Will Carver/Century Students Blend In At Ernest Ward?

January 9, 2009

Under-performing students from Carver/Century K-8 will benefit from being at Ernest Ward Middle School and Bratt Elementary School once, according to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and the principal of EWMS.

NorthEscambia.com sat down with Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas Thursday for a one hour, one-on-one exclusive interview prior to his public announcement that he intended to recommend the closure of Carver/Century. There were just two people in the room, Thomas and our reporter. He explained his decision to recommend closure of Carver/Century in great detail. It’s a story and exclusive details that you will only see here on NorthEscambia.com.

“I am going to send them to the number one school in the entire county,” Thomas said of the students moving from Carver/Century to Bratt. Bratt was ranked this past school year as Escambia County’s best overall school.

“My expectation is that they will be received with open arms at both schools,” he said. “We will do training at Bratt with the staff on how to work with students from the extreme poverty that some of these students will be coming from.”

Additional, he said the transfer of some Carver/Century teachers to Bratt and Ernest Ward will provide a certain level of comfort and a “familiar face” for Blackcat students at their new schools.

With the Carver/Century students at the school, Bratt will become eligible for Title I funds to provide more services and opportunities at the school. Title I funded technology like computers and other items at Carver/Century will be moved to Bratt.

“Students from Carver/Century will blend in well at Bratt and Ernest Ward,” Thomas said. “The data says that 56 percent of the students already have.” Statistics show that 56 percent of the students in the Carver/Century district do not attend the school.

“There will be a period of public outcry,” he said. “But then were are going to have to pull together. We are going to have to act like grownups.”

The superintendent said that students at Carver/Century “stay isolated” at the school, but the move to Bratt at Ernest Ward will open many possibilities for them. He admits that former Carver/Century students that have moved on to Northview High School sometimes have difficulty fitting in at Northview.

“But that problem will be solved,” he said, “when students work their way up through the system before they get to Northview. A student that has spent three years at Ernest Ward will have no problems at Northview. That problem will be solved over time.”

“We will welcome them with open arms, ” Perry, EWMS principal, said of the incoming Carver/Century students. “We are excited to to welcome them and their parents. We feel like this is a good thing.”

Perry said she considers herself “momma” to her 464 students, taking great pride in making sure her diverse students body gets a proper education. “I love them every one,” she said. “That comes from my heart.”

“All kids have the ability to succeed,” she said. “We will work to make sure that happens.”

The middle school students moved to Ernest Ward, Thomas said, will enjoy a long list of electives at EWMS that were not offered at Carver/Century. Electives like technology, teen challenges, career orientation, technology, agriculture, keyboarding, computer applications, band, chorus, research and more are offered at EWMS but not Carver/Century.

The list extracurricular  activities offered at EWMS but not Carver/Century is even longer…football, volleyball, swimming, drama club, chorus, band, FFA, Fellowship of Christian Students, newspaper, yearbook, SGA, Reading Club, National Junior Honor Society and more.

“I run this school like a mini high school,” Perry said about the school’s offerings of  electives and extracurricular  activities.

Overcrowding at Ernest Ward will not be an issue, Thomas said. Once the board approves the Carver/Century closure, modular classrooms will be ordered for Ernest Ward and Bratt.

“We will then have to work on some master plan over time,” he said, adding that the plan could eventually include permanent construction at Ernest Ward.

We attempted to contact Bratt Elementary Principal Sheryl Pomeroy Thursday afternoon for comment on this story, but she was out of her office.

Comments

8 Responses to “Will Carver/Century Students Blend In At Ernest Ward?”

  1. Jeremy on January 19th, 2009 9:10 pm

    I currently attend EWMS while I live within waking distince of Carver and I think going to EWMS will help the students, and as for some of the teachers coming, well, I feel that will be a big help, albeit will be a bit cramped, as the school isn’t that big.

  2. taxpayer#2 on January 13th, 2009 9:21 am

    I drive through Bratt everyday and I have yet to see where all the wealthy people live, please enlighten me. From what I can tell, people in Century are living just as well as those out in that area. We can tell what we are dealing with in the case of Mr. Thomas! Hey, why don’t you go on and say what you really mean!!!

  3. former blackcat on January 10th, 2009 12:00 pm

    Well, Pensacola has been successful in closing down Century. They want to unite Century with Pensacola well if Century has nothing left but a gas station the people will have no choice but to unite! I feel for the students that will have a long bus ride every morning.

  4. Jack on January 10th, 2009 10:52 am

    REALLY HOPE THAT WE DON’T DESTROY OUR “BEST” SCHOOL BY MIXING IT WITH THE “WORST” SCHOOL. MY EXPERIENCE, YOU ONLY MAKE THE GOOD, WORSE!!!!!!!!!!! MOST IF NOT ALL HAD THE CHANCE TO TRANSFER YEARS AGO-THE PARENTS WHO WERE CONCERNED FOR THEIR CHILDREN MADE THIS SACRIFICE. CENTURY LADY IS CORRECT WITH HER SARCASM!!!! THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED!!!! CLEAN IT UP BEFORE ANY CONSOLIDATION IS DONE, OR ELSE WILL HAVE THE SAME POTENTIAL FOR PROBLEMS THAT CARVER ALREADY HAS!!

  5. ashley on January 9th, 2009 9:01 pm

    I live in the Bratt / Walnut Hill area and I really wish they had informed us that we were rich?!? haha…. would have made my last bill payments much easier! Seriously, I think that it is silly to think that teachers need training for such as that. Our teachers teach children not their parents paycheck. Our teachers are perfectly equipped and willing to teach a child from any economic background.

  6. Kim on January 9th, 2009 12:32 pm

    My oldest son attended Carver/Century several years ago and he done fine at the school, but by the time my youngest son enrolled 3 years ago the school had changed for the worse. It was very hard for me to make the decision to move my son from Century because I had always attended Century schools from kindergarten to graduation and to this day i’m still pround of that! I had to make that decision for him weighing the benefits he would have. He is in the eighth now and while the classes have been harder and more challenging I know he will be better off during his high school years because of it! Change is a scary thing but when you weigh the benefits it can be rewarding !!!

  7. Century Lady on January 9th, 2009 11:54 am

    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to see these students making A’s on F-cat and behaving like the students at Bratt and EWMS!!!!!!!!! Good Luck to all the Teachers at these schools that can do what other Teachers have not been able to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If these schools are the best in the county why do they need training with extreme poverty children I didt’n know Bratt and Walnut Hill were RICH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. me on January 9th, 2009 7:02 am

    I agree . I think that this is the best thing for the students . My child loves EWMS and was worried he might have to attend Carver next year because of their “B” score. Now he has nothing to worry about .I also think that the 56% number would be higher if transportation to different schools had been made easier.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News