Free treats for great school grades

RUSSELL Vinson, 11, rushed to his local corner store after school. He went straight to the counter and handed his report card to the man behind it.

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"Russell, again!" exclaimed Wail Alselwi, the manager of Zack's Finest Deli & Grocery in Staten Island. "I see that stamp right there, man, honour roll!"

Alselwi who goes by "Wally" handed Russell a $100 bill, then told him to grab whatever he wanted from the store to celebrate his 92.67% average.

Russell took a carton of eggs for his mother, who is a baker, plus a bunch of snacks and sweets for himself.

"Let's go, Russell! Keep it up," Alselwi said.

Russell is one of dozens of the pupils who have come into the bodega (small corner store) to show their grades to Alselwi over the past two years. In exchange for good grades, Alselwi lets them take some goodies for free, and if they earn above a 90% average, they get $100 as well, plus a T-shirt.

"I push them to do better in school," Alselwi said. "Believe me, it's working."

Russell lives across the street from the convenience store and has been bringing his report cards to Alselwi since the beginning of the school year.

"Wally was very impressed by his grades," said Russell's mother, Manisha Smith.

Although Russell has always been a good learner, he improved his grades this year with Alselwi's encouragement. On Russell's most recent report card, his average was 97.25%.

"I love it," said Smith. "I definitely think it's a good thing that he's doing."