High Point’s new principal wants active learning plan

‘‘We’re under the school improvement restructuring program right now,” Brooks said. ‘‘We have to remove it.”

A school is placed in the state restructuring program when it fails to meet its Adequate Yearly Progress targets on the Maryland School Assessments for more than four consecutive years.

Brooks said the best way to ensure the school exits restructuring is to immerse students in ‘‘active learning.”

‘‘We’re going to put some things in place to engage kids in their learning so you learn by doing,” he said. ‘‘The days of lectures are over.”

Brooks came to High Point after six years as director of student services, assistant principal and acting principal at Falls Church High School in Fairfax County, Va.

High Point science teacher Patsy Connor said Brooks’ energy is a welcome change.

‘‘If the leadership does not buy into what I’m doing, that’s a problem,” she said. ‘‘He seems receptive and energetic. He seems like the person we need. I introduced him to some students and they could feel the spirit. They got a very good feeling from him.”

Connor also said there is gang activity at the school that the previous administration did not address.

‘‘There is no doubt about it,” she said. ‘‘You can see the graffiti on the bathroom walls. There is a very bad gang problem.”

Brooks said that he feels he can deter gang activity in the school by building stronger relationships with students and parents.

‘‘Gangs are prevalent in the Metro area,” he said. ‘‘In my experience, students who get involved in gangs have something missing in their lives. We want to provide that for them.”

He said his goal is to have every student involved in at least one club, activity or team throughout the course of the year.

Junior Demisse Habteselasie, who is High Point’s delegate for the county Student Government Association, said mandatory uniforms will be an effective way to keep gang activity to a minimum.

‘‘It’s going to reduce violence,” he said. ‘‘This doesn’t happen all that often at High Point, but I know of a lot of schools that have had students from other schools come in. Now that we have uniforms, we’ll know if someone doesn’t go to High Point.”

Brooks said he is planning on holding a ‘‘parent-principal coffee” in August to introduce himself to parents and hear their concerns.

He said he expects the loss of 10 teachers due to county budget cuts to be a prevalent topic at the meeting.

Linda Diasgranados, PTSA secretary and booster club vice president, said she is concerned that her son Alex’s classes will be overcrowded or may be dropped from the curriculum.

‘‘They said it’s not going to affect [Advanced Placement] classes or the classroom size, but 10 teachers is 10 teachers,” Diasgranados said. ‘‘Eventually somebody’s class is going to be larger.”

Brooks said that the current average class size for the county is between 30 and 35 students and that High Point, which is expected to have 2,300 students next fall, will not be adversely affected.

He said only a computer graphics class has been dropped, but because of lack of enrollment, not a lack of staffing.

Brooks said that despite the challenges facing High Point, he is excited about the coming year.

‘‘I want the community to see High Point exactly how I have in my first seven days here,” he said. ‘‘It’s a great school with great students.”