Motivating teenagers to stay in school is harder than you might think. The dropout crisis is real, and multiple attempts are under way to try to convince kids, one by one, to keep going. The video you see above is part of a campaign called “Get Schooled.” West Seattle High School is participating, and there’s a rap/rhyme contest too. One participating WSHS student e-mailed WSB with his video link – it’s a 1-minute video, full of local scenery! – and this explanation:

My name is Ryan Gluckman, I am a Junior at West Seattle High School, and I am participating in “Get Schooled,” a campaign focused on motivating kids to graduate high school, and be on time to class. This program is relatively exclusive, including only 25 schools in the nation, one of them being WSHS. Participating students submit a rhyme & video that explain how they stay motivated in school. I wrote, directed, performed, and co-produced an entire video along with the help of my fellow student, a Senior at West Seattle High School, Lucas Saunders. We filmed the entire video in West Seattle. WSHS showed support for my video [earlier this week] by playing my song over the intercom in the hallways inbetween classes.

Ryan also shared this link explaining the video contest and why your support matters. He has a Facebook page for his participation in the contest, too – you can show support by “liking” it here. Note that you have to sign up with the Get Schooled site to vote – though the checklist makes it look like you can’t participate if you’re over 19, the rules clearly say anyone over 13 can vote; deadline for voting is March 18th. (P.S. If you wondered who’s behind Get Schooled – we did – its “partners” are listed here, including the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).