VIRGINIA BEACH
Teacher Gabriel Wetmore pointed out the bathroom mirrors to a group of boys touring the new Renaissance Academy alternative school.
"If they break, they won't be replaced," he said. "You ask to be treated like adults, so we're trying to treat you like adults."
Back in their current building, dented sheets of metal serve as mirrors. They don't reflect much, but they're shatterproof.
School leaders expect more of the city's alternative school students as they prepare to move into a new $66.2 million building in January.
Their new principal is trying to turn the school around quickly, by changing the image of the academy - making it more welcoming and more secure. Down the hall from the metal detectors, a ping pong table sits outside the cafeteria for students with good behavior.
However, Renaissance Academy's poor reputation isn't without reason. Students attend because they have been kicked out of their home schools or have fallen behind academically. A few weeks into the school year, a fight resulted in about a dozen arrests only hours after the principal resigned.
This year was supposed to be a fresh start in many ways. Three alternative schools and several programs that operated separately were brought under the umbrella of the Renaissance Academy. Many of the teachers and administrators are new, hired from other schools or divisions.
Kay Thomas, the former principal of Bayside High School, became director in mid-October, two weeks after Byron Williams resigned.
Thomas said the students aren't the problem - t he challenge has been making the school run properly. When she arrived, she implemented a level system that allows students to earn less- restrictive uniforms, though not the opportunity to wear their own clothes as in past years.
"Although the students feel it's restrictive, I think they know we're trying to work toward more opportunities for them," Thomas said.
Just last week, she changed student schedules again to more efficiently pair study blocks with lunch. And she has said she's open to offering after- school activities or restarting last year's popular in-school enrichment programs.
Head of security Carlos Parker, who donated his own fitness equipment to the school's sparse gym, said order has returned. Teachers and security staff stand outside and in the hallways before first bell, and he's finally gotten the additional staff he'd been requesting all year.
"If these things were in place, we would have avoided the fight," he said.
Now nearly three months into the school year, students say the leery new teachers are warming up, and many eagerly await classes in the new building. But they openly debate whether their classmates will treat it with respect, leave graffiti or worse.
Last week, 16-year-old Jonathan Kaopio gazed at the plastic-wrapped furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows in the library. The junior's first reaction mirrored common sentiments about the city's alternative schools.
"I want to know why they gave this school to the bad kids," he said.
But he's glad the school division cares. "It proves to me that everybody gets a second chance," he said. "I'm just not used to it."
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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BTW
Not everyone that goes to RA is a bad kid thanks, and getting your GED really isnt that good now adays MR. BILL H ! Miss. Kay Thomas has done great for are school, as i have said before if you know nothing about RA then don't say anything at ALL!
WOW
you people really have no idea what you are talking about. i guess yall dont go to RA because if you did you would know everything that the ACADEMIC side goes threw and we are not here for the same reason CDC or the other childern. also , when its cold out we are outside when its flooding outside we are out here, we do not have it easy at all. and most of us want to come here so that we can get out early or even to catch up because of man reasons. so unless you go to RA i think you should take a walk in our shoes for a day before you start judging us. another thing is that the cdc kids yes they might be here for many reasons but blame the common wealth becasue they slap them on the wrist and send them on their way, i am 19 and about to grad from here as the first class. this is the best school that i have ever been to. the teachers help you with everything they actually care about you and call home if you dont show up. they want to see you pass and go on to college. so for all you bad mouthing the RA you honestly have noooooo idea what you are talking about!!!! becasue this school many have its ups and downs but it is not a bad school at ALL! & by the way CDC & ACADEMIC are TWO di
A Brand New Day Continued
I would like to see some changes take place at the Renaissance Academy. Not every kid at RA is a bad student. To quote Ms. Thomas, "(most of)the students (is) not the problem.." 1.)Offer the same academic courses to students at RA. Why shouldn't the kids be afforded the same opportunity to obtain their Advanced diploma (if they had stayed at their home schools)? Offer foreign language courses, advanced P.E.; AP classes. Students at the RA are smart. Let's not dumb them down because the attend the "Renaissance Academy." 2.) Offer newer elective classes, such as the Classroom Garage Band. 3.) Support the Seniors at RA. Put their graduation ceremony on Virginia Beach Television like all the other high school graduations. 4.) Theme: whereas Bayside HS has Health Sciences; Tallwood has Global Studies/World Languages, let RA be known as the "Agricultural & Horticulture Academy. Students will be studying environmental classes. Finally, 5.)Offer some after school clubs/organizations to make RA feel like a tradition high school.
