“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,” said Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Morton Sherman, referring to T.C.’s “Persistently Lowest Achieving” label. “It is an opportunity.” At an Agenda: Alexandria meeting on May 23, Sherman and members of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (SFA) discussed the changes and challenges in the school system and the various ways in which the community can support students. Founded in 1986, the SFA serves as an example of community support for students who need financial assistance.

SFA Trustee Sindy Benavides is among the 3400 Alexandria residents who have benefited from the organization’s scholarships. Benavides’ parents emigrated from Honduras to Los Angeles; they later decided to move to Virginia after hearing that Virginia had a strong public school system. “I attended a school that was very supportive,” said Benavides. When Benavides was in fifth grade, her teacher transformed her education by placing her in honors classes. “[My teacher] saw in me a potential I did not see in myself,” said Benavides.

When Benavides entered 12th grade, she wanted to attend college but knew that her family, who at one point had been homeless, could not afford tuition. Although a school counselor encouraged her to join the military or learn a trade, a teacher guided her through the college admissions process and encouraged her to apply for scholarships. “This is where the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria stepped in,” said Benavides. “[It] provided financial help and hope that I could actually go and access a higher education. It changed my life.” Benavides attended Virginia State University, graduated as Valedictorian in three years and went to American University. She continues to be grateful for her scholarship. “There are thousands of students who crave…that opportunity to succeed [but whose families need financial assistance],” said Benavides.

Assistant Secretary of Education Douglas Garcia also benefited from the SFA’s work. He and his family emigrated from El Salvador to escape the civil war and seek opportunities in America. “We came from very humble backgrounds,” said Garcia. He helped his father manage his family’s Italian restaurant and attended Northern Virginia Community College after receiving a scholarship from the SFA. After two years he transferred to James Madison University and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international affairs.

On Garcia’s graduation day he was unhappy to see that his parents were not in the audience. “As I [was] walking up, they called my name. I was so upset,” said Garcia. “[Then] all I heard was this loud roar from the back of the crowd. My parents had brought 25 or 30 family members.” Garcia’s relatives were almost late because they had to find parking spaces.

“All of their struggles [and] sacrifices paid off,” said Garcia. “It wasn’t just [me] graduating; it was all of us.”

The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria ensures that all students have the opportunity to attend college, even if they cannot afford to do so.

“A small group of Alexandria citizens, including school board members, decided to do something about academically qualified ACPS graduates who could not afford college [tuition],” said SFA Director Susan Yowell. “We are building an educated workforce to ensure the vitality of this city. There are no jobs for young people without higher education in Alexandria.”

Such support is essential to the school system. According to Sherman, the ACPS student population has increased by more than 13 percent during the past three years; the fastest growing group is English Language Learners (ELL), 29 percent of whom drop out. Fifty-six percent of ACPS students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch.

In the 2009-2010 school year, the Virginia Department of Education designated T.C. as “Persistently Lowest Achieving” based on English and Math Standards of Learning (SOL) scores. “It was their way of reaching out,” said Sherman.”[ACPS has] underserved thousands of students for decades.” According to Sherman, T.C. has three years to transform into a school that can be “held as a model for the rest of the country.”

“We are trying the best we can to motivate students,” said Principal Suzanne Maxey concerning the incentives for students who pass their Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. This year, students who pass their SOLs with a score of a 400 or above will receive various rewards.

If a student scores a 400 or better on an SOL, he or she has the option of not taking a final exam and using the score on the SOL as a final grade.

Students who score a 400 to a 450 and choose to be exempt from their final exam will receive a “C,” 450-500 for a “B,” and 500-600 for an “A.”

“All teachers are required to comply with this incentive for regular classes,” said Maxey. “For Honors and AP classes, it will be up to the teacher’s professional judgment to decide if they will comply.”

Students who pass their SOLs will also be entered into a raffle to win prizes such as gift cards and an iPod touch. Students are entered each time they pass an SOL, giving them more chances to win. “Teachers are doing all kinds of things to help motivate their students,” said Maxey.

“Some teachers are taking their students to McDonalds if they pass.”

