THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030403
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
A long-term suspension from the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County schools can signal a dead-end for a troubled kid.
Each year, for some 20 to 30 middle and high school students, a disciplinary last straw such as bringing a weapon to school closes the door to the education system. Often, they were left to spend their days finding trouble on the street.
Until now.
Two tough teachers and a young psychologist are putting together a program that could be a last resort for students whose violence, misbehavior or academic troubles have left them with nowhere else to go.
It's called the Crossroads Alternative School, and its aim is to get students back on track with one-on-one instruction and counseling, and programs to bring meaning into education.
Teachers Pat Hollingsworth and Andrea Combs, who have nearly 50 years of teaching experience between them, have been setting up shop with part-time psychologist/behavorial specialist Fran Tyson in a renovated suite in a downtown building on McMorrine Street.
One of their first students is expected to arrive today, and the teachers say they're raring to go.
``We're very excited about it,'' Hollingsworth said. ``I don't think I've been more enthusiastic about coming to work and working with young people as I have this year.''
``This is only temporary,'' Hollingsworth said. ``It's a fix-it place. We hope we can help fix the problem well enough so that these students can make a smooth transition back into the regular program.''
With walls decorated in calming blues and mauves, accented by watercolor seascapes borrowed from the public library and equipped with an eight-station lab of sophisticated Macintosh computers and a stereo system, the downtown classroom resembles a spa for the mind.
Through computer-assisted instruction, conflict-resolution training and cultural enrichment, and a chance to learn about careers by shadowing professionals, the school will work to help students improve in what Hollingsworth calls ``the three A's'': academics, attendance and attitude.
But the program will not come easily for students or their families. Particiants first must be admitted, after showing a commitment to their education and signing a contract agreeing to abide by school rules, which include a dress code and consistent attendance. Students who fail to live up to their contractual agreements will be dismissed.
``Every student that's long-term suspended may not necessarily end up here,'' Superintendent Joseph Peel said. ``If they don't live up to those contracts, we're not going to play games with them. It's for people who want a second chance.
``If these kids realize they have made a mistake, they will be fun to work with.''
The program has a maximum capacity of 15 students, with preference given to students who have been removed from school for the year.
Also eligible will be students with poor academic performances, excessive absences and repeated suspensions.
Students are referred by committees from their schools, and Peel must approve students who will apply for the program. Students and their parents are interviewed and briefed before acceptance.
Crossroads is not only a ``school of choice'' for students, but for the staff as well. Peel said he ``wanted to make sure that whoever was here wanted to be here'' and commended the teachers who accepted the job.
``These kids, of course, have had problems,'' Peel said. ``These two ladies have been around awhile and just have a tremendous amount of experience . . .
The teachers say they enjoy the challenge of working with troubled children. ``I get more satisfaction from these students at the bottom when I can bring them up a rung or two,'' Combs said.
Crossroads is ``a place of learning,'' Combs said. ``We think of these kids as winners. This is what we want these kids to think about themselves.''
The program, of course, comes with a price tag.
``The bottom line is it's more expensive,'' said Peel, noting the low student-staff ratio and equipment and rent expenses. But the $50,000 worth of new computers and other start-up costs are being paid for by a $100,000 state grant targeting such a program, Peel said.
Officials said the extra cost required for turning troubled students around is lower than the alternatives, such as sending them through the criminal justice system.
``It costs more now,'' Hollingsworth said. ``But if we don't do something, it's going to cost a whole lot more later on . . . . . We have to change attitudes. We have to make a difference.
``We've just got to stop the cycle of violence. This program is one way to help. I don't think it's a panacea, but I do think it will help.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by DREW C. WILSON/
Pat Hollingsworth, left, and Andrea Combs just installed eight new
computers at a new school for troubled students from Elizabeth
City-Pasquotank County schools. The teachers hope to push at-risk
students back into the mainstream.
by CNB