Newport News Public Schools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Newport News Public Schools | |
 |
|
|
Communitities Committed to Learning
|
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Newport News, Virginia, USA | |
| Information | |
| School board | Richard B. Donaldson, Jr (Chairman) Everette A. Hicks, Sr. (Vice-chairman) Carlton Ashby Dr. William J. Collins, III Debbie Johnston Michael W. Wagner Dr. Patricia P. Woodbury |
| Superintendent | Dr. Ashby Kilgore |
| Staff | 2,400 |
| Enrollment |
31,700 (2007-08) |
| School type | Public School District |
| Athletics conference | Peninsula District Eastern Region |
| Homepage | http://www.nnschools.org/ |
Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) is the public education system for residents of Newport News, Virginia. As of October 2006, NNPS had an enrollment of 31,700.[1] The district employs about 5,000 people, including 2,400 teachers.
Contents |
[edit] Organization
NNPS is run by an eight-member School Board of elected officials. Seven of the eight are elected in a ward voting system, while the eighth is selected at-large from the entire city. The policies of the School Board are implemented by a superintendent. Ashby Kilgore was recently chosen by the school board to be the next superintendent, replacing Dr. Marcus Newsome.
Newport News had the distinction of having all five of its high schools be featured in Newsweek's List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools for 2005.
[edit] Schools
The schools of NNPS are divided into the three standard levels of American primary and secondary education: 5 high schools serving grades 9-12, 8 middle schools serving grades 6-8, 1 combined middle and high school serving grades 6-12, and 29 elementary schools serving grades K-5.
[edit] High schools
| Name | Enrollment [2] | Accreditation status [3] |
|---|---|---|
| Denbigh | 1,706 | Full |
| Heritage | 1,703 | Full |
| Menchville | 2,075 | Full |
| Warwick | 1,878 | Full |
| Woodside | 2,020 | Full |
[edit] Middle schools
| Name | Enrollment [2] | Accreditation status [3] |
|---|---|---|
| Booker T. Washington | ? | Reopened in 2006.[3] |
| Crittenden | 968 | Pending |
| Dozier | 843 | Full |
| Gildersleeve | 1,183 | Full |
| Hines | 1,154 | Pending |
| Huntington | 774 | Full |
| Passage | 1,000 | Pending |
| Reservoir | 552 | Full |
[edit] Accreditation
As of April 2005, of the 41 schools in NNPS, 31 were fully accredited by the state. 27 schools currently satisfy the federal government's regulations for Adequate Yearly Progress.
[edit] Non-Traditional Programs
NNPS offers several programs that differ from a traditional educational curriculum. Among them:
- The Aviation Academy, located at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, teaches high school students with an emphasis on engineering, particularly in the field of aviation. The academy also offers students a Pilot Ground School course.
- The Enterprise Academy, an alternative school for students who have been suspended or expelled from their schools or have spent time in correctional facilities, places an emphasis on business.
- The Telecommunications Center, teaches students about television broadcasting while running WPNB Channel 47, a cable channel, providing residents of Newport News with information about NNPS.
[edit] Former schools, reuse
The building on Warwick Boulevard which formerly housed Homer L. Ferguson High School , which closed in 1996, has been remodeled as part of the Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University.
Newport News High School operated until 1960, and then served as the first home of Christopher Newport College (now a university). From 1971 to 1980, it served as Newport News Intermediate School, and is now used for U.S. Navy housing.
The building which housed the former George Washington Carver High School is now Flora D. Crittenden Middle School.
In 1927, Woodrow Wilson High School was acquired in the annexation of the incorporated town of Kecoughtan, formerly in Elizabeth City County.
About the same time, a new Booket T. Washington High School was built on the site of the old school on Chestnut Avenue.
In 1936, a new Collis P. Huntington High School was built, and the old school building became an elementary school. [1]
[edit] School bus fleet
Newport News Public Schools has 408 school buses plus three activity buses. There are two satellite lots: Reservoir lot and Newsome Park lot. Another, S.C.O.T., is the main lot where the garage is located and drivers apply for jobs.
In 2007, the fleet consisted of the following models:
- 1989 Blue Bird Ford
- 1995 Blue Bird TC2000 RE
- 1996 Blue Bird TC2000 FE
- 1998 AmTran Genesis FE
- 2000 AmTran FE
- 2001 AmTran FE
- 2002 Thomas Saf-T-Liner EF
- 2003 International FE
- 2003 International IC
- 2004 IC CE
- 2005 Blue Bird Vision
- 2006 Blue Bird Vision
- 2007 IC CE
[edit] Criticisms and violence
The high pregnancy rate of students has made many parents question the district's sex and health education methods. Already troubled by the highest sexually-transmitted disease (STD) rates in the state of Virginia, it is common to walk down the hall of a high school, or even a middle school and encounter several pregnant students. Many believe that the district's policy of teaching abstinence is a failure.
Multiple incidents involving students bringing fire arms on school property arose during the summer school program of 2006. A student brought a loaded .45 caliber handgun to school for "protection". Earlier that week, a fight had occurred in the student's neighborhood, and he later told authorities that he "felt that he could not leave the house without it."
Since the early 90's many weapons and/or magazine clips have been found stashed or disposed of in garbage cans and throughout school property.
A female student of Denbigh High School was arrested when she was discovered to have 2 handguns and a rifle in the trunk of her car. While claiming to not have meant any harm, police will likely still press charges.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Newport News Public Schools. Student Demographics. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- ^ a b As of October 2006. Newport News Public Schools. Secondary Schools. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- ^ a b c As of September 2006. Newport News Public Schools. Secondary Schools. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