Throwing money at the problem
Until parents decide to be parents and bring discipline to the life of their "troubled student", we are throwing good money after bad here. These kids get rewarded with a brand new school (which they will probably destroy) while my kids have half of their classes in trailers. That's okay. My kids will still learn and still go to college, so being in a trailer is not going to matter...just like being in a new school will not make any difference for many of these kids...unfortunately. Wake up parents and start acting like parents.
Why
We wold not need this shool if people would treet African Americans fair but that will not hapen this is white america
Indeed this a multi-headed
Indeed this a multi-headed beast that needs to be fought. Poor home life contributes, bad attitudes abound and with little hope of a decent future it takes a very special mindset to overcome the hurdles. While dreams of being a star in music, entertainment or sports fill their heads, the reality of life will jerk the rug out from under them. They may complain of "uniforms" but their life will have a uniform if they don't graduate, it will be the uniform of the gang, or the uniform of jail or prison.
My question is this, if they couldn't me motivated to achieve in their regular school, why do you expect them to be motivated here? And what do you do with them if they don't change?
Every Success, Ms. Thomas
I wish you every success in your new role! These kids have been on the back burner in VB for many years (one of the few negatives of not having as many to deal with as Norfolk or Portsmouth), and I can only hope we are now being serious in wanting to aggressively address this group of students. Take your lead from Michelle Rhee in DC --- keep a big smile on your face, and a big stick behind your back. Again, the best of good fortune and success to you.
Well said!
Every poster on here *should* be cheering her on.
It's in your interest that she succeeds, and the school succeeds. If you don't think it is, then you are simply not paying attention.
Ms. Kay Thomas needs
Ms. Kay Thomas needs everyone's support: VBCPS school division, all VBCPS teachers, staff, and especially the PARENTS. It takes a village to raise a child. It will take all of us to help make Ms. Thomas and the Renaissance Acadmey a success.
WOW
you are so right!
A Brand New Day
Virginia Beach City Schools needs to stop using the Renaissance Academy as a dumping ground. RA needs to obliterate their reputation as an “alternative” school-a last resort to obtaining a K-12 education before being kicked out of the system. So, what about the students already at RA?
The Larousse French dictionary defines renaissance as a “rebirth or revival”; Webster’s dictionary defines academy as a school which offers “specific subjects and skills….for modern day society.” The Renaissance Academy is getting a new, clean slate thanks to Ms. Kay Thomas as its new director. To paraphrase Ms. Kay Thomas, “(not all) students are… the problem…at the Renaissance Academy.” If this is true, then I would like to see RA be taken in a new direction; to one day not be known as the “alternative” school, but to be included as one of the 12 high schools students can attend in Virginia Beach. I have a few ideas on what I would like to see happen to the Renaissance Academy:
1. Offer students at RA the same academic classes like the other 11 high schools. Why shouldn’t students at the Renaissance Academy be afforded the same opportunity to complete the
What about the gifted children???
While the idea of giving the problem kids a second chance sounds nice....it's really NOT fair that the gifted children in Va Beach get the old, run down ODC and Kemps Landing Buildings, while those that don't care about education get this fancy new super expensive builing in which to learn. Kemps Landing is falling apart--leaky ceilings when it rains, no locker room for the ability to have gym clothes for PE, half sized lockers for middle school students, portables for some classes because the building is so small. First priority should be to take care of those who are actually well behaved and striving for academic excellence, then we can look at how to address the problem of failing/disruptive students.
