C.H. Terrell Academy
2230 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30904
ph: 706-736-6216
fax: 706-736-6205
chterrel
C.H. Terrell Media
November 2009 Metro Spirit- Parent
Year-long learning… and then some |
BY ERIC JOHNSON |
AUGUSTA, GA – Though known primarily for being the first and only year-round school in the CSRA, C.H. Terrell Academy Principal Kimberly Baxter-Lee insists the school is much more than a novelty. “The philosophy is: school is your job, your desk is your office and your grades are your pay,” she says. That kind of approach may sound a little harsh given today’s nurturing climate, but Baxter-Lee says such an outlook is essential if students are going to grow up to be productive and prepared members of society. “Today, I made my kids take the city bus,” she says. “My thinking is — they have to learn how to relate. Just because you’re private school, you’re not spoiled. You have to learn that just because your parents have a car, you may not.” An independent, private Christian school, Terrell Academy was founded by Baxter-Lee’s mother, Rebecca Terrell Dent, nearly 30 years ago, and has always maintained a strict teacher-student ratio. “When my mom founded the school, it was her goal to make sure it stayed small,” Baxter-Lee says. “Everyone who comes through here — I want to know who they are. I want to know them inside and out.” At a time when public school classrooms are getting larger and larger, at Terrell, small really does mean small, with classes ranging from 8 to 12 students working in a combined classroom structure. Those smaller class sizes mean teachers can spend more one-on-one time with the students, which helps foster the supportive atmosphere some of the students may have lacked at other schools. “If we laugh,” Baxter-Lee says, “we laugh together. We have zero tolerance for anyone picking on anyone.”In addition to the individualized approach taken by the teachers, Terrell uses a unique, collective approach in the combined classrooms. “Here, we do the African Village concept,” Baxter-Lee says. “They have to respect their elder, so their elder is to support them. They have to go to the elder, and if the elder can’t help, they go to an adult, and then we go back and work together as a team.”That spirit caused them to choose a tiger for their mascot.“Every tiger’s stripes are different,” she says, “and every kid who comes through is different.” Overwhelmingly African-American, Terrell Academy’s students come almost entirely from the public schools. Often struggling, Baxter-Lee says they’re sometimes misdiagnosed with learning disabilities. “They state that the students either have attention deficit disorder or are slightly below level. However, once we work with them and show them the correct study habits, they actually score on or above level,” she says. The academically rigorous curriculum stresses an understanding of current events and has students as young as kindergarten learning a foreign language. Academics aren’t all Terrell offers, however. Starting in middle school, students are also required to donate 180 hours of community service every year. “I don’t want them to walk around being all book smart and having no common sense,” Baxter-Lee says. No matter what else the school has going on — and there’s a lot — the conversation always comes back to its calendar. As the only year-round school in the area, Terrell is the standard bearer for a concept many in the public school systems, including Dr. Dana Bedden in Richmond County, are starting to seriously consider. And having 12 years experience in year-round school, Baxter-Lee feels she’s earned the right to talk about it with a sense of authority.
“We love it,” she says. “I especially like it because I’ve never been one for summer vacations. The longer they’re out, the more they lose what we’ve already taught them.” The advantages of year-round school extend beyond student achievement, however.“It’s actually beneficial for everyone,” she argues. “Parents can spend more time with their kids and teachers can increase their pay when they’re off.” By getting a week and a half off every nine weeks, teachers are able to supplement their income by subbing in the public school systems. The school, which is now occupying space across from the Julian Smith Casino on Broad Street, is looking for a home, something Baxter-Lee hopes will happen during her mother’s lifetime. Until then, the 45 students at Terrell Academy will continue to help each other achieve in their current setting. “If you’re willing to learn,” Baxter-Lee says, “you’ll get along at Terrell just fine.” |
Students at Terrell Academy Rock!!!
Many times the people in the world give kids a bad rap. People put all kids in the same basket and it is not fair. I argue the point that all kids are good. They respond according to the tools they are given. No tools of respect, love kindness, consideration for others, discipline, all equal the opposite.
My spirit must speak to and give praise to the students at Terrell Academy. It was obvious to me they are getting the right tools. Last week, I had the esteem pleasure of doing an HIV presentation with them. They were respectful, kind, considerate, and attentive. I witnessed discussion interaction on the topic of HIV and what they could do to help in the cause.
I decided to give these wonderful students an assignment that shall remain a secret for now. They are on point and working on their assignment with enthusiasm. They are excited and I am too. Be on the lookout for the big announcement of their soon to be released product. I invite the CSRA to be on board to witness what great things our kids are doing.