History teacher Philip Engle has used similar tactics with his tenth grade students in the past. “I have bought Five Guys for lunch for any student who earned a perfect 600 on their SOL,” said Engle.

He agrees with the incentives but does not plan to use SOL to inflate the grades of students taking his higher level classes. “Not every program or idea is going to impact every student,” said Engle. “But if it motivates some [students] to continue to work and take the test seriously, then I’m all for it.”

History teacher Molly Freitag, like Engle, will not be using the SOL scores for her AP classes. “I think the final grade incentives are totally fine,” said Freitag. “I also understand the motivation behind the [raffled] incentives, but at some point you have to consider that it’s as if we’re paying students to do well on a state test that is the minimum of what they should know.” English teacher  and Department head, Sarah Kiyak will not be incorporating SOL scores into her AP students’ final grades but is giving incentives to students who attend her SOL remediation class that she co-teaches with English teacher Patrick Welsh.

“Mr. Welsh and I have been giving students gift cards for outstanding participation during class, and have even gotten them pizza for lunch,” said Kiyak. “I think that the incentives are good because by giving them to students it shows that we care about them and appreciate their effort.”

Students, like teachers, see the benefits in taking SOLs seriously. “I think everyone just wants to pass their SOLs so they don’t have to take their final,” said junior Grand Roberson. “That’s what I’m working for. But I don’t think giving away an iPod is going to motivate students, because most of them already have one.”

Sophomore Cesar Varela leans in favor of the incentives. “I think it’s a good way to motivate students,” said Varela. “Since students can now get a grade for doing well on their SOL, they’ll want to pass the test.” Junior Lauren Gustafson agrees. “I hate taking finals and I usually do well on SOLs, so the incentives are good for me.”

These incentives have been implemented due to T.C.’s Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) designation that is based on the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) rating. T.C. has never made AYP since it was established by the No Child Left Behind law in 2001. “The purpose of the incentives is to ensure maximum participation and [student] performance during SOL tests,” said Test Coordinator David Serensits.

T.C. needs 95 percent of students to take the test to meet the AYP participation requirement. Out of those students, 85 percent need to pass Math and 86 percent need to pass English for T.C. to meet the performance requirement.

T.C. is not the only high school in the area that is having trouble making AYP. Hayfield Secondary School, in Fairfax, has not made AYP since 2004. To help the school make AYP, Hayfield does not offer incentives for students who pass their SOL. However, principal David Tremaine said that they have instituted an extra 90 minute period like Titan Up, that they call “Hawk Time.” “The key is collaborative teams or “CTs” meet, assess and group students by name and by need for targeted intervention during Hawk Time,” said Tremaine. “We’re very hopeful and optimistic as we approach the SOL testing window.”

Grassfield High School, in Chesapeake, opened in 2007. The first year it was open, it did not make AYP. Every year since then, it has made AYP and according to their principal Carolyn Bernard, “teacher collaboration” contributed to their success. “We do not provide students with incentives for passing the SOLs,” said Bernard.

In Warren County, Skyline High School has not made AYP since opening in 2007. According to their principal Andrew Keller, Skyline constantly monitors their subgroups which consist of students who are of low socioeconomic class, receive special education needs or are minorities, providing support when possible.

As at Hayfield and Grassfield, they do not give incentives for students who pass their SOLs. “I believe that quality teaching is the most important factor,” said Keller. But  he does point out that “not meeting [the AYP] rating does not mean that our school or your school is not good or is not making progress.”

Although the administration is taking actions to help the school meet the requirements to make AYP, it is not guaranteed that T.C. will make the rating. “Keep in mind that by the year 2013, all students in all subgroups will be expected to pass all standardized tests,” said Keller. “I guess those of us that are PLA will have some company.”

Social workers are a big part of the T.C. community.  They work hard to help students with both personal and school related matters and go above and beyond what is in their job description.  There are many aspects to the job as a social worker that most students don’t even realize.

