Enthusiasm Endures As Principal Departs


By Avis Thomas-Lester
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2001;
Page B01

It's 11 a.m., and Marian White-Hood is in the midst of front office business when she gets word that pandemonium, or at least the lunchtime version of it, has erupted in the cafeteria.

"I've got to get down there," White-Hood says, grabbing her two-way radio and heading down the main hall to the land of chicken nuggets and adolescent melodrama in the form of who was talking about whom and whose boyfriend is a dog and why P. Diddy should get over Jennifer Lopez because she ain't all that, anyway.

Inside the cafeteria, White-Hood surveys the 200 faces lunching with verve and volume. Lots of volume. She steps on the stage and speaks into the microphone:

"Young people! Young people! I need your attention! Young people, let me tell you what is expected of you. You must get quiet immediately. Make no mistake: This noise is not acceptable!"

Welcome to Kettering Middle School in central Prince George's County, where children who are rambunctious or rude or disobedient are encouraged to do better because they should, not because they haveto, where boys learn to be good men in the Gentlemen's Association and girls learn confidence in the Rose Court.

There are programs to recognize honor students and others to recognize hard work and good citizenship, no matter the grade-point average. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, White-Hood started the Goodwill Club to honor students who focus on peace.

There are father-son luncheons and mother-daughter teas. Dinner was served two weeks ago at Family Reading and Math Night. There are semiannual college trips and an annual job fair. There are rallies to show love to students, staff and parents and a daily abundance of positive strokes and even telephone calls to tell parents about wonderful things their children did.

White-Hood's success has been recognized in a number of awards and accolades. But perhaps the biggest of late is her selection from a sea of contenders as the principal of the new East Central Middle School in Mitchellville, a state-of-the-art science, math and technology program slated to open next fall. As she begins designing East Central's curriculum and working with construction engineers to fine-tune the facility, she continues at Kettering until a replacement is found.

Jacob Andoh, chairman of the Lake Arbor Civic Association education committee and co-facilitator of the Mitchellville-Largo-Kettering Education Coalition, said White-Hood was the unanimous choice by community leaders to take the helm of the new school.

"Many of us in the community see Dr. White-Hood as someone who walks on water because she is able to make the seemingly impossible become possible," he said. "She is an incredible bundle of energy, enthusiasm and creativity, and she has an undying love for children."

Kettering students, staff and parents, who are lamenting her departure, say the next principal will have a big role to fill. They expect the next head administrator to have the same rare commitment as White-Hood, who is known for showing up at school before sunup and going home long after dark.

"This school is her life," said Ellen Frost, White-Hood's executive assistant. "She is here for the students 24-7. She gives her home number to parents. She calls them and staff in the evenings and on weekends. She's always accessible."

To show appreciation for her students, faculty and staff, White-Hood bears her "kudos cart," a stainless steel caddy with everything from candy to stickers that she wheels around as she chats with students and teachers, praising their endeavors and encouraging them to forge on.

"What's your name, young man?" she asked a seventh-grader one recent morning as he stood in line among a group of rambunctious classmates. "I really appreciate the way you are standing there quietly. You are going to be getting a positive phone call."

She walks into a math class, and a teacher tells her how well students performed on an exam. "You are wonderful!" she told the children. "Keep up the good work!" When members of the school's Civil Air Patrol, a civilian volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, marched down the hall in perfect timed step, she clapped with delight. "Look at what beautiful children you are! You look so professional." A dozen students in camouflage and dress uniforms grinned with delight.

"She's respect-worthy," said Stephanie Opara, 12, a seventh-grader. "She expects you to show her respect, but she shows you respect back. A lot of adults don't show us respect."

And while White-Hood gets A's for her commitment to building children's self-esteem, the former U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School is also recognized for its academic achievement.

Students are expected to perform to their full potential and are given tutoring and mentoring to help them do so. Every Saturday morning, teachers volunteer to work with students on math and writing. Students are required to write an essay monthly to White-Hood based on a predetermined prompt. November's essay assignment begins: "We are all a family under one sky."

