THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200064
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 69 lines
Grades weren't on the athletes' minds as the Kempsville and First Colonial girls prepared to bang hoops in the Beach District tourney on Wednesday.
But come next spring, Beach students without a C average won't be competing in tournaments like this, or in most other interscholastic activities.
The rule requiring a minimum grade point average for participation in extracurriculars passed the School Board by a 10-1 vote on Tuesday. On Wednesday, as the squeaks and thuds of rubber on wood filled the Ocean Lakes High School gymnasium, folks weighed in on the policy.
``It should be!'' one Kempsville High varsity cheerleader shouted in support of the 2.0 minimum, which will affect her as well.
``Or higher,'' 14-year-old Meredith Brannon added. ``At least a 2.5.''
Others aren't so sure of the policy, which will affect middle and high school students beginning next year.
Some people caution that some students only stick around for their diploma because of their extracurricular activities. Proponents boiled it down to this: expect more from kids and they will deliver.
``If they can't get a 2.0, they need to be home studying anyway,'' 16-year-old Kempsville junior Charslee Fisher said. ``Some of them are getting a 1.5 just to play and they shouldn't.''
The new rule, similar to ones in place in Portsmouth and Suffolk, is stricter than what the Virginia High School League imposes on students. That's not to say the member-supported organization is ignoring the changing tide in South Hampton Roads and other places around the state.
``It is not the majority of schools at this point,'' VHSL spokesman Bob Button said, ``but it is a growing trend.''
The league sanctions interscholastic activities such as debate, athletics and forensics among others. For now, the VHSL still is deliberating any changes. A committee will study statistics and implications and issue a report, probably by this fall.
If any changes are recommended, they probably would not be put into place until at least the 1998-99 school year, Button added.
The Virginia Beach 2.0 rule has a scheduled phase-in period. By fall, affected students have to make at least a 1.5 GPA, by spring '98, the mandatory 2.0 GPA. Supporters say students will have enough time to adjust their study habits if needed.
Kim Schreiber worries it won't just be a matter of putting in extra hours for some students. She leads the Kellam Touchdown Club, a parents support team for the school's football squad.
``I'm all for good grades,'' Schreiber said. ``I just feel sometimes, and this pertains to anything in life, you are going to have someone who, no matter how hard they try and struggle, they are not going to pull it off.''
Not being able to pull it off might cost some kids a better future, said Lance Lee, an Ocean Lakes High junior. He holds a 2.7 GPA and is on the track and volleyball teams.
Like School Board Chairman Robert Hagans and member Tim Jackson, Lee wonders whether other black males may get stuck before they get a chance to shine academically.
``People change,'' Lee said. ``I know some people who didn't do so well in high school, and they go to college and do good. Maybe that person would have had a chance.''
Some rough spots are expected.
``I think any change that comes down the pike is difficult,'' Patricia Nash said. She wears two hats, serving as principal of Bayside Middle School and president of the Virginia Beach Association of Secondary School Principals.
While Nash sees potential for problems, she, along with other educators and parents, sees safety nets as well. Peer tutors. Study hall. Teachers. Coaches.
``They should be able to make a 1.5 then a 2.0,'' said Jerry Rafal, who coaches boys volleyball and girls soccer at Princess Anne High School. ``I feel that way as a parent and as a coach. They have to want it for themselves.''