STAR

JP Wilson
Americus Times Recorder

December 28, 2005 01:03 pm

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By JP WILSON
john.wilson@gaflnews.com

CORDELE -- Picture a room full of middle school children, some who are known to have anger problems or like to talk too much or back talk the teacher. Picture some of those children in the room as students who fight, who often disrupt the classroom, and some who are consistently tardy. Now, picture those students saying "Yes sir," or "yes ma'am" when a teacher talks to them. Picture the teacher spending the entire period teaching.
Although it seems highly unlikely that this can happen, the fact is that many troubled children can be reformed and learn how to act in the classroom. Many can exceed in school and increase their chances of reaching their maximal potential. Many can lead an exemplary life. And they can make this change without seeing the inside of a Youth Detention Center (YDC) or without being expelled and losing a year's worth of education. Schools don't necessarily have to turn a troubled child away in order to improve the learning environment for other children. There is an alternative, and it has nothing to do with alternative schools.
The Student Transition and Recovery Program (STAR) at Crisp County Middle School is doing wonders for the learning environment. The STAR Program is used by the school and juvenile judges as an alternative to detention, suspension, expulsion and other less effective disciplinary tools for children who misbehave. Students placed in the STAR Program at Crisp County Middle School attend their normal classes at the school and return home each evening. In the morning before school and in the afternoon after school, students participate in exercises, counseling, tutoring and military-style drills. The STAR program is for both males and females and its target age range is from nine to 15.
There are three STAR Program components. STAR I is a one-day prevention component in which students are referred to the program by parents and school officials for unruly behavior. For example, a child may be constantly disrupting the classroom and sent to the office. If the child is faced with in-school suspension (ISS), the administrator handling the child may offer one day in the STAR Program as an alternative to missing three full days of classes. With the parent's consent, that child will be sent to the program.
STAR II is a 30-day component in which students are referred to the program by parents and school officials for serious, continuous rule violations.
STAR III is a 24-week component in which students are ordered by the court to attend as an alternative to incarceration for detainable, severe offenses.
Also, STAR students do not have to worry about what they are going to wear to school. A free uniform, consisting of a black sweat shirt and pants, is also provided to STAR students.
A typical Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the STAR program for students begins at 5:30 a.m. with physical training. The children do a variety of exercises, such as stretches, running, jumping jacks, sit-ups, pushups, squats, Chinese jumping jacks, the forward crab crawl, the reverse crab crawl, the duck walk, mountain climbing, side-straddle hops, and cherry picking. All STAR staff is CPR, first-aid certified.
At 7 a.m. the children shower and have breakfast, and report to school for classes. At 3:30 p.m., the students return to the STAR facility (located in the rear building at Crisp County Middle School) to do their homework and to have their conduct reports checked. Each STAR student is required to bring a folder to his/her classes and have the teachers initial the folder, stating how the child's behavior was during the class. Study hall also begins at 3:30. During this time, STAR students complete all of their homework assignments and receive counseling. At 6 p.m., STAR students are usually picked up by their parents, unless they aren't finished with their homework. If a child isn't finished with his/her homework, that child will remain at the school until it is complete.
At 7 p.m. STAR instructors telephone parents' homes to check in on the students. At 9 p.m., the children must report to their rooms. Lights out for the children is at 10 p.m. If, however, a child becomes defiant toward his/her parent, the parent can call a STAR instructor. The instructor will talk to the child on the phone. If this does not work, then the instructor will drive to the child's home and confront the student. Discipline is essential in the STAR program and respect for the parent(s) is crucial.
On Thursdays, the STAR students will do an all-day workout (5:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) with STAR instructors. On this day physical training is the focus. On Saturdays from 8 a.m.-noon, the STAR program has "Life Skills" and the STAR students also perform community services. Students will go to school on Saturday and learn about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco usage. The students have to take mandatory drug tests. They will also learn about anger management, self-esteem and self-image.