“The social worker job in a school is basically three main things, you’ve got crisis intervention, then there’s truancy and assisting the child harmed,” said David Wynne of his job as a social worker for 10^th grade. Social workers both in T.C. and around Alexandria work tirelessly to make sure students have everything they need to succeed in school.  This can mean making home visits and sometimes having to take students to court if they are having severe attendance problems. “If you’re a student, and there’s something prohibiting you from being the best you can be, my job is to get you to where you need to be,” said Wynne.

Though school social workers are linked directly to the school and work out of it, they are involved all over the city.  Social workers at an elementary school here in Alexandria are working to create a program for younger kids with fire fighters and police to go one-on-one with students there to help them succeed.  “Every single social worker in this building and the other ones have got something that you don’t know about them that they do that’s not in their job description, and the minute you think ‘oh yeah I’m doing a great job’… you learn about something else that your co-worker did to win a grant or start an after school program,” Wynne said.

Social work doesn’t just involve academic work; it can also deal with personal issues like working with students who are unable to realize their full potential.  “[A] difficult aspect of the job is to witness the large number of students who do not realize their personal value, self worth or amazing potential. Some continue to live with a deep sense of helpless, sadness, or apathy about life and have given up on themselves and others,” said Tara Newton, another T.C. social worker.  “This is very unfortunate because the truth is that each student here is special and gifted. It is evident that each one has something special and wonderfully unique to contribute to life.”  Many social workers feel that one of the saddest parts of their job is dealing with students who are unable to work towards their full potential.

But social work isn’t all negative; there are many rewarding and positive aspects of being a social worker.   “There are so many rewarding aspects and benefits to the field of social work. But I think one of the most rewarding part of the job is the opportunity to serve hurting people,” Newton said. “Another great aspect of this job is the opportunity to work at school with such a diverse, creative team of students and staff!” Being a social worker comes with many challenges, but some of them can be as minor as a change in venue.

Since the commencement of T.C.’s transformation last year, social workers have seen the changes first hand. Most were relocated to closet-sized rooms after their offices inside the Academies were given to the new counselors hired by the school. The change in location has come with a fresh approach; as social workers, these Titans deal mostly with unfortunate situations but are now focusing on the positive aspects of their work instead of the negative. Joseph Ernest explained that social workers “have always really focused on attendance, but this year we want to see percentages of students attending school rather than skipping.”

A highlight of the transformation in regard to social work has been the increased attention given to students who are struggling or are unable to graduate. Wynne admitted that he believes “[T.C] has done more to help kids academically this year than ever since I’ve been here.” Though social workers are not technically responsible for academics, their counseling often motivates struggling students to achieve better grades in their classes. Even in the unfortunate situations in which students are not be able to complete their schooling at T.C., the social workers continue to assist them in accomplishing their ambitions. “We’re developing alternate goals for students who will not graduate,” said Ernest.

For the social workers at T.C., the heart wrenching stories and difficult situations they are faced with are rewarded with the success of students accomplishing something they never thought possible, be it graduating or overcoming a complicated family situation. In the words of T.C. social worker Newton, “it is an unexplained joy to watch an individual…become empowered, resilient, resourceful, or receive stability and emotional healing.”

T.C. William’s Teen Wellness Center will be providing a free STI testing for the entire month of April. The month is being used to raise awareness of sexual transmitted infections (STI) and to help aid those who may be afflicted by them. These efforts prove to be very necessary with T.C Williams having the highest rate of Chlamydia in the Northern Virginia Region, seeing that 1 in 31 of students between the ages of 15 and 19 were diagnosed with it in 2010.

The federally sponsored program, Get Yourself Tested (GYT) has been made a large part of the Wellness Centers efforts in advocating sexual awareness and free STI testing for the month of April. The GYT campaign was created in response to the statistic that one in two young people will get sexually transmitted disease by age 25 in the united states. GYT is a nation wide collaboration between organizations such as MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The collaboration is an attempt to decrease the spread of STIs by partnering with health care providers such as the Wellness Center. Through this campaign the Teen Wellness Center has adopted designated GYT hours during April for teens to receive testing and treatment. The hours run from 11:30am to 1:30pm, Monday through Friday.

