Marine Corps High School Dekalb County Georgia

[cantonmark]

News from last night mentioned a new high school in Dekalb County Georgia that would be opened next year. A lot of debate pro and con. A similiar school is open in the Chicago area and according to reports is a great oppurtunity for students. The schools have a principal and a Commandant and is sanctioned by the Marine Corps. Any thoughts from Marines?

[thedrifter]

;)

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82390

Ellie

[cantonmark]

Ellie,
Saw your post immediately after posting. Thanks for posting the link. Alot of mixed feeling here in the Atlanta area.

[thedrifter]

Marine school spells out plan
‘Looping’: The schedule will be year-round, and teachers will stay with one class more than a year.

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Residents this week gave DeKalb County school officials an earful about a new military public high school they think is a bad fit for the neighborhood.

It was their first chance to hear directly from Superintendent Crawford Lewis about his plans.

The DeKalb Marine Corps Institute is scheduled to start classes in August at the Heritage Center off Briarcliff Road in north DeKalb.

Lewis said the new school will move to another location for its second year of operation, although that site has not yet been identified.

Lewis shared new details about the school, including:

> Georgia education officials put the DeKalb system in touch with the U.S. Marine Corps, which is a partner in the school, and both parties first met to talk about it on Feb. 4. Talks moved quickly; they appear to be just steps from a final agreement.

> The school’s principal will be Thadeous Dixon, whom Lewis introduced for the first time Tuesday. The school also is supposed to have a commandant, whom Lewis did not identify by name but said was a 32-year veteran of the Marines.

> The school will have classes on a year-round schedule, with breaks during the year.

> It also will feature what educators call “looping:” Teachers stay with the same students or class for more than one year. In this case, Lewis indicated it would be for all four years of school. The concept is believed to increase retention as teachers learn students’ habits and abilities and can more quickly address their needs.

> Lewis initially hoped to put the school on the old Briarcliff High School campus, a nearby property on North Druid Hills Road that a year ago was subject to a controversial bid by developer Sembler Co. for a $1 billion mixed-use project. The site has a host of problems, however, including asbestos and heating and air conditioning trouble and no working cafeteria. Minimum cost to renovate it for temporary use is estimated at $9 million —- and to make it usable permanently, as much as $34 million. The system doesn’t have that much money available for such a project right now.

> Lewis is considering five to seven other locations as the school’s permanent home, but the process will take several months as officials essentially audit each one to figure out how compatible it would be —- and how much renovations may cost if needed.

Ellie

[Marine84]

WOOHOO! I'm in Dekalb Co - this is sooooooooooooooo cool!

[Alisium]

I wish they'd open up more.

I does sound a whole heck of a lot better than The Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, TX.

[Zulu 36]

WOOHOO! I'm in Dekalb Co - this is sooooooooooooooo cool!


Kim, you can be Dean of Females.

Achped is not allowed on campus.