9 Chester Community Charter School students receive $1,000 for academic improvement

EDDYSTONE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Nine students at Chester Community Charter School were rewarded with a $1,000 Walmart gift for showing significant improvement in their academic performance since last year.

The biggest problem Mehki Taylor had was deciding what he was going buy with his $1,000.

"I wanted to get a bike, a helmet and a hoverboard and clothes and stuff that I need," Mekhi Taylor, a student.

The 8-year-old was even feeling generous offering to buy his dad a flat-screen TV.

The annual incentive program started in 2017 by CSMI Education Management generously donated the funding to reward scholars for their growth and inspire others.

"This is really about growth, it's about effort, it's about how much movement you've shown from one year to the next," said Dan Weinles with CSMI Education Management.

"We just are so amazed at the fact that they have this level of tenacity. It's not always about standardized assessments it's about educating the whole child," said Alphonso Evans, Chester Community Charter School.

Taylor's parents say the $1,000 is the gift the keeps on giving-for parents too. They plan on making this his Christmas present. But Mehki, who turns nine in December, will still be getting a birthday present.