The GYT campaign hopes to increase the number of teens getting tested. With an STI such as chlamydia, a person may never recognize the symptoms that would incline them to get tested, but the hope is to encourage any and all sexually active teens to see their health providers or come to the Wellness Center to see if they might be at risk.

Such a large effort has yet to be rivaled in the Alexandria area. A couple of years ago, at the location of the former Teen Clinic, there was a one day campaign called “4:3:2:1”. The turnout was good. 45 teens with a few cases of STIs were found and and treated. Here, in the month of April, with the support of ACPS, the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM) and the Alexandria Community Service Board, the contributors to the GYT effort hope to reach the youth at T.C Williams and provide support and resources for them through the Wellness Center. With the help of the Wellness Center, GYT wants to eliminate the notion that getting testing is something to be ashamed of, and instead, replace such stigmas with the idea that getting tested is the responsible move to make, not only for oneself, but their partner and their future.

“Sexuality is not just about sex; it’s also about values, healthy relationships, responsibility, self-esteem, confidence and knowledge.” Said Health Specialist, Youth Advocate and outreach specialist Andria Smith, “As teens, you have to want to be informed and make educated, responsible decisions about your sexual health, be empowered and know that you have the authority over anyone else as to what you want your future to look like.”

The Wellness Center hopes to continue this tradition once every year and designate April as GYT month. This is just one of the many steps needed to reduce the spread of STIs and to encourage healthy living amongst teens.

Smith wants teens who care about their health and the health of others, to know that they can be more involved with the Wellness Center and it’s various campaigns by joining the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) or TWC Youth Promoters. Teens can earn community service hours and recommendations letters for jobs and colleges. She can be contacted at 703-746-4935 or via email at andria.smith@vdh.virginia.gov.

(FROM OUR APRIL FOOL’S PARODY ISSUE)

On Tuesday March 15 at precisely 9:45 am T.C.  participated in Virginia’s state-wide tornado drill.  All students and staff went out into the hallways or to where they were instructed to go to by the intercom.

After the drill EADV-S Reiber came over the intercom and reassured students that all had gone well, but some officials from around the district still had concerns about the drill.  To satisfy them, the administration has decided to make some minor changes to the school and the drill.

The first of these will be the cementing and eventual removal of all the windows in the school.  “We expect to have all of the windows at least cemented over by the start of tornado season,” said project head contractor  Matthew Reiber.  “We hope to have them all completely removed and replaced with the brick that is outside the school by the beginning of next school year,” he said.  This means replacing each individual window one-by-one to be sure that every inch of glass is replaced with cold, hard bricks.

“I don’t think this will be too disruptive to class time, the saws and power tools we use to remove windows are fairly quiet,” Reiber said. “We tend to be able to keep the noise down to about 130 decibels, that’s only around the noise level of a firecracker.”  Teachers on the other hand, were not so convinced.

“Last time I checked firecrackers were extremely loud, we aren’t going to be able to accomplish anything,” said math teacher Matt Reiber.  The school has considered buying ear plugs for everyone, but decided it was too expensive.

“All students on the second and third floors will report to the journalism lab,” explained Matt Reiber, Evacuation Pattern Decider for ACPS.  “All students on first floor will go to the rooms of one of the social workers, you know, the ones who have offices in the former storage closets.”

Which closet a student will go to will depend on last name and middle initial.  Reiber is sure that there is enough room in these closets for every student on the first floor.  “It would be approximately 1 student per quarter inch of floor space,” he said.

But not everyone is so pleased with this decision, one student pointed out “there will be no sunlight in the classrooms and nothing for students to look at, that can’t be good for us.”  Another student reiterated the point by merely saying, “You’re kidding right, is this some kind of joke?”  This reaction of terror and outrage seems to be a constant between both students and staff.  Some teachers even seemed to have some concerns for students’ health.  They seemed to think not having sunlight all day may cause “problems”, but officials are skeptical.

