to be able to tutor kids. I want to make a difference in both my life and theirs.”
Her mother, Nicole, has noticed the program’s impact, too. “I have seen her grow in confidence and be way more independent with her work and trying to go that extra mile,” she said.
From left: Brendan McDonough, Michael McDonough, Councillor John FitzGerald, and Ryan McCarthy. Cassidy McNeeley photo
Eleven-year-old Quinton Vo was the other essay winner. He said that DEEP is a place where he can “learn, discover new opportunities, and have fun.”
He added, “Even though I only go once a week, I always feel like I gain something important. DEEP is helping me become a better student and a more confident person overall.”
Quinton’s father, Phung, agreed and is happy to see his son working with teens who attend the schools he aspires to go to.
“The tutors talk to us about school activities and things we could do to get ready for what’s ahead,” said Quinton. “I learn about different schools and after-school programs. These conversations make me think of what I want to do when I’m older. Project DEEP has shown me there are many opportunities out there that are exciting.”
Those participating in the Rodman Ride, including Savin Hill’s Diane Lescinskas, were moved by McManus’s and Vo’s essays.
Lescinskas’s three daughters went through the DEEP program years ago. Next week, she plans to bike 50 miles so other kids can have the same opportunities that her children had.
“What has inspired me is that I saw the benefit my kids received from Project DEEP, and then every year I come to an event like this, and I see all the other students benefiting from what it does for them,” said Lescinskas. “In my small way, I can do something, get on my bike and ride 50 miles. I’m happy to do it for such a great cause.”
