THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240293
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
Joseph Blackledge, a 14-year-old seventh-grader at Lafayette-Winona Middle, was a teacher's worst nightmare. On days that he bothered to show up, he teetered toward suspension - constantly fighting or acting up in class.
But that was the old Joseph. On Monday, teachers and fellow students got a glimpse of the new Joseph.
Looking a little self-conscious but undeniably sharp, he hit the hallways outfitted in a white shirt and tie. More than that, though, he was wearing a new attitude.
Chalk it up to the Gentleman's Club.
Monday was a coming out of sorts for Joseph and two dozen of his peers, who all donned white shirts and ties to proclaim their membership in the school's hottest club, formed two weeks ago by Principal Stephen Peters.
Once labeled the school's hardcore troublemakers, club members are determined to right their wrongs, armed with a new sense of belonging, identity and support.
``This is to let people know that hard-core people can turn lives around and be civilized people,'' Joseph said Monday morning, after Peters checked him over and adjusted his tie. ``I can stick with it, because all my friends are encouraging me to stay in the group and not get in trouble.''
Eighth-grade club member Tiree Willis, 14, said: ``I see a lot of things that tempt me to do wrong stuff, but now I think about why I shouldn't do it because I want to remain in this club.''
Joseph, once notorious for skipping school, hasn't missed a day of class since the club's formation. And none of the students has been suspended from school, automatic grounds for being booted from the club.
When a teacher reported a member last week for making an obscene gesture and disrupting class, the club meted out the judgment: Apologize to the teacher and accept the consequences for his behavior.
The boy did and received a day of in-school suspension.
``We're going to show them that they can be cool and still do the right thing,'' Peters said.
School administrators and teachers nationwide are searching for solutions to calm disruptive classrooms, from character education to alternative schools.
Research in Virginia and elsewhere pinpoints the middle school years as the most unruly - and among the most critical - for getting students on the right track.
Peters, in his third year as Lafayette-Winona principal, said his philosophy is that schools must ``capture'' kids before they can teach them.
He calls club members his ``posse,'' a street gang term, but fitting because the club serves a similar function by fostering a sense of belonging - in a positive way.
`` `Trust' isn't a word that is uppermost in their vocabulary, and I think they are beginning to find that trust with members of the club,'' Peters said.
Now, instead of being a drain, they are a resource, said Peters, who recruits them for such school chores as cafeteria monitors and helping at assemblies.
Eighth-grade club member Dominique Matthews, 15, said he appreciates Peters' support and respect.
``It's taught me to do better, to show people more respect. Like if I see a girl coming, I'll hold the door for her, and I'll respect my teacher when she's talking,'' Matthews said.
Every Wednesday, club members will don T-shirts with the message: ``If you are street smart and book smart you are the most powerful person in your community.''
Besides emphasizing good behavior and education, the club will focus on community service, such as cleaning litter around nearby businesses.
About 85 percent of the club's membership lives in public housing, where kids with school smarts are often the target of ridicule.
One boy who eyed the members' white shirts and ties muttered to a friend, ``They look like geeks.''
Art teacher Robert Davis gently chided a couple of club members Monday because of their baggy trousers, a style popularized by the music industry's ``gangsta'' rappers. ``You guys got to keep your pants up - around your waist,'' Davis said.
``Right now, because of peer pressure, they're straddling the fence,'' Davis added. ``They're trying to seek the positive, they see the need for a turning point, they want to mold into society.''
Eighth-grader Christina Bailey liked what she saw.
``It's about time,'' she said. ``You need to teach them to stop being hoodlums.''
Peters said the club has been a good influence on the school. There's a waiting list of 25 students, and girls have been clamoring for a club of their own.
``It gives me something to look forward to,'' said club member Justin Henley, 14. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
LAFAYETTE-WINONA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Tyrone Cox, an eighth-grader at Lafayette-Winona in Norfolk, gets a
hand with his tie from guidance counselor Larry Harvey. Cox is a
member of the Gentleman's Club.
PHOTOS BY BILL TIERNAN
The Virginian-Pilot
Tiree Willis, 14, an eighth-grader at Lafayette-Winona Middle
School, says, ``I see a lot of things that tempt me to do wrong
stuff, but now I think about why I shouldn't do it because I want to
remain in this club.''
by CNB