Despite health concerns and outraged parents, the administration has decided to go ahead with the plans as they are.  “We see no reason to risk anyone getting hurt because of something as minor as windows, there is no reason to put students at risk just so they can see small things like the sun and the weather,” Reiber said.

Construction is scheduled to begin next month, and construction workers and administrators alike are excited for the changes to come.

1.     Brook Girma 110 pts,  Leanardo Ward 110 pts

2.     Zoe Newhouse 109 pts

3.     Johnee Louis, Caroline Chamberlain 108pts

4.     Carlos Guerra, Charlie Norman 107pts

5.     Tripp Spurio, Darwin Altara, Jimmy Carragher, Paullete Burdett, Layla Mustafa 106 pts

6.     Nanome Mekannon, Girum Tessem, Jada Roberts, Sarah Phippen104pts

7.     Will Rossi 103pts

8.     Harlan Belcher, Joe Massaquoi, 102 pts

9.     Michael Rollo, Edward Massaquoi 101pts

10.  Antony Moses 96pts

11.  Ayesha Arshad 91pts

12.  Edwardo Ramirez 81 pts

13.  Pierrette Hall 80 pts

14.  Marvin Gomez 79 pts

15.  Zerubabbel Tessema 77pts

16.  Nick Wagner, Jonathan Romero 76 pts

17.  Barry Aberdeen 75 pts

18.  William Alvarenga  72 pts

19.  Amy Cooper, Lester Schonberger 70 pts

20.  Mr. Lott 69 pts

21.  Janelle Lee 68pts

22.  David Mason 67 pts

23.  Bobby Lee, Jalani Winbush 64 pts

24.  Terell Williamson, Jamar Wells, Mr. Mark Eisenhour, Mr. Aleckon 63 pts

25.  Kathy Taylor, Jen Loftus, Mr. Orzel, Zachary Davis, 62 pts

26.  Kyreen Walton, Matt Czechanski, Devin Trout, Jaelin Thorne, Tangi Bailey 61 pts

27.  Walter Olivares, Justin Parker, Rachel Blumenstein, Elena Bischak, Christian Lobo, Professor Schloss 60 pts

28.  Roger Gildersleeve, Marshall Cook, Mr. Walton, 59pts

29.  Amin Kassim, Derek Kraunen, Mr. Marshall, Eric Fries, Kevin Perry 58 pts

30.  Patrick Piedad, Stephen Weidman, Mary McGreevy, Mark Larsen, Elias Cubbage 57 pts

31.  T. Foley, Nick Severini, Karl Straudinger, Winston Duncan, Trav Clark, Craig Scheuerman, Bob Trout 56pts

32.  Mr. Thomas, Blair Settle, Stephen Lockett, Maggie Cashin, Deborah Johnson, Lisa Carlson, Tyler Ratlif, Sandy Ballif, Indya Weaver 55 pts.

33.  Keith Sittion, Daniel Wolfe, Mr. McBride, Kaleab, Derrick Brown, Isaiah Mitchell 54 pts

34.  Elizabeth Neace, Briana Harvey, Jamal Pullen, Hana Wuerker, Lucas Lemma, R. E. Holtz, Jean Paul Pantaleon, Maria Jones, Percy Haskins, Ian Zuidima, Ben Bilodeau, Rayquan Brunson, Devin Schmidt, Jason Oddo, Channel Yancy, Isaiah Galloway, Kenneth Ellmore, Luuam B., Vicki Davis 53 pts

35.  Alex Poma, Morgan Garner, Oholiab Gessesse, Carlos Mars-Henson, Alex Clark, Douglas Murphy, Sandy Janwatn, Donta Boxley, Peter Balas, Kelsey Donley, Noah Ray, Kevin More 52 pts.

