by Elisabeth Traugott
OOn the edge of an asphalt school yard in East Palo Alto, bordered by a trash-strewn empty lot, stands a red-and-gold painted oasis of hope.
It is a last-chance, come-from-behind kind of a place called the San Francisco 49ers Academy, where about 100 sixth- through eighth-grade boys, deemed unteachable, disruptive and unmotivated by their former schools, are starting to make a comeback.
With a "tough-love" approach, six teachers and nine staff are embarking on the first semester of an experiment to offer education and some self-esteem to children who, unless they managed to beat the odds, would probably have been held back or dropped out of school altogether.
The academy, located in three portable buildings on the edge of the Brentwood Oaks School campus, is a collaborative effort between the Ravenswood City School District, the San Francisco 49ers Foundation and Communities in Schools, a national nonprofit organization that aims to reverse declining graduation rates, especially in urban or impoverished areas.
The San Francisco Forty-Niners Foundation, run by Lisa DeBartolo, daughter of franchise-owner Eddie DeBartolo, gives the school about ten percent of its annual budget. In addition, the foundation decorated all three portables with a 49ers theme and provided uniforms--49er T-shirts and khaki pants, like the coaches wear on field--to the 100 or so students.
But the influence the football team has is much more than material. "The (players) themselves can connect with the kids because a lot of them have come from the same type of background or had the same type of experiences growing up," said Michele Murnane, the Academy's executive director and primary fundraiser. "These guys are their idols."
Players like Keena Turner, Dana Stubblefield and Eric Wright have all been involved with the school, speaking to classes about their experiences as players and providing encouragment for the boys. And the whole student body was featured at a halftime show in the beginning of the season.
CIS was founded on the premise that schools should be safe places to learn. CIS schools aim to reach students on a variety of different levels while they are on school grounds.
This means the sixth- through eighth-graders who attend the academy not only receive intensive, one-on-one instruction in reading, math and other core subjects, but are able to meet with their probation officers and case workers if necessary and with a doctor for annual physicals.
The lessons learned in the first few months of the new school extend well beyond the classroom.
"I don't think people realize the kind of baggage these kids bring to school," Murnane said.
The students were chosen for the program based on referrals from Ravenswood teachers and principals. Only two girls were referred, so the district decided to start with all boys. For many, it was the last stop before juvenile hall. They were told from the beginning, "We're going to have a lot of fun here, but we're going to work really hard," Murnane said.
To drive the point home, students were put through their paces, literally, for the first few weeks, doing military-like drills to instill discipline.
The teachers and staff at the academy try to relay an important message to the students, Murnane said.
"If you go this way, you're going to be dead or in jail. If you go this way, you'll be alive and free," Murnane said, pointing her hands in opposite directions.
And, it seems to be working. While the typical academy student missed traditional school 50 percent of the time last year, the attendance rate at the academy this year is stable at 95 percent.
At the beginning of the semester, kids who were used to cutting class tried it. They didn't realize someone would drive over to their house to bring them to school when they didn't show--either a staff member or sometimes the police, who Murnane said have been very supportive of the school.
The academy is supported by the Ravenswood school district, whose resources are already stretched. The school still doesn't have the fourth portable the district promised would be in place by Nov. 1. It will eventually house bathrooms and a cafeteria. Instead, students are served lunch in a classroom and are escorted, one by one, to bathrooms elsewhere on the Brentwood Oaks campus.
There still aren't enough books to go around either. Because the district isn't able to provide the school with the necessary textbooks, teachers have had to make do with photocopied pages.
Victor, Jose, and Kelvin are all eighth-graders at the academy.
"Last year when I woke up I said, 'I don't want to go to school.' This year I want to come," Jose said. With four younger siblings, Jose, 14, has a lot of responsibility at home. He feels like there are people whom he can talk to at school to help him both inside and outside of class.
"Here, when I have a problem, I come and talk to my counselor," he said.
Kelvin said there is a big difference in the way he is treated at the academy, compared to his old school, Ronald McNair School. He had been branded as a troublemaker at his old school because he acted out. Now the 13-year-old has found new ways to deal with his anger.
"When people are angry they can go talk to the counselor. They just talk to you and see what's wrong with you and calm you down and prevent you from getting in trouble," he said.
Kelvin used to get mostly D's and F's. When his first report card came back with C's and B's and an A, his mom was impressed. "All my privileges changed," he said.
Victor, who is 14, has also seen his grades rise.
"I'm learning more and I'm getting better grades than at my other school," he said. He's hoping this will make it easier to fulfill his career ambition: to become a lawyer. Wearing a wide grin, Victor said he is feeling optimistic about his future. "Now I've got a better chance."
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