The HA Family

At the beginning of the school year, I scheduled appointments with every teacher and staff member in the school in order to get to know everyone a little better. I wanted to get a sense of everyone's family, why they work at HA, what they like about HA, where they think we need to improve, and (of course) what I can do for them.

The information I obtained was invaluable.  What I already felt to be true was confirmed: We have an extremely dedicated, talented, and caring group of faculty and staff who love our children and our school community. Every single member of our faculty and staff could be making more money (sometimes MUCH more money) working in a public school or in the business world, but they choose to stay at Houston Academy because they love it.

To this end, as I mentioned above, I asked the faculty and staff the question, "What do you like about HA?" Here is a sampling of the answers I received:

"I enjoy coming to work every day. I love the kids, and the people are great."
"I love working at a place where the kids love coming to school."
"I feel like I've died and gone to teacher heaven... I feel like we are making an investment in our kids."
"The school is challenging; children believe they can achieve their dreams; DREAMS LIVE HERE."
"There is strong parent and administrative support."
"My kids came here from [private school in Dothan]. I was shocked to see how far they were behind the other HA kids, but the great thing is, the teachers were so supportive, and my children caught up.I feel so happy now, knowing how well prepared my kids are for college."
"Everyone is so kind."
"HA is full of happy, positive people."
"I like that we are independent and can make our own rules and curriculum."

However, the most prevalent theme came down to one simple word: family. 

We all know that HA offers the only true, rigorous college preparatory curriculum in the Wiregrass. However, I was a little surprised to find out that our rigor and educational quality was not what people on the faculty felt was the best aspect of the school. Instead, they thought it was our family environment:

"HA looked out for my family. When we had problems, the people here were there for us."
"It's a family atmosphere where my children feel safe - both emotionally and physically."
"It's like a little family. People take care of each other, and the teachers treat the children like their own."
"It's a family. Everyone is genuine."
"I like that I really get to know the kids. I know them almost as well as I know my own. It's a family" 

Of the almost 90 meetings I had with faculty and staff, the word "family" came up over 70 times. As a parent who chose to put my three children in school at HA, I have to admit, I got a little choked up, and was extraordinarily touched, listening to the teacher stories about how the HA family had positively impacted their life and the lives of the children in our care. It's great to know that my three kids will receive an unbelievable college preparatory education at HA; it's even better to know they will be loved.

Working on the "6 C's of 21st Century Learning": Character

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

This year, the Honor Council at Houston Academy decided to update the Honor Code. While we have a well-established honor code and honor system, the Council felt that we needed to do something tangible to make honor a more visible and vibrant concept in our community.

For the first time, students at HA are taking part in a special ceremony to help reinforce the concept of honor in our community.  To quote from the revised Honor Code:

At the beginning of the school year, during a special honor ceremony, faculty and students declare their honorable intentions and publicly acknowledge their support of the Honor System by signing the following pledge to uphold the Honor Code: “On my honor, I will not violate the Honor Code, and I solemnly pledge to act honorably in all my endeavors as a representative of Houston Academy. My signature affirms my honor.”

To this end, Mrs. Emblom, the Honor Council sponsor, has acquired a leather-bound book that each student will sign, every year at the beginning of the year. Thereby, we will record for posterity our communal pledge of honor.  Two hundred years from now, the children of Houston Academy will be able to look back and view the signatures of the current students who have collectively pledged to make Houston Academy (and the world) a better place. In addition, every time a student in the Upper School at HA complete an assignment, he or she will write or type on his or

her paper, "My signature affirms my honor."

I could not be more proud of what the students on our Honor Council have accomplished, and I am equally proud of our students who have voluntarily made their commitment to uphold high standards of excellence for our community.

Students Sign the Honor Book During the Honor Code Ceremony

Like most of you, I firmly believe that we are obliged to provide students with a firm foundation in moral and ethical character. As a parent, what I hope most for my children is not that they attain academic or athletic prowess, but rather that they be decent, kind, and that they seek to serve others. More precisely, I believe we must teach our students to be honorable. Unfortunately, in many schools, any emphasis on the concept of honor is starkly absent. This is to the detriment of our society.