36.  Jeremiah Clarke, Taylor Han, Giovanny Avarado, Laura Bigley, Natlie Brown, Travian Lewis, Mr. Hughes, Adam Ramsom, Chavain Wright, Melanie Dash, Grant Stweart, Ryan Laychak, Brian Comey, Adam Clark, Sheila Jacobs, Carmen Ladato, Arthor Jones 51 pts

37.  Jasmine Jennings, Leyna Hobar, Ryan Zack, Bill McGreevy, Mr. Frazier, Raymonte Washington, Caroline Land, Nahom Tariku, Grand Roberson, Rebecca Stone, Tyrick Cooper, Jamison Moorer, Evan Pfeifr, Caleb Vogt, Sean Spivey, Brian Finney, Mark Comey 50 pts

38.  Tyrice Henry, Torrey Johnson, Cinthya Fuentes, Erin Smith, Michael Barrett, Vanessa Ventura, Matt Longabaugh, Abel Girma, Anjuli DeWakar, Anna Skubel 49 pts

39.  Katelyn Clarke, Ralph Mpeunu, Petey Jones, Alex Wolz, Delina Mesfin, Zac Stewart, Cavanaugh Hagen, Victor Wall, Abar Chol, Malik Carney 48pts

40.  Tri Le, Lauren Lives, Jeff Gaskins, Malique Cheeks, Connor Sullivan, Kate Aplin, Jermy Skimski, Emmanuel Bangura, Ms. Tracy Roberson, Mr. Sean Keegan, Rashawn Jackson, Antonio Diz, David Lewis, Joseph Jackson, 47pts

41.  Miquale Stephon Beamon, Alexis Matthews, Brie Ware-Colantuoni, Derek Crutchfield, Matt Comey, De’Shawn Bryant, Tommy Valtin-Erwin, Anthony Holley, Andrew Hyde, Demetrius Linsey, Jordan Dieter, D. Crawford, Eleanor Kenimer 46 pts

42.  Mr Moore, Lyric Jackson, Mohamed Sidibe, Kervin Owusu, Jack Delaney, Dante Adams, Saquan Hall, Patrick Deville, Patrick Earle 45 pts

43.  Priscilla Goodwin, Michael McGonagle, Tom Fulham, Adugna Mariam, Patty Moran, Edy Morales, Kelsey Satterfield, Nick Fernandez, Cindy Mohn, Annette Lee, Cameron Sullivan, Khadra Mohamed, Teddy Jones 44 pts

