21st Century Academy Students Praise School

  • Saturday, April 16, 2005

I have been a student at 21st Century Academy for the last four years and am currently in my sophomore year of high school. Of course, you are aware of the things being said and the things being proposed about my school. The truth is, this is, in fact, my school. I am sure that this may be irrelevant to the School Board and may have little bearing on the way the Board feels about closing grades 6–12. But I love my school. I am aware that it may be a concern or an issue of how many students are in each class in high school, but please be aware. There are not 15, 10, or 5 people in a classroom at a time. Classes are mixed between sophomores and freshmen and juniors and seniors. In every class that I take, there are at least 20 people. Please don’t think that good taxpayer money is going to waste on us because it is not.

I cannot begin to tell you of the great learning environment I am in. At one time, education was about a child going to school and learning and preparing for the real world so that a student might become a great success. Our teachers do a great deal to help us prepare for college. The idea that a place of learning could be sacrificed in order to make money for middle school sports is incredible to me. I have researched a bit and it seems that middle school sports costs about $400,000, and I am aware that if 21st Century middle and high schools close, that much money would then be available for sports. This is when I stop and ask, “Is school about learning or getting good in sports so that you can get a scholarship later?”

I hope dearly that the School Board and community members will realize how much a mistake it would be to close this school. Besides the friendships, the teacher-student relationships, and the safety I feel when I am here, you will be closing the door on Joel Barker’s EFG vision of a school that educates children for the real world. Over 80% of students that graduate from this school go to college. In the class of 2004, 85% of those students were African American. No other school in the district can make this claim; no other school is doing more to close the gap between black and white students. I hope the community will join me in supporting 21st Century.

Isaac Morton
10th Grade Student
21st Century Academy

* * *

My name is Shimere Ballou, and I am a senior at 21st Century Academy. I have attended this fine institute of education for nine years.

During my time here, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the perks of attending a small magnet school. From the beginning of my journey here, I have been recognized as a leader and respected as an individual. This is something that is much more difficult at other schools. In a crowd of 1,500 it is extremely hard to find your niche and become recognized as a name, not a number. Students at large schools literally fall through the cracks unnoticed. Here at 21st Century Academy, such a thing never happens.

Let me enlighten you about some of the benefits I have gained from this small, but very significant school. This year I will be graduating the class valedictorian and class president. This is an accomplishment of which only a few students can dream, and achieving both would be nearly impossible at a large school. Often times, the student body does not even acknowledge their valedictorian, much less elect them to represent them as their president. Also, this year I have applied to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in America and I have been accepted to them all. Some of these schools include Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Oxford College of Emory, and Georgia Institute of Technology. All of these schools rank in the top fifty schools in America, and some of them rank in the top twenty. I was offered $43,000 in scholarships and grants to attend Vanderbilt University. This just goes to show that hard work at 21st Century Academy does not go unnoticed.

I am not saying that I would not have achieved this at another school. I am simply saying that the atmosphere 21st Century Academy provides allows students to be successful both academically and socially. The student and faculty support that dwells in the halls of this building is comforting; it is why I have decided to stay here at 21st Century Academy through my entire high school career. I have had the opportunity to leave and go to a school with better class selections, better sports, and more students; yet, I chose to remain with 21st Century Academy. This school has something unique that few schools can claim the ability to engage learners from all walks of life in a curriculum that works and produces successful leaders in the community.

Numbers can be very powerful. Nonetheless, what 21st Century Academy has done for me and others is much more powerful than mere statistics. Also, all I read in the newspapers is how our enrollment numbers are smaller than most, but no one mentions what great things this school has done for the Chattanooga community, and its students. For instance, every Wednesday the entire high school leaves the building to do service learning. All students participate in volunteering at non-profit organizations, and we have heard only positive things about this program. Through service learning, students have begun to care about education. They are also beginning to recognize the power of a quality education. A student who may not have been the top student in their classes, can now be the top student in their service learning class. Grades have begun to improve dramatically, and student morale has risen as a result of the Service Learning Academy that 21st Century has embraced. 21st Century Academy has over eighty percent of its seniors going to college after high school, a statistic that a school with a three hundred seniors graduating could never boast.

