ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 27, 1996 TAG: 9603270068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
STUDENTS AT THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL believe the new name - Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy - will help boost their self-esteem, student government President Tahira Tillery said.
They came Tuesday to praise former Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylor and dedicate a school in his honor. They sang songs and unveiled a portrait of him that will be displayed in the school's lobby.
The William Fleming High School Gospel Choir paid tribute to Taylor with a short concert that stirred the audience and created a joyful mood.
Oglivier Quarles, the mother of a student, said the former mayor embodies the ideals that guide Roanoke's alternative school for troubled youths.
"I think this is the perfect marriage of a name with a school. He always takes time to care, nurture and show concern," Quarles said. "That is how I have found the teachers and staff here."
For Taylor, a Baptist minister who had to walk to a one-room school for black children when he was growing up in Bedford County, the ceremony was emotional. At moments, he appeared to be fighting back tears.
"This is one of the finest honors I've ever received," he told the students, teachers and parents. "If there's ever anything I can do to help you, I will be available."
At the students' request, the School Board voted last year to name the school for Taylor, but the dedication had been delayed several times because of snowstorms and other events.
The new name, Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy, is part of school officials' effort to create a new image for the alternative school. For several years, the school was located in cramped quarters in an old building at Addison Middle School. Last year, it was moved to the former Valley Court shopping center at Interstate 581 and Hershberger Road.
Michael McIntosh, the school's principal, has been credited with helping improve the academy since he took over the post last year, but he recently was suspended after he was charged with assaulting a student. He will remain off the job until his court case is resolved.
This year, officials upgraded the curriculum and equipped the school with additional computers and educational technology. Students can take a new course in computer repair, a skill that is in heavy demand, said Ray Williams, assistant principal.
Superintendent Wayne Harris said the city hopes to get the alternative school accredited by the state so it can begin granting its own diplomas. Now students who complete high school at the academy receive their diplomas from their home schools - William Fleming or Patrick Henry.
Taylor Academy serves 160 students who have had trouble adjusting to middle or high schools. Some have been suspended repeatedly. Others have had problems with chronic truancy, disruptive behavior or conflicts with other students.
Tahira Tillery, president of the student government, said students believe the new name will help boost their self-esteem.
"For years, we have been known as the bad kids. Now we have a new name and a new image," Tillery said. "We couldn't have chosen a better name, because Taylor is so well-respected."
Al Holland, a member of the school's Advisory Committee, told the students they should take inspiration from Taylor's life.
"This is a man who had humble beginnings in a one-room school who rose to become mayor of Roanoke," Holland said. "It shows what an education can do."
As a farm boy in Bedford County, Taylor attended Olive Branch School, which had about 30 students in grades one through seven. Taylor recalls that he worked and played with neighboring white children, but he could not go to school with them or ride the school bus.
Rasheem Edwards, a student at the alternative school, said Taylor "has been an articulate spokesman for education," and that is one reason the students wanted the school named for him.
The alternative school has a professional staff of 23, including teachers, counselors and aides who offer a broad range of courses. All teachers are licensed, and other steps are being taken to get the school accredited, Harris said.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. Former Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylorby CNBobserves students Christina Gray (front) and Januari Brown working
in the computer lab at the Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy. Taylor
attended a dedication ceremony Tuesday at the school. color.