44.  Myles Phillips, Robert Reese, TaVon Faulkner, Aaron Tolsky 43 pts

45.  Thomas Cullahan, Joseph Powers, Ira Quint, Steven Kenney, Kennetra Wood 42 pts

46.  Ted Nilsson, Landon Moss, Spencer Davis, Daniel Cortright, Dennis Burkhart 41 pts

47.  Cesar Varela 40 pts

48.  Mr. Engle, Mr. Zahn 39 pts

49.  Jay Whitmire, Kieran Hampl, Richard Bomberger 38 pts

50.  Jossely Avila-Martmoros, Ms. Erin Fitch, Jasmine Norman, Caroline Elpers 36 pts

51.  E. Perini, Michael Bijak 33 pts

52.  Carly Robb, Alusine Conteh, Lorraine Pettit 32 pts

53.  Scott Young, Sydney Schaedel 31 pts

54.  Kendall Gildersleeve 30 pts

55.  Janice Blake 29 pts

56.  Ms. Wong-Hayes 27 pts

57.  Wright Guise 25 pts

58.  Darel Bellamy 24 pts

59.  Byron Melendez 23 pts

60.  Daron Kuhln 22 pts

61.  Joe Lincoln 15 pts

62.  Yonathan Eyon 12 pts

1.     Brook Girma 110 pts,  Leanardo Ward 110 pts

2.     Zoe Newhouse 109 pts

3.     Johnee Louis, Caroline Chamberlain 108pts

4.     Carlos Guerra, Charlie Norman 107pts

5.     Tripp Spurio, Darwin Altara, Jimmy Carragher, Paullete Burdett, Layla Mustafa 106 pts

6.     Nanome Mekannon, Girum Tessem, Jada Roberts, Sarah Phippen104pts

7.     Will Rossi 103pts

8.     Harlan Belcher, Joe Massaquoi, 102 pts

9.     Michael Rollo, Edward Massaquoi 101pts

10.  Antony Moses 96pts

11.  Ayesha Arshad 91pts

12.  Edwardo Ramirez 81 pts

13.  Pierrette Hall 80 pts

14.  Marvin Gomez 79 pts

15.  Zerubabbel Tessema 77pts

16.  Nick Wagner, Jonathan Romero 76 pts

17.  Barry Aberdeen 75 pts

18.  William Alvarenga  72 pts

19.  Amy Cooper, Lester Schonberger 70 pts

20.  Mr. Lott 69 pts

21.  Janelle Lee 68pts

22.  David Mason 67 pts

23.  Bobby Lee, Jalani Winbush 64 pts

24.  Terell Williamson, Jamar Wells, Mr. Mark Eisenhour, Mr. Aleckon 63 pts

25.  Kathy Taylor, Jen Loftus, Mr. Orzel, Zachary Davis, 62 pts

26.  Kyreen Walton, Matt Czechanski, Devin Trout, Jaelin Thorne, Tangi Bailey, Samantha Donis 61 pts

27.  Walter Olivares, Justin Parker, Rachel Blumenstein, Elena Bischak, Christian Lobo, Professor Schloss 60 pts

28.  Roger Gildersleeve, Marshall Cook, Mr. Walton, 59pts

29.  Amin Kassim, Derek Kraunen, Mr. Marshall, Eric Fries, Kevin Perry 58 pts

30.  Patrick Piedad, Stephen Weidman, Mary McGreevy, Mark Larsen, Elias Cubbage 57 pts

31.  T. Foley, Nick Severini, Karl Straudinger, Winston Duncan, Trav Clark, Craig Scheuerman, Bob Trout 56pts

32.  Mr. Thomas, Blair Settle, Stephen Lockett, Maggie Cashin, Deborah Johnson, Lisa Carlson, Tyler Ratlif, Sandy Ballif, Indya Weaver 55 pts.

33.  Keith Sittion, Daniel Wolfe, Mr. McBride, Kaleab, Derrick Brown, Isaiah Mitchell 54 pts

34.  Elizabeth Neace, Briana Harvey, Jamal Pullen, Hana Wuerker, Lucas Lemma, R. E. Holtz, Jean Paul Pantaleon, Maria Jones, Percy Haskins, Ian Zuidima, Ben Bilodeau, Rayquan Brunson, Devin Schmidt, Jason Oddo, Channel Yancy, Isaiah Galloway, Kenneth Ellmore, Luuam B., Vicki Davis 53 pts

Since the “Transformation” of Alexandria’s only public high school began, gallons of ink have been spilled by administrators, parents and school board members in an attempt to pin down what is wrong, why and how to fix it. When the ruckus has calmed and all the surveys, memos and packets have been written, schooling at T.C. comes down to an equation both complex and simple: teachers plus students equals education.

 

IAPs

A recent article in the Washington Post’s “Local Living” section states that ACPS “boasts a math center and [is] the only district in Virginia to have individual achievement plans for each student.”

According to Superintendent Morton Sherman, one key part of the path forward will be the IAPs which are being developed for current and future T.C. students. Currently, the majority of high school students have yet to create one of the plans and even when they do, do not know how much of a difference they will make.

Junior Mollie Timmons is not sure how effective it would be since she will be graduating next year and Anna Minuth, a special education teacher who is settling into her first year at T.C., also has doubts. She worries there is “not enough time or people” to carry out the plans. Sarah Kiyak, who is the English department chair, is concerned about the IAPs becoming “just pieces of paper.”

English teacher Erin Fitch has deeper worries about how IAPs are formulated. She said that in pre-IAP conferences, students usually just go along with what is being recommended by the counselor and teachers and do not write down their personal goals.

Still, most teachers say it is too early to know for sure how effective the plans will be. Learning Community 11 counselor Tracie Jackson “guesstimates” that only 30 percent of juniors have received an IAP and Director of Guidance Greg Forbes confirms those numbers.

According to Forbes, 690 IAPs for ninth through eleventh graders have been completed, and about 60 percent of students scheduled to receive IAPs have had “pre-IAP conferences.” If there is anything to be certain of, it is that the plans’ impact will be yet another measure of the transformation’s progress.