There are several specific goals and objectives of the STAR Program. One is to improve the student's GPA by one letter grade. According to Sr. Capt. Vincent F. Cooper Sr., District coordinator of the STAR Program, the average grade of Crisp County Middle School's STAR students prior to being enrolled in the program was on average about a 62. After participating in STAR, those averages increased to approximately a 78. Some students in the program went from "Fs" to straight "As."
Other goals and objectives of the STAR program are to improve the students' attendance by 40 percent, reduce the incidence of parent-child conflict, improve the parents' capability to fill their role, decrease the incidence of juvenile crime in the community and decrease tardiness, absenteeism and expulsions. The STAR program at Crisp County Middle School has accomplished these objectives. According to Cooper, disciplinary referrals with most of the STAR students have been reduced over 90 percent. ISS has been reduced over 80 percent.
Many Crisp County parents who have their children in the STAR program are extremely pleased with the results. One parent, Shea Corbitt, discussed how the program has affected her child. "I love the STAR Program," she said. "My oldest child had an anger problem, but now he's doing great and is able to control his anger. He did about a whole year with STAR. It helped his anger, his self-esteem; he doesn't get into trouble anymore. ... My other child had a lot of problems as far as his schoolwork. The program helped him with that ... As a parent, it's rough to get my kids to the program at 5:30, but it's worth it. I also liked that I could call anytime I needed to if they (her children) were showing out at home."
"If a parent has a problem at home," said Cooper, "like at night, he/she can just pick up the phone and we'll come by if they (students) don't behave. But in most cases, if they hear our voices, they straighten up quick. But if not, we'll get them the next day or that night. That way, the parents have a support system."
One STAR student said she didn't like the STAR uniform and had been teased about wearing it.
"One of the things the kids hate," said Cooper, looking at the student, "is wearing the uniform. It's a deterrent ... Another thing the kids don't like about the program is the physical training part. She's (the student) in about 100 percent physical shape right now." Cooper then asked the girl how much weight she had lost during the program. "About 15 pounds," she said.
Another important part of the program is the physical training. Not only do the exercises make a student want to behave and release stress and built-up anger, but they also give students an opportunity to lose weight. This is a self-esteem booster. Some kids in the program, who were overweight when they began, lost a great deal of weight.
Cooper said that STAR was also important because "every kid is trying to find an association with something." The STAR program fills that void. He said it can prevent kids from joining gangs and doing other things that could get them in trouble.
The STAR Program is effective in working to decrease bullies and gang problems. It is also beneficial for victims of bullies. "Many of the kids in STAR," said Cooper "aren't bad kids, they were just bullied around, victimized, and now there's something missing, like self-esteem."
The physical training, counseling and Life Skills programs help to increase self-esteem with the weight loss and support of a caring staff.
One of the most important things the students learn in the program said Cooper is that "failure is not an option." In order to be successful in life, he said, you must put forth your best effort and not give up in anything you do.
In addition to helping the STAR students, the STAR program is also a great help for the faculty and staff at Crisp County Middle School. STAR instructors are visible in the hallways and outside during class changes. Students walking by always see them observing, and this cuts down on problems as well. Also, if a STAR student acts up in class, the teacher can simply call a STAR instructor and the child will be removed from the class for about an hour to do vigorous exercises. This also applies to former STAR students who are still at the school.
Administrators at Crisp County Middle School praised the STAR Program. Michael W. Lehr Jr., principal of Crisp County Middle School, said "I'm fond of the STAR Program ... STAR fills a void that other programs sometimes can't address. It gives students the inspiration to improve themselves."
Assistant Principal Dan Bedsole also spoke highly of the program. "When it (STAR) came to Crisp County Middle School in 1998, I had a lot of apprehension about it ... Before the STAR Program came, this school had 43 tribunal hearings. After its first year, that number dropped to nine ... One young man came in with a 60 grade average, and after nine weeks he pulled it up to a 90."
Bedsole also said that Cooper's job was to save children. "Together," he said, "we work as an effective team. Parents, teachers, administrators and students -- all have to work together as a team to provide the best possible education."
Bedsole also noted that STAR decreased the number of discipline referral slips one student received a year earlier. "Last school year," said Bedsole, "One student had 15 referrals. This year, the student had three."