Mayor Thomas Menino paid a visit to Dorchester’s Jeremiah E. Burke School last Thursday to highlight a promising new partnership between the Boston Scholar Athlete (BSA) program and the Princeton Review that will begin this fall.

Under the plan, Princeton Review admissions specialists will work directly with 25 “high achieving” juniors in each public school for training sessions during the school day. The focus will be on preparing the students for SAT exams, which have historically been a challenge for BPS students, who on average score 200 points below the national average.

This is the latest and best sign that the three year-old BSA program — led by Suffolk Construction’s John Fish— is gaining real traction. Fish also announced last week that the program will receive $3 million for the 2011-12 academic year to include an additional 1,000 students.

The results of this SAT prep program should be closely tracked and scrutinized, but the prospect of helping more neighborhood kids get on the college track deserves our support and praise.

– Bill Forry

Extra special delivery
The Reporter is pleased to welcome a new addition to its family this week: Nathaniel Burton Edward Sorrell was born last Friday to our advertising representative Maureen Forry and her fiancée, Aaron Sorrell. Both mom and baby — who weighed in eight pounds, six ounces— are doing great. Welcome to the neighborhood, Nate!