Sneads High makes the grade

By KATE McCARDELL KERN / Floridan Staff Writer
Published: July 12, 2008

For the individual student, taking a grade from a C to an A isn’t usually a simple task.

Multiply that student by a couple hundred and the task of getting entire high school’s grade from a C to an A may seem daunting.

It was impossible, Sneads High School Principal Lawrence Pender was told by some, but with a lot of work, that goal was achieved.

Now, the state will send the school recognition money; a portion of it to go toward faculty and staff bonuses and the rest for the school to use to purchase additional things for the FCAT, said Pender.

“But the recognition for me came when this little girl came up to me and said ‘Mr. Pender, we’re an A school.’ And her face just beamed,” he said.

He said teachers and staff were equally proud, some coming to the school laughing, yelling or crying with joy.

“When Danny Sims told me we made an A, I was driving a had to pull over because I was in tears,” said Pender.

“It took everybody,” said Pender. “The faculty, the staff, the students the parents, even the lady making sandwiches in the cafeteria: We all did what we had to do, and it worked. It was a humongous group effort.”

What they had to do in the 2007-2008 school year, said Pender, was make the FCAT a team effort.

He said his faculty and staff were major contributors to the success.

“Oh, we utilized every trick in the book. We learned something new everyday by talking to other principals who were helpful in sharing advice. Our teachers took a lot away from in-service programs and shared them with everybody. We asked questions everywhere we went,” said Pender.

“Our assistant principal Faye Parker, our secretary Paula McClamma. I was visiting classes everyday, so Paula would be up at the office practically running the show for us,” said Pender.

Short a math teacher, the staff arranged for other math teachers to sub in that math class for at least one period each day.

“We needed to make sure the kids got the teaching they needed,” said Pender.

SHS scored the second-highest in science on the FCAT.

“The science teachers obviously did an excellent job,” said Pender. “Also our interim reading teacher Connie Brisolara was a huge help. She went into classrooms with me everyday and gave teachers the support they needed. Our reading coach Holly Fears was phenomenal. Kathleen Polluck was super.”

He said he also appreciated the hard work put forth by 9th and 10th grade English teachers Rihanna Dowling and Karen Hall.

“Our librarian even redid the library to work with what we needed for testing,” said Pender.

Coaches and agriculture teachers also did their part, he said.

“All of the staff was so important in this, from the custodian to the lunchroom lady, because they took care of the daily functions of school so well so that the rest of us could take care of what needed to be done for testing,” said Pender.

Even the school resource officer, said Pender, helped make the A happen.

“Jason Lipford, the students just respond to him well and he helped me maintain order so that the classes were places the kids could come and learn without distraction,” said Pender.

He said the county school district office was always just a phone call away for help.

“I appreciate Danny Sims for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this team here at Sneads. Larry Moore was always just a phone call away,” said Pender.
He said the community was equally supportive.

Two churches, he said, lent their fellowship halls as places for students to retake the test.

“Anything we asked of from anybody, they gave it. It was true support,” said Pender.

“Most importantly, the students did this. I asked them to step up to the plate and they hit a home run. They were a little stressed at first, but they got used to the idea and knew that everyone supported them,” said Pender.

Pender said the school used a large variety of tactics to encourage kids to do their best at the test.

“I asked the kids what their favorite food was and told them to make sure that someone cooked them that meal after they took the test as a reward for working hard,” said Pender.

He said every student got a bottle of Smart Water on each day of the test.

“It’s just water that’s got electrolytes in it, but if the thought of that Smart Water had a positive effect on at least some students, that was a plus for us. Also, we’d give the kids candy, quotes of the day; anything to uplift them, ease any stress and get them in the right mindset,” said Pender.

Guidance counselors and parents were also key, said Pender.

He said it was important to get the conditions as stress-free as possible for students.

“As far as the school’s concerned, if kids are having a bad day, from divorce to the death of a family pet, we have to help so that their mind can be present in class. For instant, we had a boy lose two rings that were important to him on the day of the test. We offered a cash reward to get them back so that he’d have a better chance at getting good scores. Every student at that school is important. Most kids are used to the higher level students getting all the awards. We went and told those kids that every child at the school who made any sort of gain would get the same award as other students. So, I’m going to have to raise a lot of money this fall to make sure that they get it, but it’s definitely worth it” said Pender.

He said the school also encouraged students to take the ACT prior to taking the FCAT.

“The kids can use that test to graduate with if they fail the FCAT and we’ve found that once a kid takes the ACT, they get over that FCAT anxiety. Every child at the school graduated this year with either FCAT scores or ACT scores. We had no certificates of completion,” said Pender.

“Everybody has heard the phrase ‘Teach to the test,’ and some don’t agree with that. But, look: To be a lawyer, you have to pass the Bar; to be a driver, you have to pass a driver’s test and so on. Florida Department of Education says this is what kids need to know to make it to the next grade.  People don’t need to be afraid of the FCAT,” said Pender.