Last Session of 2008 After School Program

After reviewing the results of our acid rain experiment, we had a discussion about whether or not schools should be closed for the Inauguration. Students were divided -- most had not realized the day would have to be made up at the end of the year. Some felt that the inauguration of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth president was an event of such historical significance that schools should close; others that since he had not done anything yet, other than get elected, and since one never knows about a president's term without the luxury of hindsight, schools should not be closed. We completed the 2008 after school program by celebrating the perfect attendance of nearly 25% of students in the FSK-Calvert Partnership.

8th Graders Visit Area High Schools

On Friday, December 5th, 2008, Ms. Karpay of Supporting Public Schools of Choice, escorted most of the 8th graders on visits to three transformation or innovation high schools in which they'd expressed interest after some research on the web. Innovation high schools are smaller high schools with particular program emphasis and usually special community partnerships. Transformation schools are similar, but go from 6th through 12th grade.
The first stop was New Era Academy, a college preparatory innovation school. They change classes to jazz instead of bells; and one of the school sports is crew! In one of the pictures Ms. Dorsey, school counselor addresses a group led by senior, Cindy. In the other, Mr. Johnston, math teacher, explains the academic trophies which are given out quarterly. (He was a little disappointed that only one boy earned a trophy.) The largest class at New Era is 25, the average class size is 15, and one Advanced Placement class had only seven students.
Students then went on to Baltimore Freedom Academy, which just became a 6-12 school transformation school, and focuses on social justice curriculum. The final stop was, Baltimore Talent Development High School, an innovation school which partners with Johns Hopkins University.