North Charleston schools courting students
Middle schools plan meetings to try to change negative perceptions
By Diette Courrégé
If you go
Parents of prospective North Charleston middle school students are invited to attend meetings about what's being offered:
--Brentwood Middle, 2685 Leeds Ave., today at noon and 6 p.m.
--Birney Middle, 7750 Pinehurst St., today at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Hundreds of North Charleston children opt to go to middle schools elsewhere in the district rather than trying the ones in their neighborhoods.
School officials say negative misconceptions linger about what classes and hallways are like at these middle schools, and they say it's time to change students' and parents' perceptions.
Each of the North Charleston middle schools will host meetings to give families of elementary school children information about the schools' offerings. They hope the meetings will allay prospective parents' concerns about the schools' quality and climate, which traditionally has been sub-par.
"We just want them to give us a chance," said LaWanda Glears, principal of Brentwood Middle School.
Similar recruitment efforts are more common in private and charter schools but less so among traditional
neighborhood schools. Each North Charleston middle school has reached out to families through mailings and phone calls, and the meetings will be similar to open houses.
Officials at Haut Gap Middle on Johns Island and Schroder Middle in Hollywood are making similar attempts to encourage the area's students to attend their schools.
"The reason we want them back is all schools, public or private, are made more effective with parent involvement, and we want and need parents and kids to want to be there and to support the effort and be a part of improvement," said Associate Superintendent Patricia Yandle, who oversees the district's middle schools.
Each of the three North Charleston middle schools has at least 95 students who plan to transfer to other higher-performing middle schools next school year under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Yandle said. Most of those students were incoming sixth-graders.
Under the federal law, students from under-performing schools can transfer to eligible schools in their district. That means North Charleston middle-schoolers can attend some higher-performing schools in Charleston, Mount Pleasant or West Ashley.
Yandle said many parents tend to be tentative and nervous about middle school because of the unknown factors facing children. The meetings are an attempt to familiarize families with schools so they don't feel as uncertain about them as well as put to rest fears of past circumstances and rumors involving the schools, she said.
Some schools are adding new programs next year. Morningside Middle will have an increased focus on technology, and Birney Middle will be implementing a program at every grade level to prepare students for rigorous Advanced Placement courses. Brentwood Middle plans to offer an arts-infused curriculum that includes courses in drama, chorus and dance, a first for the school. Students also will have the opportunity to learn instruments, and core academic classes such as math and science will include arts-related lessons.
Girls and boys will be separated during their core academic classes, but they will take their elective classes together.
"The main focus for the meeting is to share with parents the new Brentwood because that's what we're calling it," Glears said. "We have a new mission and a new vision. … We have decreased our suspension rate, increased our attendance rate and we're making some positive strides."
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Comments
belovedbliff (anonymous) says...
More gimmicks to help these failing predominately African-American schools. Has anyone thought about changing the leadership at them?
May 29, 2008 at 5:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karmann (anonymous) says...
How did the schools do on the report cards? How are the current discipline issues? Have these been resolved yet? Is progress, actual progress, been seen?
May 29, 2008 at 7:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
It would be nice if more folks were like the president of the Morningside PTA who is very involved in that school. She is constantly making folks in the neighborhood aware of what is going on and the positive things happening there. Mandy is a credit to that school and to her community and a person that others who are concerned with failing schoold should emulate. Oh, and she not only does not have a child in that school, she does not have any children at all!
May 29, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gcmadness (anonymous) says...
What happened at the waterpark on Monday is a reflection of Noth Charleston and it's schools. Sad but true!
May 29, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Were all the ones involved at the park from North Charleston or were any of them from Ladson, Summerville or Goose Creek?
May 29, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
By that logic, madness, the three thugs from mt. pleasant that beat the crap out of two others is a reflection of Mt. P. Sad but true.
May 29, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
The point is that one can not judge a place ny the worst of its citizens. I mean, I guess you can. But that's just really pathetic. WHy not look at the best of it's citizens -- like Mandi (the Morningside PTA president) and use them as the standard by which we judge our communities.
May 29, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
And one of those thugs was the grandson of the Mayor! Shows what a shining example folks in that family set for their kids and grandkids.
May 29, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
halfsheli: is that the group that Mayor Hallman's grandson was part of?
May 29, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
That's the one.
May 29, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nochasgirl (anonymous) says...
Curious how things are going at Birney with the former Cario Principal? I don't mind the students transferring to Mt Pleasant schools if they are doing it for academics, but from what I see, that is not the case. I never realized Cario rated high enough to qualify for NCLB students.
May 29, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
raregar --
I didn't compare. I used violent criminals from Mt. Pleasant as an example that -- wait for it -- wait for it -- people from other areas (aside evil North Charleston) of Charleston county commmit crimes.
I was, in fact, promoting the influence of one North Charleston resident. She is a lovely, thoughtful, articulate, and amzingly generous woman who believes in her community and the children within. I will seek to advance that influence on this comment board and many more if given the chance.
I live in North Charleston, and proudly so. I have wonderful neighbors in my community. We care just as much about our homes as you do about yours. I take it from your post that you do not live in North Chuck. I would be willing to bet that that you have not spent much time there lately, either. What a shame that you base your ignorant posts on what you read and see in the media. Too bad you do not see that North Charleston has its role in media stereotyping. North Chuck is the ghetto, while the refined, white people spend their days of family wholesome goodness in Mt. P. Those of us who live here are fine with that though. We would rather that you stay away. If the threat of mugging does the trick, then so be it.
May 29, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
By the way, I don't know where you are from, but it's NEVER too early for cocktail hour!
May 29, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
halfsheli,
re: cocktail hour
You are quite correct, madam, that it is never too early for cocktail hour!
May 29, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Charles_Town (anonymous) says...
gcmadness what happened at the water park is a reflection on parenting (or lack of) not the schools. Those parents are probably the same ones who blindly take up for their child against any other public authority be it the police, the schools, etc...
May 29, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bkeelin (anonymous) says...
I understand a lot of the trouble makers were from Garrett Academy and N. Charleston High. Two rival schools.
May 29, 2008 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slick50 (anonymous) says...
North Charleston schools courting students? I thought only their security guards courted students :-)
May 29, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mrsmomofthree (anonymous) says...
Good one Slick 50. Love it!!
Charleston county is horrible. I am always commenting about the lack of leadership at these schools. Do something about it and quit "bitching". I heard that word from Ravenel and thought I would throw that in there.
May 29, 2008 at 5:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ParkCircle4Ever (anonymous) says...
This article is a bit misleading. The schools are not 'recruiting' students. They are merely announcing the focus changes at their respective schools to parents of kids choosing schools other than their home school due to NCLB. They have a right to do that and they should. I think the Fine Arts Focus that Ms Glears is pushing at Brentwood is an awesome idea and infusing arts into the curriculum is an innovative way to reach students. There is no such thing as a bad school, I'm sick of hearing it. There are bad kids, bad parents, bad home environments, but Ms. Glears is finishing her second year at Brentwood and working hard to change its reputation. On several visits I have come on gone with not a scratch. The kids awaiting rides at the door said hello when I came and have nice day when I left. I would encourage each of you to visit and see for yourself that they are overcoming the ridiculous reputation that Rocky D and the P&C perpetuate. LET IT GO and let them prosper. Yes bad things have transpired at that school, must they be ridiculed forever? What happened at the water park is NOT a reflection of any school it is a reflection of horrible parenting. End of story.
May 30, 2008 at 3:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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