New Haven Independent: The World's At King/Robinson's Door

The World’s At King/Robinson’s Door

by Allan Appel | May 14, 2008 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jameisha Via has made a new friend at school this year: Nur Amalina Amir-Hamzah, who hails from Malaysia — as well as another friend, Mahmoud, who’s from Egypt.

His school, King/Robinson Interdistrict Magnet, has been pursuing a global path. Last week it celebrated becoming the only school in the state to be certified in both primary and middle grades as International Baccaulaureate School. So it was fitting Jameisha Via (on right) in photo and her siblings Nate’ and Michael wanted to be photographed beneath the Malaysian flag in their school cafeteria at the event.

The Via kids, whom the Independent has been following in a year-long series on parental involvement, are learning Spanish and French. The French starts in pre-K. They’re also learning values such as cooperation and tolerance that swirl around what’s known as the IB, or International Baccaulaureate curriculum.

James Via’s three kids were all getting ready to take their instruments and help lead the festive parade — we’ll see Jameisha on the flute and Nate’ and Michael on snare drums shortly — circling around the Newhallville neighborhood to mark the big day.

They took a moment from rehearsal to talk first to a reporter about their dad and their progress at school. Both girls made honor roll this year, with Jameisha particularly proud of going from C to A in science, and Nate’ from C to B in social studies.

As a fifth-grader, Michael gets only Es for Excellent or Ss for Satisfactory. He has all Ss this year, which is progress: Michael’s ants-in-his pants behavior had been a problem for the teachers and a concern for James Via. Now he’s motivated. “My grandmother said she’d give me $100 if I got all Es.” He appeared to be working on it.

The kids’ dad, James Via, as always, was devoted to them, working with them on homework, and attending as many school events as possible.

How did they feel about his missing this event, IB certification, three years in the making, for the school community?

The kids said they would miss his seeing them play in the band, but it was OK.

If each of them could choose just one word, one adjective to describe their dad, what might it be?

Nate’ said her dad was knowledgeable. Michael said he was independent, and Jameisha said he was caring.

But the Via children couldn’t dote too much on their dad in absentia as the celebration called. Taking their place in the band, Jameisha played flute and snare drum, Nate’ the bass drum, and Michael was on snares as all 388 King/Robinson kids formed up and began to march.

Circumambulating the block near the school, the kids celebrated wearing crowns and caps celebrating the IB curriculum in practice, which is described as inquiry-based learning in an international context.

Assistant principal George Flanagan (right, with principal Ilene Tracey) said that that meant, for example, that when they learn to pick up a piece of trash, “the kids learn what kind of positive effect that will have in the larger community and around the world.”

So it’s not just academics, but character building as well that is at the heart of the school day here that was being celebrated. “Each day,” Flanagan said, “Ms. Tracey gives the kids a word of the day from the curriculum — like cooperation or confidence or tolerance — and each kid in the school is urged to practice it in relation to another kid or staff member.

“Yesterday, a fifth grader was presenting his memoir, one of the assignments, and he got flummoxed, lost his place. Without missing a beat, another child walked up, help him pronounce a word, and then sat down. Initiative, responsibility, humility — all the IB values were there in that gesture.”

After a group of fourth and fifth-grade French students said the serment d’Allegeance, or pledge of allegiance, in French, Superintendent Reginald Mayo did the honors of formally presenting the I.B. authorization to the principal. Tracey said, “We have been waiting for this moment for three years.”

The designation, which the school had earned a year ago in the primary grades, and now for the middle grades, came not without the staff writing IB based curriculum, taking special training courses, and passing rigorous in-person inspections over three days by an international team.

Mayo made reference to looming budget cuts for the city; he was racing back to trim the BOE budget. He noted the progress at King/Robinson, reflected in the I.B. status and double-digit improvements in reading for several grades.

Will cuts would hold back more progress?

“No,” came the resounding cry of the uniformed students.

“That’s right, ” Mayo confirmed, “because you have the will power to succeed. I consider this not only a good school, but a great school.”

Keisha Redd, the other assistant principal, looked about the thronged room, which rang with some French here, some Spanish there, a sentence in Urdu in the corner, and showed clusters of girls wearing white headscarves as well. “Last year we offered Chinese just before and after school as enrichment. Next year,” she said, “we’re going to try to offer Chinese as a regular part of the curriculum.”

Previous installments in the Independent’s series on parental involvement in local schools:

Parents Give Schools Thumbs Up

Mom’s Business Grows, Along With Xena

Parents Confront Mayo

7 Parents Get Their Own “Head Start”

Moonlight Readers in West Rock

Joshua’s Parents Take Him To “Foie Gras” Service

Parents Question Skittles Suspension

Parents Want Say On Suspensions

Brandon Earns His Blue Shirt

Mr. Via Procures The Evidence

Son Gets Pills; Suspension Policy Targeted