THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512030052
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
Jamia Chapman, a fifth-grader at S.H. Clarke Community Academy, still regrets the trouble she got into earlier this school year for poking fun at a teacher.
Maybe that's why much of what teachers said resonated as she listened Friday night during a ``charm clinic'' that was part of an unusual girls-only sleep-over at the school.
Still wearing her school uniform - a plaid skirt and oxford shirt - she sat quietly against the gymnasium wall after the session, in no apparent hurry as other girls rushed to restrooms to change into pajamas.
``I'm learning a lot from this,'' she told a visitor, referring to the evening's activities.
``I'm learning how to sit right, carry myself right and be respectful; and how to teach younger children how to be like me, walk in a straight line, not disrespect their teachers and to repeat the right things I do,'' she explained.
From the start, Jamia, 10, had embraced the idea of the school having a sleep-over for girls.
``It lets us have fun and learn things,'' she said. ``The teachers and the principal really love us to do something like this.''
About 180 girls - nearly 70 percent of the pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade girls enrolled at Clarke - participated. Principal Daisy M. Murphy, her mother, several faculty members and a few parents also spent the night at school, offering the girls plenty of fun but an even larger dose of social guidance, nurturing and sisterly love.
Everyone called it quits at about 10 a.m. Saturday. By then, the girls had been treated to activities ranging from storytelling to scavenger hunts. They heard a motivational speech by teacher Vera Williams, who has muscular dystrophy, and engaged in rap sessions touching on self-worth, substance abuse, good conduct, decision-making, personal hygiene and the importance of education.
The Clarke staff wants students and parents to know it believes there's much more to education than what can be squeezed into a school day, Murphy said.
``We are not just punching the clock or the calendar,'' she said. ``We are willing to give beyond what is traditionally given. . . . A child comes to us with their emotions as well as their minds.
``I'm establishing a climate and a culture of concern, caring and commitment to the children as well as a commitment to learning. . . . Those things relate to the quality of life in the classroom, the safety of the building. In essence, they add up to a classroom environment that is more conducive to learning.''
Physically, the girls were at school. But it often felt like summer camp.
Over a pizza dinner, they talked with their teachers about music, movies or whatever else came to mind. Among themselves, they shared gossip, dolled up each other's hair, played hand games, sang the latest R&B hits. Some teachers took a stab at doing The Butterfly dance.
At one point, the school's social worker showed third-, fourth- and fifth-graders scenes from the ``Boyz N the Hood'' film and then asked them to discuss the characters' attitudes and values.
There were a few tears from girls who said they missed mama or a sister at home. But in most cases, they were soon eager to rejoin the sea of colored barrettes, pigtails and smiling faces.
Cheryl Kearse was one of a handful of parents who helped out overnight.
``I've never heard of a school doing this. I think they're really trying to show the kids how the teachers are people, too, and how everybody needs to pull together and get along and have unity,'' said Kearse, whose 5-year-old daughter, Giovanni, is a Clarke kindergartner.
``This will motivate the children. This is a school where the parents really feel welcome, too,'' she said.
Clarke, formerly an alternative center, opened as an elementary school this year. Nearly all of its students are needy enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In most of their communities, welfare is the going wage and playing outside can be life-threatening.
But everything about Clarke crackles with purpose, from the pictures of renowned African Americans on cafeteria walls to the midyear report cards parents will soon receive so they can grade the school.
Murphy herself is a gale of energy and ideas. She proudly tells a visitor about increased participation in workshops offered to parents and about a host of student clubs that will soon be up and running - on top of those now in place, such as the Spanish club, gospel chorus, drama club and after-school tutorial program.
She pitched the sleep-over idea to her staff and PTA. They loved it. A similar event for boys is scheduled for January.
Parents were asked to donate $1 to help with expenses, but Murphy will rely on the school's business partners to cover the cost of providing dinner and breakfast for the girls. The school district provided transportation home Saturday. Girls and teachers camped out on the gym floor.
The idea, said teacher Connie Liverman, gets to the heart of what's missing in the lives of many children today: stable, productive relationships with adults who can help steer them in a positive direction.
``Hopefully, they're going to realize we truly care about them and we're willing to go beyond the call of duty, beyond the paycheck, the seven-hour work day, to let them know they're important to us,'' she said.
``With this kind of activity, we're touching a personal part of the children that's sometimes more difficult to hit when you're with them during the day.''
On Saturday morning, several of the girls - many of whom had stayed up until about 3 a.m. - offered rave reviews of the previous night.
``It was nice of Miz Murphy and the teachers to throw a party for the girls to let them know they should appreciate themselves,'' said 10-year-old fifth-grader Makeda Coker.
``It was just like school, but they made you feel at home. Like, you could play and then you would go eat and then go to the bathroom and then change your clothes and stuff. It made you feel like somebody was trying to help you out and show you their respect for you so you can respect them in the same way.''
Chanta Mitchell, an 8-year-old second-grader, said she would have a new outlook on school, starting Monday. ``I'm going to stop talking all the time and getting an attitude,'' she said. ``It's not good to get in trouble. Everybody should be friends.''
Fifth-grader Isis Wilson said she came away with a valuable philosophy: ``The most important thing I learned is that you can do more with your life if you believe in yourself.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
TAMARA VONINSKI/The Virginian-Pilot
Latisha Jones, right, hugs her bear while other Clarke Academy
students dance during the school's Friday sleep-over.
Melvena Grandison, left, and Martina Scott carry sleeping bags to
the gymnasium at S.H. Clarke Community Academy during sleep-over.
Photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/The Virginian-Pilot
Some of the 180 students from S.H. Clarke Community Academy in
Portsmouth enjoy a sing-along at a sleep-over Friday.
by CNB