February 7, 2008

At one school, the students become part of a family
by Sylvester Brown Jr.

Late last year, I spoke with students at Kottmeyer Big Picture High School on Grand Boulevard. When I finished my presentation on setting career goals, the students asked if I would write a column about them.

"I will — if you give me something to share with readers," I said, encouraging them to write candidly about the school, their teachers or their lives.

Well, a promise is a promise.

I received essays from some of the ninth- and 10th-graders last week. Their words speak to the harsh realities of urban education as well as their positive experiences at Kottmeyer.
Initially conceived as an alternative school for problem students, Kottmeyer is one of several schools utilizing individualized instruction to better serve struggling students. The school has a student body of 60, and a staff of 10 teachers and advisers. With this impressive student-to-teacher ratio, school officials say it's possible to focus on academic strengths and weaknesses, while assisting a student's socioeconomic needs.

Consider Tina Tate, 15. She previously attended a Ste. Genevieve school where, she said, administrators accused her of acting "like a city, low-life teenager." Tina recently gave birth to her first child. She credits Kottmeyer's faculty, especially Principal Kacy Reeder Seals, for supporting her throughout the pregnancy.

"It's weird for me to say that I love coming to school," Tina wrote. "I feel welcome, wanted and respected. Kottmeyer not only helped my school life, it helped my home life as well."

Ranesha Lenoir, 15, wrote that she was about to drop out of school before attending Kottmeyer. Thanks to the faculty's efforts, Ranesha now believes in herself and strives for excellence: "I was not condemned for my mistakes, but encouraged to dust myself off and try again."

Seals was touched but not surprised by her students' comments. Their praise, she said, matches the goals she set when she became principal last year.

"Some of these students were identified as 'chronically disruptive.' That's why I was attracted to this school — because some were labeled 'unsuccessful,'" Seals said. "I have never accepted that negative twist. All these kids are not out of control. Sometimes, they're just seeking attention and relationships.

"I look at all these young ones as if they are extensions of me."

That extension was explored when the Post-Dispatch profiled Seals in August. She is the product of a broken home and a mother who abused drugs. Seals knows pain, poverty and homelessness. She said she relates with "at-risk" children because she was once an angry, disconnected and disruptive student.

The commitment of proactive parents or guardians is an essential factor in helping the kids succeed, Seals said. Kottmeyer parents have to apply for admission and commit to a partnership with the school. And Seals isn't shy about making house calls. It took "four or five" visits with one father, she said, before his son finally showed improvements.

Another student, Terion Washington, 15, described himself as a one-time "bad student" who led peers in negative directions. Terion has turned things around. In his essay, he thanks Kottmeyer for helping him become "a leader," who's "growing up and being a man."

Malcolm McCaleb, 16, also bragged about the benefits of Kottmeyer's specialized training and internship programs. It has "opened up opportunities," Malcolm said, adding that it's "an honor and privilege" to attend.

Seals said there is no fighting or class disruptions at her school. The attitude change comes with the acceptance of Kottmeyer's philosophy: "We are family."

"The whole family is enrolled, not only your child — mothers, fathers, teachers, advisers, juvenile officers if necessary — we enroll the whole community."