For Academy Students, No Ordinary Field Trip

Fairlead Class Explores St. Mary's College

Music was playing in one dorm room as a couple of girls ran down the corridor squealing, interrupting a conversation between two hallmates. It was a typical dorm scene, but with a twist.

The girls were among nearly 60 ninth-grade students from Fairlead Academy who got a taste of college life during a two-day event last week at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

The college and the Great Mills academy signed an agreement Friday that solidifies their partnership and allows them to share resources. The agreement was part of an awards ceremony for the first graduates of the academy, a year-long program aimed at ninth-graders at risk of not graduating from high school.

The academy, which opened last fall, offers smaller class sizes, more individualized teaching and hands-on learning through field trips, such as spending two days at a university, said Wendy Zimmerman, principal of the academy.

"A lot of students started the school year thinking college is not an option for them," she said. "This completely immerses them. . . . College is a possibility. You don't have to let excuses stand in your way."

Jane Margaret O'Brien, president of St. Mary's College, said the partnership with Fairlead Academy is "the most important educational initiative we have had in 25 years."

Shante Bonds, 14, of Lexington Park said she earned C's and D's in eighth grade. After a year at Fairlead, A's and B's fill her report cards.

"I didn't think I would ever get out of the ninth grade," said Shante, a Great Mills High School student. "Now, I think I'm going to be something in life. I can do things."

Fairlead students spend their day in classes at the academy but participate in after-school activities at the schools they would have attended as ninth-graders.

"There is hard-core data to substantiate the fact that this is not something we believe. These students have improved," said Theo L. Cramer, director of academic support for St. Mary's County schools. "They are improving both academically, socially, in terms of their level of maturation."

This year's academy graduates will enter the 10th grade in the coming school year. The average grade-point average increased from 1.82 to 2.43 on a four-point scale. Attendance improved from 85 to 95 percent, and participation in extracurricular activities jumped from 8 to 96 percent.

"Last year, I always got in trouble and had bad grades," said Kyona Wright, 15, of Lexington Park. The Great Mills High School student said the year at Fairlead has made a difference. "I get good grades and haven't gotten into any trouble this year."