Staffers said White-Hood gives them the support and freedom to be creative in teaching. Michelle Jordan, an instructional coordinator, said she was so involved when her daughter went to Kettering that White-Hood hired her. "She is just so enthusiastic that you feel enthusiastic, too," Jordan said.

Nona Johnson, a former D.C. schools administrator who joined Kettering's staff five years ago, said White-Hood inspires her staff to see the potential in every student.

"Dr. White-Hood's philosophy is that all kids are gifted and talented," she said. The principal is especially concerned with pressures on middle school children, Johnson said.

"They are children, and they still want someone to smile at them and speak kindly to them and tell them that they are beautiful and wonderful," White-Hood said. "This is a tough age."

White-Hood, 50, who began her career teaching home economics and holds a doctorate in education, said she is both thrilled to be named to head East Central and nostalgic about leaving Kettering. She is proud of her work there. Kettering's success has meant grants and special programs for students and a partnership with the University of Maryland to provide computers and training to 28 students.

"I've had a good time here," said White-Hood, who has been principal at Kettering for 10 years. "I probably shouldn't have stayed as long as I did, but I did it because I have really enjoyed working here."

Back in the cafeteria, the nostalgic thoughts are gone, and her mission is an orderly lunch dismissal. She knows the students can do better.

"Let's try this again! I'd like to see Ms. Simmons' class line up and march out like the wonderful young people I know they are."

The class lines up and marches silently out of the cafeteria, several waving as they file past the stage.

"Look at that! I'm giving you a 10! That is wonderful!

"Now, Mr. Allen's class. I want you to try for a 10, too. You can do it!"

They do. And so do several others until the cafeteria is empty.

"You don't have to scream and yell at children to get them to do what they should. You just have to tell them what is expected of them," White-Hood said. "These children are very smart. They just need us to guide them."

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This story ran on page S1 of the Boston Globe on 12/13/2001

School may change way it teaches


By Christine Wallgren,
Globe Correspondent

PEMBROKE -- New principal Jeffrey Lucove hopes to change the way students at Silver Lake Regional Junior High School are taught, beginning next fall.

Lucove has drafted a proposal to have seventh-graders of different academic levels work cooperatively in the same room. For the last several years, students in reading, math, and social studies classes have been grouped by ability levels of advanced and standard. Remedial support has also been offered. The junior high's teachers already instruct classes at all levels, but now they will have to do it with students of all abilities together.

Lucove said it will be a challenge. ''Some students are brighter than others and may already know the material being taught,'' he said. ''Bored preadolescents are not a wonderful thing to have in your classroom. The emphasis will be on differentiated instruction, so the teachers offer a range of opportunities to stretch individual students to the capability they have.''

Lucove decided to consider the change after reading the accreditation report submitted to the school last year by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. ''In its recommendations, NEASC suggested we look at our ability-grouping philosophy as it relates to middle schools,'' he said. Lucove plans to spend the next month talking to teachers and parent groups before the new arrangement is implemented. He anticipates some tough questions from parents, particularly those who have had children in the top levels. But he believes educational research and standard student testing support the change.

''The top five MCAS scorers in the state all have middle schools with heterogeneous groupings,'' Lucove said. ''I know this is not a mild topic in the community, and I purposely drew the line in the sand. This is a proposal to move the school to a place that will benefit achieving students as well as those with learning difficulties.''

The proposal calls for getting rid of the current levels of English and social studies classes in seventh grade in favor of mixed groupings. ''What we're going to be teaching is what we are teaching today,'' he said. ''What differs is the way individual children will be dealt with.''

While Lucove is considering dividing next year's reading classes into standard and developmental levels, he is not certain he will follow through with that change. ''The developmental would be for students whose scores fall far below grade level,'' he said. ''I'm still discussing with the reading teachers whether we'll do this. Reading could wind up heterogeneously grouped, too.''