High praise to the their parents who are a living example for them to follow. A special thanks to the founder of Terrell for having a vision that has become her mission. To the staff at Terrell, you are making a difference and it shows.
In closing, Herbert Hoover said, “Children are our most valuable natural resource.” If you believe this, invest in a child today.
-Sandra E. Wimberly, Public Health Educator
(East Central Health District, October 2009 Fall Newsletter)
AIDS Video is Produced by Students!
Sandra Wimberly's presentation turned into a larger project."I gave a presentation for the (Charles Henry) Terrell Academy some months back on HIV/AIDS, and during my presentation, a light bulb went off," said Ms. Wimberly, public health educator for the Richmond County Health Department. "I said to myself: 'These are bright youngsters. I'll give them an assignment and see what they'll do with it."
She asked the students at the private Christian school to create a project to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on their peers, she said. The students decided to create a documentary-style video, All Secrets Aside. It will premiere tonight at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Augusta.
"This was done by us," said Sierra Boatwright, 17. "Usually, it's adults making the documentaries and videos to raise awareness, but this is from us. This is how we see it. "We want to get the message out to other teens that anybody can get it. We're trying to get them to take the thought out of their head that 'This can't happen to me.' By spreading awareness, we hope that it'll open their eyes and save someone's life."
From late October to December the students worked on the production, which includes the latest information about HIV and AIDS; emphasizes the importance of getting tested; and has "on-the- street" interviews, said Jeunelle Robinson, 18.
"What we found is that most people aren't paying attention to it as much as they should be," she said. "I want them to be more aware, and I think this video will do that. I think it will really get their attention."
Miss Robinson's mother, Andrea Julian, helped the students edit the video, but all other tasks were done by the students.
The assignment was an opportunity for them to learn, said Kimberly Baxter-Lee, the administrator of the academy.
"By working with this particular project, they learned more about the impact HIV and AIDS is having on this community and that this situation is widespread, even among their age group," she said. "It taught them to be more aware of what's out there, and it also taught them to be more compassionate."
Everyone is encouraged to attend the presentation, Ms. Wimberly said.
"I applaud those kids for their work. They have really worked hard," she said. "People should come out, see what they have done, and go back and spread the word."
Reach Nikasha Dicks at (706) 823-3336 or nikasha.dicks@augustachronicle.com.
Characters Bring Alphabet to Life
Staff Writer
Linda Smith brought an alphabet parade with her to C.H. Terrell Academy in Augusta on Monday to teach children by way of repetitive participation and phonetic learning.
"We'll pretend there's a parade in Augusta," she told a group of pre-kindergarten through seventh-grade students before reading Clappity Clap All Through Town , a book she recently co-wrote.
The book has a page for each letter of the alphabet -- represented as a puppet -- and illustrates how the letters journey through town. After learning about and shouting out a letter, Terrell pupils were asked to clap and say in unison "Clappity Clap, sound, sound, sound, all the letters are marching through town."
The book, released in the summer, was written by Ms. Smith and Beverly McGee, a retired Edgefield County educators. It was illustrated by Beth Robertson, an art teacher at Strom Thurmond High School.
The idea was based on a phonetics-based puppet program Ms. Smith and Ms. McGee started in Edgefield County in the 1990s and expanded with visits to surrounding school districts. Each puppet has a letter name, and children are taught stories about how that letter is used phonetically in words.
"We had teachers as well as students wanting to know if we had a book about the puppets," Ms. Smith said.
Soon after the book was completed, Ms. Smith started readings in area schools. Augusta State University professor Dr. Paulette Harris, who taught Ms. Smith in graduate school, has been helping promote the book.
Ms. Smith said the book helps students learn by getting them involved through clapping and teaching them to memorize the alphabet in order page by page.
At Terrell, she displayed a few of the puppets and got students to sound out words, telling them how the character A likes "a-a-apples."
"Really and truly, phonics is the way to go," she said after the reading.
Ms. Smith told Terrell pupils another book "about bossy R" is being considered, noting that "She (bossy R) just wants to tell those vowel sounds what to do. ... But sometimes she doesn't get her way with all the words."
Rebecca Dent, the owner of Terrell, a private Christian school, said the book teaches in the right direction by getting children involved so they pay better attention.
"We do that here," she said. "That is how we get them to interact. ... So we're on the same page."
Source URL: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2010/01/12/met_562804.shtml
2230 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30904
ph: 706-736-6216
fax: 706-736-6205
chterrel
