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A Milestone For Chattanooga

438 views · Published 15 August 2012 · 2:37 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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by John Pless  The new school year begins with plenty to celebrate at Chattanooga's Howard School, which is "making the grade" and exceeding other schools in several key areas.Howard has been on several unflattering lists over the years because of poor grades and attendance. But you will be hearing and reading a lot about Howard School's remarkable turnaround for quite some time. It's all about having the right team in place to inspire young minds.English teacher Kelly Greene is part of the right team. Executive Principal Dr. Paul Smith calls her and others "superstars.""We have some of the best instructors in the district at this school and you have to have the best when you have the toughest population of kids in the schools," Dr. Smith said.Dr. Smith and his leadership team challenged teachers like Ms. Greene by developing their skills above and beyond what's expected. So this year Howard School is no longer a "priority" or "focus" school -- words the state uses to describe chronically poor performing schools."It's wonderful because you see one of your lifelong dreams come true, you see that light bulb come on in front of your eyes, you see that child seeking knowledge wanting to learn more," Greene said.TCAP scores are through the roof considering where they were and where they are now. The graduation rate is up from 24% to 88%. Students are so proud of what they've achieved they produced a 90-minute documentary titled "Build Me A World," highlighting the history, legacy and successes at Howard.  "This is big, this is big for the community at large, it's great for the Southside and the feeder schools," Dr. Smith said.Greene added "I'm so proud of my students, I have to give all the glory to them because they came in at the level they were at and rose to the occasion."Dr. Smith said the faculty has worked hard to shape a new culture and create a positive atmosphere of teaching, learning and success.Another measure of that success is 94% of graduating Howard School students are now being accepted to a college or university. Dr. Smith calls that a great beginning."What's going to matter in the distant future is not only do kids get accepted to college but how many matriculate through college and graduate with college diplomas," Dr. Smith said.The student-produced documentary "Build Me A World" premiers at 7:30 Thursday evening at the Tivoli Theatre. It's a free showing and a great way to spend an evening learning about this Chattanooga success story.

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