Marion Magnet Principals Point to Positives

Marion Magnet Principals Point to Positives

First year of new district- wide elementary model off to a strong start

Marion School District Teachers, parents and students will always face challenges during the opening weeks of school. To completely change the way its schools have been operating for decades, the Marion School District could have crashed head-on into total chaos this year, but principals at the three Magnet Schools, where the elementary schools are now grades K-6, say the exact opposite has happened.

“The only thing that was a surprise to me was the amount of excitement among the teachers, parents and kids,” said Adam O'Neal, principal at Herbert Carter Global Community Magnet.

“It has been very positive,” said Ali Weimer, principal at Marion Math, Science and Technology Magnet. “The teachers like seeing the kids they have taught at a younger age, seeing how they have matured.”

“There hasn't been an ounce of pessimism. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Renewed energy has been infused into our campuses and district” Carissa Lacy, principal at Marion Visual and Performing Arts Magnet, said. She credits teachers for making the transition to magnet easier than expected.

“I could not have prayed for better teachers at VPA,” she added. They have taken all the changes with a smile. And this is a very talented group of teachers.” O'Neal said parents have been especially excited about having a choice.

“It is tailored for the students,” he said. It's just awesome. The parents have been very supportive.”

Two things have generated at least a big portion of that enthusiasm: school uniforms and the Spanish language program.

“The uniforms have been received in a very positive manner and it is great for the parents,” O'Neal said.

“There is a school crest on the uniform shirts and the kids are really excited about that. The kids are also getting 75 minutes of Spanish lessons each week and the response to that has been great.”

At MST, the sixth-graders have been paired with kindergarten students in an effort to give the oldest students on the campus some form of responsibility.

“We wanted them to embrace being the big men or women on campus and to set an example for the youngers students,” Weimer said. “We challenge them each day to be the leaders and they've owned it.”

“The teachers are very excited about what VPA is and what it will become,” Lacy said. “I am elated when I get stopped in the hallway by a teacher who has a new idea or some new component to add to the school.”

VPA recently partnered with DeltaArts to assist with staff professional development. The budding partnership will also allow resident artists to work alongside VPA teachers to design learning plans that “address the aesthetics of education,” Lacy said.

The primary artistic thrust will vary during grading periods. The first nineweeks, musician Kenneth Jackson will be at VPA teaching the youngsters about the blues. Other thrust includes studies and performances of the Nut Remix and Voices of the South. Students will also have exposure to artists such as Carroll Cloar and Greely Myatt.

O'Neal said HCGC expects the list of positives to get even bigger in coming years.

“We have some awesome teachers who have provided valuable insight to this effort,” he said. “We will be making tweaks as necessary.

MST, located in the “Quad”, along with the Junior and Senior High Schools, has the largest magnet student population (more than 850 students). PRINCIPALS

As a result, there have been a few traffic kinks, due to infrastructure, that are being ironed out to accommodate enrollment growth.

“We appreciate our parents. They have been really patient as we work hard to make the flow of traffic smoother,” Weimer said.

“The staff and all the MST administration are present each day helping. It is getting better and will continue to get better. Our creed is built upon showing our parents how much we support their children and always going the extra mile to make their kids

By Mike Douglas