 

“Trying to do a lot at once”

In the shifting world of education, it is the teachers who are often said to be on the “front lines” of education policy battles. Teachers are on the receiving end of guidance from many administrative sources and they are expected to convert that guidance into tangible results. The legwork is time-consuming and teachers say it has certainly increased since the transformation began. “We’re trying to do a lot at once,” said eleventh grade English teacher Jami Ferreira.

Data collection, department meetings and all-day training sessions such as “Skillful Teacher” are taking up more time, leaving less for classroom duties. Not having the necessary time for organization is stressful. Indeed, Kiyak believes teacher frustration levels are at their highest point since the beginning of her career at T.C.

To compensate for lost time, math and English teachers have an extra planning period this year, lessening their class total to four. Still, “I’ve had one full planning session in the past week,” said tenth grade English teacher Jill Divan. Most of the additional time has been dedicated to SOL remediation and completing IAPs for students. This is because SOL scores will be the most scrutinized datum in determining whether T.C.’s PLA status can be rescinded. Hard-pressed for time and results, teachers must balance a focus on state standards with what they believe is important in their subject area.

Sophomore Frida Cruz suggests that students need more time to study for SOLs. However, teachers struggle with poorly attended SOL remediation periods, which are scheduled during students’ elective classes.

Apathy and Attendance

IAPs are an attempt to connect students with their education in a concrete way. This is because educators have long known that student apathy has a huge impact on student achievement, and T.C. is no exception. Teachers here say that apathy often manifests itself as attendance problems. In other words, those who do not care are not there.

“Attendance is a huge missing piece of the puzzle,” said math teacher Jeffrey Johnson. “I can’t teach [students] who I can’t see,” agrees Gary Thomas, another math teacher who has a decade of experience.

Stricter adherence to school regulations has set some students aflame. “The rules were there last year,” said senior Lester Schonberger. “They just were not enforced.” Whether or not the amplification of discipline is an attempt to rid T.C. of its PLA status is up for debate. “The reason people do badly is not because they wear hats in school, it’s because they don’t show up in the first place,” said senior Eleanor Kenimer.

Divan said this is because there “is no intrinsic motivation right now,” and that teachers must “find ways to make education meaningful.” This is much more easily said than done, but Fitch has some suggestions. “We need to celebrate intellectual achievement” instead of focusing students’ attention solely on standardized tests and start rewarding high achievers instead of creating incentives for minimum achievement, she said.

Teachers can only do so much to motivate students during the school day. History teacher Phil Engle said parents and the community play a large role in shaping a student’s attitude about school. “If the community at large isn’t on top of what kids do, both in and out of school, then we can’t do much” to improve attendance, he said.

From a student’s perspective, “the administration needs to care about teachers, teachers need to care about students and students need to care about their future,” said senior Emma Kemler.

The Transformation may have had a bumpy beginning, but it is a beginning. It is simply “too early to tell” what the impacts will be, according to teachers. And no matter what direction teachers receive next, most agree that there is no formula for better education. In the classroom, it is mostly a mixture of a teacher’s charisma, knowledge, and dedication with students’ enthusiasm and willingness to work that leads to successful education. Unfortunately, no test can measure that academic elixir, and T.C. will continue to be judged based on SOL scores.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan could have been speaking about T.C. in a 2009 interview; “I know there are schools that are beating the odds, where students are getting better every year, and they are labeled failures, and that can be discouraging and demoralizing.” T.C. might be in the “discouraged and demoralized” stage now, but it can only move forward in its efforts to shake the stigma of being labeled Persistently Lowest Achieving.

Iva Quint, Lora Strum, Thomas Conner, Ian Daughtrey, Sarah Carroll, and Emma Beall also contributed to this article.

The point leaders for the 2011 March Madness bracket challenge going in to the Final Four are:

1. Berry Aberdene 75 points

2. William Alvarenga 72 points

3. Amy Cooper and Lester Schonberger 70 points

4. Mr. Lott 69 points

5. David Mason 67 points