The magnet themes for Brentwood and Smith elementary schools were unveiled on Tuesday.
Smith, as expected, will offer the International Baccalaureate theme. It will help form a K-12 feeder in Garner for the International Baccalaureate program that will lead to East Garner Middle School and Garner High School.
David Ansbacher, senior director for magnet schools, said an IB program at Smith should strengthen the one at East Garner.
Ansbacher said the draw area will be the southern part of the county, where many families have been unable to get into the IB program at Farmington Woods Elementary School in Cary.
Brentwood will get an engineering magnet theme, the first of its kind for an elementary school in Wake. Liz Parry, a longtime school volunteer and director of N.C. State's RAMP-UP (Recognizing Accelerated Math Potential in Under-represented People) program, will help Brentwood.
Parry said there are only a handful of engineering elementary schools in the country. One she's helped is the Rachel Freeman School of Engineering in Wilmington.
The draw area for Brentwood hasn't been established yet, but it would feed into Centennial Campus Middle School or Moore Square Middle School and Southeast Raleigh High School.
Each school has more than 70 percent of its students receiving subsidized lunches. It could be a challenge recruiting people to attend.
Both schools will be at the Nov. 1 magnet fair at Southeast Raleigh High School. They'll be taking magnet applications in February.
(Contrary to what WRAL reported, the board didn't approve magnetizing the two schools on Tuesday. That decision had been made in September.)
Comments
see below
Thu, 10/23/2008 - 06:58 — vsheehansee below
RAMP!
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 09:40 — JSB (not verified)I am very excited about the engineering program for Brentwood - it's going to be awesome for that school and the students! Go Liz!
That is great news for
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 08:44 — raleighreaderThat is great news for Brentwood--I'm excited about the engineering magnet theme.
I watched this meeting
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 08:39 — PAYS ATTENTION PARENT (not verified)I watched this meeting yesterday and really got aggravated. Magnet schools are "application schools" .. How does that promote educational equality in Wake County? You have to be accepted.
My children never were for whatever reason WCPSS had for denying them "entry" , so they were "stuck" in the "non magnet" schools with out all the wonderful benefits magnet program accepted kids had an opportunity to experience.
ALL schools in Wake County should have the same program offerings, that's an "equal and fair" system. Until that happens, I don't want to hear how "equality" plays into this system. It does not!
PAYS ATTENTION
Thu, 10/23/2008 - 07:03 — vsheehanPAYS ATTENTION PARENT
I’m sorry you’re not the right demographic to fill the schools. There are a few seats for your demographic to insure a haves and have not fight will keep you from bonding together with others to fight this insanity but you are part of the have not side.Now your base can not have any wonderful programs because then the preferred demographic to fill Magnet schools would not apply. Therefore undesirables must sacrifice their child’s academic life for the BOE’s pleasure.