One need not look any further than the news media to see how a lack of morality and ethics has negatively affected our country. In sports, where many of our children find role models, Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his Tour de France victories because he “doped”; Ryan Braun, the 2011 NL MVP, was suspended for the rest of the 2013 season in July for violating the league’s substance abuse policy; and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick did jail time for gambling and illegal dog fighting. Of course, the Enron, BernieMadoff Ponzi Scheme, and WorldCom scandals in the corporate world have grabbed headlines, and more significantly, have robbed people of their life savings.

In academia, numerous studies have, likewise, shown disturbing trends. According to one prominent study, 70% of students in the United States admit to cheating in one form or another (Gulli, Kohler, & Patriquin). Moreover, it appears to be getting worse. Donald McCabe (1994) of Rutgers University has done research comparing the frequency of cheating in the 1960s to the frequency of cheating in the 1990s. To cite just a few examples from his work, McCabe tells us that the number of college students who admitted to copying someone else’s work has risen from 26% in 1963 to 52% in 1993, and the number of students who admitted to using a “cheat sheet” during a test has risen from 16% to 26% during the same time period.

Of course, the proliferation of technology has made cheating in our schools almost too convenient.  McCabe (2006) tells us that students are using technology to cheat in larger numbers than ever before: In 1999, 10% of students surveyed admitted to copying wholesale off the Internet; by 2005, 40% admitted to doing so. I could cite many more studies that illustrate similar trends.

Fortunately, independent schools like HA have taken the strong step of establishing an Honor System to stem the tide of dishonorable behavior. Consistently, the literature has shown that creating an Honor Code and an Honor System significantly decreases academic dishonesty (Bowers, 1964; Campbell, 1935; Canning, 1956; McCabe & Trevino, 1993; Sierles, 1988; et al.). Perhaps more importantly, however, a well-functioning Honor System helps students to adhere to honorable behavior later in life – well beyond their educational career (Bowers, 1964; Campbell, 1935; Canning, 1956; New England Journal of Medicine, 2005; Sierles, 1988; et al.).

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Moreover, research on effective schools and organizations tells us that giving people a stronger sense of efficacy increases the strength of any organization (Collins, 2001, 2005; Covey, 1992; Fullan, 2001, 2003; Heifetz & Linsky, 2002; Patterson, 2003; Whitaker, 2003; et al.). Furthermore, the research on Honor Codes tells us that the most successful systems centrally involve students in the decision-making process and persistently involve the full participation of the school community in shaping the system. Indeed, with the full support of everyone in the HA community, I believe we are about to embark on a cultural shift that will make an indelible impact on our students and, by extension, the world around us.

If you get a chance, congratulate Sean Christiansen, Claire Duerson, Jacob Beauchamp, Rachel Beverly, and Bailey Spivey. Please take the time to thank our “small group” of Honor Council members for what they have done “to change the world.”

Scott D. Phillipps, Ed.D.

A New Facility for Our Students

   

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Houston Academy, I am pleased to announce that we will break ground this fall on a new Student Activities Center and Training Facility. For many years, our students have trained in our weight room in the Killingsworth Gymnasium.  Over time, however, this facility has become inadequate to support the needs of our growing athletic and extracurricular programs. 

Most of you know, last year we hired AJ Howard as our strength and conditioning coach. As a result, I believe we have seen remarkable progress in HA’s strength program. Building this facility will serve to enhance the outstanding job that Coach Howard and our other coaches and teachers are doing to help all our students obtain and maintain the highest levels of health and fitness.

The new Student Activities Center, which will be between 8,000 and 9,000 square feet in size, will house locker rooms, offices, and a state-of-the art weight room and cardiovascular training space.  Also, as a part of this project, new girls locker rooms will be constructed in the Killingsworth Gymnasium, and the existing weight room will be converted to much-needed office and storage space.

I should point out that no current tuition dollars are going towards the construction of this building. This project is being completed primarily through the generosity of parents and friends of Houston Academy. I should note, too, that this facility will serve ALL students and families within the HA community. That is, this facility is not only for student athletes.  Our PE classes will use it during the day, and Coach Howard’s services will continue to be offered to any student who would like his help and expertise.

We will be releasing more details about the facility in the very near future, and certainly, we will want to recognize those who have helped to make this happen.  Right now, however, we are thrilled to announce our plans to the entire HA community.

It’s an exciting time to be a Raider!

Dr. Scott D. Phillipps

The Teachers Who Inspire Us

Houston Academy is an institution that prides itself on its fine teaching, and certainly this pride is well deserved.  As I told the teachers at our opening faculty meeting, I believe that teaching is the most noble of professions.  For relatively little pay, they work every day to make this world a better place. Moreover,  for every CEO, star athlete, congressman, musician, doctor, or lawyer out there, there were one or more great teachers who were instrumental in making them who they are.

The older I get and the more experience in education I have, the more I appreciate the fine education I received at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and in my graduate studies. A great number of educators influenced me profoundly. My high school football and wrestling coach, Bob Cloy, taught me tenacity, resiliency, AND that a great coach SHOULD also be a great classroom teacher. My high school French teacher, Susan Kokoszka, taught me to revel in a culture that was not my own and that uncompromisingly high standards yield incredible results. In my undergraduate and graduate education, I was exposed to some incredible minds: Dan Franklin, Mynra Gantner, Art Casciato, Steven Bauer, Jack Kirby, and Ryan Barilleaux, to name a few.  However, if I had to pick one teacher to honor as having the most profound influence on my life, it would have to be my undergraduate history and American studies professor, Elliot Gorn. 

As a teacher and a student, I have observed that effective educators can take a variety of forms.  I have learned a great deal from teachers with disparate methods and demeanors.  “Elliot,” as he instructed us to call him, had a rare combination of intellectualism and informality that enabled him to impart a great deal, while creating one of the most comfortable learning environments I have ever encountered.  As I got to know him, I was awestruck by his scholarship.   Yet, Elliot never pretended to know all the answers.  Instead, he always found the questions that forced me to think conceptually.   In Elliot’s class, I learned how to make abstract connections relative to complex social phenomenon.  Importantly, though, Elliot never let us forget that society and history deal with real people with real lives, who face real issues. 

I won’t go so far as to say that Elliot taught me how to be a scholar, because I did not really learn that until graduate school, but what he did teach me was how to think like a scholar.   In Elliot’s class learning, for me, became both a pleasure and an obligation.  I genuinely enjoyed the readings, the class discussions, etc.  However, he engendered the kind of personal loyalty that made me determined not to disappoint him in any writing or work I did.  Elliot took my work and my thinking seriously.  This gave me confidence.  Consequently, I pushed myself to intellectual limits I had not previously discovered.  I came to recognize that education is not a product; education is a struggle.  I do not mean this in a pejorative sense, but in the sense that education is a process of disclosure that is not and should not be easy.  I learned that there is much greater satisfaction in unearthing something difficult than in repeating something tired.  I look back on some of my early work in his class, and I think it would have been very easy to mock my clichés, but somehow he taught me to reject them without making me feel like an idiot. 

Nonetheless, my struggle in his classes and my success in his classes helped me decide that I loved learning and loved teaching enough to make learning and teaching my career. As a teacher, I have incessantly worked to give my students the sense of excitement at intellectual development that I found in Elliot Gorn’s class.

The excitement and enthusiasm of a new school year always causes me to reflect on what teachers like Elliot Gorn gave to me and countless other students in his care.  Noting that no one has been inclined to respond to my blog, I would invite the HA community and readers of this blog to share their story of a teacher/coach who inspired them and shaped them.  Please comment below!

Our New Faculty and Staff!

With the bevy of educational reforms that have been imposed on our schools over the last 40 years, it seems that our political and educational leaders have forgotten one key fact: The single most important factor in a student’s learning is the quality of the classroom teacher.[1]

To that point, we have an outstanding faculty at HA. I think most of you know that when my family and I were looking at various headmaster jobs across the Southeast, we weren't merely looking for a job; we were looking for a place to educate and raise our three children. The faculty here at HA is a big part of the reason why we chose to come to Houston Academy.

Houston Academy has been very fortunate to be able to attract and retain a talented and assiduous faculty. That trend has continued with the hires we made this spring and summer. Please allow me to briefly introduce you to the newest members of the HA faculty and staff.

Of course, everyone who has been in the HA community knows what an outstanding educational leader Tammi Holman is. I expected big things from her, as our new Upper School Head, but she has exceeded my lofty expectations. Her innovation, incredible work ethic, scholarship, and keen understanding of children have inspired me. I believe you will see that our Upper School, which is already incredibly strong, will become even stronger under Ms. Holman’s leadership. Ms. Holman has a B.S. and graduate work from Troy University.  

Joel Pendleton is our new Director of Development.  Prior to his appointment at HA, Mr. Pendleton was the Advancement Coordinator for an educational organization called Student Statesman Institute (SSI), which is located in Lansing, Michigan. SSI is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to teaching law, Public Policy, Business, Communications, and Civics to high school students. Joel raised 2/3 of the entire operating budget for SSI who gave him exceedingly high recommendations.   I am very excited about what Joel brings to the proverbial table.  He is dynamic and motivated.

Leanne Todd will be moving into the position of Assistant Director of Development and the Director of Alumni Affairs. Most of you probably all know Ms. Todd, who is an alumna of the school and our Cheerleading Coach. Ms. Todd will be invaluable in developing a full-fledged alumni program for HA. We feel confident that she will be able to help our graduates and their families stay connected to our school. She will also help Joel in his efforts to build ties with current members of the HA community. Mrs. Todd has a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Alabama.

Vanessia Snell is coming to HA from Dothan High, where she has been the Lead Science Teacher for Dothan City Schools and a teacher of AP chemistry, AP physics, physical science, and biology. Furthermore, Ms. Snell has been an adjunct instructor at both Troy-Dothan and Wallace Community College, has been an AP Chemistry Exam Reader for the College Board, and has served as a consultant to College Board.  Ms. Snell will be teaching AP chemistry, chemistry, and physics this year. Ms. Snell holds a B.S. in Comprehensive Science Education from Troy University, an M.A. in Science Education from Troy-Dothan, and post Master’s Chemistry Certification from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Patti Woodham Flowers will be joining HA as the HALL (Houston Academy Learning Lab) teacher after over 24 years of experience working with students from diverse backgrounds. In particular, Ms. Flowers has been a K-12 special education teacher working both in a resource room and in the general classroom setting.  Ms. Flowers has a B.S. and M.A. in specific learning disabilities from Troy University.

Leisha Hayes, the former HALL teacher, will be moving to the 3^rd grade classroom, full-time. Leisha has an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Troy-Dothan and a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University.  Before coming to HA, Leisha was a teacher in the Houston County School system. We are excited about what Leisha brings to our regular classroom environment. 

Jimmy Riggs comes to us from Savannah, Georgia to teach mathematics. Specifically, he will be taking over the AP Calculus program in our Upper School.  Mr. Riggs is an alumnus of Roanoke College where he graduated Cum Laude with a major in mathematics and a minor in education. Interestingly, Mr. Riggs comes fresh off of a stint of teaching math in Wuhan, China. Furthermore, Mr. Riggs recently attended the College Board’s Summer Institute for Teachers of Advanced Placement Calculus at the University of Alabama. In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Riggs will be coaching soccer with Rick Vasquez this spring.

Shelly Phillipps will be serving as our Director of Enrollment and Marketing and will be teaching World History.  Shelly has taught for 20 years in both independent and public schools. Additionally, she has served as the Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Georgia. In this capacity, she was responsible for marketing, fundraising, personnel management, and recruitment. In her teaching career in Georgia, Ms. Phillipps was named Teacher of the Year and STAR Teacher. She holds a B.A. in History and Classics from Miami University (OH), an M.A. in Humanities from Central Michigan University, and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University (TN).

Our most recent new hire this year is Ben Leer who will be joining us in the Mathematics Department.  Ben has moved to Dothan from St. Petersburg, FL. Mr. Leer holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Central Florida, and he tutored students for six years at many levels of math including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, and SAT preparation. Ben is currently continuing his education at Troy University.  Moreover, Ben also has worked in outdoor education and as an internet marketing specialist. 

Houston Academy is very fortunate to have recruited this level of expertise to HA. It would certainly be impossible to overestimate the contributions that Marion Spivey, Joe Pelham, Ned Jenne, and Karen McCarroll have made to our school and to our children.  However, despite those significant and poignant losses, I believe we have brought a wealth of new talent into the HA community that will continue to offer the best education to students of the Wiregrass region.  I am eager for you to see them in action, and I hope you will join me in warmly welcoming them.

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[1] Research suggests that context variables (such as the educational level or income level of the parents of students) are more powerful predictors of student achievement.  It has been estimated that up to 70% of student achievement can be predicted by such variables. However, of the variables that we can control, the most powerful variable is the quality of the classroom teacher.