THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506160186
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
In the spirit of neighborly cooperation, two Beach schools have found a way to increase the amount of time students spend in the classroom and teachers have for planning. And it won't cost anything extra.
Tallwood and Centerville elementary schools, separated by less than a mile, will combine their bus fleets in the fall, allowing them to shave time lost between runs.
Principals Ralph Mizelle and Don Clement say that the plan eliminates the need for a second bus run.
At Tallwood, classes will start 15 minutes earlier each day at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. At Centerville, classes will begin 15 minutes later at 9:15 a.m. and end at 3:35 p.m.
With all students arriving at the same time, they will have an additional 15 minutes in classes each day. Teachers will get 30 minutes more to prepare without students in the school. While that may not sound like much, it translates into an extra 45 hours each year for students and 90 hours for teachers.
Nationally, the push has been on to increase student time in the classroom, but the cost is often cited as prohibitive. By working together, Mizelle and Clement have avoided that problem.
Both principals say parents and staff have supported the changes. They noted that the proximity of their schools made the schedule possible, and both said they could reconsider the new times if problems develop.
``We think it's going to be great for kids and we think it will be good for teachers as well,'' Clement said. by CNB