It was about 3:00 and I had been off-site in meetings all day
and had just pulled into the school parking lot to try to get a few projects
completed before the end of the day. I pulled up, got out and noticed a parent
heading my way along with StarShine’s Rock Star music teacher, Steve McCarty.
Steve got to me first and explained how well our students
were doing in his guitar class. I gave him a smile and a hug and turned toward
the parent. She was wearing a 'hoodie' with the hood up, skinny jeans and large
dark glasses. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. The parent explained
that her 8th grade daughter was having trouble in school and she
wanted to enroll her at StarShine. I welcomed her and walked her to the school
office to meet with Jan Parsons, our Assistant Headmaster.
Every year during the spring months, after the funding
cut-off, many schools start pushing students out their doors. Most of these students
are kids who have struggled during the year, or ones who have parents who are
non-existent or difficult, or students who have poor attendance, poor academics
or poor behavior.
These kids are pushed into other schools after the deadline in
which the school has been funded for the year, but before the state testing
starts. In Arizona, this happens before AIMS testing starts. Doing this allows
the school and district to be fully funded for the student for that year, but
their test scores do not affect the schools rating. It’s a common occurrence
and one very few people outside of education know about. In fact, since mid
January, we have enrolled over 25 students. That is 25 students who have left
other surrounding schools, midyear and are looking for another option.
Of course, these students are always welcomed at StarShine
even though we will receive no funding for them this year. They spend the first
week with us attending StarShine Boot Camp. At StarShine Boot Camp, students
learn what I call, ‘how to be a student.’ They learn things like why they
should come to school, they learn about goals and goal-setting, they learn
about the StarShine Guiding Principles, and they learn how to take notes, develop
outlines and use the internet appropriately. Most importantly, we build up their
self-esteem and self-worth so they can be successful.
At StarShine, where I am Superintendent, we never turn a
student or family away no matter what time of year it is.
If you enjoyed reading this inspirational Kids Without Stuff
story, you will want to read:
