A unique program geared toward raising academic standards in Stamford held its second annual graduation ceremony Saturday.

The program is called Middle School Readiness Academy. It takes some of Stamford's lowest performing fifth-graders and enrolls them in Saturday school, which parents are also required to attend.

Every Saturday for the last 19 weeks, parents have joined their students in the classroom at Dolan Middle School. ?When we come together and support each other it helps each other,? said parent Britte Hardy.

No matter what background, students and parents in the program said they are committed to change.

Program director Eileen Swerdlick said students, combined with their parents and strong teachers, build success. She said the program is ultimately about empowerment.

Swerdlick says 27 percent of the students who graduated from the Middle School Readiness Academy last year became honor students. All of them have raised their GPA.

As part of the ceremony, students promised to stay committed to learning and parents handed them program completion certificates.