21st Century Academy has initiated many things in our community. Why close this resource that has opened so many doors of opportunity? 21st Century Academy was one of the first real magnet schools, the first school to have laptops in the hands of every senior, and is the first to have a Service Learning Academy here in Chattanooga.

So, you see that 21st Century Academy is so much more than its small
numbers. In fact, it has done more than those gigantic schools with which you wish us to merge. Please, as you reflect on this letter, consider the legacy you are destroying.

Shimere Ballou
Senior
21st Century Academy

* * *

My name is Rachel Holley, and I am a sophomore at 21st Century Academy. I have recently been informed that the Hamilton County Board of Education is proposing to shut down our school due to the need for budget cuts. I have been at 21st Century since the first grade, and I had planned to graduate from this school. I have had the same friends, teaches, and atmosphere for most of my school life. About half of the students now in the 8th grade or in high school began at 21st Century in elementary school and half of these started here in kindergarten. To have these students in the same environment for most of their lives and then to take that away from them before they graduate would not only be a bad change for them, it would be wrong. I don’t understand how the School Board could justify making juniors who are ready to graduate next year relocate to another school and with little or no choice about where they can go. Shouldn’t care for the students and teachers override the need for money to provide things such as sports to middle school students?

21st Century offers a great atmosphere for its students. I believe that while you consider the small number of students to be a bad thing, it actually creates advantages over other schools. The fact that there are only about 150 students at the school gives each student an individuality that they would not have at other, larger schools. Students are personally known by most of the six high school teachers, and they all know each other. The smaller student body allows students more one-on-one time with the teachers. This creates a comfortable school community that some would argue provides more of a benefit than other larger schools. Taking the students out and forcing them into an environment with so many more students would not allow them that individuality that 21st Century can give them.

21st Century also has many more aspects that make it an exceptional school. No other school in the county has the technology that is in this school. It is the only school in the county that gives its students the opportunity to learn Russian. Our school was the first school in this area to do the Senior Projects. Another one of the school’s attributes is the service-learning program. This program allows high school students to go out once a week and actually give back to their community. Freshmen and sophomores are given the opportunity to go to other elementary schools in the county and assist with tutoring and helping kids younger than them. Being one of the students who had this opportunity, I can say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. To be in a school that allows me to actually go out and help children is something that I am very thankful for. The two upper grades get to go to non-profit organizations all over the community such as the Humane Society and the Ronald McDonald House. This allows them to not only help their community, but to further their exploration of career opportunities. Our students gave more than 2000 hours of service to the community during this school year. 21st Century has also had many extra programs over the years. When I was in about second grade, I was part of a group called Earth Service Corps, which was focused mainly on preserving the earth. I am currently part of a leadership team, which teaches leadership skills to help me in life. All of these programs and opportunities just make the school an excellent environment for the students.

This school is a big part of my life, and I have always wanted to graduate from here. I never made plans to go anywhere else because I can’t even imagine not graduating with my classmates that I have been with since I was six years old. I hope that the School Board will take what I have written into consideration when making the decision on whether to close my school.

Rachel Holley
10th Grade Student
21st Century Academy


Opinion
Democratic View On Top State Senate Issues - March 27, 2024
  • 3/27/2024

Gov. Lee reveals $797M of new spending, but withholds funding for legislature’s voucher proposals View the Lee Administration’s Budget Amendment — The Lee Administration made its last revisions ... more

UTC: Cradle Of Coaches
  • 3/27/2024

Given recent events, the UTC Athletic Department should put up a billboard or start a marketing campaign with the following message: "UTC: Cradle of Coaches" Michelle Rogers more

Education: A Brighter Future For All
  • 3/26/2024

Education is one of the critical pillars of the American dream, providing hope and opportunity. Our organization has worked hard to shape education policy because it invites innovation and encourages ... more