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First Charter School Opens in NLV

By ANTONIO PLANAS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

This week, North Las Vegas' first charter school opened its doors to more than 500 pupils, who along with their parents and teachers were happy to have a place to call their own.

Before Wednesday, pupils and teachers from the 100 Academy of Excellence had been meeting at the YMCA near the Meadows mall. That changed with the opening of the 45,000-square-foot inner city school at Comstock Drive and Carey Avenue.

"You get a sense that it's yours here," said fifth-grade teacher Sumre Glass. "Your building, your logo, your uniforms." The school's required attire includes a yellow, black or white polo shirt emblazoned with the school's logo.

The school serves 500 primarily black kindergarten through fifth- grade pupils. It was begun by Imagine Schools, a nonprofit group based in Arlington, Va., that manages dozens of charter schools nationwide.

The school is affiliated with the nonprofit 100 Black Men of Las Vegas. Volunteers from the group will be present at the school on a regular basis, mentoring pupils and emphasizing a school theme, strong character development, which will be taught in every class.

"We try to give these kids a sense of identity," said Buford Pender, a member of the 100 Black Men. "We make sure they're good citizens in the community and make sure they understand the importance of education."

The 100 Black Men is a national organization. The Las Vegas chapter was formed in 1999. The volunteers do most of their mentoring by talking with pupils, but they also bring in guest speakers who are successful professionals and who help out around the school in other ways, such as buying classroom materials in bulk. The organization is the inspiration for the academy.

Volunteers for the 100 Black Men also lend their time at Clark County School District campuses such as Wendell Williams Elementary School, Mackey Elementary School and Fitzgerald Elementary School.

As a charter school, the academy receives state funding and operates as an independent public school. Charter schools are sponsored by a local school district or the state, which monitors them for compliance issues.

There are seven charter schools in Clark County. The academy is the first charter school in North Las Vegas, although the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy sits on the border with Las Vegas.

Charter schools generally have performed well academically in Clark County, including in terms of meeting federal No Child Left Behind Act standards during the past two school years. However, some of the schools have had trouble managing student and financial records and have been threatened with closure.

In November 2004, the School Board shut down Clark County Team Academy for failing to establish an accurate student registry. It was the first charter school in the district to be shut down mid- year, a scenario that Keystone Academy in Sandy Valley now faces.

Juan Henderson, principal of 100 Academy of Excellence, said he's not worried about compliance issues. He's more worried about student achievement, which he expects to be helped by the school's small enrollment. The school's 32 teachers are able to keep classroom sizes to about 22 pupils per class.

Henderson's school offers full-day kindergarten. Classes will run from 8 a.m. to 2:11 p.m., with an after-school program for pupils whose parents work late. The program will be offered until 5:30 p.m., and it will give pupils the ability to work on homework and other supplemental activities to aide their classwork, Henderson said.

The school's amenities include a computer laboratory with 30 computers. In addition, all classrooms have four computers.

Henderson plans to add a middle school next fall, which will probably mean adding a sixth and seventh grade. Construction of the school was funded by Imagine Schools for about $7.8 million, Henderson said.

Celina Wallace, parent of fourth-grader Relijah Cotton-Joseph, took her daughter out of Goynes Elementary School to attend the academy, which opened its enrollment to students valleywide in the spring.

Wallace said the smaller class sizes at the school will make it easier for her daughter to receive the attention she needs. And teachers make her daughter's classes fun, as was evident when a teacher, for instance, used a family-feud type game to teach math.

Wallace added that she liked the community feel at the school, which appeals to her as a PTA member.

"A lot of teachers here teach the old way," Wallace said. "They definitely want the parent input, and that's important."

Henderson, previously an assistant principal at May Elementary School, had been working 12 hours a day or more since May to open the school. The opening was delayed by construction snags. His office remained mostly bare Friday.

"We work on the bigger picture first," Henderson said. "Classrooms are supported and students have all they need to be successful. I'll work on my office later. Obviously, I haven't had a chance to sit down in it yet."