Kemps Landing
Jenny,
I don't know what the material condition of the old Kemps Landing Building on Kempsville Road was compared to the current Kemps Landing but my son did just fine in the old building as well as ODC when he was younger. They seemed like obsolete buildings but it was the students and teachers that made the difference.
From what I have seen from the School Board meetings, etc. isn't a new building for gifted programs currently being planned and budgeted for?
Re: Good Story/Doomed to Fail
Reader Dude,
You are absolutely right. Considering Social Security will soon depend on a little over two workers contributing per retiree vice the recent 7 per retiree, we need everyone to be productive. This doesn't even take into account the global economy and global competitiveness!
Doomed to Fail,
The Renaissance Academy Website lists different uniforms for academic and behavior programs. This leads me to believe that they are in different classes. I don't know the background of those who are falling behind, but I would guess the Renaissance Academy affords struggling students smaller classes with more teacher attention. I also believe that they are setup to accelerate classes so that student can catch up chronologically.
LDV
Good story
It's nice to see the school division -- and the Pilot -- not writing these kids off. It's easy to make grand pronouncements ("throw all those thugs away"), but hard to work with them and help integrate them into society. Virginia Beach taxpayers should be proud of the effort being made on behalf of these kids.
At what cost
At what cost to us and those children who dont bend the rules and make the grade the hard way.
This country is going to need dish washers and ditch diggers and others who will want to join the liberals unions.
Throw them out in the storm, Obama nation will support them.
Stand them in front of every class and demonstrate what will happen to each and everyone of them that doesn't want to behave and go to school and not a social function.
Doomed to failure based on the entrance criteria.
"Students attend because they have been kicked out of their home schools or have fallen behind academically?" Wrongheaded concept for sure.
Why should kids who are "behind academically" be thrown into this type of a quasi-reform school, with those disrupters who don't want to learn?
Why can't they continue to work with the teachers that they know, in their own local schools? Could it be that the local school principals are trying to gin up their performance ratings by throwing out any students whose grades aren't up to par? If that's the case, I am totally outraged, both as a parent, and a taxpayer.
Housing the good kids that only need additional tutoring with those who are incorrigibles is a plan doomed to failure. Would you put the zebras and the lions in the same pen in the zoo? No? Then what makes this concept any different?
Clarification
Your comment needs some clarification: "Could it be that the local school principals are trying to gin up their performance ratings by throwing out any students whose grades aren't up to par? If that's the case, I am totally outraged, both as a parent, and a taxpayer."
The scores that these students earn on SOL tests and other standardized tests, as well as the NCLB's Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), are not listed with Renaissance Academy. These scores are reflected on the reports for the student's home school.
I guess I presumed all cities operated under the same rules.
I had been reading about Richmond, since the local area doesn't seem to provide much information.
A small extract:
"In any event, sending a student off to Richmond Alternative gives a double bonus to the sending school: get rid of a troublesome student AND get rid of that student's (probably miserable) SOL score. Query whether that's as nice as getting the SOL score of a Maggie Walker student who doesn't attend your high school."
Thanks for the clarification.
Another waste of money!
Here's another gross waste of money. As stated, "Renaissance Academy's poor reputation isn't without reason. Students attend because they have been kicked out of their home schools or have fallen behind academically". So what. Spend the money on Commonwealth Challenge and have the Gov't pay for it instead of our tax dollars. These "bad" kids who have been kicked out need severe discipline/structure they don't get at home (or) school. They complain about the uniforms? HA! They should've thought about that BEFORE they got there. NOBODY put themselves in that position BUT THEMSELVES. Don't waste another dime in building another school. Put the money toward Commonwealth Challenge and have these kids STAY at the facility for (6) months for bootcamp instruction until they can "earn" their way out of the program. I fault the parents for these kids and the lack of discipline so let them be "ward of the state" and reassign them to another location AWAY from other students. It's that simple.