E.E. Smith, Fort Bragg forge partnerships

by Reginald Rogers
Paraglide

Fort Bragg and E.E. Smith High School have formed a partnership that promises to create improvements that will be beneficial to both parties — the students who reside at Fort Bragg and the school itself. Recently, the school has challenged its students to participate in a summer reading program, which will challenge their minds and allow them to continue learning while on summer vacation.

According to Assistant Principal and 12th grade Administrator, Melody Chalmers, who oversees the program, the intent of the program is to encourage students to read for enjoyment and to read for leisure.

“Basically it’s to curb illiteracy, because that’s a problem in our society,” Chalmers explained. “Many of our students come and they have difficulty reading. So we’re hoping through this we can get their Families involved and the parents will encourage them to read and let them know that we are serious about this.“

She said the program actually kicked off last school year, but its reception from the students was lukewarm.

“Anytime you start something new, the kids may think, ‘oh, they’re not that serious,’” Chalmers explained. “They’ll see we’re serious.”

This year, the program became mandatory for all students, as each is required to complete a project after reading the book of their choice. Each project must be turned in to the student’s first period teacher no later than Sept. 8. Each student who participates in the program will receive bonus points that range from five to 95 points to be assessed to their first period class grade.

“This will be the first test grade of the year in your child’s first period class,” explained school principal Clinton Robinson, in a newsletter sent to the parents. “As you work with your child on the project, I encourage you to review the rubric so that your child will earn a proficient score for the assignment. It is my expectation that every student complete the reading product/assignment. “

Robinson went on to say that every student who fails to complete the assignment will receive a zero as the first test grade in his or her first period class.

E.E. Smith, which is located just off Murchison Road, has an enrollment of about 1,200 students. The summer reading program is for the entire student body, from freshmen to seniors. Each class was given a list of books to choose from. Once they finish reading the books, each student must decide on a project to complete.

According to a school newsletter, projects range from writing a play based on a scene from the respective book, creating a newspaper based on the book, to creating a soundtrack for the book, for those who consider themselves advanced learners. Those who are considered proficiency learners may choose to write a plot based on the main character of a scene or create a PowerPoint slide based on elements from the book. Other ideas include creating a board game or creating a picture book of the novel.

Chalmers said she is excited about the partnership between E.E. Smith and Fort Bragg, explaining that it is a positive decision for both parties.

“That is wonderful,” she said. “We’re excited about working with Fort Bragg. I’ve been here a number of years and I’ve seen the connection and I’ve seen where there may have been a cover gap. We’re looking to close that gap and we’re very excited about the upcoming school year.”
The school also participated in a children’s fest that took place on post in May. According to Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Leon Mack, the event provided visibility for the school to the Fort Bragg community.

“For those young kids, obviously they’re going to be the future of E.E. Smith,” Mack explained. “That event gave them the opportunity to see E.E. Smith students dressed in E.E. Smith T-shirts doing fun things. It’s going to be something they remember so as they grow up and go through their middle schools there on Fort Bragg. They will know that E.E. Smith is the high school that I will be going to one day and they’ll look forward to doing that.”

Mack and his students set up a tent which featured two events – the basketball toss and the football toss. He said both were popular with the kids, but they were unprepared for the number of kids who attended that day.

He pointed out that the school provided prizes to those who participated in the events, which allowed them to take a piece of E.E. Smith with them.

According to Mack, it’s important that the school establishes a relationship with Fort Bragg to encourage growth.

“It’s very important,” he said. “We have to establish a relationship with the Fort Bragg community, just like it’s important to establish a relation with the community here because (the school) becomes a child’s second home and they have to feel very comfortable. Parents have to feel that their child is safe and nurtured.

“We have to do the same with Fort Bragg,” Mack said. “There’s this stigma out there that E.E. Smith is not a good school for their children. Our job is to help show them what E.E. Smith is all about and help them understand that their child is just as safe here as they are at home on Fort Bragg.”