An accelerated level will continue in math, with the top 125 students being put in that section. The pace will be faster than it is now, with more units covered during the year.

According to Lucove, inclusion in upper-level classes has been based on student performance, teacher recommendations, and parent preferences. He intends to make decisions using a standardized math skills assessment test given sixth-graders in all member towns. ''It's not that we're not going to take teacher recommendations or parent preference, but this will give us a data point standard,'' he said. ''Right now, there's not a uniform way of grading from school to school. When you give a test, it's a common way of identifying the skills the kids have.''

Lucove said heterogeneous grouping is about equity. ''For whatever reason, students who are skills-deficient are now taught in smaller classes,'' he said. ''On the surface, that sounds great, but when I walk through the building and see a class with six or eight kids and another class with 25, I'm concerned about rights. There needs to be equity for children and teachers. I'd like class sizes to be fairly similar with heterogeneous grouping and differentiated instruction. The intent is to ensure the success of every student.''

Lucove said services offered to students on Individualized Education Plans will not change. ''We have to deliver those services under the laws for special education,'' he said. ''But there will be more inclusion, with fewer special needs students in the groupings since they will be spread out over all the different teams.''

If the plan wins approval from the administration, Lucove will meet with incoming seventh-graders next fall during the first week of school to discuss the concept of cooperative learning.

For the students, heterogeneous grouping will be familiar - that is how their classes have been arranged throughout their elementary school careers. ''My greatest concern will be with the [accelerated] Level 0 parents,'' Lucove said. ''They will be concerned their youngsters won't be challenged or stretched, or worse, that they will end up surrogate teachers. The solution is to train the teachers in differentiated instruction.''

Lucove said workshops will prepare the teachers for the change. ''It's like learning a language,'' he said. ''The first year you have to go to the dictionary and look the word up, but by the third year you're thinking in the language.''

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Springfield (MA) Union News
Monday, December 17, 2001

Science lessons stuff of everyday


By NANCY H. GONTER

HOLYOKE -- Science teacher Laurie Boosahda's students never have to ask "Why do we have to know this?"

That's because each lesson in her seventh grade Peck Middle School science class is tied to everyday life.

With the class now studying electricity and magnetism, Boosahda last week arranged for students to get a first-hand look at the Insight, a gas-electric hybrid car made by Honda.

"If I was a grown man and if I had a job, I'd give you $40,000 for it," said Noel E. Maysonet, 12, a seventh-grader who said the bright blue car with a price of $20,180 would be perfect with a custom stereo system in it.

The car was brought to Peck by Balise Honda Sales Consultant Salman S. Suleri who explained to students that the car has 80 small batteries it uses when it is idling or is at cruising speed. The batteries are charged by the engine when it is using gas, Suleri said.

The car's gas mileage can be as high as 68 mph, he said.

As her students oohed and aahed over the car, Boosahda explained to them that using the batteries when cars are waiting at traffic lights is important.

"Pollution is a big problem when cars are sitting in traffic. They're putting out fumes. This car doesn't do that," Boosahda said.

Seventh-grader Michael P. Theroux, 13, said he thinks the car is cool. He also said he likes how using this type of car would reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.

"We could stop pollution, and there would probably be no more terrorist attacks because we wouldn't need foreign oil," Michael said.

Keishla M. Falcon, 12, said she likes the shape and comfort of the car.

"I think it's nice because you don't have to waste a lot of gas and you'd have the money to go where you want," Keishla said.

Laysha J. Ortiz, 12, also appreciates that the car doesn't waste gas.

"It does everything else like a regular car except it doesn't use much gas," Laysha said.

Students are also writing President George W. Bush with their ideas about reducing pollution.

"I want students to know pollution does not have to increase. We have intelligent technologies that preserve our quality of life without destroying the environment. I'm hoping they will demand a cleaner future," Boosahda said.

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